140-629: The Royal Naval Academy was a facility established in 1733 in Portsmouth Dockyard to train officers for the Royal Navy . The founders' intentions were to provide an alternative means to recruit officers and to provide standardised training, education and admission. In 1806 it was renamed the Royal Naval College and in 1816 became the Royal Naval College and the School for Naval Architecture . It
280-529: A RCN facility in 1910 and is now known as HMC Dockyard and is a component of CFB Halifax . The Great Lakes , as largely self-contained bodies of water, required their own dockyards to service the Provincial Marine . Several substantial ships were built at these yards during the time of the Napoleonic Wars . Ceylon (1813) The naval dockyard at Trincomalee began as a simple careening wharf, with
420-520: 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,
560-517: A naval base . In the early 1970s, following the appointment of civilian Dockyard General Managers with cross-departmental authority, and a separation of powers between them and the Dockyard Superintendent ( commanding officer ), the term 'Naval Base' began to gain currency as an official designation for the latter's domain. 'Royal Dockyard' remained an official designation of the associated shipbuilding/maintenance facilities until 1997, when
700-510: 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
840-533: 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
980-411: 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
1120-680: A capstan house and storehouse. It gradually grew, though the Admiralty was also investing in commercial facilities in Colombo . Trincomalee was threatened with closure in 1905 as the Admiralty's focus was on Germany, but it remained in service, and was headquarters of the Eastern Fleet for a time during World War II. In 1957 it was handed over to the Royal Ceylon Navy; today it is the SLN Dockyard of
1260-672: A channel suitable for ships of the line, but following the American War of 1812 it began relocating entirely to the West End with the dockyard and Admiralty House, Bermuda moved to sites on opposite sides of the entrance to the Great Sound ). The main anchorage at the West End was Grassy Bay in the mouth of the Great Sound, although the original, Murray's Anchorage north of St. George's Island also remained in frequent use. The channel through
1400-577: A comprehensive rebuilding of the Yard at Sheerness (1815–23). Through the Napoleonic Wars all the home yards were kept very busy, and a new shipbuilding yard was established at Pembroke in 1815. Before very long, new developments in shipbuilding, materials and propulsion prompted changes at the Dockyards. Construction of marine steam engines was initially focused at Woolwich, but massive expansion soon followed at Portsmouth, Plymouth and Chatham. Portland Harbour
1540-410: 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
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#17328521143141680-579: 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
1820-503: A gap in officer training, and in 1857 the two-decker Illustrious undertook the role of cadet training ship at Portsmouth. In 1859 she was replaced by the three-decker Britannia , which was removed to Portland in 1862 and to Dartmouth in 1863. A distinguished Academy graduate was Philip Broke , who attended the Academy in 1791. He achieved particular fame as captain of HMS Shannon in its victory over USS Chesapeake in
1960-428: 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
2100-505: 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
2240-635: A number of locations over time, usually to serve a nearby anchorage used by Naval vessels. For example, during 18th century a small supply base was maintained at Leith , for ships on Leith Station ; but there was no strategic impetus to develop it into a full-blown Dockyard. Similar bases were established during the Napoleonic Wars at Falmouth (for vessels in Carrick Roads ) and Great Yarmouth (for vessels in Yarmouth Roads ); but both were relatively small-scale and short-lived. A different (and, within
2380-581: A period of dormancy, had now begun to grow again). In 1690, Portsmouth had been joined on the south coast by a new Royal Dockyard at Plymouth ; a hundred years later, as Britain renewed its enmity with France, these two yards gained new prominence and pre-eminence. Furthermore, Royal Dockyards began to be opened in some of Britain's colonial ports, to service the fleet overseas. Yards were opened in Jamaica (as early as 1675), Antigua (1725), Gibraltar (1704), Canada (Halifax, 1759) and several other locations. Following
2520-457: 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
