The visit arranged by Peter Smith to Chatham Dockyard on Sunday 7th September was enjoyed by several Orwellians and their families and friends. The Royal Naval Dockyard at Chatham closed in 1984 and the 80-acre site beside the Medway is now a fascinating tourist centre. Historic Chatham prepared the ships of the Elizabethan navy in 1588 for battle against the Spanish Armada, and rope for sailing ships has been laid at Chatham since the year 1618. Nelson's Victory was built near the dry dock that houses the last remaining Second World War destroyer, HMS Cavalier, awarded the Battle Honour 'Arctic 1945' for its valiant support of Russian Convoy RA64. Alongside is berthed HM Submarine Ocelot, a diesel-electric patrol submarine launched in 1964, and the last Royal Naval warship to be completed at Chatham dockyard. Nearby is HMS Gannet, a three-masted Victorian warship driven by sail and by steam, built in Sheerness in 1878.

The dry docks, the covered slipways, machine shops, steam engines, cranes, timber sheds, mast pond, naval offices, the display of historic lifeboats and the famous ropery with its quarter-mile walk are all well presented. We laid our own length of rope in the ropery, took a half-hour river trip on the paddle steamer Kingswear Castle, and after lunch (a quick snack at "Jolly Jacks") we were privileged to tour the cramped quarters of the warships HMS Cavalier and HM Submarine Ocelot. It was a great day out.

Click on a thumbnail image above to enlarge it.

For more information on the dockyard, click here to visit "The Historic Dockyard Chatham" web-site