HMNB Devonport
Encyclopedia
Her Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) Devonport (HMS Drake
), is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy
(the others being HMNB Clyde
and HMNB Portsmouth
). HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport
, in the west of the city of Plymouth
in Devon
, England
. It is the largest naval base in Western Europe
and is the sole nuclear repair and refuelling facility for the Royal Navy. The collocated Royal Dockyard is owned and operated by the Marine division of Babcock International Group
(BM), who took over the previous owner Devonport Management Limited
(DML) in 2007. The BM operation is commonly called Devonport Royal Dockyard.
In 2006 the Ministry of Defence
announced that a review would be undertaken to examine the future of the three naval bases. The Naval Base Review was seeking to examine the long term future needs of the Royal Navy, with the most likely outcome being either retaining the three current naval bases, but with reduced capacity in each, or closing one of the two on the south coast of England. The results of the review, released in 2007, have stipulated no base closures.
HM Naval Base Devonport is the home port of the Devonport Flotilla which includes the largest ship in the Royal Navy HMS Ocean
and the s.
In 1588, the ships of the English Navy set sail for the Spanish Armada
through the mouth of the River Plym, thereby establishing the military presence in Plymouth. Sir Francis Drake
is now an enduring legacy in Devonport, as the naval base has been named HMS Drake.
In 1689 Prince William of Orange became William III
and almost immediately he required the building of a new dockyard. The town of Plymouth he dismissed as inadequate. Edmund Dummer
a Naval Officer travelled the West Country searching for an area where a dockyard could be built; he sent in two estimates for sites, one in Plymouth, Cattewater
and one further along the coast, on the Hamoaze
, a section of the River Tamar
, in the parish of Stoke Damerel. On 30 December 1690, a contract was let for a dockyard to be built in the Hamoaze area, which was the start of the Devonport Royal Dockyards.
At Devonport, Dummer was the designer of the first successful stepped stone dry dock in Europe. Previously the Navy Board had relied upon timber as the major building material, which resulted in high maintenance costs and was also a fire risk. The docks Dummer designed were stronger with more secure foundations and stepped sides that made it easier for men to work beneath the hull of a docked vessel. These innovations also allowed rapid erection of staging and greater workforce mobility. He discarded the earlier three-sectioned hinged gate, which was labour intensive in operation, and replaced it with the simpler and more mobile two-sectioned gate. He wished to ensure that naval dockyards were efficient working units that maximized available space, as evidenced by the simplicity of his design layout for Devonport (which then was known as Plymouth Dock, not to be confused with the nearby town of Plymouth). He introduced a centralized storage area and a logical positioning of buildings, and his double rope-house combined the previously separate tasks of spinning and laying while allowing the upper floor to be used for the repair of sails.
The Royal Navy Dockyard
consists of 14 dry docks (Docks Numbered 1 to 15, but there is no 13 Dock
) , four miles (6 km) of waterfront, 25 tidal berths, five basins and an area of 650 acres (2.6 km²). It is the base for the nuclear powered hunter killer submarines and the main refitting base for all Royal Navy nuclear submarines. Work was completed by Carillion in 2002 to build a refitting dock to support the Trident missile
nuclear ballistic missile submarines.
Locals and tourists have long been able to visit the Dockyard during "Navy Days", a two day event where visitors can tour the facility, go aboard active naval ships and watch various displays of naval prowess. Among the most popular attractions is the visitor attraction, the nuclear powered submarine HMS Courageous
, used in the Falklands War
.
Devonport serves as headquarters for the Flag Officer Sea Training
, which is responsible for the training of all the ships of the Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary
, along with many from foreign naval services.
Plymouth Naval Base Museum
is a maritime museum
under development at Devonport.
s, a West Country
delicacy and, therefore, one with strong connections to the area around Plymouth
Another explanation advanced is that "GUZZ" was the call sign for the nearby Royal Navy wireless station,(which was GZX), at Devil's Point, though this has been disputed.
