155-673: Sheerness Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the Sheerness peninsula, at the mouth of the River Medway in Kent . It was opened in the 1660s and closed in 1960. In the Age of Sail , the Royal Navy would often establish shore facilities close to safe anchorages where the fleet would be based in home waters. This was the case when, around 1567, a Royal Dockyard was established at Chatham, Kent , on
310-529: 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
465-593: A cruiser base, for vessels patrolling the North Sea and the eastern reaches of the Channel. Construction of amenities in and around the dockyard continued into the eighteenth century. The first dry-dock was not completed until 1708; a second was added in 1720. Access to the two dry docks was by way of a tidal basin , tellingly known as the Mud Dock; there was a small shipbuilding slip to its north and in c.1730 an ordnance wharf
620-550: A green-water navy , having enough frigates and auxiliaries to operate far out at sea, while depending on land-based air support, and, with the large amphibious squadron, they will have significant brown-water navy capabilities. In April 2018, the Dutch Government approved a multi-year investment program and allocated funds for the 2018–2030 period, including: Together with the United States and several other NATO members,
775-408: A training ship . Then, in 1892, the building as a whole was repurposed and reopened as a Royal Naval Gunnery School, providing specialist training in naval artillery . A training battery of 9-pounder guns was provided a few miles along the coast with a rifle range alongside. The school soon outgrew its accommodation; in 1908 it moved to new purpose-built accommodation alongside HMS Pembroke and
930-596: A "statute of admiralty" issued by Maximilian, King of the Romans (future Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I), and his son Philip the Fair , the ruler of Burgundian lands (a minor at that time) on 8 January 1488. The Netherlands navy was involved in several wars against other European powers from the late 16th century, initially for independence against Spain in European waters, later for shipping lanes, trade and colonies in many parts of
1085-461: A 225-year period, including the following: In the early 20th century, the Admiralty decided that shipbuilding should cease at Sheerness to allow the yard to focus on a new specialised role: refitting torpedo boats and torpedo boat destroyers . Dry docks 4 and 5 were accordingly lengthened in 1906 to enable them to accommodate the latter, and in 1912 the roof over the old shipbuilding dock (No.2 Dock)
1240-628: 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
1395-672: 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
1550-577: 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
1705-531: A considerable number of minesweepers . As a member of NATO , the Netherlands developed its security policy in close cooperation with other members. The establishment of the Warsaw pact in 1955 intensified the arms race between West and East. Technical innovations rapidly emerged, the introduction of radar and sonar were followed by nuclear weapon systems and long-range missiles. The geopolitical situation allowed for
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#17328945154331860-611: A deck landing on board HNLMS Rotterdam for the first time as part of an initial study into the possibilities for wider use of the helicopters as these will be upgraded to the AH-64E standard which has specific features for maritime operations. The Dutch amphibious support ship HNLMS Johan de Witt and the JSS HNLMS Karel Doorman are designed to handle Royal Netherlands Air Force CH-47F Chinook helicopters but still require additional anti corrosion measures (part of
2015-672: A fixed military strategy. Beginning in 1965, the Dutch Navy joined certain permanent NATO squadrons like the Standing Naval Force Atlantic . The constituent parts of the Royal Netherlands Navy are: Contains all surface combatants, replenishment ships, and amphibious support ships. Houses the submarines and a support vessel. Contains various minehunters. The Hydrographic Service is responsible for relevant hydrographic surveys. Provides healthcare to personnel of
2170-505: A further line of fortification was constructed, connecting de Gomme's defences at the northern end with those south of Blue Town. All along the foreshore, a series of guns were placed; and in 1850 a new gun battery was installed in the Centre Bastion, designed to work in tandem with the new Grain Tower gun emplacement on the opposite side of the river. Ten years later, work began on replacing
2325-632: A main east-west road in the Dockyard, at the far end of which stood the Dockyard Chapel (1828). Behind the Quadrangular Storehouse, and equal to it in length, the Smithery was built (begun in 1822). Further north, another suppling kiln and a smaller saw-pit building (1828) served the other docks (Nos. 4 & 5); there was also a pitch house (1829) nearby, designed by Taylor. Further south, behind
2480-484: A nearby water supply and the likelihood of contracting ague from the surrounding marshland all led to a lack of workers and caused construction delays. Nevertheless by 1672 the yard was likewise largely structurally complete. The following year saw the first officers appointed to certain key positions in the yard: John Shish as Master Shipwright , Samuel Hunter as Clerk of the Cheque and John Daniell as Storekeeper. In 1677
