A CENTURY below the waves is being celebrated by the Royal Navy's Submarine Service next year - and the

milestone is being marked in style at Gosport, the spiritual home of submariners.

The town's Royal Navy Submarine Museum is trying to contact more than 20,000 former submariners, while at the same time the first phase of a £2

million facelift for the popular

museum is due to open.

Prince Charles is also watching developments closely after giving the unique project his full

support.

George Malcolmson, the museum's business services manager, said that besides putting Holland 1, the Navy's first submarine back on display at the museum, one of the aims of the Centennial year in 2001, was to try and build a complete historical database,

giving the service details of all retired submariners.

He added: "This information could then be made available to future generations of researchers and historians."

Former sub crew members also have an opportunity to join the new museum branch of the Submariners' Association.

Named the Dolphin branch after the former Gosport submarine base - the original home of the Submarine Service - it is hoped those submariners who cannot get to a local branch will join.

Colin Way, the museum and branch secretary, said: "We hope to rekindle that unique spirit that only a submariner can understand. As well as holding a series of social events, we aim to keep members informed of what is

happening in the submarine community by a series of newsletters

during the year."

Part of Prince Charles's message said: "The world's oceans are littered with submarine wrecks - often unknown and unmarked graves - which are the result of submarine tragedies and enemy action during world-wide British wartime operations.

"The story of the Royal Navy Submarine Service is a thrilling one which needs to be told. The thousands of British submariners who have lost their lives in submarines, in peace and war, deserve to have their sacrifices permanently recognised and the Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport is the right place to tell that story.

"This appeal has my fullest

support and I warmly commend it to you.''

Any serving or retired submariner wishing to register their details or join the Submariners' Association should contact Mr Way on 02392 510354, or write to him at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum at Haslar Jetty Road, Gosport.

Meanwhile, work is underway on an eye-catching expansion of the museum.

A futuristic, spherical new

exhibition hall, named after the late Sir John Fieldhouse - a leading figure in the Falklands conflict who lived locally - is proposed.

This project should open in less than three years, but the first phase of the museum facelift takes place in May, when a new Holland 1 exhibit for the Navy's first submarine is opened.

The new building, containing

hi-tech gadgetry and interactive

displays will double exhibition space and will also provide a home for the mini-submarine HMS X24.

A major element of the new historical galleries will be an area devoted to the memory of the 5,378 Royal Navy Submariners who gave their lives in the service of their country.

It is a story of bravery, comradeship and sacrifice - one that future generations must never forget.