Devonshire Dock

Last updated October 04, 2019

Devonshire Dock is the oldest of the four docks which make up the Port of Barrow in Barrow-in-Furness, England. Although the dock falls under the control of Associated British Ports it is currently solely utilised by BAE Systems. Upon completion of the dock, Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone stated 'Barrow would one day become another Liverpool'. Although it's shipbuilding capabilities have exceeded those on Merseyside, the port and dock system itself never fully met James Ramsden's grand vision for the town.^[1]

The Port of Barrow refers to the enclosed dock system within the town of Barrow-in-Furness, England. Morecambe Bay is to the east of the port and the Irish Sea surrounds it to the south and west. The port is currently owned and operated by Associated British Ports Holdings, but some land is shared with BAE Systems Submarine Solutions. Currently consisting of four large docks, the Port of Barrow is one of North West England's most important ports. The docks are as follows: Buccleuch Dock, Cavendish Dock, Devonshire Dock and Ramsden Dock. The port of Barrow is the only deep water port between the Mersey and the Clyde.

Barrow-in-Furness is a town and borough in Cumbria, North-West England. Historically part of Lancashire, it was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1867 and merged with Dalton-in-Furness Urban District in 1974 to form the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness. At the tip of the Furness peninsula, close to the Lake District, it is bordered by Morecambe Bay, the Duddon Estuary and the Irish Sea. In 2011, Barrow's population was 57,000, making it the second largest urban area in Cumbria after Carlisle, although it is geographically closer to the whole of Lancashire and most of Merseyside. Natives of Barrow, as well as the local dialect, are known as Barrovian.

Associated British Ports Holdings Ltd owns and operates 21 ports in the United Kingdom, managing around 25 per cent of the UK's sea-borne trade. The company's activities cover transport, haulage and terminal operations, ship's agency, dredging and marine consultancy.

Construction of Devonshire Dock commenced in 1863 and was funded by the Furness Railway, which at the time controlled the new town's economy (iron ore extraction and transportation).^[2] Construction involved reshaping an existing narrow channel between Barrow Island and the British mainland and was completed in 1867, this was followed in 1872 by the adjacent Buccleuch Dock which was built to the same specification allowing vessels up to 200 metres (656 ft) to berth.^[2]

The Furness Railway (Furness) was a railway company operating in the Furness area of Lancashire in North West England.

Barrow Island, commonly know locally as Baz I is an area and electoral ward of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. Originally separate from the British mainland, land reclamation in the 1860s saw the northern fringes of the island connect to Central Barrow. Barrow Island is also bound to the south and east by the town's dock system and to the west by Walney Channel. The Ward population taken at the 2011 census was 2,616.

A large portion of Devonshire Dock was filled in during the 1980s to create more land for Barrow's growing shipyard. The majority of the land is now occupied by Devonshire Dock Hall a large indoor submarine building complex that has enabled the construction of all Royal Navy Vanguard-class and Astute-class submarines.^[2]

Devonshire Dock Hall is a large indoor shipbuilding and assembly complex that forms part of the BAE Systems shipyard in the Barrow Island area of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England.

The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by the English kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against the Kingdom of France. The modern Royal Navy traces its origins to the early 16th century; the oldest of the UK's armed services, it is known as the Senior Service.

The Vanguard class is a class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) in service with the Royal Navy. The class was introduced in 1994 as part of the Trident nuclear programme, and includes four boats: Vanguard, Victorious, Vigilant and Vengeance. They were built between 1986 and 1999 at Barrow-in-Furness by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering, which is now owned by BAE Systems. All four boats are based at HM Naval Base Clyde , 40 km (25 mi) west of Glasgow, Scotland.

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The Astute class is the latest class of nuclear-powered fleet submarines (SSNs) in service with the Royal Navy. The class sets a new standard for the Royal Navy in terms of weapons load, communication facilities and stealth. The boats are being constructed by BAE Systems Maritime – Submarines at Barrow-in-Furness. Seven boats will be constructed: the first of class, Astute, was launched by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, in 2007, commissioned in 2010, and declared fully operational in May 2014. The Astute class is the replacement for the Trafalgar-class fleet submarines in Royal Navy service.

The seventh HMS Dreadnought was the United Kingdom's first nuclear-powered submarine, built by Vickers Armstrongs at Barrow-in-Furness. Launched by Queen Elizabeth II on Trafalgar Day 1960 and commissioned into service with the Royal Navy in April 1963, she continued in service until 1980. The submarine was powered by a S5W reactor, a design made available as a direct result of the 1958 US–UK Mutual Defence Agreement.

HMS Onyx was an Oberon class submarine of the Royal Navy.

BAE Systems Maritime – Submarines, known as BAE Systems Submarine Solutions until January 2012, is a wholly owned subsidiary of BAE Systems, based in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England, and is responsible for the development and production of submarines.

