History of the Port of Southampton
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History of the Port of Southampton | |
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Location | |
Country | United Kingdom |
Location | Southampton, Hampshire, England |
Coordinates | 50°53′47″N 1°23′48″W / 50.8965°N 1.3968°W |
Details | |
Operated by | Associated British Ports (ABP) |
No. of berths | 45 (20–207) |
Statistics | |
Website ABP |
![Black-and-white photo of ocean liner](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b0/QueenMary1956.jpg/220px-QueenMary1956.jpg)
The
![Front of the Titanic](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Titanic.jpg/220px-Titanic.jpg)
History
There is evidence of settlement in the area now known as Southampton as far back as the Stone Age, but no evidence of boating or port activity. The Romans settled the site (known as Clausentum, now the Bitterne Manor area of Southampton) around 70 AD.[1] They operated a busy port, serving the large towns of Winchester and Salisbury. The settlement was abandoned when the Romans left Britain in 407 AD. The (Saxons ) founded a new town (known as Hamwick, later Hamtun) across the river Itchen from the Roman site around 700 AD. The population reached about 5,000, making it a large town.[1] The port traded with France, Greece and the Middle East, exporting wool and importing wines and fine pottery.
Legend has it that while in Southampton (although
The Saxon town began to decline during the 10th century (due to Viking raids and the silting of the river Itchen), but a mediaeval town also known as Hamtun grew up nearby.
![Stone tower, with pillars and dome on top](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Southampton-MayflowerMemorial.jpg/100px-Southampton-MayflowerMemorial.jpg)
Southampton became one of England's most important ports, after London and Bristol.[1] The name 'Southampton' came into use partly to eliminate confusion between this Hampton (in the kingdom of Wessex) and another Hamtun/Hampton (in the kingdom of Mercia); the latter became Northampton.[6]
In 1620, the
The 16th and 17th centuries were another period of decline for Southampton, as other ports (such as London) competed for business. The Italian trade dwindled, and the port was generally quiet until the second half of the 18th century.[1] There was a period during which Southampton was better known as a fashionable spa town and sea-bathing resort than as a port.[9]
Modern era
Trade gradually increased, and soon the port was handling wine and fruit from Spain and
The opening of the railway to London in 1840 gave a boost to the port. Ships began arriving in numbers that overwhelmed the town's quays and wharves, and the first dock was inaugurated in 1843. This became known as the "outer dock" when a second, "inner" dock began use in 1851. Berths along the Itchen Quays, South Quay and Test Quays became available for use between 1875 and 1902. In 1890 Queen Victoria opened the Empress Dock, larger and deeper than earlier ones. Four dry docks for ship maintenance were constructed, opening in 1846, 1847, 1854 and 1879. The Southampton Harbour Board Police was founded in 1847, and policed the port and its environs until it was finally disbanded in 1980, its functions being taken over by the British Transport Police.[11]
![Painting of ocean liner, next to a sailboat for scale](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/RMS_Aquitania_Mural.png/220px-RMS_Aquitania_Mural.png)
Many new ships were too big for the four dry docks, so a fifth (the largest in the world) was constructed in 1895. When ships outgrew that, a sixth (larger) dock was opened. The sixth dock was extended twice, and a notch was cut in the end (shaped like a ship's bow). When ships grew larger still, a floating dry dock was ordered from Armstrong Whitworth in Newcastle. Announced in 1922,[14] it arrived in 1924, and was based at Berth 50. It measured 960 by 134 ft (293 by 41 m) and was extendable, although it was the largest such structure in the world. To use the facility, seawater would be allowed into its internal tanks to partially submerge it; a ship sailed in and the water would be pumped out. This raised the dock, taking the ship out of the water for repairs and maintenance. It could accommodate large ships such as the RMS Aquitania, but not very large ships such as the future RMS Queen Mary. The dock was moved to Portsmouth during the Second World War, and in 1959 it was sold to Rotterdam. In 1983 it was sold to Brazil, but it sank on the way there.[15]
