72-917: Urlay Nook , County Durham The Great North Air Ambulance Service ( GNAAS ) is a registered charity and air ambulance based in the United Kingdom . It operates a dedicated helicopter emergency service for the North of England with three aircraft. It serves North Yorkshire , the North-East , Cumbria , the Scottish borders and the Isle of Man . GNAAS operates three Dauphin helicopters from its two bases at Langwathby , near Penrith in Cumbria , and Urlay Nook , near Eaglescliffe in County Durham . Between July and December 2021,
144-520: A hatchelling house, tarring house and storehouses) were laid out alongside and parallel to the ropehouse; they largely date from the same period. Later, in 1784, a large new house was built for the Dockyard Commissioner. Unusually for the time it was designed by a civilian architect ( Samuel Wyatt , with Thomas Telford as clerk-of-works); most other dockyard buildings were designed in-house. The dockyard chapel , built eighty years earlier,
216-510: A parliamentarian town during the civil war .) A resident Commissioner was first appointed in 1649; fifteen years later the Commissioner was provided with a house, and extensive gardens, at the centre of the yard. A new double dry dock (i.e. double the standard length so as to accommodate two ships at once) was built by the Commonwealth government in 1656, on what was then the tip of land at
288-533: A torpedo workshop (built to the east of No 12 dock in 1886). Before the end of the century, it was recognised that there would have to be still further expansion across all the Royal Dockyards in order to keep pace with the increasing likely size of future naval vessels. At Portsmouth two more dry docks, Nos 14 & 15, were built alongside the Repairing Basin in 1896; (within ten years these, together with
360-411: A " ship caisson " to close off the entrance to the basin (another innovation which soon became a standard design). To deal with the increasing number of docks, Bentham in 1797 proposed replacing one of the horse pumps above the reservoir with a steam engine. His plan was that the engine should be used not only to drain the reservoir (by night) but also to drive a sawmill and woodworking machinery (during
432-571: A 5000 m care home, 500 m of community facilities, and up to 1000 m of retail space on the site. This Stockton-on-Tees location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Portsmouth Naval Base His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth ( HMNB Portsmouth ) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport ). Portsmouth Naval Base
504-410: A dramatic and ongoing increase in the potential size of new vessels. The Dockyards found themselves having to expand in kind. At Portsmouth, plans were drawn up in the late 1850s for further land reclamation north and east of the new Steam Basin, and from 1867 work was begun on a complex of three new interconnected basins, each of 14–22 acres. Each basin served a different purpose: ships would proceed from
576-579: A galleon in 1559. The appointment of one Thomas Jermyn as Keeper of the Dock at Portsmouth is recorded in 1526, with a Clerk of the Stores being appointed from 1542. Contemporary records suggest that the dry dock was enlarged and rebuilt in 1523 in order to accommodate the Henry Grace à Dieu (the largest ship of the fleet at that time); but a hundred years later it is described as being filled with rubble. Following
648-464: A jet suit in 90 seconds. The air ambulance service began in 1994 with the leased Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil helicopter G-NAAS. MBB Bo 105 helicopters were operated from 2003, and an MD 902 from 2006. 2006 also saw the introduction of the first Dauphin helicopter, G-HEMS. In 2010, the charity consolidated around a fleet of three Dauphin N2 helicopters, which were the first aircraft it owned. This ended
720-428: A military threat to England, the strategic importance of Portsmouth grew. In 1689, Parliament ordered a new dry dock to be built there, large enough to accommodate the latest first-rate and second-rate ships of the line (which were too big for the existing docks). Work began in 1691; as with all subsequent extensions to the dockyard, the new works were built on reclaimed land (on what had been mud flats, to north of
792-505: A modern stone dry dock (known today as No 1 dock, it currently accommodates the museum ship HMS M33 ). North of the reservoir a channel was dug leading to a new boat basin, beyond which several shipbuilding slips were constructed on reclaimed land at what became known as the North Corner of the dockyard. The rest of the reclaimed land was given over to storage space for timber with saw pits and seasoning sheds alongside, as shown in