HMS Audacious is the fourth Astute-class nuclear-powered fleet submarine of the Royal Navy. Several previous vessels of the Royal Navy have borne the name. She was formally named on 16 December 2016 and was launched on 28 April 2017.

The Dock Museum is situated in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. Most of its exhibits concern the history of the town, focusing on the shipbuilding industry at VSEL, the steelworks industry — of which Barrow once had the world's largest, the Furness Railway and the World War II bombings of the town. There has been a museum in Barrow since 1907 and in its current location since 1994, when 50,000 people visited it in its first year, visitor numbers peaked at 120,000 in 2001. The museum has free entry and remains under public ownership.

Buccleuch Dock is one of the four docks which make up the Port of Barrow in Barrow-in-Furness, England. It was constructed between 1863 and 1872 to the same specification as the attached Devonshire Dock - the docks having been separated by a bridge for most of their lifetime. Buccleuch Dock covers 125,000 square metres (1,350,000 sq ft) and was named after Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch, whom invested heavily in Barrow's public services during the late-19th century. Buccleuch Dock is owned by Associated British Ports and is also used by BAE Systems where the majority of the shipyard's surface vessels are docked for fitting out.

Cavendish Dock is one of the four docks which make up the Port of Barrow in Barrow-in-Furness, England. Covering some 591,000 square metres (6,360,000 sq ft) it is roughly the size of Barrow's other three docks combined. It is named after William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire whom invested heavily in the industrial growth of Barrow. Cavendish Dock is owned by Associated British Ports, however it is now entirely enclosed serving as a reservoir. It is also a popular fishing destination due to the diverse and unique wildlife found as a result of the control of water in and out the dock.

Ramsden Dock is one of the four docks which make up the Port of Barrow in Barrow-in-Furness, England. It was constructed between 1872 and 1879 covering 162,000 square metres (1,740,000 sq ft) and named in honour of Sir James Ramsden; a founder of Barrow. Ramsden Dock splits into two parts in the south, the anchor basin and dock basin. Since the infilling of a section of Devonshire Dock in the 1980s, Ramsden Dock has been the only point of entry to Barrow's now enclosed port. Managed by Associated British Ports, Ramsden Dock is by far the busiest of the four dock in terms of cargo tonnage, handling shipments of limestone, sand, aggregates and granite. Ramsden Dock and the Port of Barrow as a whole are highly involved in the energy sector and the nearby Rampside Gas Terminal, Sellafield nuclear facility and offshore windfarms. The port office is located adjacent to Ramsden Dock. Powerboat racing often takes place in Ramsden Dock, while a proposed redevelopment scheme of the area incorporates a watersports centre within the dock.

Barrow-in-Furness Town Hall is a Victorian-era, neo-gothic municipal building in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. The building serves as the base of Barrow Borough Council.

The Waterfront Barrow-in-Furness is a £200 million development under construction in and around the Port of Barrow, England. The site covers an area of some 400 acres (160 ha) and was due for completion in 2020. The internal road network is already complete, with construction of a large business park complex ongoing and work on a 400-berth marina and 650 home Marina Village due to start thereafter. In 2010, The Waterfront Barrow-in-Furness ranked as the ninetieth most costly regeneration project in the United Kingdom by Regeneration & Renewal. Progress on the project stalled between 2010 and 2016 due to complications with funding following the disabandonment of the North West Regional Development Agency. BAE Systems opened a large logistics warehouse named the Resolution Building on Dova Way within the designated Business Park Area in October 2016, while and construction of a new access road from Salthouse Road to the Marina Village commenced in May 2017.

The VSEL Heavy Engineering Workshop located at Michaelson Road in the Barrow Island area of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England is a Grade II listed former ammunitions workshop that belonged to Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering. Known locally as the 'Gun Shop' the vast complex was constructed in stages between 1875 and 1900 and consists of 42 by 11 bays. The building was a major component of the engineering division within Vickers and supplied the British Army and Royal Navy throughout World War I and World War II. Everything from basic shells to heavy duty gun turrets for ships, tanks and other land vehicles were produced and assembled at the workshop. The Historic England states the following of the building: 'It clearly indicates the scale of operation of the shipbuilding and engineering works at the turn of the century; its roadside frontages make a major contribution to the industrial scene in a town where the buildings of other major C19 industries have been almost completely swept away.'

The following is a timeline of the history of Barrow-in-Furness, England, United Kingdom.

References

↑ "Dockland Welcome". North West Evening Mail. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
1 2 3 "Devonshire and Buccleuch Docks, Barrow". engineering-timelines.com. Retrieved 31 July 2014.

Coordinates: 54°06′31″N3°13′52″W / 54.1087°N 3.2310°W / 54.1087; -3.2310

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.

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[Gladstone-1] "Dockland Welcome". North West Evening Mail. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2014.

[History-2] 1 2 3 "Devonshire and Buccleuch Docks, Barrow". engineering-timelines.com. Retrieved 31 July 2014.