![Aerial photo of large, low building with crane](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/King_George_V_dry_dock%2C_Southampton_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1214628.jpg/220px-King_George_V_dry_dock%2C_Southampton_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1214628.jpg)
The "New Docks" opened in 1934; this was actually a single quay 7,542 ft (2.299 km) along with 400 acres of associated reclaimed land. At the western end of this was the seventh dry dock, the King George V Graving Dock, which opened in July 1933.[16] The New Docks could accommodate the Queen Mary or the RMS Queen Elizabeth, the largest passenger ship to be built for 56 years. The New Docks are currently known as the Western Docks. West of the dry dock, a container port was developed from 1965 with the first quays opening a couple of years later.[17] Further expansion took place in the 1970s, 1990s[17] and 2010s.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/Ocean_Terminal.jpg/220px-Ocean_Terminal.jpg)
At the Ocean Dock, the Art Deco Ocean Terminal opened in 1950 to provide shore facilities for the Queens and other Atlantic liners. These included an interior finished in blond burr woods, waiting rooms, baggage areas, spectator galleries, press rooms for journalists and three power-operated, telescoping gangways. Other amenities included buffets, a currency exchange, railway booking offices, telephone kiosks, newspaper stands and shops selling flowers, books and last-minute items. It was a luxurious facility by the standards of the day, and media interest in travelling celebrities added to its glamour. Downstairs were trains to London and facilities for luggage and ships' stores.[18]
The Ocean Terminal was demolished in 1983. The Queen Elizabeth II passenger terminal was opened in 1966 to augment (and replace) it, which remains in regular use. That terminal in turn is augmented by the 2009 Ocean Terminal, across the dock from the old.
![Ocean liner, with two tugboats next to it](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Queen_Elizabeth_1966.jpg/220px-Queen_Elizabeth_1966.jpg)
The inter-war period was a busy time for the port, which was called the "Gateway to the Empire". In 1936, the Southampton docks handled 46 percent of the UK's ocean-going passenger traffic.
The following facts and figures are from the 1938 Handbook to Southampton Docks:
- Passengers : 560,000
- Visitors: 500,000
- Cruise passengers: 70,000
- Passenger trains: 2,500
- Shipping: 18.5 million tons
- Shipping lines: 32
- World ports served: 160
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/HLV_Canute.jpg/170px-HLV_Canute.jpg)
Southampton also handled a large amount of cargo; nearly 90 percent of South Africa's fruit exports to the UK was handled at the port. Express freight trains enabled produce landing at Southampton in the morning to be on sale in London fruit markets in the afternoon:
- Fruit: over seven million packages (including 1.5 million bunches of bananas)
- Wagons: 160,000
- Freight trains handled: 4,200
Dock facilities:
- Total length of quays: 29,000 ft (8.8 km)
- Dry docks: 7
The King George (No. 7) dry dock was the largest in the world, and could accommodate liners of up to 100,000 tons:
- Cranes: 140
- Electric platform trucks (for moving cargo): 61
Museums
![Red lightship, with "Calshot Spit" on its side](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/15/Calshot_Spit_Lightship.jpg/220px-Calshot_Spit_Lightship.jpg)
Southampton's maritime museum was originally housed in The Wool House on the edge of Town Quay which included a small exhibition about the Titanic. To mark the centenary of the Titanic's voyage a larger exhibition, "Southampton’s Titanic Story", has been developed for a new £15 million museum in the city centre. Opened in April 2012, SeaCity Museum also houses a permanent exhibition entitled "Gateway to the World".[19]
Southampton's archaeology museum was built into the city wall on the south shore in 1417 as a military fortification. The firing platform was on the roof, with guns and ammunition stored below. Later, it would be used as the town's gaol and was named God's House Tower after the neighbouring God's House hospital which was founded in 1196. The Roman, Saxon and mediaeval periods each have a gallery in the museum. Next to it is the Southampton Old Bowling Green (the world's oldest), dating from 1299.
