Portsmouth has long been a major base for the Royal Navy, and as such has strong defences. The settlement on the natural harbour is recorded in the late 12th century when a chapel was built and dedicated to Thomas Becket, and a charter granted to the town by King Richard the Lionheart in 1194. Henry VIII established Portsmouth as the base for his new fleet and built Southsea Castle to defend the port. Portsmouth has the world's oldest continuously used dry dock. Today, the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, within Her Majesty's Naval Base, is home to several celebrated English heritage ships such as the HMS Victory and Mary Rose. Portsmouth Harbour was one of the most significant embarkation points for the Normandy landings on D-Day, 6 June 1944. The city hosts the D-Day Museum, with a magnificent embroidery as a modern counterpart to the famous Bayeux Tapestry.
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