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96-647: Harwich Dockyard (also known as The King's Yard, Harwich ) was a Royal Navy Dockyard at Harwich in Essex , active in the 17th and early 18th century (after which it continued to operate under private ownership). Owing to its position on the East Coast of England, the yard was of strategic importance during the Anglo-Dutch Wars ; however, due to a lack of deep-water access and the difficulty of setting off from Harwich against an easterly wind, its usefulness

192-544: 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

288-711: 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

384-695: 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

480-586: 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

576-465: A description of the dockyard: it had wharves, built on reclaimed land , with strong cranes (one of which had been rendered unusable by the action of the tide depositing sand against the wharf). There was a 'Great Gate' over which were placed the Royal Arms, "carved and in colours", and above which (inside and outside) were the dials of an "excellent" pendulum clock, which struck the hours on a bell in

672-591: A new resident Commissioner (John Taylor) was appointed and Samuel Pepys , as Clerk of the Acts of the Navy, engaged his protégé Anthony Deane as Master Shipwright. The years of the Second Dutch War would prove to be the most prestigious for Harwich Dockyard (in terms of the volume and strategic importance of its activity). Not only was it kept busy repairing and refitting naval vessels on their way to and from

768-649: 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

864-586: 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

960-422: 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

1056-444: A slipway at the stern to haul harpooned whales on deck to be processed by flensers . To achieve a safe launch of some types of land-based lifeboats in bad weather and difficult sea conditions, the lifeboat and slipway are designed so that the lifeboat slides down a relatively steep steel slip under gravity . For large ships, slipways are only used in construction of the vessel. They may be arranged parallel or perpendicular to

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1152-642: 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

1248-651: 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

1344-438: A switch from the ceremonial platform. Some slipways are built so that the vessel is side on to the water and is launched sideways. This is done where the limitations of the water channel would not allow lengthwise launching, but occupies a much greater length of shore. The Great Eastern built by Brunel was built this way as were many landing craft during World War II . This method requires many more sets of ways to support

1440-542: A turret (which also served as a muster bell, rung at the start and end of the working day). Within the yard he noted that there were several storehouses, "launches" ( slipways ) for building and launching ships, and offices for the officers of the yard. Harwich ceased to operate as a Royal Dockyard in 1713, but was leased to a succession of private operators (including John Barnard, Messrs Barnard & Turner, and Joseph Graham) under whom naval and commercial shipbuilding continued. The last Royal Navy vessel to be built at Harwich

1536-457: Is scrapped there, she is said to be broken up in the ways . As the word "slip" implies, the ships or boats are moved over the ramp, by way of crane or fork lift. Prior to the move the vessel's hull is coated with grease , which then allows the ship or boat to "slip" off the ramp and progress safely into the water. Slipways are used to launch (newly built) large ships, but can only dry-dock or repair smaller ships. Pulling large ships against

1632-474: 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 . . Slipways The nautical terms ways and skids are alternative names for slipway. A ship undergoing construction in a shipyard is said to be on the ways . If a ship

1728-622: 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

1824-422: Is placed on top, under the hull, and a launch cradle with bow and stern poppets is erected on these sliding ways. The weight of the hull is then transferred from the build cribbing onto the launch cradle. Provision is made to hold the vessel in place and then release it at the appropriate moment in the launching ceremony, these are either a weak link designed to be cut at a signal or a mechanical trigger controlled by

1920-599: Is preserved on the original site, which still operates as a commercial port (known as Navyard since 1964). During the First World War a flotilla, the Harwich Force , was based at the port. During the Second World War parts of Harwich were again requisitioned for naval use, and ships were based at HMS Badger , a shore establishment on the site of what is now Harwich International Port . Badger

2016-531: 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

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2112-639: 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

2208-531: The Commonwealth period, the government took out a 99-year lease on the parcel of land on which the fort had stood in order to establish a naval dockyard there. The yard was praised by General Monck for its efficiency in fitting out the fleet. Following the Restoration, in 1660, the yard was run down and leased out to private ownership. In 1664, however, the yard was taken back under Crown control:

2304-720: 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

2400-467: 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

2496-691: The Hundred Years' War , Harwich was an important assembly point for the Navy; in June 1340 King Edward III set sail for France from the mouth of the Orwell with a fleet of 200 ships, engaging the French fleet off the coast of Flanders in the Battle of Sluys . In 1405 a fort was built on the promontory at the north-easternmost part of the town. Over the following century the fort fell into disrepair, but during

2592-554: 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

2688-519: 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

2784-818: 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

2880-560: 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

2976-556: 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

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3072-417: The tide can limit the usability of a slip: unless the ramp continues well below the low water level it may not be usable at low tide. Normally there is a flat paved area on the landward end. When engaged in building or repairing boats or small ships (i.e. ships of no more than about 300 tons), slipways can use a wheeled carriage, or "cradle" , which is run down the ramp until the vessel can float on or off

3168-535: 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

3264-529: 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

3360-439: 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

3456-549: 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

3552-636: 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

3648-682: 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

3744-475: 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

3840-594: 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

3936-610: 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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4032-921: 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

4128-620: 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

4224-568: 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

4320-509: 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

4416-544: 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

4512-407: 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,

4608-604: 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

4704-588: 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

4800-566: The Town Quay). After the Royal Navy withdrew from the yard in 1713, shipbuilding continued on the site under private ownership; over the course of the next century, through to the end of the Napoleonic Wars , just under forty more warships were built there. The present-day name for the site of the former Dockyard is 'Harwich Navyard'; for the past 50 years it has been run as a commercial port, however in 2018 plans were announced for it to be transformed into space for more than 300 homes. During