To the west of the city wall, where the originals would have been moored, there is a replica of a wide-beamed cargo boat that was used for shipping wine and wool during the 14th century, set into the pavement and may be viewed at any time.[20] There is also a replica of a similar boat in the early stages of construction, illustrating the construction techniques used.
The
Flying boats and seaplanes
Flying Boats operated passenger and mail service from Southampton between 1919 and 1958. At that time, runways suitable for large aircraft were scarce and aeroplane engines less reliable; in the event of engine trouble, passengers and crew were safer over water in a marine hull than a craft with wheels and a lightweight frame.
The first service in 1919 flew from the Royal Pier to Bournemouth and the Isle of Wight. During the 1920s, flights operated from Woolston to Northern France. Aircraft technology improved, and in 1937 Imperial Airways began service to East and South Africa and the United States. There was later additional service to destinations including Australia, Tokyo, Karachi, Singapore and Hong Kong.[21][22]
In 1937 aircraft were maintained at the
Military Southampton
![Small grey ship and larger white ship, with mountain in background](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/SS_Canberra_%26_HMS_Andromeda_Falklands_1982.jpg/220px-SS_Canberra_%26_HMS_Andromeda_Falklands_1982.jpg)
Southampton has a history as a departure point for soldiers dating to Henry V's departure for Agincourt in 1415.[24] It has been heavily involved in most of the wars Britain has fought.
It was the point of departure for troops heading for the Crimea and the British Expeditionary Forces heading for France in both World Wars. It was also the major port of embarkation for troops and materiel involved in Operation Overlord in 1944.[25]
The Marchwood Military Port, built in 1943, is the base for the 17 Port and Maritime Regiment of the Royal Logistic Corps and home port for several Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships. It is the country's only facility equipped to accept all military vehicles from army bases (by rail or road) and load them on ships destined for war zones. The port played a major role despatching ships with vehicles and equipment in the 1982 Falklands War, receiving eighty war dead at its conclusion. RFA Sir Galahad, sunk at Fitzroy, and her sister ships were based here. In October 2010, it was announced that ownership would transfer from the Ministry of Defence to a private contractor as a cost-saving measure.[26]
Two of Southampton's best-known liners the Cunard Line RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 and the P&O liner SS Canberra played major roles in the Falklands War effort; the latter received an enthusiastic welcome upon her return.
![Large feather, sculpted from metal](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c4/The_Millennium_Feather%2C_Woolston%2C_Southampton_-_geograph.org.uk_-_22106.jpg/170px-The_Millennium_Feather%2C_Woolston%2C_Southampton_-_geograph.org.uk_-_22106.jpg)
The Watergate Quay area was a centre for the building of naval warships during the mediaeval period, while naval and merchant ships were built in the
Ship classes built in Woolston include:
- Coastal Motor Boat
- Thornycroft type destroyer leader
- Thornycroft M-class destroyer
- Type IV Hunt-class destroyer
- Landing Craft Assault
Cross-channel ferries
This section needs additional citations for verification. (April 2021) |
Cross-channel passenger steamers had moved from the Royal Pier to the Outer and Inner Docks when the latter opened. Their destinations included
During the 1960s, the port operators and shipping lines realised that passengers wanted to take their cars on their travels. The passenger-only service ceased in 1964 with the arrival of the first
In the summer of 1966 a very short lived ferry service to
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Stena_Normandy.jpg/220px-Stena_Normandy.jpg)
However, by 1984 all ferry services had either closed or moved to
A short-lived twice daily in each direction freight ferry service to the port of Radicatel on the
There are currently no cross-channel ferries operating from
Cross-Solent hovercraft
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Seaspeed_Hovercraft.jpg/220px-Seaspeed_Hovercraft.jpg)