2660-422: A ship was decommissioned at the end of a voyage or tour of duty, most of her crew were dismissed or else transferred to new vessels. Alternatively, if a vessel was undergoing refit or repair, her crew was often accommodated on a nearby hulk ; a dockyard often had several commissioned hulks moored nearby, serving various purposes and accommodating various personnel, including new recruits. Things began to change when
2800-425: A ship's wooden hull would be comprehensively inspected every 2–3 years, and its copper sheeting replaced every 5. Dry docks were invariably the most expensive component of any dockyard (until the advent of marine nuclear facilities ). Where there was no nearby dock available (as was often the case at the overseas yards) ships would sometimes be careened (beached at high tide) to enable necessary work to be done. In
2940-465: 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
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#17328521143143080-629: A small dockyard on Liugong Island when this territory was leased from China at the end of the nineteenth century. The yard was expanded, and served as a regular summer anchorage up until the Second World War (though the territory, and with it control of the base, was returned to China in 1930). Used by Japanese forces during World War II and after by People's Liberation Army , some historic buildings remains today. Malta (1800) (Imperial fortress) Malta Dockyard in Valletta , previously operated by
3220-635: A small naval hospital and coaling station since the mid-1850s). In 1887, a naval base was located at Work Point. In 1905, the Royal Navy abandoned its base, but the Pacific Fleet headquarters of the new Royal Canadian Navy replaced it in 1910. Partially home to Pacific Command of the RCN, historic buildings are now preserved. Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax , Canada (1759) (Imperial fortress). Operated as HM Dockyard from 1759 to 1905 and sold to Canada in 1907. Halifax
3360-600: Is no longer in use by the Singapore Navy (who have since built 2 more modern bases in the island nation); there is, however, a continuing RN presence at the British Defence Singapore Support Unit . The US Navy also has a presence at the base: one of the adjacent barracks, formerly known as HMS Terror , is now the main recreation and welfare centre for US Navy personnel, known as the 'Terror Club'. Wei Hai Wei (1898) The Royal Navy inherited
3500-508: 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
3640-525: Is still used by the Spanish Navy . One of the first Royal Naval Hospitals was established here in 1711. Gibraltar (1704) (Imperial fortress) A small base served the Royal Navy in this strategically important location throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. At the start of the 20th, HM Dockyard, Gibraltar was dramatically expanded and modernised, with the addition of three dry docks (one an unprecedented 852 ft (260 m) in length). HM Dockyard
3780-548: 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
3920-715: 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
4060-618: The British West Indies , being somewhat nearer Nova Scotia). Being more defensible than Halifax, Nova Scotia, and in a position to command the American seaboard (the nearest landfall being Cape Hatteras at 640 miles), the Admiralty began buying land at Bermuda's West End in 1795 for the development of what would become the main base, dockyard and headquarters for the North America and West Indies Station until United States Navy control of
4200-744: The East India Company long before the Navy took charge. Several warships were built under contract in these yards in the early eighteenth century, as was HMS Trincomalee (launched in 1817 and still afloat). Naval Dockyard, Mumbai , is now in the custody of the Indian Navy ; the Madras yard closed in 1813, transferring to Ceylon. There is also the substantial British-built naval base at Cochin . Other facilities were located in Calcutta, and several other places in
4340-524: The First World War saw activity across all the yards, and a new building yard opened at Rosyth. In contrast, the post-war period saw the closure of Pembroke and Rosyth, and the handover of Haulbowline to the new Irish government – though the closures were reversed with the return of war in 1939. A series of closures followed the war: Pembroke in 1947, Portland and Sheerness in 1959/60, then Chatham and Gibraltar (the last remaining overseas yard) in 1984. At
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4480-569: 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
4620-549: The Knights of Malta , became the main base for the Royal Navy's Mediterranean Fleet . The Royal Dockyard closed in 1959; a private yard operated on site thereafter. Menorca (1708) The Port Mahon Dockyard was established at Port Mahon , one of the world's deepest natural harbours. It was the Royal Navy's principal Mediterranean base for much of the eighteenth century; however the territory changed hands more than once in that time, before being finally ceded to Spain in 1802. The yard
