Throughout its history, the royal navy has made extensive use of private shipyards, both at home and abroad. Established in chatham in the mid16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring gillingham at its most extensive, in the early 20th century, twothirds of the dockyard lay in gillingham, onethird in chatham it came into existence at the time when. It is the base for seven of the trafalgar class nuclear powered hunter killer submarines and the main refitting base for all royal navy nuclear. The royal dockyard church, medway 1268203 historic. Royal navy dockyards more usually termed royal dockyards were stateowned harbour facilities where ships of the royal navy were built, based, repaired and refitted. With multiple attractions in one ticket, theres something to suit everyone.
Admiralty progress books, hold near complete records of ships entering portsmouth dockyard 50 albion flour mills, london 65 allcott, john. National museum of the royal navy at portsmouth historic. The following century, it specialised in building submarines. Kents maritime history with its strong connections with the royal navy and the former royal dockyards has made trafalgar day particularly relevant to the county. Devonport and portsmouth characterisation report coats, a. View of the royal dockyard at plymouth during a visit by george iii in 1789.
The courageous gallery telling the story of the submarine courageous and demonstrating a handson working periscope. Royal naval dockyard historical tour home facebook. Chatham dockyard or formally hm royal dockyard chatham was a royal navy dockyard located on the river medway in kent. How you can explore the history of royal naval dockyards. The first permanent royal dockyard was established at portsmouth at the end of the 15th century, followed by additional dockyards along the thames and medway to ensure the navy. This guide will help you find records of the staff of royal navy dockyards, and. Portsmouth historic dockyard is the uks premier destination for naval history and is a mustsee for anyone visiting the south of england. Bbc news uk england royal dockyard remembers nelson.
Save 20% on a full navy ticket and get 12 months unlimited access to 11 attractions. Devonport royal dockyard plymouth 2020 all you need to. Education and outreach our volunteer guides are available to offer. During the 18th century and into the early 19th century it served as headquarters for the western squadron. And as added interest, there are links to the history of portsmouth royal dockyard and the support given to the royal navy over the centuries. For the last 500 years, the dockyard at portsmouth has been one of our countrys most important assets. Plymouths devonport dockyard complete refit of hms. For three centuries portsmouth has been the leading base of the royal navy but the naval. Chatham royal dockyard, on river medway s, chatham, kent founded 16th cen, submarines etc in ww1, closed 1984 chatham dockyard ctype light cruiser calliope 17. A massive undertaking which was not completed until 1841, the breakwater was a crucial development. Search for your familys connection to the royal navy at our monthly ask the archives event to our annual christmas festival, browse our collection of activities and have an adventure like. The royal navy and devonport royal dockyard share the same plot of land in devonport. Mr paul burkhalter, the author of the book devonport dockyard railway, revealed that the extent of the railway in january 1955 was just over 23 miles of standard gauge track, the.
Devonport also has the hydrographic ships in the navys surveying squadron. Mod apprentices reunite in royal navy base devonport. The docks have the royal navys surface ship refitting facilities and it is the only base in the uk equipped to carry out nuclear submarine refits not just for the tclass subs, but also for the vanguard class. Thus the royal dockyard devonport has a history going back over 300 years. This was equipped with a dry dock, wet dock, officers terrace, ropery and storehouses. Books and journals coad, j, historic architecture of chatham dockyard 17001850, 1982, 169 coad, j, historic architecture of the royal navy, 1983, 117 newman, j, the buildings of england. This is a fantastic occasion to get together again in the dockyard. The heritage centre holds a comprehensive archive of photographs and documents relating to the development and history of the dockyard. Both of these can be searched online in the reseacrch online catalogue the larger part consists of the rnms own collection which has been assembled since 1952 by donation and purchase, or occasionally through transfer from other institutions.
Mod apprentices reunite in royal navy base devonport 23 february 2016. Making of a royal marine commando plan your visit everything you need to help you plan your visit to portsmouth historic dockyard, including information on travel, food and drink and shopping amenities, accessibility for disabled visitors and daily site announcements. Philip macdougall has written extensively on both naval dockyards and the medway towns with a history of chatham dockyard. A 1914 guide to devonport dockyard the dockyard telephone exchange. For much of this period it was first among the family of royal dockyards, without which the royal navy could not have existed, let alone control the evolution of world history in the way in which it did. The launch of new propellerdriven steamers like hms royal albert in 1854 marked a high point in the history of woolwich dockyard. This fascinating book, in its new and fully revised edition, focuses on the history and present status of portsmouth historic dockyard as well as the. The largest naval base in western europe, devonport has been supporting the royal navy since 1691. The royal naval hospital in stonehouse was built in 175862, the dockyard bustled, and in 1812 the famous scots engineer john rennie began the construction of the breakwater. Chatham dockyard closed in 1984, and 84 acres 340,000 m 2. Old devonport uk royal dockyard female orphan asylum. Plymouth dockyard or formally hm royal dockyard, plymouth also known as plymouth dock was a royal navy dockyard established in 1690. For 414 years chatham royal dockyard provided over 500 ships for the royal navy, and was at the forefront of shipbuilding, industrial and architectural technology.