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#1732845565800864-457: A set of gates, thus forming a second dry dock (called the "North Stone Dock" after it was rebuilt with stone altars in 1737, and known today as No 6 dock). Severed from the harbour, the Upper Wet Dock became a reservoir into which water from various nearby dry docks could be drained; it was vaulted and covered over at the end of the eighteenth century, but still exists today underground. By 1700
936-465: A shipbuilding slip had been constructed off the (Lower) Wet Dock, parallel with the dry dock (roughly where No 4 dry dock is today). Between 1704 and 1712 a brick wall was built around the Dockyard, following the line of the town's 17th-century fortifications ; together with a contemporary (though altered) gate and lodge, much of the wall still stands, serving its original purpose. A terrace of houses for
1008-551: A significant influence on the local economy. This later reduced to around 750 just prior to closure in 1997. Part of the former MOD site is now the Urlay Nook Admiralty ecology park, the rest of the site was sold to a distribution company in 1997. Aerial photographs show that the site used to have railway sidings and a small runway, though the latter appeared to only be in use as a Relief Landing Round for RAF Thornaby. A masterplan has been drawn up to build up to 1000 homes,
1080-462: Is part of the city of Portsmouth ; it is located on the eastern shore of Portsmouth Harbour , north of the Solent and the Isle of Wight . For centuries it was officially known as HM Dockyard, Portsmouth : as a Royal Dockyard , Portsmouth functioned primarily as a state-owned facility for building, repairing and maintaining warships ; for a time it was the largest industrial site in the world. From
1152-548: Is the name given to the portion of the base which is open to the public; it plays host to: The Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust has long sought to extend the area of the Historic Dockyard to cover Dry Docks 4 and 5 and the historic Block Mills building among others. In 2015 an architectural design competition for the project was won by Latz+Partner ; however, the Ministry of Defence subsequently indicated that property to
1224-715: Is the regulatory authority of the Dockyard Port of Portsmouth , an area of approximately 50 square miles (130 km ) that encompasses Portsmouth Harbour and the Eastern Solent. KHM Harbour Control is based in the Semaphore Tower building. Shipping movements are handled by a team of admiralty pilots headed by the Chief Admiralty Pilot. In 1836 the Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth was given accommodation within
1296-569: The HMNB Devonport by 2023; HM Ship HMS Argyll moved in the opposite direction. HMS Monmouth and HMS Montrose were also to move to Portsmouth. However, Monmouth retired in 2021, Montrose decommissioned in 2023 and Argyll and Westminster followed in 2024. Richmond became a Devonport ship on completion of her refit. St Albans moved to Devonport in July 2019 in preparation for her major refit. Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
1368-552: The Mary Rose respectively). While constructing a new entrance to the Basin, Bentham introduced the innovation of an inverted masonry arch to tie together the walls on either side. He went on to use the same principle in constructing the new dry docks attached to the basin; it soon became standard for dock construction around the world. In constructing the docks and basin he made pioneering use of Smeaton 's waterproof cement . He also designed
1440-473: The 1970s, the term 'Naval Base' began to be used for Portsmouth (and other Royal Dockyards), acknowledging a greater focus on personnel and support elements alongside the traditional industrial emphases. In 1984 Portsmouth's Royal Dockyard function was significantly downsized and downgraded, and was formally renamed the 'Fleet Maintenance and Repair Organisation' (FMRO). The FMRO was privatised in 1998; in 2002, shipbuilding (which had not taken place on site since
1512-600: The Dockyard (in Admiralty House) and in 1889 he was given HMS Victory to be his ceremonial flagship . These privileges were inherited by the Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command (whose post was combined with that of Second Sea Lord in 1994), who continued to fly his flag from HMS Victory until 2012. That year the post of Commander-in-Chief reverted to the First Sea Lord , and with it