2635-521: A number of dockyard-related buildings were constructed within the walls of the fort. Beyond the gatehouse was an avenue, with a double row of houses for the senior officers of the yard on one side, and a large quadrangular naval store yard on the other. Within the fort, the Navy's buildings occupied a sizeable area close to the gatehouse, while the Ordnance Board had its own store yard and associated buildings to
2790-635: 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
2945-581: 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
3100-518: A proper dockyard to be built on the site. Samuel Pepys , who was Clerk of the Acts of the Navy Board, issued authorisation for the works to begin and later recorded visiting Sheerness to measure out the site for the new dockyard. The plan was for a rectangular compound, containing a mast house, a store shed and a smith's forge, together with houses for the carpenter and the storekeeper, and two gated slips on
3255-535: A school for apprentices was established at Sheerness in 1842. Fifty years later it was given its own purpose-built accommodation. It was (again in common with equivalent institutions elsewhere) renamed as the Dockyard Technical College in 1952, before closing a few years later along with the rest of the yard. In February 1958 it was announced in Parliament that Sheerness Dockyard would close. The garrison
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#17328945154333410-452: A semi-circular gun battery to the north; while to the south a line of fortification was constructed, which cut off the northernmost part of Sheerness behind a flooded ditch . Enclosed by walls to the west and east, the garrisoned fort took up most of the area to the north of the ditch leaving just a small parcel of land on the Medway side, between the western wall of the fort and the river, for
3565-422: 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
3720-629: 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
3875-635: 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
4030-452: A total of 20 ships (including two of its three light cruisers) and 2,500 sailors killed in the course of the campaign. The Dutch navy had suffered from years of underfunding and came ill-prepared to face an enemy with more and heavier ships with better weapons, including the Long Lance -torpedo, with which the cruiser Haguro sank the light cruiser HNLMS De Ruyter . After the war,
4185-547: Is based there to this day. New Zealand (1892) Devonport Dockyard began in the 1890s as a small complex of wooden storehouses; since 1913 it has served as the principal base of the Royal New Zealand Navy . . Dutch Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy (Dutch: Koninklijke Marine ) is the maritime service branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces . It was founded on 8 January 1488, making it
4340-600: 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
4495-525: 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
4650-848: Is under the operational control of the Navy and is commanded by the commander of the Navy in the Caribbean . The main naval base, Nieuwe Haven Naval Base is situated in Den Helder , North Holland . Secondary bases are situated around Den Helder, as well as in Amsterdam , and Willemstad on the Caribbean island of ( Curaçao ), Usage rights are also in place for port facilities in Rotterdam , Vlissingen and Eemshaven . The Netherlands Marine Corps has barracks in Rotterdam, Doorn , Texel and Den Helder, as well as in
4805-618: 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
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4960-538: The Controller of the Navy by both Samuel Bentham and John Rennie the Elder for a relatively modest rebuilding of the yard. Over the next three years, both Bentham and Rennie produced far more ambitious schemes: first, in 1812, Bentham drew up a radical panopticon -inspired proposal for the site, with docks, slips and storehouses all radiating from a central hub, which was occupied by a six-storey hexagonal office block; but it
5115-660: The EU Naval Force Operation Atalanta , combating Somali piracy forces in the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean since 2009. The last vessel was sent in 2018; since then the Navy has only contributed staff and advisors to the mission. With the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization , the military focus was on the army and air force; it was not until the Korean War (1950–53) that
5270-697: 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
5425-524: 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
5580-592: The Henrician defences of the Thames): Sheerness. In March 1665, following a declaration of war against the Netherlands , Peter Pett (the Resident Commissioner at Chatham) had a wooden storehouse built within a compound on the promontory of Sheerness, for the better provisioning of the warships anchored at The Nore. Soon afterwards, war-damaged ships began to be dispatched to Sheerness for repair, and Pett
5735-549: 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