Charles Causley
referred to Guz in one of his poems, "Song of the Dying Gunner A.A.1", published in 1951.
, HMS Albion
and HMS Bulwark
. It also serves as home port to most of the hydrographic survey
ing fleet of the Royal Navy and a substantial number of Type 22
and Type 23
frigates, the former are being retired in 2011 due to defence economies. The previous Commodore
of the Devonport Flotilla was Commodore Peter Walpole ADC who assumed command in September 2005.As of February 2011, it is commanded by Commodore JS Chick. Important Royal Navy Staff such as Commodore JML Kingwell, Commander UK (Response Force) Task Group, are based there.
HMS Drake
Nineteen ships and a shore establishment of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Drake after Sir Francis Drake or after the drake: was a 16-gun ship launched in 1653 and sold in 1691. was a 24-gun sixth rate launched in 1694 and wrecked later that year. was a 2-gun yacht launched in 1705. She was...
), is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
(the others being HMNB Clyde
HMNB Clyde
Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy...
and HMNB Portsmouth
HMNB Portsmouth
Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the British Royal Navy...
). HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport
Devonport, Devon
Devonport, formerly named Plymouth Dock or just Dock, is a district of Plymouth in the English county of Devon, although it was, at one time, the more important settlement. It became a county borough in 1889...
, in the west of the city of Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is the largest naval base in Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
and is the sole nuclear repair and refuelling facility for the Royal Navy. The collocated Royal Dockyard is owned and operated by the Marine division of Babcock International Group
Babcock International Group
Babcock International Group plc is a British-based support services company specialising in managing complex assets and infrastructure in safety-critical and mission-critical environments. Although the company has civil contracts, its main business is with public bodies, particularly the UK...
(BM), who took over the previous owner Devonport Management Limited
Devonport Management Limited
DML was the company which owns and manages Devonport Royal Dockyard, the largest dockyard in Western Europe. DML was owned by Babcock International Group who purchased it from previous owners; KBR , Balfour Beatty and The Weir Group ....
(DML) in 2007. The BM operation is commonly called Devonport Royal Dockyard.
In 2006 the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
announced that a review would be undertaken to examine the future of the three naval bases. The Naval Base Review was seeking to examine the long term future needs of the Royal Navy, with the most likely outcome being either retaining the three current naval bases, but with reduced capacity in each, or closing one of the two on the south coast of England. The results of the review, released in 2007, have stipulated no base closures.
HM Naval Base Devonport is the home port of the Devonport Flotilla which includes the largest ship in the Royal Navy HMS Ocean
HMS Ocean (L12)
HMS Ocean of the Royal Navy is an amphibious assault ship , the sole member of her class. She is designed to support amphibious landing operations and to support the staff of Commander UK Amphibious Force and Commander UK Landing Force...
and the s.
History
Spanish Armada
This article refers to the Battle of Gravelines, for the modern navy of Spain, see Spanish NavyThe Spanish Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588, with the intention of overthrowing Elizabeth I of England to stop English...
through the mouth of the River Plym, thereby establishing the military presence in Plymouth. Sir Francis Drake
Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the...
is now an enduring legacy in Devonport, as the naval base has been named HMS Drake.
In 1689 Prince William of Orange became William III
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
and almost immediately he required the building of a new dockyard. The town of Plymouth he dismissed as inadequate. Edmund Dummer
Edmund Dummer (naval engineer)
Edmund Dummer was an English naval engineer and shipbuilder who, as Surveyor of the Navy, founded the Royal Navy dockyard at , Plymouth and extended that at Portsmouth. His survey of the Royal Navy Dockyards is a valuable and well-known historic document...
a Naval Officer travelled the West Country searching for an area where a dockyard could be built; he sent in two estimates for sites, one in Plymouth, Cattewater
Cattewater
The city of Plymouth, Devon, England is bounded by Dartmoor to the north, the river Tamar to the west. The open expanse of water called Plymouth Sound to the south and the river Plym to the east....
and one further along the coast, on the Hamoaze
Hamoaze
The Hamoaze is an estuarine stretch of the tidal River Tamar, between the River Lynher and Plymouth Sound, England.The Hamoaze flows past Devonport Dockyard, which belongs to the Royal Navy...