4760-552: 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
4900-513: The Port Royal earthquake of 1692, and a succession of damaging hurricanes, a concerted attempt was made from 1729 to relocate Jamaica's naval yard to Port Antonio , an unsettled bay on the opposite side of the island; the climate there was not agreeable, however, there were high levels of sickness and the Navy abandoned Port Antonio in 1749. From 1735 wharves, storehouses and other structures were built anew at Port Royal, and these were updated through
5040-741: The Royal Marines , from the time of the Corps' establishment in the mid-18th century, were primarily based in the dockyard towns of Plymouth, Portsmouth and Chatham (and later also in Woolwich and Deal) where their barracks were conveniently placed for duties on board ship or indeed in the Dockyard itself. Royal Dockyards were established in Britain and Ireland as follows (in chronological order, with date of establishment): Other, minor yards (with some permanent staff and basic repair/storage facilities) were established in
5180-544: The Sri Lanka Navy . Hong Kong (1859) There was an RN Dockyard from 1859 to 1959 on Hong Kong Island , established on the site of an earlier victualling yard. The base was later known as HMS Tamar ; Tamar remained operational after the closure of the dockyard (albeit on a smaller scale) until the year before the Handover . It then relocated briefly to Stonecutters Island , before closing in 1997. The RN also operated at
5320-509: The War of 1812 . Two of Jane Austen 's brothers, Francis and Charles , attended the Academy in 1786 and 1791, respectively. Both went on to become admirals. Another veteran of the War of 1812, Henry Ducie Chads , attended the Academy before joining the Royal Navy. He was First Lieutenant of HMS Java during her capture by USS Constitution . Command of the ship fell to Chads when her captain
5460-527: The 1840s came the senior Dockyard appointment of Chief Engineer. In 1875, the Master-Shipwrights were renamed Chief Constructors (later styled Manager, Constructive Department or MCD). In the latter half of the 19th century, those being appointed as Master Attendants (in common with their namesakes the sailing Masters ) began to be commissioned. They began to be given the rank and appointment of "Staff Captain (Dockyard)" (modified in 1903 to " Captain of
5600-473: 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
5740-516: The Admiralty acquired land on Garden Island in Sydney Harbour, and established a small naval base there. In the 1880s it was substantially expanded (though no dry docks were built, as the Navy had use of the facilities at nearby Cockatoo Island Dockyard operated by the Government of New South Wales). In 1913 HM Naval Yard, Garden Island was handed over to the nascent Royal Australian Navy which
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5880-439: The Admiralty introduced more settled terms of service in 1853; nevertheless, thirty years were to pass before the first shore barrack opened, and a further twenty years before barracks at all three of the major home yards were finally completed. Through the course of the 20th century these barracks, together with their associated training and other facilities, became defining features of each of these dockyards. In 1985 Parliament
6020-475: The Atlantic Ocean and its connected seas. The Royal Dockyards had a dual function: ship building and ship maintenance (most yards provided for both but some specialised in one or the other). Over time, they accrued additional on-site facilities for the support, training and accommodation of naval personnel. For centuries, in this way, the name and concept of a Royal Dockyard was largely synonymous with that of
6160-539: The Atlantic to Portsmouth for repairs. This base was finally closed in 1995, 200 years after the establishment of permanent Royal Navy forces in Bermuda. Site re-developed and now include Bermuda Maritime Museum , pedestrian mall and cruise ship dock. Esquimalt Royal Navy Dockyard , Esquimalt , Canada. In 1865, the Royal Navy relocated its Pacific Station headquarters from Valparaíso , Chile , to Esquimalt Harbour (site of
6300-626: The City of London, were for some time overseen directly by the Navy Board). The resident commissioners had wide-ranging powers enabling them to act in the name of the board (particularly in an emergency); however, until 1806 they did not have direct authority over the principal officers of the yard (who were answerable directly to the board). This could often be a source of tension, as everyone sought to guard their own autonomy. The principal officers varied over time, but generally included: (In practice there
