Port Edgar
Encyclopedia
Port Edgar is a marina situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth
immediately to the west of the southern end of the Forth Road Bridge
in the town of South Queensferry
, Scotland
. In previous years it had been the site of HMS Lochinvar. In the inter war period Port Edgar was the a destroyer
base. under the command of the then Captain
Cunningham
who later went on to become Admiral of the Fleet
. In recent years, it has become a busy marina with a sailing school with 300 berths, owned and run by the City of Edinburgh Council under the Edinburgh Leisure brand.
THe failure of successive management structures to maintain harbour depths through dredging since the departure of the Royal Navy continues to threaten activity at Port Edgar, with accessibility at low tides increasingly an issue.
had been regularly used by Royal Navy
ships since the 1850s.
Shortly after its purchase the wounded of the Battle of Jutland
were landed at Port Edgar for the Royal Naval Hospital at Butlaw, South Queensferry
. The dead of the battle were buried in the local cemetery at South Queensferry.
In 1917 the completed base was commissioned as HMS Columbine, a depot for Torpedo Boat Destroyers
of the Grand Fleet
In 1938 HMS Columbine and the naval hospital at Butlaw were closed.
In 1939 at the outbreak of the Second World War Port Edgar was commissioned as HMS Lochinvar. A Training establishment for the Royal Naval Patrol Service.
In 1943 HMS Lochinvar relocated to Granton Harbour in Edinburgh
just a few miles along the coast. Port Edgar became the home to HMS Hopetoun, a Combined Operations
Training centre for British and Allied navies training for the D-Day landings in France
.
After the Second World War HMS Hopetoun closed and in 1946 HMS Lochinvar returned to Port Edgar. It was now home to the Royal Navy
minesweepers
clearing the Firth of Forth
and East coast of the UK of its wartime minefields.
In 1958 the Royal Navy Fishery Protection Squadron was moved to HMS Lochinvar. It would remain at Port Edgar until 1975. It then moved to HMS Caledonia in Rosyth
(and in 1994 moved to Portsmouth
).
In 1960 the port also became Navy’s only minesweeping training establishment.
In 1975 HMS Lochinvar closed and all its operations moved across the Forth to HMS Caledonia in the rebuilt naval base at Rosyth
.
Today Port Edgar is owned by the City of Edinburgh Council and is a marina
for pleasure craft and a base for other watersports. It sits under the shadow of the Forth Road Bridge
, within sight of the 1890 Rail bridge, and soon to be in the shadow of a new cable-stayed crossing to the West. Port Edgar will sit amonst three major estuary crossings, from three centuries.
In 1988 the Algerines Association unveiled a memorial at Port Edgar to the minesweepers and fishery protection vessels based at Port Edgar and Granton between 1939 and 1975.
Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotland's River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea, between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh and East Lothian to the south...
immediately to the west of the southern end of the Forth Road Bridge
Forth Road Bridge
The Forth Road Bridge is a suspension bridge in east central Scotland. The bridge, opened in 1964, spans the Firth of Forth, connecting the capital city Edinburgh, at South Queensferry, to Fife, at North Queensferry...
in the town of South Queensferry
South Queensferry
South Queensferry , also called Queensferry, is a former Royal Burgh in West Lothian now part of the City of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located some ten miles to the north west of the city centre, on the shore of the Firth of Forth between the Forth Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge, approximately 8...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. In previous years it had been the site of HMS Lochinvar. In the inter war period Port Edgar was the a destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
base. under the command of the then Captain
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
Cunningham
Andrew Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope
Admiral of the Fleet Andrew Browne Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope KT, GCB, OM, DSO and two Bars , was a British admiral of the Second World War. Cunningham was widely known by his nickname, "ABC"....
who later went on to become Admiral of the Fleet
Admiral of the Fleet
An admiral of the fleet is a military naval officer of the highest rank. In many nations the rank is reserved for wartime or ceremonial appointments...
. In recent years, it has become a busy marina with a sailing school with 300 berths, owned and run by the City of Edinburgh Council under the Edinburgh Leisure brand.
THe failure of successive management structures to maintain harbour depths through dredging since the departure of the Royal Navy continues to threaten activity at Port Edgar, with accessibility at low tides increasingly an issue.