, a section of the River Tamar
River Tamar
The Tamar is a river in South West England, that forms most of the border between Devon and Cornwall . It is one of several British rivers whose ancient name is assumed to be derived from a prehistoric river word apparently meaning "dark flowing" and which it shares with the River Thames.The...
, in the parish of Stoke Damerel. On 30 December 1690, a contract was let for a dockyard to be built in the Hamoaze area, which was the start of the Devonport Royal Dockyards.
At Devonport, Dummer was the designer of the first successful stepped stone dry dock in Europe. Previously the Navy Board had relied upon timber as the major building material, which resulted in high maintenance costs and was also a fire risk. The docks Dummer designed were stronger with more secure foundations and stepped sides that made it easier for men to work beneath the hull of a docked vessel. These innovations also allowed rapid erection of staging and greater workforce mobility. He discarded the earlier three-sectioned hinged gate, which was labour intensive in operation, and replaced it with the simpler and more mobile two-sectioned gate. He wished to ensure that naval dockyards were efficient working units that maximized available space, as evidenced by the simplicity of his design layout for Devonport (which then was known as Plymouth Dock, not to be confused with the nearby town of Plymouth). He introduced a centralized storage area and a logical positioning of buildings, and his double rope-house combined the previously separate tasks of spinning and laying while allowing the upper floor to be used for the repair of sails.
Today
Royal Navy Dockyard
Royal Navy Dockyards are harbours where either commissioned ships are based, or where ships are overhauled and refitted. Historically, the Royal Navy maintained a string of dockyards around the world, although few are now operating today....
consists of 14 dry docks (Docks Numbered 1 to 15, but there is no 13 Dock
Triskaidekaphobia
Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number ; it is a superstition and related to a specific fear of Friday the 13th, called paraskevidekatriaphobia or friggatriskaidekaphobia.The term was first used by Isador Coriat in Abnormal...
) , four miles (6 km) of waterfront, 25 tidal berths, five basins and an area of 650 acres (2.6 km²). It is the base for the nuclear powered hunter killer submarines and the main refitting base for all Royal Navy nuclear submarines. Work was completed by Carillion in 2002 to build a refitting dock to support the Trident missile
Trident missile
The Trident missile is a submarine-launched ballistic missile equipped with multiple independently-targetable reentry vehicles . The Fleet Ballistic Missile is armed with nuclear warheads and is launched from nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines . Trident missiles are carried by fourteen...
nuclear ballistic missile submarines.
Locals and tourists have long been able to visit the Dockyard during "Navy Days", a two day event where visitors can tour the facility, go aboard active naval ships and watch various displays of naval prowess. Among the most popular attractions is the visitor attraction, the nuclear powered submarine HMS Courageous
HMS Courageous (S50)
HMS Courageous was a nuclear fleet submarine in service with the Royal Navy from 1971.In 1982, the Courageous was sent with her sister ship, the , with the British task force to retake the Falkland Islands from the occupying Argentine forces. She returned home later in the year without damage.The...
, used in the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
.
Devonport serves as headquarters for the Flag Officer Sea Training
Flag Officer Sea Training
Flag Officer Sea Training is a Royal Navy training organisation responsible for ensuring that Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels are fit to join the operational fleet. FOST certifies crews and vessels as being sufficiently prepared for any eventuality through rigorous exercises and...
, which is responsible for the training of all the ships of the Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary
Royal Fleet Auxiliary
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary is a civilian-manned fleet owned by the British Ministry of Defence. The RFA enables ships of the United Kingdom Royal Navy to maintain operations around the world. Its primary role is to supply the Royal Navy with fuel, ammunition and supplies, normally by replenishment...
, along with many from foreign naval services.