6440-656: The Clerk of the Ropeway, who had a degree of autonomy, mustering his own personnel and managing his own raw materials. Ships in commission (and along with them the majority of Naval personnel) were not under the authority of the Navy Board but rather of the Admiralty , which meant that they did not answer to any of the above officers, but rather to the Port Admiral . With the abolition of
6580-471: The Dockyard "). In several instances, the appointment of Master Attendant or Captain of the Dockyard was held in common with that of King's or Queen's Harbour Master . For much of the twentieth century, the principal Dockyard departments were overseen by: Ships' ordnance (guns, weapons and ammunition) was provided independently by the Board of Ordnance , which set up its own Ordnance Yards alongside several of
6720-600: 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
6860-576: The East End leased or acquired to support it. The blockade of US Atlantic ports during the American War of 1812 was orchestrated from Bermuda, as was the Chesapeake Campaign . Admiralty House moved in 1816 to Spanish Point (near to the new Government House and the Town of Hamilton, which has become the colonial capital in 1815), facing Ireland Island and Grassy Bay across the mouth of the Great Sound, with
7000-472: 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
7140-590: The Indian administration – e.g. Aden. Singapore (1938) HMNB Singapore was established in the 1930s at Sembawang . It was built around the King George VI Graving Dock (which when opened was the world's largest dry dock). The Naval Base and Dockyard fell into Japanese hands during World War II, and became the target of Allied bombing raids . The base was transferred to the Singapore government in 1971, but
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#17328521143147280-873: The Kowloon Naval Yard from 1901 to 1959 (which is different from the Hong Kong & Whampoa dockyard at Hung Hom, known as the Kowloon Dockyard); this was primarily a coaling station . Part of the base is now part of the People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison since 1997 and rest became the Tamar Complex Central Government Complex (Hong Kong) . India During the Napoleonic Wars the Royal Navy took over Madras Dockyard (1796) and Bombay Dockyard (1811), both of which had been dockyards of
7420-432: 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
7560-406: 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
7700-399: The Navy Board in 1832, the Admiralty took over the dockyards and the commissioners were replaced by Admiral-Superintendents . The Clerk of the Survey post had been abolished in 1822. The office of Clerk of the Cheque was likewise abolished in 1830 (its duties reverting to the Storekeeper), but then revived as the Cashier's Department in 1865. With the development of steam technology in
7840-441: The Royal Air Force on the navy's behalf until the Royal Navy took over complete responsibility for the Fleet Air Arm in 1939, this was originally tasked with maintenance, repair, and replacement of the floatplanes and flying-boats with which the station's cruisers were equipped. With the outbreak of the Second World War, the air station, which relocated to Boaz Island , began flying anti-submarine air patrols on an ad hoc basis until
7980-456: The Royal Dockyards are closely linked with the permanent establishment of a standing Navy in the early sixteenth century. The beginnings of a yard had already been established at Portsmouth with the building of a dry dock in 1496; but it was on the Thames in the reign of Henry VIII that the Royal Dockyards really began to flourish. Woolwich and Deptford dockyards were both established in the early 1510s (a third yard followed at Erith but this
8120-427: The Royal Dockyards both at home and abroad. Similarly, the Victualling Board established Victualling Yards in several Dockyard locations, which furnished warships with their provisions of food, beer and rum. In the mid-eighteenth century the Sick and Hurt Board established Naval Hospitals in the vicinity of Plymouth Dock and Portsmouth; by the mid-nineteenth century there were Royal Naval Hospitals close to most of
8260-404: 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
8400-407: The Royal Dockyards. These were there to ensure the defence of the yard and its ships. From the 1750s, naval yards in Britain were surrounded by 'lines' (fortifications) with barracks provided for the soldiers manning them. A century later these 'lines' were superseded by networks of Palmerston Forts . Overseas yards also usually had some fort or similar structure provided and manned nearby. Moreover,
