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HMNB Devonport

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Coordinates: 50.383° N 4.183° W

Devonport in 1909, courtesy WW1 Archive

Image:Devonport Dockyard.jpg

Her Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) Devonport (HMS Drake), commonly called Devonport Dockyard, is a major Royal Navy base located in Devonport, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon. It is the largest naval base in Europe.

1 History
2 Today
3 Devonport Flotilla
4 External links

[edit] History

In 1676, Plymouth was visited by Charles II looking to select a new location for a naval dockyard. After considering Turnchapel on the River Plym, he opted for Devonport due to its geographical advantages. Work began in 1691 and from then until the end of the Second World War the dockyards were the economic backbone of the city.

[edit] Today

With 15 dry docks, four miles (6km) of waterfront, 25 tidal berths, five basins and an area of 650 acres (2.6 km²) the Royal Navy Dockyard is the largest naval base in Western Europe and is the base for seven of the Trafalgar class nuclear powered hunter killer submarines and the main refitting base for all Royal Navy nuclear submarines. Work was completed in 2002 to build a refitting dock to support the Vanguard class Trident missile nuclear ballistic missile submarines.

Locals and tourists have long been able to visit the Dockyard during Navy Days, a three day event where visitors can tour the facility, go on active naval ships and watch various displays of naval prowess. Among the most popular attractions is the nuclear powered submarine HMS Courageous, used in the Falklands War.

Devonport serves as headquarters for 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.

[edit] Devonport Flotilla

Many ships are based at the port, known as the Devonport Flotilla. This includes the Navy's assault ships HMS Ocean, HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark. It also serves as home port to most of the hydrographic surveying fleet of the Navy, the Trafalgar-class submarines and a substantial number of Type 22 and Type 23 frigates.