Plymouth Naval Base Museum
Plymouth Naval Base Museum
Plymouth Naval Base Museum is a maritime museum in Plymouth, Devon.It is under development at HMNB Devonport, one of the three main bases of the Royal Navy, and its mission statement is "To present the story of support to the Royal Navy at Plymouth since the days of Edward I."It is housed in a...
is a maritime museum
Maritime museum
A maritime museum is a museum specializing in the display of objects relating to ships and travel on large bodies of water...
under development at Devonport.
Nickname
The Naval base at Devonport is nicknamed "Guz" by naval ratings. One suggestion is that this originates from the word guzzle (to eat or drink greedily), which is likely to refer to the eating of cream teaCream tea
A cream tea, Devonshire tea, Devon cream tea or Cornish cream tea is tea taken with a combination of scones, clotted cream, and jam....
s, a West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
delicacy and, therefore, one with strong connections to the area around Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
Another explanation advanced is that "GUZZ" was the call sign for the nearby Royal Navy wireless station,(which was GZX), at Devil's Point, though this has been disputed.
Charles Causley
Charles Causley
Charles Stanley Causley, CBE, FRSL was a Cornish poet, schoolmaster and writer. His work is noted for its simplicity and directness and for its associations with folklore, especially when linked to his native Cornwall....
referred to Guz in one of his poems, "Song of the Dying Gunner A.A.1", published in 1951.
Nuclear waste leaks
Devonport has been the site of a number of leaks of nuclear waste associated with the nuclear submarines based there.- November 2002: "Ten litres of radioactive coolant leaked from HMS Vanguard in an incident two weeks ago."
- October 2005: "Previous reported radioactive spills at the dockyard include one in October 2005, when it was confirmed 10 litres of water leaked out as the main reactor circuit of HMS Victorious was being cleaned to reduce radiation."
- November 2008: "The Royal Navy has confirmed up to 280 litres of water, likely to have been contaminated with tritium, poured from a burst hose as it was being pumped from the submarine in the early hours of Friday."
- March 2009: "On 25 March this year radioactive water escaped from HMS Turbulent while the reactor's discharge system was being flushed at the Devonport naval dockyard"
Devonport Flotilla
Ships based at the port are known as the Devonport Flotilla. This includes the Navy's assault ships HMS OceanHMS Ocean (L12)
HMS Ocean of the Royal Navy is an amphibious assault ship , the sole member of her class. She is designed to support amphibious landing operations and to support the staff of Commander UK Amphibious Force and Commander UK Landing Force...
, HMS Albion
HMS Albion (L14)
HMS Albion is a Landing Platform Dock of the Royal Navy, the first of the two-ship Albion class. Built by BAE Systems Marine in Barrow-in-Furness, Albion was launched in March 2001 by the Princess Royal...
and HMS Bulwark
HMS Bulwark (L15)
HMS Bulwark is an , the UK's newest class of amphibious assault warship and built in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. For numerous reasons, delays caused the delivery date to be put back, with the ship entering service in December 2004. Together with Albion, Ocean, and other amphibious ships, she...
. It also serves as home port to most of the hydrographic survey
Hydrographic survey
Hydrographic survey is the science of measurement and description of features which affect maritime navigation, marine construction, dredging, offshore oil exploration/drilling and related disciplines. Strong emphasis is placed on soundings, shorelines, tides, currents, sea floor and submerged...
ing fleet of the Royal Navy and a substantial number of Type 22
Type 22 frigate
The Type 22 Broadsword class is a class of frigate built for the British Royal Navy. Fourteen of the class were built in total, with production divided into three batches. With the decommissioning of HMS Cornwall on 30 June 2011, the final Type 22 of the Royal Navy was retired from service...
and Type 23
Type 23 frigate
The Type 23 frigate is a class of frigate built for the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. All the ships were first named after British Dukes, thus the class is also known as the Duke class. The first Type 23 was commissioned in 1989, and the sixteenth, was launched in May 2000 and commissioned in...