8540-604: The Royal Navy; (c) Installation and maintenance of machinery and equipment in naval establishments; (d) Provision of utility services to Royal Navy vessels alongside in the naval base and to adjacent naval shore establishments; and (e) manufacture of some items of ships' equipment". For a long time, well into the eighteenth century, a Royal Dockyard was often referred to as The King's Yard (or The Queen's Yard , as appropriate). In 1694, Edmund Dummer referred to "His Majesty's new Dock and Yard at Plymouth "; from around that time, HM Dock Yard (or HM Dockyard ) increasingly became
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#17328521143148680-414: The South Yard throughout the Cold War . Ships of the fleet (which went from being a mix of cruisers and smaller vessels to a handful of station frigates before being removed and replaced in the 1980s with a single frigate designated West Indies Guardship , which only stopped at Bermuda on its way to take up station in the West Indies and again on its departure) based there after 1951 were required to cross
8820-400: The UK, unique) establishment was Haslar Gunboat Yard. Gunboats were small, shallow-draft vessels, developed after the Crimean War , which benefitted from being stored ashore rather than left afloat, to help preserve their light wooden hulls. From 1856 Haslar provided the means to house, launch and haul them ashore by means of a steam-driven traverse system. Overseen by a Master-Shipwright,
8960-421: The West Indies during the Napoleonic Wars . The yard closed in 1882 and left abandoned until 1951, but has since been restored and is open to the public as a cultural centre and public marina called Nelson's Dockyard . Jamaica (1675) Jamaica Dockyard A naval official was stationed in Port Royal from the seventeenth century, and naval vessels were careened there for maintenance from that time. Following
9100-402: The Yard stayed in use until 1906, after which it remained in Naval hands as a base for Coastal Forces craft until 1973. In 1728 Antigua Naval Dockyard was established at English Harbour which had been used by the Navy since 1671 as a place for shelter and maintenance. A number of buildings were constructed, and several remain (mostly from the 1780s). It served as Admiral Nelson's base in
9240-410: The academy were eligible to be promoted to midshipman. In 1806 the Academy was reconstituted as the "Royal Navy College" and in 1816 was amalgamated with the " School of Naval Architecture ". The college closed as a young officer training establishment on 30 March 1837, meaning that from that date all youngsters setting out on a naval career proceeded directly to sea. The closure of the college created
9380-401: 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:
9520-454: The age of sail, wharves and capstan -houses were often built for the purpose of careening at yards with no dock: a system of pulleys and ropes, attached to the masthead, would be used to heel the ship over giving access to the hull. In addition to docks and slips, a Royal Dockyard had various specialist buildings on site: storehouses, sail lofts, woodworking sheds, metal shops and forges, roperies (in some cases), pumping stations (for emptying
9660-399: 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
9800-407: The areas that had formerly belonged to the South East Coast of America Station and the Pacific Station ). Aside from the roles played by Royal Naval squadrons based at Bermuda during the two world wars, Bermuda also served as a forming-up point for trans-Atlantic convoys during both conflicts. Between the wars, a Royal Naval Air Station was established in the North Yard of the dockyard. Operated by
9940-425: The barrier reef, which led to Murray's Anchorage and the Great Sound, was originally named Hurd's Channel , after its surveyor, Lieutenant (later Captain) Thomas Hurd , but is today more frequently called The Narrows . It gives access not only to Murray's Anchorage (named for Commander-in-Chief Vice-Admiral Sir George Murray , who led the fleet of the North American Station through the channel to anchor there for
10080-415: 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'
10220-480: 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
10360-506: The concurrent move of the anchorage and shore facilities to the West End. Bermuda became, first the winter (with Halifax serving this role in the summer), and then the year-round, main base and dockyard of the station, which was to become the North America and West Indies Station after absorbing the Jamaica Station (ultimately designated the America and West Indies Station , once it absorbed
10500-407: 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
10640-411: 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;
10780-408: The dry docks), administration blocks and housing for the senior dockyard officers. Wet docks (usually called basins) accommodated ships while they were being fitted out . The number and size of dockyard basins increased dramatically in the steam era. At the same time, large factory complexes, machine-shops and foundries sprung up alongside for the manufacture of engines and other components (including