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#17328455658001584-472: The Great Stone Dock was rebuilt and a new dry dock (known today as No 4 dock) was built alongside it over a five-year period from 1767. During 1771–76 the former Upper Wet Dock was reconfigured to serve as a reservoir into which water from the dry docks could be drained by way of culverts (enabling ships to be dry docked much more speedily). From 1789 work was begun on replacing the old wooden South Dock with
1656-711: The Naval Base, under a 99-year lease, as an heritage area, the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard . It allows members of the public to visit important maritime attractions such as Mary Rose , HMS Victory , HMS Warrior and the National Museum of the Royal Navy . The Naval Base Commander (NBC) since June 2022 is Commodore John Voyce. The harbour is under the control of the King's Harbour Master (KHM), who
1728-518: The Naval Base. The base is additionally home to a number of commercial shore activities, including the ship repair and maintenance facility operated by BAE Systems Maritime Services . The base is the oldest in the Royal Navy, and it has been an important part of the Senior Service 's history and the defence of the British Isles for centuries. It is home to one of the oldest surviving drydocks in
1800-404: The Royal Dockyards. As such, he took on responsibility for overseeing the continued rebuilding at Portsmouth and initiated further key engineering works. A prolific inventor and precision engineer, Bentham's initiatives at Portsmouth ranged from instituting new management principles in the manufacturing departments to developing the first successful steam-powered bucket dredger , which began work in
1872-458: The adjacent docks 12 & 13, had to be extended, and by the start of World War I Dock No 14 was over 720 ft in length). In 1843 construction began on a railway system within the dockyard. In 1846 this was connected to Portsmouth Town railway station via what became known as the Admiralty Line. By 1952 there was over 27 miles of track within the dockyard. Its use declined in the 1970s:
1944-501: The area in 1212. The docks were used by various kings when embarking on invasions of France through the 13th and 14th centuries, including the Saintonge War in 1242. Edward II ordered all ports on the south coast to assemble their largest vessels at Portsmouth to carry soldiers and horses to the Duchy of Aquitaine in 1324 to strengthen defences. The first recorded dry dock in the world
2016-415: The building which faces Admiralty House on South Terrace. Taking on students from the age of 14, this was the forerunner of Portsmouth Dockyard School (later Technical College) which continued to provide specialist training until 1970. The adoption of steam propulsion for warships led to large-scale changes in the Royal Dockyards, which had been built in the age of sail . The Navy's first 'steam factory'
2088-480: The camber was rebuilt in Portland stone between 1773 and 1785. On the other side of the camber, on newly reclaimed land, two more sizeable brick storehouses were built to serve as a sail loft and a rigging store; the reclaimed land was later named Watering Island after a fresh water supply was provided for ships mooring alongside. The Great Ropehouse, a double ropery over 1,000 ft (300 m) in length, dates from
2160-407: The day); he also envisaged linking it to a freshwater well, to enable water to be pumped through a network of pipes to various parts of the dockyard. A table engine , designed by Bentham's staff chemist James Sadler , was installed in 1799; it represented the first use of steam power in a Royal Naval Yard. By 1800 a second steam engine (a Boulton & Watt beam engine) was being installed alongside
2232-411: The dockyard model of 1774. Several of Portsmouth Dockyard's most notable historic buildings date from this period, with several older wooden structures being replaced in brick on a larger scale. The three great storehouses (Nos 9, 10 & 11) were built between 1764 and 1785 on a wharf, alongside a deep canal (or camber ) which allowed transport and merchant vessels to moor and load or unload goods;
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2304-450: The edges of the basins: five cranes, seven caissons and forty capstans were run on compressed air from the pump house. The "Great Extension" of Portsmouth Dockyard was largely completed by 1881. Alongside the new Basins new buildings were erected, on a huge scale, to accommodate new manufacturing and construction processes. These included a gun-mounting workshop (built alongside the pumping station in 1881) which produced gun turrets , and