5890-462: The Napoleonic Wars of the following century. In addition, a defensive straight canal had been dug south of Mile Town in 1782, two miles in length, stretching from the Medway to the Thames. Very unusually, at Sheerness the Navy Board provided accommodation for the civilian workers of the dockyard and their families (in the hope of attracting people to work there). There being no established settlement in
6045-762: The Napoleonic Wars , though mostly dominated by French interests. After the establishment of the modern Kingdom of the Netherlands, it served an important role in protecting Dutch colonial rule , especially in Southeast Asia, and would play a minor role in World War II , especially against the Imperial Japanese Navy . Since World War II, the Royal Netherlands Navy has taken part in expeditionary peacekeeping operations. It often participates in European Union and NATO operations. An international prefix for ships of
6200-598: The Navy Board began to explore options for developing a new dockyard at the mouth of the Medway, able to be accessed by ships directly from the North Sea and Thames Estuary . Possible locations were explored on both the Isle of Grain and the Isle of Sheppey ; the Board decided on a location at the north-west tip of Sheppey alongside a derelict 16th-century blockhouse (built to supplement
6355-513: 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
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6510-741: 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
6665-495: The Royal Navy were built, based, repaired and refitted. Until 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
6820-437: 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
6975-433: The third-oldest naval force in the world . During the 17th century, the navy of the Dutch Republic (1581–1795) was one of the most powerful naval forces in the world and played an active role in the Anglo-Dutch Wars , the Franco-Dutch War , and wars against Spain and several other European powers. The Batavian Navy of the later Batavian Republic (1795–1806) and Kingdom of Holland (1806–1810) played an active role in
7130-466: 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
7285-458: The 18th century at a mile's distance from the dockyard (Blue Town having by then filled the space available). By the early nineteenth century, the old hulks underpinning the reclaimed land of the Dockyard were seriously decaying and the site was becoming increasingly unstable. The Dockyard, however, was getting busier, since it (unlike the nearby Chatham, Woolwich and Deptford yards) was not prone to silting. By 1810, designs had been submitted to
7440-432: The 1970s, along with Nos.1-3 Dry Docks, and to the east the former Garrison area was completely levelled. A high priority was placed on finding new employment for the local workforce. From 1974-1994 Olau Line operated a ferry service out of the northern part of the former Dockyard from Sheerness to Flushing . The rest of the site continued to be developed as a commercial port with much land reclamation taking place along
7595-406: 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
7750-439: 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
7905-438: 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
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#17328945154338060-426: The Caribbean at Suffisant on Curaçao, and Savaneta on Aruba . Officers of the Nederland Navy are trained at the Royal Naval Institute ( Koninklijk Instituut voor de Marine ), which is part of the Netherlands defence academy ( Nederlandse Defensie Academie ) in Den Helder . Around 100-120 people start training every year. The Royal Netherlands Navy currently operates 7 main classes of vessels: Note: in
8215-526: 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
8370-400: 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
8525-550: The Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet ). Before the rebuilding of Sheerness was complete, the Admiralty was beginning to invest in steam propulsion for warships, with the opening of its first Steam Factory at Woolwich Dockyard in 1831. This marked the start of an era of fast-paced technological change, and in the 1840s massive expansion took place at Portsmouth and Devonport to provide new basins and docks, which were served by factories, foundries, boiler-makers, fitting-shops and other facilities for mechanical engineering. The Royal Navy
8680-424: 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
8835-429: The Duke of Clarence, newly appointed to the office of Lord High Admiral , had ordered its construction on land purchased from the Board of Ordnance. The Duke himself did not make use of it (despite persistent rumours that he planned to move in); instead, Vice-Admiral Sir John Beresford took up residence and it went on to accommodate him and his successors as Commander-in-Chief, The Nore until 1907 (after which it housed
8990-533: The Dutch Navy is testing and updating its ships for Tactical ballistic missile defense capability. Although tests conducted concerning the capability of the APAR ( Active Phased Array Radar ) have been very successful, in 2018 the Dutch Government approved plans to acquire the SM-3 missiles for integration into the existing weapon suite of the LCF frigates. The four LCF ships will be fitted out with eight SM-3 missiles each (they are provisioned for this VLS extension) through Foreign Military Sales (under discussion between
9145-417: 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