frigates, the former are being retired in 2011 due to defence economies. The previous Commodore
Commodore (Royal Navy)
Commodore is a rank of the Royal Navy above Captain and below Rear Admiral. It has a NATO ranking code of OF-6. The rank is equivalent to Brigadier in the British Army and Royal Marines and to Air Commodore in the Royal Air Force.-Insignia:...
of the Devonport Flotilla was Commodore Peter Walpole ADC who assumed command in September 2005.As of February 2011, it is commanded by Commodore JS Chick. Important Royal Navy Staff such as Commodore JML Kingwell, Commander UK (Response Force) Task Group, are based there.
Amphibious assault ships
- HMS OceanHMS Ocean (L12)HMS Ocean of the Royal Navy is an amphibious assault ship , the sole member of her class. She is designed to support amphibious landing operations and to support the staff of Commander UK Amphibious Force and Commander UK Landing Force...
Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH) - HMS AlbionHMS Albion (L14)HMS Albion is a Landing Platform Dock of the Royal Navy, the first of the two-ship Albion class. Built by BAE Systems Marine in Barrow-in-Furness, Albion was launched in March 2001 by the Princess Royal...
Landing Platform Dock (LPD) - HMS BulwarkHMS Bulwark (L15)HMS Bulwark is an , the UK's newest class of amphibious assault warship and built in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. For numerous reasons, delays caused the delivery date to be put back, with the ship entering service in December 2004. Together with Albion, Ocean, and other amphibious ships, she...
Landing Platform Dock (LPD)
Type 23 frigates
- HMS ArgyllHMS Argyll (F231)The third and current HMS Argyll is a Type 23 'Duke' Class frigate. She was laid down in March 1987 by Yarrow Shipbuilders at Glasgow, launched in 1989 by Lady Wendy Levene, and commissioned in May 1991...
- HMS MonmouthHMS Monmouth (F235)HMS Monmouth is the sixth Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy. She is the seventh ship to bear the name and was launched by Lady Eaton in 1991, being commissioned two years later....
- HMS MontroseHMS Montrose (F236)The second and current HMS Montrose is the eighth of a sixteen ship class of frigates, known as Type 23 or the 'Duke' class, of the Royal Navy. She was laid down in November 1989 by Yarrow Shipbuilders on the Clyde...
- HMS NorthumberlandHMS Northumberland (F238)HMS Northumberland is a Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy. She is named after the Duke of Northumberland. She is based at Devonport.-Construction:...
- HMS PortlandHMS Portland (F79)HMS Portland is a Type 23 frigate of the British Royal Navy. She is the eighth ship to bear the name and is the fifteenth and penultimate ship of the 'Duke' class of frigates.- Operational history :...
- HMS SomersetHMS Somerset (F82)HMS Somerset is a Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy.Somerset is the eleventh of the class to join the fleet since 1989. She was built by Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd on the River Clyde, in Scotland and was launched in June 1994 by Lady Elspeth Layard, wife of then 2nd Sea Lord Admiral and...
- HMS SutherlandHMS Sutherland (F81)HMS Sutherland is a Type 23 frigate of the British Royal Navy. She is the thirteenth ship in the Duke class of frigates and is the third ship to bear the name, more than 200 years since the name was last used....
Trafalgar-class submarines
- HMS TurbulentHMS Turbulent (S87)HMS Turbulent is a of the Royal Navy built by Vickers Shipbuilding, Barrow-in-Furness.Turbulent is scheduled to be decommissioned at the end of 2011.-Operational history:...
- HMS TirelessHMS Tireless (S88)HMS Tireless is a nuclear submarine of the Royal Navy and is the third vessel of her class. She is the second submarine of the Royal Navy to bear this name...
- HMS TorbayHMS Torbay (S90)HMS Torbay is a nuclear submarine of the Royal Navy and was the fourth vessel of her class.Torbay was the first vessel to be fitted with the new command system SMCS-NG , which meant that she was also the first Royal Navy vessel to put to sea under the "command" of the Microsoft Windows operating...