2376-431: The engines by way of line shafts . At the same time as building his Wood Mills, Bentham, with his deputy Simon Goodrich , was constructing a Metal Mills complex a little to the north-east. Alongside a smithery were a copper-smelting furnace and refinery , and a steam engine which drove a rolling mill and tilt hammers . Begun in 1801, these facilities were for recycling the copper sheathing of ships' hulls. In 1804
2448-517: The establishment of Chatham Dockyard in the mid-1500s, no new naval vessels were built here until 1648, but ships from Portsmouth were a key part of the fleet that drove off the Spanish Armada in 1588. Naval shipbuilding at Portsmouth recommenced under the English Commonwealth , the first ship being the eponymous fourth-rate frigate Portsmouth launched in 1650. (Portsmouth had been
2520-414: The first. Meanwhile, Bentham designed and built a series of subterranean vaulted chambers over the reservoir, upon which he erected a pair of parallel three-storey workshops to contain reciprocating and circular saws, planning machines and morticing machines, built to his own designs, to be driven by the two engines (which were accommodated together with their boilers in the south workshop). Tanks installed on
2592-492: The harbour in 1802. The 1761 rebuilding plan had envisaged the old wooden double dock being refurbished, but Bentham instead proposed expanding the Basin (building over the double dock in the process) and adding a further pair of single docks built entirely of stone (unlike previous 'stone docks' which had had timber floors). The proposal was accepted; the new docks (now known as Nos 2 and 3 docks) were completed in 1802-3 and are still in place today (accommodating HMS Victory and
2664-591: The late 1960s) resumed in the form of block construction , but this again ceased in 2014. Today, Portsmouth is the home base for two-thirds of the Royal Navy surface fleet , including the two aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales . Naval logistics, accommodation and messing are provided on site, with personnel support functions (e.g. medical and dental; education; pastoral and welfare) provided by Defence Equipment and Support . Other functions and departments, e.g. Navy Command Headquarters support staff, are also accommodated within
2736-513: The link to the mainline was closed in 1977 and locomotives ceased operating within the yard the following year. In 1876 a railway station was built on what became known as South Railway Jetty on Watering Island (west of the Semaphore Tower). It was served by a separate branch line which crossed the South Camber by way of a swing bridge and continued on a viaduct over the foreshore , joining
2808-484: The main line just east of Portsmouth Harbour railway station . A small railway station and ornamental cast-iron shelter served in particular the needs of Queen Victoria and her family, who would often transfer from yacht to train at this location; this line soon became the main arrival/departure route for personnel. The swing bridge and viaduct were damaged in the wartime blitz and subsequently dismantled in 1946. The Royal Naval Railway Shelter has recently been moved to
2880-568: The newly opened block mills before embarking from Portsmouth on HMS Victory , leaving Britain for the last time before his death at the Battle of Trafalgar. From 1814 wooden covers were built over some of the slips and docks, to designs by Robert Seppings . From 1815 the system of Dockyard apprenticeship was supplemented by the establishment of a School of Naval Architecture in Portsmouth (for training potential Master Shipwrights), initially housed in
2952-645: The north of England. It then became the Royal Navy Spare Parts Distribution Centre (RNSPDC), and later the Royal Navy Supply Depot (RNSD) Eaglescliffe, until its closure in January 1997 as part of the 'Defence Cost Study'. The storage and distribution functions were transferred to Portsmouth Naval Base , and the procurement function to MOD's site at Abbey Wood , Bristol. At its height, the depot employed more than 2,000 staff and had
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3024-557: The north of the Mary Rose will not be ceded for several years at least, due to the site's proximity to the berth of the new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers . Along with Woolwich , Deptford , Chatham and Plymouth , Portsmouth has been one of the main Royal Navy Dockyards or Bases throughout its history. Richard I ordered construction of the first dock on the site in 1194, while his successor John added walls around
