A Dorset band has commemorated the 250th anniversary of the launch of a famous ship, through song.

Weymouth band Graffiti has released album Nautical Graffiti, which is dedicated to HMS Victory and her crew.

The collection of songs begins with the tale of the sinking of Henry VIII's Mary Rose, and includes tales of pirates, smugglers, mermaids, Press Gangs and concludes with the death of Admiral Lord Nelson and the British victory at Trafalgar.

The album has a distinct Dorset flavour to it and was recorded at the Blue Room in Bournemouth.

Graffiti as a group was brought together by song writer Will Adams, and includes:

n Will Adams: Music, lyrics, 12 string guitar and lead vocals

n Simon Swarbrick: Six string acoustic guitar, mandolin, fiddle, bass, double bass, additional arrangements

n Lee Cuff: Cello, main vocal harmonies (From folk band Kadia)

n Chris Bailey: Six string acoustic guitar, additional vocal harmony (From folk band Kadia)

n David Hoyland: Drums percussion, additional vocal harmony (From folk band Kadia)

n Lucy Watkins: Additional harmonies.

The album was created in 2015 and released in 2016, with Will Adams still touring the songs.

Folk was not originally the route that Weymouth-born Will went down when writing music.

He said: "My first album, To the Moon and Back, which was released in the mid 2000s was originally a swing album. However I realised that I was not a gigging musician, and for me songwriting was key."

Will went back to the drawing board, and looked to his Dorset roots for inspiration.

Will said: "I wanted to do something different.

"I thought it would be nice to do something where I grew up."

This led to Will writing songs for Nautical Graffiti, with his inspiration coming from reading the book The Command of the Ocean; A Naval History of Britain, 1649-1815 by N.A.M. Rodger.

Will was no stranger to the sea, with his great grandfather and his father before him both sailing on tall ships from Weymouth, and Will himself spending time in the Merchant Navy.

As a boy, Will was also fortunate enough to spend long summers working with a fishing crew on Chesil Beach, which he describes as 'a wild but beautiful location'.

Will put this passion for the sea and Dorset's history into his song writing.

He said: "I am originally a pianist, but brought myself a guitar and learnt to play whilst writing the songs.

"However, I needed musicians.

"Three years ago I went to Swanage Folk Festival and met folk band Kadia from Bournemouth.

"I played them my songs, and they agreed to help on the album."

There was still one thing missing for Will though.

Will said: "I contacted Simon Swarbrick, someone who I had met when I was 15, and who is the best fiddle player I have met.

"I wanted him on the track, so contacted him in the hope he would remember me.

"It turned out he had moved to Weymouth, and once he heard the music he contributed to the album."

To finish the group, Will added the talent of Lucy Watkins, daughter of Dorset Folk singer Ken Watkins, which completed the one-off group Graffiti for this album.

The album was recorded by John Sweet at the Blue Room in Bournemouth, with John knowing Will from his swing album days.

Whether you are interested in history or not, the album provides catchy songs, with number two on the album Man O War, not only memorable, but focusing historically on the Press Gangs of the late 18th century.

Track number seven on the album, Isaac Gulliver, is based entirely on the true story of the English Smuggler.

Will said: "I wanted to do one about a pirate, and I got all the information from Wikipedia.

"I was contacted by Gulliver's great great grandson, telling me that I was spot on, and asked me if I could provide the music for an upcoming film focusing on Gulliver's life."

A video of the song was recorded on Chesil Beach, and is currently on YouTube.

Will is currently working on his new album, alongside Simon Swarbrick, Lucy Watkins and Lee Cuff, with the album called 10 Shillings A Week.

Keeping up with his interest with Dorset history, this new album features a title song about the Tolpuddle Martyrs, as well as songs about the English Civil War and others, and he hopes to finish it in the summer.

Music from Nautical Graffiti and 10 Shillings a Week are both being played by Will on tour, with his next gig at the King's Arms pub in Weymouth on Sunday, March 11 from 3pm.

Looking forward, Will said:

"I am still trying to get a band together, so I can play the songs at folk festivals over the summer."

The album is available online at Amazon, iTunes, Spotify and even on sale at the Mary Rose Museum.

Will said: "I contacted the Mary Rose museum and the HMS Victory museum, and so far the Mary Rose have been selling the album.

"I played in the Admirals Gallery at the Mary Rose for their Christmas Fair last year, and will be playing there again in the summer."

Looking back, it was a gamble that paid off for Will.

He said: "I hoped they would work, and after getting the band Kadia to join me we gave it a go and it paid off.

"I was fortunate to get a recording."

The album received high praise from review site Fatea records, which you can view at fatea-records.co.uk/magazine/reviews/Graffiti

Music critic Neil King says: "Whilst contemporary in sound, these are songs that are strong in the tradition, you can imagine them being taken by the fishermen of Poole to the Grand Banks and beyond, adapted and given other local character and place names.

Nautical Graffiti is a wonderful debut album, one that explores a part of our heritage that we are in danger of forgetting."

For more information about the album, visit nauticalgraffiti.com