10920-450: 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
11060-431: 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
11200-517: 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
11340-450: The first time in 1794) but to the entire northern lagoon, the Great Sound and Hamilton Harbour , making the channel vital to the success of the Town of Hamilton , which had been established in 1790, and the economic development of the central and western parishes of Bermuda. Although the navy had already begun buying property at the West End with the intent of constructing the dockyard there, there
11480-414: 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
11620-664: The handing this duty over to United States Navy patrol aircraft. The United States Navy and United States Army were permitted to establish bases in Bermuda under 99-year leases during the war, with command of the North Atlantic split between the Royal Navy in the East and the United States in the West. The alliance would endure after the war, with profound effects on the Royal Naval establishment in
11760-492: 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
11900-409: The last remaining Royal Dockyards ( Devonport and Rosyth ) were fully privatised. Most Royal Dockyards were built around docks and slips. Traditionally, slipways were used for shipbuilding, and dry docks (also called graving docks ) for maintenance; (dry docks were also sometimes used for building, particularly pre-1760 and post-1880). Regular hull maintenance was important: in the age of sail ,
12040-436: The late 15th century; it was followed by Deptford , Woolwich , Chatham and others. By the 18th century, Britain had a string of these state-owned naval dockyards, located not just around the country but across the world; each was sited close to a safe harbour or anchorage used by the fleet. Royal Naval Dockyards were the core naval and military facilities of the four Imperial fortresses - colonies which enabled control of
12180-591: 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
12320-503: The latter term may have been used informally); they are included in the listings below. While the term 'Royal Dockyard' ceased in official usage following privatisation, at least one private-sector operator has reinstated it: Babcock International , which in 2011 acquired freehold ownership of the working North Yard at Devonport from the British Ministry of Defence , reverted to calling it Devonport Royal Dockyard . The origins of
12460-513: 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
12600-685: The loss of the thirteen North American continental colonies thet formed the United States of America in 1783, Bermuda assumed a new importance as the only remaining British port between the Maritimes and the Floridas (where the Spanish Government allowed Britain to retain a naval base; once the United States took possession of Florida, Bermuda was the only British port remaining between the Maritimes and
12740-484: 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
12880-406: The major and minor Naval Dockyards in Britain, in addition to several of them overseas (the oldest dating from the early 1700s). As the age of steam eclipsed the age of sail , Coaling Yards were established alongside several yards, and at strategic points around the globe. In addition to naval personnel and civilian workers, there were substantial numbers of military quartered in the vicinity of
13020-410: The metal hulls of the ships themselves). One thing generally absent from the Royal Dockyards (until the 20th century) was the provision of naval barracks . Prior to this time, sailors were not usually quartered ashore at all, they were expected to live on board a ship (the only real exception being at some overseas wharves where accommodation was provided for crews whose ships were being careened). When
13160-415: The mid-19th century the Royal Dockyards were the largest industrial complexes in Britain. From the reign of Henry VII up until the 1990s, the Royal Navy had a policy of establishing and maintaining its own dockyard facilities (although at the same time, as continues to be the case, it made extensive use of private shipyards , both at home and abroad). Portsmouth was the first Royal Dockyard, dating from
13300-568: 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
13440-421: The nineteenth century. The yard closed in 1905. Now Naval Heritage Center. Bermuda (1795) ( Imperial fortress ) Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda on Ireland Island at Bermuda's 'West End', was opened in 1809 on land purchased following US independence. The Royal Navy had established itself at St. George's Town at Bermuda's East End in 1795, after a dozen years spent charting the surrounding reef line to find