3096-470: The north-west corner of the yard. It was joined by a single dry dock, just to the south; the yard's one shipbuilding slip (completed in 1651) stood between the two docks. These would all have been built of timber, rather than stone. By 1660 the dockyard had, in addition to these large-scale facilities for shipbuilding and repairs, a new rope house (1,095 ft (334 m) in length) and a variety of small storehouses, workshops and dwellings arranged around
3168-535: The old double dock) and the civil engineering involved was on an unprecedented scale. The work was entrusted to Edmund Dummer , naval engineer and surveyor to the Navy Board . His new dry dock (the "Great Stone Dock" as it was called) was built to a pioneering new design, using brick and stone rather than wood and with an increased number of 'altars' or steps (the stepped sides allowed shorter timbers to be used for shoring and made it much easier for shipwrights to reach
3240-430: The operating costs were £6.6 million against an income of £8.4 million, which included a total of £380,000 from government contracts and grants. In 2020, GNAAS began trials in using jet suits to get from landed helicopters on call-outs to casualties in locations difficult to access. The simulation exercise showed a casualty, whose position it would take 25 minutes to reach on foot, could be reached in
3312-533: The other side of the island and restored. By the end of the 19th century No 5 Slip had been uncovered and extended (to a length of 666 feet (203 m)) to become the yard's principal shipbuilding slip. At the same time the adjacent dry dock (No 9) was filled in to provide space for stacking steel plates, alongside which a further smithery (No 3 Engine Smithery) was erected in 1903. Meanwhile, slips 1–4 were repurposed (being no longer large enough for warship construction). Before long Nos 4 and 3 had been filled in, and
3384-527: The practice of leasing aircraft, which created financial issues. Two of these three Dauphin N2 helicopters were later replaced by newer Dauphin N3 helicopters G-NHAD and G-NHAE between 2019 and 2020. This was done to mitigate the risk involved with flying older aircraft. From 8 March 2018, the charity appeared on Channel 4's TV programme Emergency Helicopter Medics , which followed the crews responding and treating emergency patients. Other air ambulances that featured in
3456-484: The repairing basin, to the rigging basin, to the fitting-out basin, and exit from there into a new tidal basin, ready to take on fuel alongside the sizeable coaling wharf there. Three dry docks were also constructed as part of the plan, as well as parallel pair of sizeable locks for entry into the basin complex; the contemporary pumping station which stands nearby not only served to drain these docks and locks, but also delivered compressed air to power equipment around
3528-491: The same period. It is, however, the sixth ropehouse (since 1665) to have stood on the site. Both its immediate predecessors were destroyed by fire (in 1760 and 1770) and the current building was itself gutted by fire in 1776 as the result of an arson attack . It was called a 'double' ropery because the spinning and laying stages took place in the same building (on different floors) rather than on two separate sites. Other buildings associated with ropemaking (including hemp houses,
3600-505: The senior officers of the yard was built at around this time (Long Row, 1715–19); later in the century it was joined by a further terrace (Short Row, 1787). In 1733 a Royal Naval Academy for officer cadets was established within the Dockyard, the Navy's first shore-based training facility and a forerunner of Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth . The second half of the eighteenth century
3672-610: The service had an average of 85 helicopter call-outs per month. In hours of darkness, when the helicopters do not fly, North East Ambulance Service funds a Medical Emergency Response Incident Team (MERIT), which is staffed by a doctor and paramedic team from GNAAS. The MERIT service extended in November 2018 to cover Thursday to Sunday nights, which were previously covered on an on-call basis. The service uses Volvo XC90 vehicles. In 2014–2015, GNAAS had operating costs of £4.6 million and an income of £6.2 million. In 2021–2022,