9300-426: The Fort, there are six old men of war . These are divided into small tenements, forty, fifty or sixty in a ship, with little chimneys and windows, and each of these contained a family. In one of them where we called, a man and his wife and six little children lived; and yet all the ship was sweet and tolerably clean, sweeter than most sailing ships I have been in'. In 1802 the workers and their families were evicted from
9455-420: 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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#17328945154339610-512: 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
9765-399: 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
9920-427: The Pacific Theatre. A small force of submarines based in Western Australia sank more Japanese ships in the first weeks after Japan joined the war than the entire British and American navies together during the same period, an exploit which earned Admiral Helfrich the nickname "Ship-a-day Helfrich". The aggressive pace of operations against the Japanese was a contributing factor to both the heavy losses sustained and
10075-441: 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
10230-456: 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
10385-427: 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
10540-407: 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,
10695-604: 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
10850-424: The Royal Netherlands Navy frigates are interchangeable with destroyers as there is no separate class The Royal Netherlands Navy classifies the De Zeven Provinciën -class as frigates, but internationally they are most comparable to destroyers (due to their size and weapon capability) platform for Sea Based Anti-Ballistic Missile defence Since the retirement of the Westland Lynx, the Royal Netherlands Air Force fills
11005-455: The Royal Netherlands Navy is HNLMS ( His/Her Netherlands Majesty's Ship ). The Netherlands navy itself uses the prefixes Zr.Ms. ( Dutch : Zijner Majesteits , lit. 'His Majesty's') when a King is on the throne, and Hr.Ms. ( Dutch : Harer Majesteits , lit. 'Her Majesty's') when there is a Queen. This happens automatically at end of the monarch's reign. The modern Netherlands Navy dates its founding to
11160-598: The Royal Netherlands Navy. Two squadrons equipped with NH90 NFH helicopter based at De Kooy Airfield . Command of the Royal Netherlands Navy that is responsible for national defense and international law enforcement in the Dutch Caribbean . Although the Netherlands Coastguard is not an official part of the Navy, it is under its operational control. Also the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard
11315-571: 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
11470-498: 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,
11625-488: The Victualling Store reverted to providing barracks accommodation. In 1937, the same building again found a new use, this time being commissioned as a boys' training establishment: HMS Wildfire . It remained in commission until 1950; after closure, the 'Wildfire Building' (as it had come to be known) again reverted to providing accommodation until shortly before the closure of the Dockyard. As at other Royal Dockyards,
11780-421: 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
11935-450: 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
12090-454: 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
12245-575: 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
12400-440: The associated shipbuilding/maintenance facilities until 1997, when 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
12555-511: The bank of the River Medway. At that time, HM Ships would often lay at anchor either within the river, on Chatham Reach or Gillingham Reach, or beyond it, around The Nore . Chatham Dockyard had its disadvantages, however. The vagaries of wind and tide, coupled with the restricted depth of the river, meant that vessels entering the river, for repairs or to replenish supplies at Chatham, could be delayed for considerable lengths of time. What
12710-489: 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
12865-506: 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
13020-402: The dockyard to occupy. A gateway through this wall, accessed from the dockyard, provided the main entrance to the fort; the gatehouse was a prominent feature and contained a chapel on its first floor. By the beginning of August the new fort was substantially structurally complete and it was equipped with thirty guns. Work then began on the dockyard. A scarcity of available housing, the absence of
13175-408: 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
13330-458: The end of the century the old Working Mast House had become a Shipwright's Machine Shop, nestled among foundries and factories. In 1824, the Admiralty declared that Sheerness would continue to serve primarily as a refitting base, leaving Chatham Dockyard to focus on shipbuilding. Provision of a single covered slip, however, indicates that (as in the old yard) some shipbuilding was also envisaged. In
13485-600: The factory; sited in the south part of the Dockyard, it was served by its own entrance (later called the South Gate) in the perimeter wall. Also in 1854, No.1 Dock and No.3 Dock were both lengthened to accommodate the larger ships now coming in for repair. The main Smithery, which stood behind the Quadrangle Store, had been provided with steam-powered hammers in 1846, and steam technology began to be used in various other parts of
