Devonport Dockyard
Devonport Dockyard, originally known as Plymouth Dock, on the Hamoaze (the name for part of the River Tamar), is the largest Naval dockyard in Western Europe and dates from 1693 when a wet and dry dock was built, followed by the construction of workshops, stores, and more docks.
Eventually some 54 acres formed the area known as South Yard. The dockyard was extended over the years with the addition of Morice Yard which provided ordnance, powder and shot to the fleet, and in 1844, by the Steam Yard. From 1700 a new town had been built around the dockyard and in 1824 it broke free from its older neighbour to become Devonport.
Most of the dockyard is now in private hands as a commercial enterprise and the remainder, occupied by the Royal Navy, is known as the Plymouth Naval Base.
See Also
Sources of Information
- British Shipbuilding Yards. 3 vols by Norman L. Middlemiss
- [1] Wikipedia