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#17328455658003744-541: The show include Thames Valley Air Ambulance and East Anglian Air Ambulance . Urlay Nook Urlay Nook is a village in the County Durham , England. It is part of the Egglescliffe parish in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees . The village is dominated by the site of the former Elementis chromium chemicals plant and the Admiralty Ecology Site, both of which are owned by Elementis . In March 2011 work
3816-528: The site, which was now enclosed by a wooden palisade . After the Restoration , there was continued investment in the site with the excavation of a new mast pond, begun in 1664, alongside which a mast house was built in 1669. Between 1665 and 1668 Bernard de Gomme fortified the dockyard with an earthen rampart (complete with one bastion and two demi-bastions ), as part of his wider fortification of Portsmouth and Gosport . As France began to pose more of
3888-450: The timber ground east of the Basin; as well as providing storage space, they accommodated workshops for a variety of trades, including joiners, wheelwrights, wood-carvers, capstan-makers and various other craftsmen. A new smithery was also built nearby, immediately to the north (the latest in a succession of smiths' shops to have been built on the site); dating from 1791, it was mainly occupied with anchor making. Ten years later this process
3960-425: The underside of vessels needing repair). Extensively rebuilt in 1769, the Great Stone Dock is now known as No.5 dock. Along with the new dock, Dummer proposed that two wet docks (non-tidal basins) be built: the first ("Lower") Wet Dock was entered directly from the harbour and provided access to the Great Stone Dock; since much expanded, it remains in place (now known as "No. 1 Basin"). The second ("Upper") Wet Dock
4032-437: The upper floor provided a head of water for Bentham's aforementioned dockyard-wide pipe network, providing both salt water for firefighting and fresh water for various uses (including, for the first time, provision of drinking water to ships on the wharves) sourced from a newly sunk 274 ft well. Between the two Wood Mills buildings a single-storey workshop was built in 1802 to accommodate what soon came to be recognised as
4104-628: The use of Victory as flagship. The Second Sea Lord is now based at the Henry Leach Building on Whale Island , which is also the headquarters of the Fleet Commander . Some of the following ships (e.g. the patrol vessels) are not based in Portsmouth, but form part of the Portsmouth Flotilla . In changes to base porting arrangements announced in November 2017, HM Ships Westminster , Richmond , Kent and St Albans were to move to
4176-437: The western edge of the basin, housed a series of workshops: for construction and repair of boilers, for punching and shearing and for heavy turning ; there was also an erecting shop for assembling the finished engines. The upper floor housed pattern shops, fitting shops and other light engineering workshops. Line shafts throughout were powered by an 80 hp steam engine accommodated to the rear. A new Brass and Iron Foundry
4248-450: The widest iron span in Britain when built in 1845). Developments in shipbuilding technology, however, led to several of the new amenities having to be rebuilt and expanded (almost as soon as they were finished). A much larger Iron Foundry was opened in 1861, immediately to the east of its predecessor; it was further expanded in the following decade. In 1867 a very large Armour Plate Workshop
4320-432: The works were extended to accommodate machinery for the rolling of iron to make bars and bolts. A millwrights ' shop was also established nearby. The Wood Mills, Block Mills, Metal Mills and Millwrights' department were all placed under Goodrich's supervision as Mechanist to the Royal Navy. In 1800, the Royal Navy had 684 ships and the Dockyard was the largest industrial complex in the world. In 1805 Horatio Nelson toured
4392-432: The world's first steam-powered factory for mass production: Portsmouth Block Mills . Marc Brunel , father of Isambard Kingdom Brunel , famously designed the machines, which manufactured ships' pulley blocks through a total of fifteen separate stages of production. Having been presented with Brunel's designs, which would be built by Henry Maudslay , Bentham incorporated them into his woodworking complex and linked them to
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#17328455658004464-547: The world. The former Block Mills are of international significance, having been the first factory in the world to employ steam-powered machine tools for mass production. The Royal Naval Museum has been on the site since 1911. In 1985 a partnership between the Ministry of Defence and Portsmouth City Council created the Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust to manage part of the historic south-west corner of
