Plymouth Sound
| Plymouth Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
 A cargo ship anchors in Plymouth Sound with Bovisand in the background |
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| Waters | English Channel | |
| Land mass | Great Britain (island) | |
| Geographical location | 50 ° 20 '35 " N , 4 ° 8' 35" W | |
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| width | 6 km | |
| depth | 6 km | |
| Islands | Drake's Island | |
| Tributaries | Tamar , Lynher River , River Plym | |
 The breakwater, lighthouse and breakwater fort in Plymouth Sound |
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The Plymouth Sound , often just The Sound called, is a long bay on the south coast of Britain . The bay is named after the port city of Plymouth at the northern end of the bay.
geography
The funnel-shaped bay merges into the Hamaoze , the confluence of the Tamar and Lynher Rivers . In the northeast of the bay is the Cattewater , the mouth of the River Plym .
The eastern limit of Plymouth Sound is Wembury Point on Wembury Bay , the eastern bank with Staddon Heights is part of Devon . The western limit is Penlee Point , according to other sources also the 93 m high, further west located headland Rame Head . The western bank with the steep coast along the Rame peninsula is part of Cornwall . The entrance between Penlee and Wembury Point is about 6 km wide, the bay is 6 km long to The Hoe above Plymouth. At the northern end of the bay is the small island of Drake's Island . The tidal range in the bay can reach over 5 m through the funnel mouth .
Middle of the bay is between Cawsand Bay and Bovisand Bay a breakwater ( English Breakwater ), a purpose-built 1812-1844 1600 m long dam, which protects the bay from the frequent storms from the southwest. At the western end of the breakwater is a 23 m high lighthouse.
history
Over the centuries, countless ships sank or stranded in Plymouth Sound. So far, more than 450 shipwrecks are known, some of which are popular diving destinations.
To protect the port of Plymouth, log houses reinforced with guns and a fort on Drakes Island were built on the shore as early as the 16th century . Because of the Devonport naval base, founded in 1691, Plymouth Sound is of great strategic importance, which is why numerous coastal fortifications were built on both banks in the 19th century as part of the fort belt around Plymouth .
nature and environment
Limestone reefs below the surface of the water, sandbanks created by currents and salt marshes close to the banks are important habitats for numerous animal and plant species. The bays have a rich marine flora due to the confluence of the Tamar, Lynher and Tavi rivers into Plymouth Sound and the Yealm into Wembury Bay.
Much of the western shore is part of Mount Edgcumbe Country Park and is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty , as is the eastern shore south of Jennycliff.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Visit Cornwall: Rame Peninsula. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on March 31, 2013 ; accessed on March 31, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Plymouth (Devonport) Tide Times. Retrieved March 31, 2013 .
- ^ Plymouth Wrecks. Retrieved March 31, 2013 .
- ↑ JNCC: Plymouth Sound and Estuaries. Retrieved March 31, 2013 .