13640-450: 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
13795-467: The four Imperial fortresses - colonies which enabled control of 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,
13950-647: The gap of the Lynx's amphibious task with Airbus AS-532U2 Cougar helicopters. The Cougar's main task is to support the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps on board of the LPD's and JSS. Other tasks are to provide Medical air transport to and from these ships, but also support SOF units in amphibious missions and trainings. In 2012 an AH-64D Apache attack helicopter from the Royal Netherlands Air Force made
14105-735: The greater number of successes scored as compared to the British and Americans in the region. But during the relentless Japanese offensive of February through April 1942 in the Dutch East Indies, the Dutch navy in Asia was virtually annihilated, particularly in the Battle of the Java Sea (27 February 1942) in which the commander, Karel Doorman, went down with his fleet along with 1,000 sailors. The Navy sustained losses of
14260-658: 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
14415-489: The hulks themselves) were progressively infilled with soil, with new hulks then being added as part of the process. In this way, the land occupied by the dockyard began to expand (as is clearly seen in a surviving model of the dockyard, created in 1774 and now in the National Maritime Museum ) By this time two more dry docks had been added, and over the next ten years living conditions were substantially improved by
14570-451: The hulks, which by then had gained a reputation of being 'a common resort of Whores and Rogues, by day and by night'. In the 1820s, provision of accommodation within the fort was also discontinued; by this time cheaper housing was to be had nearby in the civilian settlements of Blue Town and Mile Town. By 1738, dockyard construction workers had begun to build their own houses close to the ramparts, using materials they were allowed to take from
14725-515: The humiliating raid concluded that it 'was chiefly occasioned by the neglect of finishing the fort at Sheerenesse'. After the raid, the authorities moved quickly to repair the damage and complete the fortification of Sheerness. Work on the fortifications was undertaken swiftly in accordance with de Gomme's designs: the Tudor blockhouse (which became the Governor 's residence) was strengthened, and encircled by
14880-503: 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
15035-685: 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
15190-406: 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
15345-533: The mast houses, there was a small foundry; it was destined to grow significantly in later years as use of metal in shipbuilding vastly increased. At the east end of the site, near the chapel, were grouped the main residential buildings pertaining to the senior officers of the Dockyard: The Chapel (and the Naval Terrace alongside it) were placed outside the perimeter wall of the Dockyard. The area between
15500-410: 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
15655-526: The name and concept of a Royal Dockyard was largely synonymous with that of 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
15810-467: The naval store yard within the walls of the fort. Further accommodation was provided on the hulks which functioned as breakwaters on the foreshore. In 1734 the workers' lodgings were rebuilt in brick; they would again be rebuilt in 1794. By 1774 nearly a thousand people were accommodated in the lodgings and the hulks. When John Wesley visited in 1767, he described the latter as follows: 'In the Dock adjoining to
15965-411: The navy got more recognition. The government allowed the creation of a balanced fleet consisting of two naval squadrons. Apart from the aircraft carrier HNLMS Karel Doorman the Dutch navy consisted of two light cruisers (two De Zeven Provinciën class ), 12 destroyers (four Holland class , eight Friesland class ), eight submarines , six frigates ( van Speijk -class frigates ), and
16120-421: 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
16275-511: The north of the rebuilt Dockyard, lying between the perimeter wall and the Estuary foreshore, was almost entirely given over to the Garrison, which had been displaced by the rebuilding. On a long narrow strip of land was built officers' accommodation, guard houses, barrack blocks, a parade ground and (within the bastion at the southern end of the site) a gunpowder magazine. Along the estuary foreshore,
16430-634: The north. The parade ground and barracks for the military garrison lay to the east, at the end of the aforementioned avenue. Sheerness Dockyard initially functioned as an extension to that at Chatham and it was overseen by Chatham's resident Commissioner for much of its early history (until the 1790s). It was conceived primarily for the routine repair and maintenance of naval ships; no shipbuilding took place there (with one small exception) until 1691. While minor repairs were undertaken at Sheerness, ships requiring major work were usually sent on to Chatham, Woolwich or Deptford. Sheerness also functioned at this time as
