A NEW £3 million museum of naval firepower has two nuclear bombs among its exhibits as it plans to open in March.

The Hampshire museum has two disarmed bombs, both of which are relics from the Cold War, which officially did not exist.

The Ministry of Defence never owned up to whether any of its ships and aircraft carried the Red Beard atomic bomb or the larger 600lb bomb because of the sensitivity over relations with the Soviet Union.

Gosport's Explosion museum is due to open on Saturday, March 24, by a VIP, possibly a member of the Royal Family with a naval connection.

The story of naval firepower is based at the former 18th century gunpowder, cannon, musket and pistol store, which served Nelson's ships during the Battle of Trafalgar.

Today it is the heart of a multi-million-pound leisure and housing development on the western side of Portsmouth Harbour.

Priddy's Hard, named after the woman who used to own the land before the government bought it for the Royal Navy, is part of the Millennium Commission-funded renaissance of Portsmouth Harbour.

The rejuvenation includes, Gosport Submarine Museum, Gosport's Royal Clarence Dockyard leisure complex and a lifting bridge, Portsmouth Royal Dockyards, the waterfronts on both sides, Gosport's new marina and a planned water taxi and small road train tour service to the Gosport attractions.

Museum general manager Michael Nutt said: "The museum is at the heart of one of the largest Millennium Commis-sion schemes and is expected to be a major tourist attraction.

"We have the bonus of untouched historic listed buildings and a wealth of guns and other munitions collected by far-sighted former superintendents of the base. Without their enthusiasm we'd not have the basis of this museum.

"Primarily the museum will celebrate the work of up to 3,000 mainly women munitions workers who kept the Royal Navy supplied with fire power right up to and including the Falklands. The museum will appeal to the whole family.''

Marketing manager Bill Sainsbury said the unused nuclear bombs were completely harmless and have been stripped of any radioactive material.