4536-518: Was a key period in the development of Portsmouth (and indeed of the other Royal Dockyards). A substantial planned programme of expansion and modernisation was undertaken from 1761 onwards, driven (as would be future periods of expansion) by increases both in the size of individual ships and in the overall size of the fleet. In the 1760s the Lower Wet Dock (by then known as the Great Basin) was deepened,
4608-551: Was also built soon afterwards, on the southern edge of the basin, and in 1852 the Great Steam Smithery was opened alongside the Steam Factory (where Bentham's Metal Mills had formerly stood), containing a pair of steam hammers designed by James Nasmyth . The infrastructure and buildings were designed by a group of Royal Engineer officers, overseen by Captains Sir William Denison and Henry James . (The new steam basin
4680-434: Was built at Woolwich in 1839; but it soon became clear that the site was far too small to cope with this revolutionary change in ship building and maintenance. Therefore, in 1843, work began in Portsmouth on further reclamation of land to the north of the then Dockyard to create a new 7-acre basin (known today as No 2 Basin) with a sizeable factory alongside for manufacturing marine steam engines . The Steam Factory, on
4752-486: Was built in Portsmouth by Henry VII in 1495. The first warship built here was the Sweepstake of 1497; of more significance were the carracks Mary Rose of 1509 and Peter Pomegranate of 1510—both were rebuilt here in 1536. The wreck of the Mary Rose (which capsized in 1545, but was raised in 1982) is on display in a purpose-built museum. A fourth Tudor warship was the galleass Jennett , built in 1539 and enlarged as
4824-504: Was built over what had been the boat pond and boat houses; so in 1845 a new facility (No 6 Boathouse) was built alongside the mast pond, to the south, which was converted into a boat pond.) Three new dry docks were constructed over the next 20 years, opening off the new basin, and another was built on reclaimed land west of the basin, immediately north of the shipbuilding slips. The slips were now five in number, with Nos. 3–5 being covered by interlinking metal roofs (believed to have comprised
4896-435: Was demolished to make way for the new Commissioner's house and a new chapel ( St Ann's Church ) was built nearby. At the same time a set of offices for the senior officers of the yard was built (in place of an earlier office block), overlooking the docks and basin; it continues to provide office space to this day. After the old Commissioner's House had been demolished, four identical quadrangular buildings were built, flanking
4968-399: Was entered by way of a channel. To empty the dry dock, Dummer designed a unique system which used water from the Upper Wet Dock to drive a water-wheel on the ebb tide , which in turn powered a set of pumps. (At high tide, an auxiliary set of pumps was used, powered by a horse gin .) In 1699 Dummer adapted the channel leading to the Upper Wet Dock, enabling it to be closed off at each end by
5040-628: Was opened, filling the space between the new North and South dry docks on the eastern side of the basin. In 1860 policing of the dockyard was also transferred to the new No. 2 Division of the Metropolitan Police , a role it fulfilled until 1933. Technological change affected not only ships' means of propulsion, but the materials from which they were built. By 1860 wooden warships, vulnerable as they were to modern armaments, had been rendered largely obsolescent. The changeover to metal hulls not only required new building techniques, but also heralded
5112-622: Was underway to dismantle the chemicals plant, and by November 2011 the work was nearing completion. Urlay Nook contains the Tactical Training Centre for Durham Constabulary and Cleveland Police . From the 1940s to the 1990s there was an Ministry of Defence (MOD) base situated at Allens West in Eaglescliffe. After the Second World War the base was Metal Reclamation Unit No 2, and was used to dismantle aircraft that were downed in
5184-473: Was vividly described: "The immense masses of the anchors, the ponderous hammers, the vast size of the bellows, the roaring of the flaming furnaces, the reverberations of the falling cumbrous hammers, and the fiery pieces of metal flying in all directions, are truly awful, grand and picturesque". In 1796 Samuel Bentham was appointed Inspector General of Naval Works by the Admiralty with the brief of modernising
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