16585-451: 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
16740-478: The old semi-circular gun battery on the promontory with a new casemated fort to replace the old blockhouse: Garrison Point Fort . Further south, the defensive canal (now known as Queenborough Lines) was also strengthened with a gun battery at either end. Between what became known as Garrison Point and the Garrison itself stood Admiralty House, a large residence built in 1829 for the Port Admiral . In May 1827,
16895-452: The ongoing upgrade of the CH-47F). In 2024 the fleet of the Royal Netherlands Navy consists of these ships: The total tonnage will be approx. 140,000 tonnes. Next to these ships a lot of other smaller vessels remain in the navy. With these changes the Royal Netherlands Navy will have 10 large oceangoing vessels ranging from medium/low to high combat action ships. The renewed Dutch Navy will be
17050-515: The previous conflict, the main business of the yard was refit and repair of ships on active service. In 1854, a wing of the Victualling Store, which stood alongside the entrance to the Small Basin, was converted to serve as a Naval Barracks: a unique pre-20th century example of a shore building in Britain being used as a barracks for naval personnel. It seems to have been used to house very young ordinary seamen under training but awaiting posting to
17205-402: The project cost £2,586,083 and was largely complete by 1830. Sheerness was unusual among Dockyards in the unity and clarity of its design, having been built in one phase of construction, of a single architectural style according to a unified plan (rather than developing piecemeal over time). The site was approximately triangular in shape when viewed from the air: Rennie's perimeter wall (1824–31)
17360-518: The quadrangle, the old Admiralty House and the dockyard church, [had] been listed under Section 30 of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1947, as buildings of special architectural and historical interest.' Nevertheless, several of these very significant Dockyard buildings were demolished in the years that followed, including Admiralty House in 1964 and the Quadrangular Storehouse in 1978. The Small and Great Basins were also filled with rubble and covered over in
17515-574: 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
17670-703: 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
17825-567: The relations between the Netherlands and its colonies changed dramatically. The establishment of the Republic of Indonesia , two days after the Japanese surrender, thwarted the Dutch plans for restoring colonial authority. After four years of conflict the Netherlands acknowledged the independence of Indonesia. Part of the Dutch Navy was next stationed in Netherlands New Guinea until that, too,
17980-479: The residences at the east end and the basins and docks to the west was initially kept clear, in large part, to allow for storage of timber; though the artesian well (dated, on the Well House, to 1800) which had so transformed life in the old Dockyard, was located here in relative isolation. In addition, the yard's Pay Office with its strong room (1828) was placed in this area, not too far from the main gate. The land to
18135-482: 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
18290-623: The river bank and extending south of the former Dockyard site. A steelworks, established in 1971 on what had been military land to the south of the Dockyard, closed in 2012. The commercial port is currently operated by The Peel Group under the name London Medway. As the local port authority , their Medway Ports division controls navigation on the River Medway from a headquarters in Garrison Point Fort. Royal Navy Dockyard Royal Navy Dockyards (more usually termed Royal Dockyards ) were state-owned harbour facilities where ships of
18445-418: The river side. By November the yard was operational, and several large ships were sent there for repairs during the winter (albeit the yard struggled due to a lack of workers and materials). Pett had further plans for the development of the site, including a dry dock in place of the careening facility; he also advised fortifying the area to the north of the yard. Progress in this regard was slow, however, and it
18600-424: 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
18755-417: The second half of the century, dry docks began to be used for shipbuilding to some extent (especially as many of the old slips became too small for the fast-expanding size of new warships). At Sheerness, No.2 Dock was designated for this purpose and (like the slip) covered with a long pitched roof . Beginning with a 7-gun ketch named Transporter in 1677, over 100 ships were built at Sheerness Dockyard over
18910-477: The sinking of a well to provide drinking water (which had previously had to be ferried in). By 1800 the Dockyard filled all available space and in addition was continuing to make use of several buildings within the walls of the Garrison Fort. In 1796, following the development of Blue Town, a wider area of land (including the new houses) was enclosed behind a bastioned trace, which was further strengthened during
19065-500: The south of the yard. Behind the three larger dry docks (Nos.1-3) were a pair of suppling kilns (1828), beyond which a long two-storey building (known today as the Archway Block, 1830) was built to Holl's design; it consisted of five interlinked blocks, each of five bays, housing saw pits and seasoning stores on the ground floor, with mould lofts , joiners ' shops and other stores accommodated above. Its eponymous archway spanned