The Royal Navy
Bought by the Admiralty in 1916 as the site of a future Naval base, the pier at Port Edgar near South QueensferrySouth Queensferry
South Queensferry , also called Queensferry, is a former Royal Burgh in West Lothian now part of the City of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located some ten miles to the north west of the city centre, on the shore of the Firth of Forth between the Forth Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge, approximately 8...
had been regularly used by 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...
ships since the 1850s.
Shortly after its purchase the wounded of the Battle of Jutland
Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was a naval battle between the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet during the First World War. The battle was fought on 31 May and 1 June 1916 in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark. It was the largest naval battle and the only...
were landed at Port Edgar for the Royal Naval Hospital at Butlaw, South Queensferry
South Queensferry
South Queensferry , also called Queensferry, is a former Royal Burgh in West Lothian now part of the City of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located some ten miles to the north west of the city centre, on the shore of the Firth of Forth between the Forth Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge, approximately 8...
. The dead of the battle were buried in the local cemetery at South Queensferry.
In 1917 the completed base was commissioned as HMS Columbine, a depot for Torpedo Boat Destroyers
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
of the Grand Fleet
In 1938 HMS Columbine and the naval hospital at Butlaw were closed.
In 1939 at the outbreak of the Second World War Port Edgar was commissioned as HMS Lochinvar. A Training establishment for the Royal Naval Patrol Service.
In 1943 HMS Lochinvar relocated to Granton Harbour in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
just a few miles along the coast. Port Edgar became the home to HMS Hopetoun, a Combined Operations
Combined Operations
Combined Operations Headquarters was a department of the British War Office set up during World War II to harass the Germans on the European continent by means of raids carried out by use of combined naval and army forces...
Training centre for British and Allied navies training for the D-Day landings in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
After the Second World War HMS Hopetoun closed and in 1946 HMS Lochinvar returned to Port Edgar. It was now home to 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...
minesweepers
Minesweeper (ship)
A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
clearing the Firth of Forth
Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotland's River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea, between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh and East Lothian to the south...
and East coast of the UK of its wartime minefields.
In 1958 the Royal Navy Fishery Protection Squadron was moved to HMS Lochinvar. It would remain at Port Edgar until 1975. It then moved to HMS Caledonia in Rosyth
Rosyth
Rosyth is a town located on the Firth of Forth, three miles south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town has a population of 12,790....
(and in 1994 moved to Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
).
In 1960 the port also became Navy’s only minesweeping training establishment.
In 1975 HMS Lochinvar closed and all its operations moved across the Forth to HMS Caledonia in the rebuilt naval base at Rosyth
Rosyth
Rosyth is a town located on the Firth of Forth, three miles south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town has a population of 12,790....
.
Today Port Edgar is owned by the City of Edinburgh Council and is a marina
Marina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
for pleasure craft and a base for other watersports. It sits under the shadow of the Forth Road Bridge
Forth Road Bridge
The Forth Road Bridge is a suspension bridge in east central Scotland. The bridge, opened in 1964, spans the Firth of Forth, connecting the capital city Edinburgh, at South Queensferry, to Fife, at North Queensferry...
, within sight of the 1890 Rail bridge, and soon to be in the shadow of a new cable-stayed crossing to the West. Port Edgar will sit amonst three major estuary crossings, from three centuries.
In 1988 the Algerines Association unveiled a memorial at Port Edgar to the minesweepers and fishery protection vessels based at Port Edgar and Granton between 1939 and 1975.
See also
- Forth Road BridgeForth Road BridgeThe Forth Road Bridge is a suspension bridge in east central Scotland. The bridge, opened in 1964, spans the Firth of Forth, connecting the capital city Edinburgh, at South Queensferry, to Fife, at North Queensferry...
- Forth BridgeForth Bridge (railway)The Forth Bridge is a cantilever railway bridge over the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland, to the east of the Forth Road Bridge, and 14 kilometres west of central Edinburgh. It was opened on 4 March 1890, and spans a total length of...
- Military of ScotlandMilitary of ScotlandHistorically, Scotland has a long military tradition that predates the Act of Union with England. Its armed forces now form part of those of the United Kingdom and are known as the British Armed Forces.-Royal Scots Navy:...
- Royal NavyRoyal NavyThe 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...
- South QueensferrySouth QueensferrySouth Queensferry , also called Queensferry, is a former Royal Burgh in West Lothian now part of the City of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located some ten miles to the north west of the city centre, on the shore of the Firth of Forth between the Forth Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge, approximately 8...