4896-507: 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,

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4992-421: 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

5088-402: 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

5184-454: 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

5280-407: 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

5376-440: 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

5472-425: 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

5568-444: The carriage. Such slipways are used for repair as well as for putting newly built vessels in the water. When used for launching and retrieving small boats, the trailer is placed in the water. The boat may be either floated on and off the trailer or pulled off. When recovering the boat from the water, it is winched back up the trailer. From 1925 onwards, modern whaling factory ships have usually been equipped by their designers with

5664-400: 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

5760-451: The depth of water, stability and weight the engines might have not been fitted or the superstructure may not be completed. In a perpendicular slipway, the ship is normally built with its stern facing the water. Modern slipways take the form of a reinforced concrete mat of sufficient strength to support the vessel, with two "barricades" that extend to well below the water level taking into account tidal variations. The barricades support

5856-518: The dockyard following the Restoration was the eponymous HMS Harwich , a 5-gun hoy launched in 1660. Between 1660 and 1827 some 56 men-of-war were built there, including the following (a wooden board on the present-day Navyard gate gives a fuller list). 51°56′40″N 1°17′24″E  /  51.94452°N 1.29010°E  / 51.94452; 1.29010 Royal Navy Dockyard Royal Navy Dockyards (more usually termed Royal Dockyards ) were state-owned harbour facilities where ships of

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5952-408: 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

6048-404: 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

6144-410: 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,

6240-418: The front line, but under Deane's skilled oversight it also began to be active in shipbuilding. Despite its relatively small size as a Royal Dockyard, Harwich developed a particular speciality for itself in constructing small and medium-sized fighting ships. In 1668, however, after peace had been restored, the dockyard was again run down: its officers were reassigned (except for the Storekeeper, Silas Taylor , who

6336-463: The greased ramp would require too much force. Therefore, for dry-docking large ships, one must use carriages supported by wheels or by roller-pallets. These types of dry-docking installations are called " marine railways ". Nevertheless the words "slip" and "slipway" are also used for all dry-docking installations that use a ramp. In its simplest form, a slipway is a plain ramp, typically made of concrete , steel , stone or even wood . The height of

6432-403: 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

6528-445: 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

6624-416: 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

6720-406: 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

6816-410: 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

6912-536: 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

7008-421: 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

7104-451: 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

7200-525: 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

7296-804: 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

7392-488: 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

7488-424: 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

7584-465: The shore line (or as nearly so as the water and maximum length of vessel allows). On launching, the vessel slides down the slipway on the ways until it floats by itself. The process of transferring the vessel to the water is known as launching and is normally a ceremonial and celebratory occasion. It is the point where the vessel is formally named. At this point the hull is complete and the propellers and associated shafting are in place, but dependent on

7680-444: The two launch ways. The vessel is built upon temporary cribbing that is arranged to give access to the hull's outer bottom, and to allow the launchways to be erected under the complete hull. When it is time to prepare for launching a pair of standing ways are erected under the hull and out onto the barricades. The surface of these ways are greased ( Tallow and whale oil were used as grease in sailing ship days). A pair of sliding ways

7776-431: The weight of the ship. In both cases heavy chains are attached to the ship and the drag effect is used to slow the vessel once afloat until tugboats can move the hull to a jetty for fitting out . The practice of building on a slipway is dying out with the increasing size of vessels from about the 1970s. Part of the reason is the space requirement for slowing and maneuvering the vessel immediately after it has left

7872-417: Was HMS Scarborough in 1812; the last commercial vessels were ten steamers, built between 1825 and 1827. The Navy maintained a small storage and refitting base on site until 1829. One unusual structure surviving from the dockyard is a very rare treadwheel crane of 1667, which was in use until the early twentieth century before being re-sited on Harwich Green in the 1930s. The dockyard bell, dating from 1666,

7968-483: 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,

8064-666: 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

8160-495: 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

8256-537: Was considered by Pepys to be one of the finest vessels in the Navy. Again, once peace had been re-established, the yard was wound down; by 1676 its storehouses had been given over to the Royal Fishery Company. The following year, however, a new Master Shipwright was appointed (Isaac Betts) and shipbuilding began again. In 1676, Silas Taylor (the aforementioned 'Keeper of the King's Stores at Harwich') wrote

8352-531: Was decommissioned in 1946, but the Royal Naval Auxiliary Service maintained a headquarters on its site until 1992. The Master Shipwright was the key official at the royal navy dockyards until the introduction of resident commissioners by the Navy Board after which he became deputy to the resident commissioner. Post holders included: Post holders included: Post holders included: Post holders included: The first ship to be built at

8448-532: 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

8544-462: 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

8640-477: Was left more or less in sole charge). During the Third Dutch War , the Dockyard was again put to work, but by this time its front-line role had been eclipsed by the Navy's new East-Coast dockyard at Sheerness . Nevertheless, between 1673 and 1675 Anthony Deane (now a Commissioner of the Navy ) built three more warships at Harwich Dockyard, this time as a private contractor; one of these, HMS Harwich ,

8736-452: 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

8832-513: 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

8928-490: 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

9024-472: Was somewhat limited and its facilities remained small-scale compared to the other Royal Dockyards over the same period. Nonetheless, it remained actively involved in repairing and refitting the nation's warships, as well as building them: of the eighty ships built for the Royal Navy in Britain between 1660 and 1688, fourteen were built at Harwich Dockyard. (Naval vessels had occasionally been built at Harwich in earlier times, but by private shipbuilders on or around

9120-409: 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

9216-533: 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

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