Nab Tower
Encyclopedia
The Nab Tower is a tower planned for anti-submarine
protection in the Straits of Dover in World War I
. It was sunk over the Nab rocks east of the Isle of Wight
to replace a lightship after the war, and is a well known landmark for sailors as it marks the deep water eastern entry into the Solent
.
Latitude 50° 40'.05 N Longitude 00° 57'.07 W
Height above mean high water 27 metres.
White flash every 10 seconds - 11,739 Candela Incandescent Electric Filament Lamp.
Fog signal - two blasts every 30 seconds (range 2 nautical miles).
s. Designed by civilian Mr. G. Menzies, the towers were to be linked together with steel nets and armed with two 4-inch guns with the idea of closing the English Channel
to enemy ships. However by the end of the war in 1918 only one had been completed, at a fantastic cost (at the time) of one million pounds, and was located at Shoreham
Harbour, awaiting deployment. While another part-built tower would eventually be dismantled in 1924, there remained the completed 92 feet (28 m) metal cylinder sitting on a raft of concrete.
In 1920 the completed tower was towed by two paddle wheel tug
s to the Nab rock, a rock in the deep-water approach to the eastern Solent
and previously marked by a lightship
. Buoyancy was provided by the honeycomb construction of the concrete
base, creating 18 water-tight compartments. When these were flooded, the structure sank and settled to rest at an angle of 3 degrees from vertical towards the northeast - a characteristic tilt which is obvious to this day.
It was manned as a lighthouse, and during World War II
it provided some defence to the Solent approach, and shot down several aircraft. The lighthouse is still functional but since 1983 it has been unmanned.
In November 1999 the Nab was hit by a freighter ship, the Dole-America, carrying a cargo of bananas and pineapples. The ship was badly damaged and only avoided sinking by being run aground. The base of the tower suffered superficial and internal damage. Damage was repaired in 2001.
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
protection in the Straits of Dover in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. It was sunk over the Nab rocks east of the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
to replace a lightship after the war, and is a well known landmark for sailors as it marks the deep water eastern entry into the Solent
Solent
The Solent is a strait separating the Isle of Wight from the mainland of England.The Solent is a major shipping route for passengers, freight and military vessels. It is an important recreational area for water sports, particularly yachting, hosting the Cowes Week sailing event annually...
.
Latitude 50° 40'.05 N Longitude 00° 57'.07 W
Height above mean high water 27 metres.
White flash every 10 seconds - 11,739 Candela Incandescent Electric Filament Lamp.
Fog signal - two blasts every 30 seconds (range 2 nautical miles).
History
During the First World War the British Admiralty designed eight towers code named M-N that were to be built and positioned in the Straits of Dover to protect allied merchant shipping from German U-boatU-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s. Designed by civilian Mr. G. Menzies, the towers were to be linked together with steel nets and armed with two 4-inch guns with the idea of closing the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
to enemy ships. However by the end of the war in 1918 only one had been completed, at a fantastic cost (at the time) of one million pounds, and was located at Shoreham
Shoreham-by-Sea
Shoreham-by-Sea is a small town, port and seaside resort in West Sussex, England. Shoreham-by-Sea railway station is located less than a mile from the town centre and London Gatwick Airport is away...
Harbour, awaiting deployment. While another part-built tower would eventually be dismantled in 1924, there remained the completed 92 feet (28 m) metal cylinder sitting on a raft of concrete.
In 1920 the completed tower was towed by two paddle wheel tug
Tug
Tuğ is a village in the Khojavend Rayon of Azerbaijan....
s to the Nab rock, a rock in the deep-water approach to the eastern Solent
Solent
The Solent is a strait separating the Isle of Wight from the mainland of England.The Solent is a major shipping route for passengers, freight and military vessels. It is an important recreational area for water sports, particularly yachting, hosting the Cowes Week sailing event annually...
and previously marked by a lightship
Lightship
Lightship may refer to:* Lightvessel, a permanently moored ship that has light beacons mounted as navigational aids* Light displacement, a displacement figure that measures a ship complete in all respects, but without consumables, stores, cargo, crew, and effects*Lightship, a type of blimp operated...
. Buoyancy was provided by the honeycomb construction of the concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
base, creating 18 water-tight compartments. When these were flooded, the structure sank and settled to rest at an angle of 3 degrees from vertical towards the northeast - a characteristic tilt which is obvious to this day.
It was manned as a lighthouse, and during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
it provided some defence to the Solent approach, and shot down several aircraft. The lighthouse is still functional but since 1983 it has been unmanned.
In November 1999 the Nab was hit by a freighter ship, the Dole-America, carrying a cargo of bananas and pineapples. The ship was badly damaged and only avoided sinking by being run aground. The base of the tower suffered superficial and internal damage. Damage was repaired in 2001.