In July 1966, British Rail Hovercraft began its Seaspeed hovercraft service between Cowes and Southampton with two SR.N6 craft. The Cowes terminal was located on Medina Road, and the Southampton terminal on Crosshouse Road next to the Woolston Floating Bridge ramp; the site is currently under the western end of the Itchen Bridge. During the winter of 1971–72, both craft were lengthened by 10 ft (3.0 m) and named the Sea Hawk and Sea Eagle. Each craft's capacity was increased from 36 to 58 passengers. The service transferred to Hovertravel of Ryde in 1976, who operated it until the end of 1980.[30]
In 1981,
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wight_King.jpg/220px-Wight_King.jpg)
In May 1990 the Cowes Express company began operations from Southampton Town Quay to Cowes with its craft, the Sant' Agata. After several weeks, service ended following mechanical problems; a year later, the company returned with the renamed Sant' Agata (Wight King) and its running mate, Wight Queen. They were Cirrus 120P surface effect ships, built in Norway by Brødrene Aa Båtbyggeri, carrying up to 330 passengers at a speed of 50 knots. A smaller backup craft, the Wight Prince, was also leased: a Dutch-built Seaswift 23 with a capacity of 99 passengers at 36 knots. These machines (and the HM2s) were catamarans with twin rigid hulls and flexible skirts fore and aft. With the lift fans of a conventional hovercraft, they were propelled by waterscrews or waterjets instead of propellers. The vehicles were quieter than conventional hovercraft, and more resistant to being pushed sideways by wind or water. Their disadvantage was that they were not amphibious, and could not leave the water.
Service was reliable and popular; however, its
Canals
Andover Canal
![Wooded canal in summer, with footpath](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Andover_canal_near_romsey.jpg/220px-Andover_canal_near_romsey.jpg)
A 22-mile (35 km)-long canal linked Redbridge (at the western end of the port area) with Romsey, Stockbridge and Andover from 1790 to 1859. It was then filled in, and a railway (which became known as the Sprat and Winkle Line) was built over it for much of its length; the line was used extensively during World War II and lasted until 1967. Remnants of the canal and railway survive.[34]
Salisbury and Southampton Canal
A second, less-successful canal was planned to link Southampton with Salisbury.[35] It used the Andover canal for nine miles (14 km) from Redbridge to a new junction between Kimbridge and Mottisfont. From there it went west towards Salisbury, and terminated at Alderbury Common. Here, a horse-drawn railway was constructed to bring goods to the existing road and the last few miles were completed by wagon.
The 4+1⁄2-mile (7.2 km) eastern section of the canal began in Redbridge, at a junction near the end of the Andover canal. It followed the shore of the
The paradox of constructing a canal so near a navigable waterway was lampooned in contemporary verse:
Southampton's wise sons found their river so large,
Tho' 'Twould carry a Ship, 'twould not carry a barge.
But soon this defect their sage noddles supply'd,
For they cut a snug ditch to run close by its side.
Like the man who, contriving a hole through his wall
To admit his two cats, the one great, t'other small,
Where a great hole was made for great puss to pass through,
Had a little hole cut for his little cat, too.
Poet Laureate Henry James Pye[36]
The contemporary rationale was:
- During the eighteenth century the Test estuary was shallow, marshy, silted and difficult to navigate, with mud flats near its shore. Only during the twentieth century, with the construction of the New Docks, it would be dredged and drained to become a deep harbour.
- Different types of craft (seaworthy sailing vessels and horse-drawn, flat-bottomed, shallow barges respectively) were needed for marshy estuaries and canals.
- There was only one landing point on the route, at Millbrook; boats on the canal could load and unload at any point, which was considered important in this urban area. The canal would also provide better protection than the estuary from poor weather and sea conditions.
- Its promoters envisioned the canal as the centre of a future network of canals; however, that never happened.[37]
The canal was unsuccessful, and there was never a time when all portions were open simultaneously. There were serious engineering and financial problems, including bankruptcies. After a few years it began to deteriorate, and between 1820 and 1851 it was filled in and grassed over.[38] Many Southampton residents are unaware of the city's canal history; only a few street names (such as Canal Walk) remain. In the rural section between Kimbridge and Alderbury there are a few structural remains, and in some locations the canal bed can be seen.