- HMS TrenchantHMS Trenchant (S91)HMS Trenchant is a nuclear-powered fleet submarine of the Royal Navy built by Vickers Shipbuilding, Barrow-in-Furness. Trenchant is currently in service and is based at HMNB Devonport.The submarine was ordered on 22 March 1983...
- HMS TalentHMS Talent (S92)HMS Talent is the sixth of seven nuclear submarines of the Royal Navy, and was built at Barrow-in-Furness.Talent was launched by The Princess Royal in April 1988 and commissioned in May 1990. She was the last submarine to be launched down a slipway.. The boat is affiliated with Shrewsbury in...
- HMS TriumphHMS Triumph (S93)HMS Triumph is a nuclear submarine of the Royal Navy and was the seventh and final boat of her class.Triumph was laid down in 1987 by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Limited and launched in February 1991 by Mrs. Ann Hamilton, wife of the then Armed Forces Minister Archie Hamilton...
Surveying squadron
- HMS EchoHMS Echo (H87)HMS Echo is the first of two multi-role hydrographic survey ships commissioned by the Royal Navy. With her sister ship, , they form the Echo class of survey vessels. She was built by Appledore Shipbuilders in Devon in 2002 and is the ninth Royal Navy vessel to carry the name.-Design:Echo and...
- HMS EnterpriseHMS Enterprise (H88)HMS Enterprise, the tenth ship to bear this name, is a multi-role survey vessel - hydrographic oceanographic of the Royal Navy. She has a sister ship, , and together they make up the Echo class of survey vessels.-Design:...
- HMS GleanerHMS Gleaner (H86)HMSML Gleaner is the smallest commissioned vessel in the Royal Navy with a length of just under 15 meters and a ship's company of just 8 . Commanded by Lieutenant Commander John Winn, she is currently based in Devonport, Plymouth...
- HMS ScottHMS Scott (H131)HMS Scott is an ocean survey vessel of the Royal Navy, and the only vessel of her class. She is the third Royal Navy ship to carry the name, and the second to be named after the Antarctic explorer, Robert Falcon Scott. She was ordered to replace the survey ship HMS Hecla.-Construction:She was...
Other units based at Devonport
- Flag Officer Sea TrainingFlag Officer Sea TrainingFlag Officer Sea Training is a Royal Navy training organisation responsible for ensuring that Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels are fit to join the operational fleet. FOST certifies crews and vessels as being sufficiently prepared for any eventuality through rigorous exercises and...
- Hydrographic, Meteorological & Oceanographic Training Group
- HQ Amphibious Task Group
- HMS Vivid RNR
- Supacat manufacturing unitSupacatSupacat, officially Supacat Limited, is a British company which designs and manufactures high mobility vehicles. Established in 1981, and based at the Airfield, Dunkeswell, Devon, Supacat develops specialist vehicles for both civil customers and the military.-Products:* The 6x6 All Terrain...
- South West Armed Forces Rehabilitation Unit
- 1 Assault Group Royal Marines1 Assault Group Royal Marines1 Assault Group Royal Marines provides the Royal Marines expertise and training in small boat operations both amphibious and riverine. In addition it trains and parents the Assault Squadrons of the Royal Marines and their Landing Craft detachments...
- 539 Assault Squadron
- Hasler Company Royal Marines
- Southern Diving Group RN
- Defence Estates South West
Navy Days
Navy Days happens once every two years when for two days at the end of the summer a large part of Devonport Dockyard is open to the general public. There is an opportunity to view the facilities at the naval base as well as a number of Royal Navy and allied naval vessels present. There are a large number of stands and displays present which provide of information on some of the less well known aspects of the Royal Navy, for example the Royal Navy submarine rescue service.External links
- HMNB Devonport web page
- Babcock International Group plc., the owner of the dockyard
- Plymouth Naval Base Museum