13580-557: 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
13720-470: 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
13860-409: The objective of becoming the preferred path to becoming a naval officer; the traditional means of a sea-going "apprenticeship" remained the preferred alternative. The vast majority of the officer class was still recruited in this manner based on family ties, and patronage. Family connections, "interest" and a sincere belief in the superiority of practical experience learned on the quarterdeck ensured that
14000-579: The officer class favoured the traditional model. William IV summed up this view when he remarked that "there was no place superior to the quarterdeck of a British man of war for the education of a gentleman". There was a clear prejudice against graduates. The then rating of midshipman-by-order, or midshipman ordinary , was used specifically for graduates of the Royal Naval Academy, to distinguish them from midshipmen who had served aboard ship, who were paid more. After two years at sea, graduates of
14140-451: The official designation. While, as this phrase suggests, the primary meaning of 'Dockyard' is a Yard with a Dock , not all dockyards possessed one; for example, at both Bermuda and Portland dry docks were planned but never built. Where a dock was neither built nor planned (as at Harwich , Deal and several of the overseas yards) the installation was often designated HM Naval Yard rather than 'HM Dockyard' in official publications (though
14280-482: 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
14420-533: 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
14560-574: The region and the status of the dockyard in Bermuda. After the Second World War the dockyard was no longer deemed relevant to Royal Navy operations and was closed between 1951 (when a floating drydock was removed, and the yard status changed to a base) and 1958, when most of the dockyard, along with other Admiralty and War Office land in Bermuda was sold to the Colonial Government . However, a small base, HMS Malabar , continued to operate from
14700-779: The region under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization led to HMD Bermuda being reduced to a naval base from 1951 until its final closure (as HMNB Bermuda ) in 1995 (and to the abolishment of the America and West Indies Station in 1956). In the wake of the Seven Years' War a large-scale programme of expansion and rebuilding was undertaken at the three largest home yards (Chatham, Plymouth and Portsmouth). These highly significant works (involving land reclamation and excavation, as well as new docks and slips and buildings of every kind) lasted from 1765 to 1808, and were followed by
14840-484: 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
14980-482: The river and the constraints of their sites. By the mid-seventeenth century, Chatham (established 1567) had overtaken them to become the largest of the yards. Together with new Yards at Harwich and Sheerness , Chatham was well-placed to serve the Navy in the Dutch Wars that followed. Apart from Harwich (which closed in 1713), all the yards remained busy into the eighteenth century – including Portsmouth (which, after
15120-491: 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,
15260-424: The same time, Portsmouth's Royal Dockyard was downgraded and renamed a Fleet Maintenance and Repair Organisation (FMRO). In 1987 the remaining Royal Dockyards (Devonport and Rosyth) were part-privatised, becoming government-owned, contractor-run facilities (run by Devonport Management Limited and Babcock Thorn , respectively); full privatisation followed ten years later (1997). The following year Portsmouth's FMRO
15400-458: 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
15540-528: 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
15680-430: The space beneath their cast iron covers converted into a shipbuilding workshop (No 3 Ship Shop); the neighbouring No 2 Slip was used for hauling up torpedo boat destroyers for a time, while No 1 was used as a boat slip. Royal Dockyard Royal Navy Dockyards (more usually termed Royal Dockyards ) were state-owned harbour facilities where ships of the Royal Navy were built, based, repaired and refitted. Until
15820-450: 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
15960-425: 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
16100-437: 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
16240-679: 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
16380-437: 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
16520-400: 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
16660-432: 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
16800-432: 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
16940-547: 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