From the tidal area of the Itchen at Woodmill Bridge the river route continues to Winchester, nine miles (14 km) upstream. Partly because of its link to the sea, Winchester was the nation's capital (or second city) for 500 years. The Itchen Navigation, a canal system that bypassed stretches of the river difficult to navigate, was open from 1710 to 1869 for transporting agricultural produce and coal. A conservation project for the canal has begun.
See also
- Port of Southampton (present port)
- Southampton (city)
- History of Southampton (history of the city)
- Category:Ships built in Southampton
References
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- ^ Jones, Martin BA. "InfoBritain – King Canute". Archived from the original on 10 April 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
- ^ "ABP Port of Southampton -Master Plan 2009 – 2030" (PDF). 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 June 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
- ^ "National archives – Grace Dieu 1420". Archived from the original on 1 October 2010. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
- ^ Lambert, Tim. "A brief history of Northampton". Retrieved 18 November 2010.
- ^ "Voyage of the Mayflower and the Speedwell". Archived from the original on 23 October 1999. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
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- ISBN 9780838633915. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
- ^ Boyle, Ian (1999–2007). "Hampshire Piers". Simplon – The Passenger Ship Website. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
- ^ Head, Viv (17 May 2011). "Southampton Harbour Board Police 1847 – 1980". Website of the British Transport Police History Group. British Transport Police History Group. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
- ^ "History of Union-Castle Line and its Predecessors (1857–1977)". The AJN Transport Britain Collection. 2005. Archived from the original on 15 April 2010. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
- ^ Whitbread, J.R. (1961). The Railway Policeman: The Story of the Constable on the Track. London: G.G. Harrap. p. 234.
- Dundee Courier. 27 September 1922 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Dreadnought. "World Naval Ships". Retrieved 19 November 2010.
- ^ "Mammoth new dry dock: Opening ceremony bu the King: Southampton triumph". Gloucester Citizen. 19 July 1933 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ ISBN 9780300225037.
- ^ "Southampton Ocean Terminal". The AJN Transport Britain Collection. 2005. Archived from the original on 28 October 2010. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
- ^ "Southampton Sea City Museum Receives Grant". Museum Publicity. 2 August 2010. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
- ^ "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
- ^ a b c Catford, Nick. "Southampton Flying Boat Terminal". Retrieved 19 November 2010.
- ^ G, Dave. "Southampton Flying Boat Services 1919–1958". Archived from the original on 1 July 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
- ^ Flying Boat Services from Southampton www.portsandships.com
- ^ http://www.portsandships.com/index.php?categoryid=14&p2_articleid=5
- ISBN 0-903852-42-X.
- ^ Yandell, Chris (5 November 2010). "Marchwood Military Port to stay open but under private ownership". Southern Daily Echo. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
- ^ Cox 1738 cited in Hampshire Gazeteer (2001). "Redbridge, Southampton". Archived from the original on 23 February 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Ferry Galleries". Simplon – The Passenger Ship Website. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
- ^ "Stena Challenger & Stena Traveller". Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
- ^ "The Hovercraft History and Hovercraft Museum Website". Retrieved 19 November 2010.
- ^ "Classic Fast Ferries" (PDF). March 2001. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
- ^ "Red Funnel Vessel Archive 1981–2010". Retrieved 19 November 2010.[dead link]
- ^ "Ships Nostalgia (registration required)". 24 June 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
- ^ "Southampton Canal Society – Andover Canal". 2009 [2005]. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
- ^ "Southampton Canal Society – Local Waterways". 2003 [1999]. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
- ISBN 9781408159316. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
- ^ "Southampton Canal Society – Southampton and Salisbury Canal – Which Route?". 2005. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
- ^ "Southampton Canal Society – S&S Canal – The Aftermath". 2005. Retrieved 20 November 2010.