Chatham Dockyard
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Chatham Dockyard was a shipbuilding site used from 1586 to 1984. Since 2012 the area has been on the so-called tentative list of UNESCO.
history
Chatham Dockyard was on the River Medway in Chatham , Kent . The shipbuilding activity can be traced back to the time of the Reformation , when additional ships were needed. The origin lay on a 324,000 m 2 large, now known as Chatham Historic Dockyard area.
An expansion with two new mast basins, a dry dock, warehouses as well as lime kilns and brickworks has been proven for the period from 1619/20. After the war with Spain broke out again in 1710, it was further expanded.
Around 1770 the complex covered an area of 384,000 m 2 with an extension of around 1.6 km . There were four slipways and four large dry docks available.
The number of employees rose to 1664 by 1798, including 49 officers and accountants as well as 624 shipbuilders and 274 rope workers . Block makers, caulkers, blacksmiths, carpenters, riggers and sailmakers as well as other shipbuilding professions were also represented.
In the 1860s, the shipyard was largely modernized to build the Achilles , the first Ironclad warship to be built in a royal shipyard. More battleships were built until the 1900s, after which Chatham concentrated on building submarines , 56 of which were built between 1908 and 1966. After that, nuclear submarines were overtaken at the shipyard.
After the modernization of the last ship in Chatham Dockyard, the HMS Hermione , was completed in 1983 , shipbuilding was ended in 1984. Only the repair of coasters was continued by Crescent Marine Services until 1994.
Chatham Dockyard last had an area of 1.6 km 2 . After the closure, the area was split into three parts. The easternmost port basin was taken over by the Medway Ports Authority and is now a trading port. Another part was converted into a mixed residential, recreational and economic area. The 324,000 m 2 core area from the 18th century was transferred to the non-profit Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust and is now a museum as a visitor attraction.
Web links
- Chatham Dockyard at Grace's Guide (English)
- Dockyard Charity (English)
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 51 ° 23 ′ 50 ″ N , 0 ° 31 ′ 40 ″ E