19220-454: The southern end of the site); the river then made up the third side of the triangle. The principal buildings and structures were laid out along the bank of the Medway; from north (i.e. Garrison Point) to South, these were: The Great Basin, with its three dry docks, formed the Dockyard's centre of operations; they were designed to accommodate First Rate Ships of the Line . It was the first area of
19375-454: The vicinity of Sheerness, most of the workers were initially housed temporarily in hulks moored nearby. In the 1680s the Board was petitioned by the officers of the yard to make 'some provision of habitations' for the workers and their families, who were 'suffering through the unwholesomeness of the place'. The Board acceded to the request and soon afterwards built four barrack-like lodgings for workers (such as shipwrights and artificers) alongside
19530-466: The world Dutch naval units were responsible for transporting troops, for example during Operation Dynamo at Dunkirk and on D-Day , they escorted convoys and attacked enemy targets. Dutch submarines scored some victories, including one on a Kriegsmarine U-boat U-95 in the Mediterranean Sea , which was sunk by O 21 , but during the war the Dutch Navy suffered heavy losses, particularly in
19685-737: The world, notably during the Anglo-Dutch Wars . During the 17th century the Dutch States Navy was one of the most powerful navies in the world. As an organization, the Dutch navy consisted of five separate admiralties (three of them in Holland , and one each in Friesland and Zeeland ), each with its own ships, personnel, shipyards, command structures and revenues. At the start of WW2 the Dutch had five cruisers, eight destroyers, 24 submarines, and smaller vessels, along with 50 aircraft. The Netherlands
19840-513: The yard to be completed and was formally opened by the Duke of Clarence (later King William IV ) on 5 September 1823. (The next areas to be completed were the Small Basin and the Boat Basin, with its smaller pair of docks; construction of major buildings continuing for several years afterwards.) As part of Rennie's co-ordinated plan, all the dry docks were connected by a single culvert to the pump house in
19995-512: The yard. They were clinker-built , like ships; and the grey-blue naval paint they used on the exteriors led to their homes becoming known as the Blue Houses. This was eventually corrupted to Blue Town (which is now the name of the north-west area of Sheerness lying just beyond the current dockyard perimeter). The modern town of Sheerness has its origins in Mile Town, which was established later in
20150-593: The yard; for instance, in 1856-8 a new steam-powered saw mill was built, to Greene's designs, replacing the manual saw pits built just 25 years earlier. Greene built a second Smithery in 1856, alongside the first, this time with an all-metal frame; a technique he took to new heights in 1858-60 with the building of a four-storey Boat Store (behind the Working Boat House), remarkable for its size, for its 'efficient storage and handling arrangement' and above all for its remarkable structural innovations: 'The all-metal frame
20305-533: Was Rennie's 1813 plan that gained approval. After the end of the Napoleonic Wars , the old Sheerness Dockyard was closed in 1815 and work began to Rennie's meticulous designs. The principal architect was Surveyor of Buildings to the Navy Board, Edward Holl , assisted by William Miller. After Holl's death in 1823, George L. Taylor (an established architect with a practice in London responsible for some of London's most fashionable squares) took over as principal. The plan
20460-476: 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,
20615-415: Was added to the south, with timber stores and a mast pond beyond. The constricted area of land available to the dockyard caused problems for its operation and development. Several hulks were positioned on the foreshore close to the dockyard, initially to serve as breakwaters , but soon they served to accommodate both personnel and dockyard activities. The space between the hulks (and, as they began to rot,
20770-534: Was an inconvenience at times of peace became a serious impediment at times of war; and for this reason, warships based in the Nore would tend if possible to avoid entering the river, and would try to do all but the most serious repairs while afloat and at anchor. At the same time, those who were responsible for supplying warships with their weapons , victuals and equipment were obliged to ferry items to and from The Nore using small boats. In order to operate more effectively,
20925-647: 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
21080-460: Was built south-east from the Boat Basin (at the northernmost tip of the yard) running parallel with the Thames Estuary foreshore as far as the main gate, after which the wall (as can still be seen) turned southwards past the officers' houses, before turning sharply and continuing in a westerly direction as far as the river (though deviating south again at one point to accommodate the mast houses at
21235-495: 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