Buy ships in and out of portsmouth dockyard by patterson, b. The admiralsuperintendent was the royal navy officer in command of a larger naval dockyard. The vast site covers more than 650 acres and has 15 dry docks, four miles of waterfront, 25 tidal berths and five basins. British battleships of world war one, weidenfield military, 1986 burt, r. Dockyard, woolwich, also known as the kings yard, woolwich was an english naval dockyard along the river thames at woolwich in northwest kent, where many ships were built from the early 16th century until the late 19th century. The devonport gallery exploring the dockyard, navy and local area through two world wars. The royal navy dockyard consists of 14 dry docks docks numbered 1 to 15, but there is no dock, four miles 6km of waterfront, 25 tidal berths, five basins and an area of 650 acres 2. The national museum of the royal navy is one of the worlds leading maritime museums. The royal air force, however, built its raf pembroke dock on the site during the 1930s to house its flying boats, demolishing many of the existing buildings to make room for the necessary hangars and other facilities. Royal naval museum library research collections royal. Chatham dockyard was a royal navy dockyard located on the river medway in kent.
Transactions of the naval dockyards society, volume 1. Storekeeper at portsmouth dockyard 104 allen, william, of the royal institution. The museums mission is to preserve and present the history of the fleet the ships and the men and women who manned them. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
But in telling the story of our islands survival the fundamental role of the nations royal dockyards has been too often. The devonport royal dockyard, plymouth, devon, uk with the babcock marine buildings including the frigate refit complex c951k5 from alamys library of millions of high resolution stock photos, illustrations and vectors. A short history of devonport royal dockyard by dicker. In 1960 the adjacent royal navy barracks and facilities were closed. It was located on the hamoaze, which was a sheltered estuary of the river tamar.
Hms ocean, at 20,500 tones, is the royal navys largest ship. William camden called it the mother dock of all england. The library is an excellent resource for the study of british naval history including. Naval dockyards society isbn 9780992929206 ebook isbn 9780992929220 after three years work by the nds research team this report was published in 2015, launched on november at the national museum of the. The reading room houses the trusts collection of books and manuscripts that focus on ships, shipbuilding, naval architecture and history. Due to their historical coexistence many articles could fit into either category. Includes the story of hms warspite, the most decorated warship in the royal navys history, which celebrates its centenary in 20. During the nineteenth century, other more accessible yards led on fleet repairs and maintenance, while chatham focused more on shipbuilding. The dockyard at devonport was known as plymouth dock until 1843, when queen victoria and prince albert announced the change on their visit to devonport dockyard.
Established in chatham in the mid16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring gillingham at its most extensive, in the early 20th century, twothirds of the dockyard lay in gillingham, onethird in chatham. The original purpose of the site was to provide a focus for the iv th year upperschool students, spread far and wide, during the countdown to their 50 th reunion planned for friday 8 th july 2005 in. He is a founding member of the naval dockyards society, closely linked with the national maritime museum at greenwich, and he has travelled and researched extensively visiting stateowned dockyards both british and foreign. Royal navy dockyards and research, 191418 family history. The sources available can cater for academics, family historians or leisure students alike. Dockyard history the royal navy has long been considered the first line in the nations defence. Devonport royal dockyard plymouth all you need to know. Most of the people whove come back are old friends and we all have good memories which we are sharing. The royal naval museum library is situated within the naval base at portsmouth, adjacent to the museum and the historic dockyard, in a purposely refurbished eighteenth century navy storehouse, with environmentally controlled bookstore, and. From its inception, ships were being refitted in the new dockyard and within twelve months, the first two devonport warships built had been. Devonport royal dockyard limited free company information from companies house including registered office address, filing history, accounts, annual return, officers, charges, business activity.
Bwas1603 british warships in the age of sail 1603 1714 rif winfield, book. At its height, it employed over 10,000 skilled artisans and covered 400 acres 1. The manuscript collections held at the royal naval museum are in two parts. Whether youre a looking for events in portsmouth today or for something at different times of the year you can choose the date that suits you easily. Able to control the seas which surround the british isles, royal navy warships have helped negate countless attempts at invasion. A visit to portsmouth historic dockyard takes you on a journey through time, allowing you to step on board world famous ships. Founded in 1849 as the dockyard female orphanage, to maintain, clothe and educate orphan female children of royal dockyard workers who had contributed to its funds, it was originally located in morice square. The dockyard schools are unique in certain respects, and it is worth white considering these in some detail. The following is a selected list of books relating to portsmouth and the royal dockyard. This characterisation study was commissioned by english heritage, now historic england, to increase our overall understanding of the naval dockyard built environment by telling the national story of 20th century dockyards and the particular narratives of devonport and portsmouth dockyards, the two remaining english naval bases. The national museum of the royal navy, in portsmouths historic dockyard, is one of britains oldest maritime museums.
In 1689 prince william of orange became william iii and almost immediately he required the building of a new royal dockyard west of portsmouth. It is a site containing a collection of museums, all of them connected to the royal navy and britains maritime heritage and you need more than one day to do all of them. Join me on your very own micro adventure where wonder leads to wandering and life is a little more delicious with some local devon food. Edmund dummer, surveyor of the navy, travelled the west country searching for an area where a dockyard could be built. By this time, covered slipways had been introduced to protect the workers and the ships as they were built. Join skilled actors as they transport you back in time during a. Read about the history of plymouth and see specially. We are also interested in developing the use of our archive and are happy to respond to enquiries. Historic dockyard and hms alliance at the royal navy submarine museum. Royal navy dockyards were stateowned harbour facilities where ships of the royal navy were built, based, repaired and refitted. The dockyard here was founded by william iii in the late 17th century. Woolley, who became inspector of dockyard schools in 1853 and director of studies in 1864 when higher education was reintroduced at south kensington. Orphaned boys were admitted from 1900 but this required a building with a larger amount of accommodation.
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