17080-476: Was a deliberate overlap of responsibilities among the last three officials listed above, as a precaution against embezzlement). The next tier of officers included those in charge of particular areas of activity, the Master-Caulker, Master-Ropeworker, Master-Boatbuilder, Master-Mastmaker. In Dockyards where there was a ropewalk (viz Woolwich, Chatham, Portsmouth and Plymouth) there was an additional officer,
17220-518: 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,
17360-551: 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
17500-434: 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
17640-647: Was built by the Admiralty in the mid-19th century to help protect ships taking coal on board; because of its key position, midway between Devonport and Portsmouth in the English Channel , Portland was developed as a maintenance yard. A new maintenance yard was also opened on Haulbowline Island in Cork Harbour . Meanwhile, the Thames-side yards, Woolwich and Deptford, could no longer compete, and they finally closed in 1869. The massive naval rebuilding programme prior to
17780-486: 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
17920-504: 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
18060-466: Was closed as a training establishment for officer entrants in 1837. In 1733, a shoreside facility was established in the dockyard for 40 recruits. A comprehensive syllabus provided theoretical and practical experience in the dockyard and at sea. Graduates of the Academy could earn two years of sea time as part of their studies, and would be able to take the lieutenant's examination after four years at sea instead of six. The Academy did not, however, achieve
18200-495: Was closed in 1984. It is now operated as a commercial facility by Gibdock , although there is still a Royal Navy presence, which provides a maintenance capability. Gibraltar's naval docks are an important base for NATO . British and US nuclear submarines frequently visit the "Z berths" at Gibraltar. (A Z berth provides the facility for nuclear submarines to visit for operational or recreational purposes, and for non-nuclear repairs.) New South Wales , Australia (1859) In 1858
18340-435: 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
18480-399: 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
18620-524: Was given the following description of the functions of the two then remaining Royal Dockyards: "The services provided by the royal dockyards at Devonport and Rosyth to the Royal Navy fall into five main categories as follows: (a) Refit, repair, maintenance and modernisation of Royal Navy vessels; (b) Overhaul and testing of naval equipments, including those to be returned to the Director General of Stores and Transport (Navy) for stock and subsequent issue to
18760-449: Was little infrastructure west of St. George's at the time and no functional port at Ireland Island, hence the need at first to operate from St. George's Town, with Admiralty House first on Rose Hill in St. George's, then at Mount Wyndham above Bailey's Bay . Convict Bay , beside St. George's Town and below the army barracks of St. George's Garrison , became the first base, with other properties at
18900-507: Was mortally wounded near the close of the action. He was forced to surrender the heavily damaged Java . 50°48′00″N 1°06′20″W / 50.8000°N 1.1055°W / 50.8000; -1.1055 HMNB Portsmouth 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
19040-628: 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
19180-504: Was short-lived as it proved to be vulnerable to flooding). The Thames yards were pre-eminent in the sixteenth century, being conveniently close to the merchants and artisans of London (for shipbuilding and supply purposes) as well as to the Armouries of the Tower of London. They were also just along the river from Henry's palace at Greenwich. As time went on, though, they suffered from the silting of
19320-484: Was sold to Fleet Support Limited . As of 2019, all three (along with other privately owned shipyards) continue in operation, to varying degrees, as locations for building (Rosyth) and maintaining ships and submarines of the Royal Navy. Management of the yards was in the hands of the Navy Board until 1832. The Navy Board was represented in each yard by a resident commissioner (though Woolwich and Deptford, being close to
19460-519: Was the main base of the North American Station until the establishment of the base at Bermuda, subsequently designated as the main base in Summer, with the fleet moving to Bermuda for the winter. Ultimately, Bermuda (which was less vulnerable to attack over water or land) became the main base and dockyard year-round, with Halifax and all other yards and bases in the region as subsidiaries). It became
19600-421: 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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