21390-560: Was conquered in 1940 by Nazi Germany in a matter of days, and two Dutch light cruisers and one destroyer leader and three destroyers that were under construction were captured in their shipyard . For the rest of the war, the Dutch navy was based in Allied countries: the Dutch navy had its headquarters in London , and smaller units in Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka ) and Western Australia . Around
21545-532: Was decommissioned in 1959 and on 31 March 1960 the closing ceremony took place for the Dockyard; the dockyard closure led to all 2,500 dockyard employees being made redundant. Once the Royal Navy had vacated Sheerness dockyard, the Medway Port Authority took over the site for commercial use. In 1959, the First Lord of the Admiralty had announced that 'Seventeen residences and eight other buildings, including
21700-399: Was demolished. This specialised work continued through World War I. After the war, to keep the yard from closing, it was occasionally sent vessels built by private contractors that required completion (such as HMS Thracian and the submarine HMS L27 ). During World War Two, when a flotilla of minesweepers was based at Sheerness, a number of motor-launches were built at the yard; but, as in
21855-501: Was easily captured, together with the adjacent dockyard, by the Dutch Navy and used as the base for a daring raid on the English ships at anchor in the Medway. After their stocks of guns, ammunition and naval stores had been plundered both the fort and the dockyard were left in flames, along with a significant number of the ships moored in the river. A Parliamentary report on the causes of
22010-442: Was for an entirely new dockyard, at 56 acres more than double the size of the old one. The site's quicksand and mud banks provided a substantial civil engineering challenge; thousands of wooden piles had to be put in place to support the inverted arch foundations of the docks, wharves, basins and buildings. A scale-model created at the time shows in great detail the original design (foundations included) of each element. In all
22165-524: 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
22320-462: Was important: in the age of sail , 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
22475-449: 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
22630-455: Was made rigid by portal bracing, subsequently adopted by the skyscraper pioneers in Chicago, and universal for modern steel-framed building'. The introduction of ironclad warships after Crimea led to further new buildings in and around the Dockyard. An assortment of mechanical workshops - fitting shops, bending shops, boiler shops - began to fill available space around the basins and docks, and by
22785-493: Was not expanded and adapted for steam until the 1860s, Sheerness found itself under pressure to provide interim facilities for repair and maintenance of steam-powered ships based in the Nore. This became an immediate priority with the outbreak of the Crimean War : so in 1854, a new Steam Factory was built 'in haste' at Sheerness by Godfrey Greene, with the second mast house being converted into an engineering foundry and fitting shop. By 1868 just under 500 men and boys were employed in
22940-558: Was not until early 1667 that the Board of Ordnance asked Sir Bernard de Gomme to assess the ground and draw up proposals. The King and the Duke of York visited the site in February of that year, and (after further refinements were made to the design) building work began on 27 April. The situation was overtaken, however, by the escalating Anglo-Dutch conflict: on 10 June 1667 the still-incomplete fort
23095-474: Was sent there to oversee the necessary work. A Master Attendant was appointed, to supervise the movement of ships in the vicinity. Shipwrights were hastily relocated from Deptford, Woolwich and elsewhere, an ad hoc collection of sheds and jetties were put in place and a 'graving place' was set aside on the shore for ships to be careened if required (the mud banks in the area were regularly used for careening). By July that same year, Pett had drawn up plans for
23250-404: 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
23405-432: 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
23560-428: Was still for the most part a sailing Navy at this stage, with steam providing auxiliary power rather than the main means of propulsion; this was to change over the course of the next thirty years. The rebuilt Sheerness, which had been designed primarily for the repair and maintenance of sailing ships, soon found itself having to adapt to the changing demands of steam technology. Most particularly, because Chatham Dockyard
23715-409: Was the first Royal Dockyard, dating from 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
23870-406: 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
24025-515: Was turned over to the Indonesian government in 1962. This followed a campaign of infiltrations by the Indonesian National Armed Forces , supported by modern equipment from the Soviet Union , that was nevertheless successfully repulsed by the Dutch navy. These infiltrations took place after the order of President Sukarno to integrate the territory as an Indonesian province. The Navy has participated in joint European Union naval operations and exercises. Ten separate Dutch vessels have contributed to
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