[11] Both Portland and Weymouth were major embarkation points for American troops during D-Day, particularly the US 1st Division who embarked for "Omaha Beach" in June 1944. Construction of the harbour began in 1849; when completed in 1872, its 520-hectare (1,300-acre) surface area made it the largest human-made harbour in the world,[1] and remains one of the largest in the world today. [87], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}503506N 22642W / 50.585N 2.445W / 50.585; -2.445. This area is covered in various sizes of metal objects, most of which came from ill-fated ships driven ashore by strong winds and tides many years ago. ARMED WITH A 12 POUNDER GUN. The port also sees various cruise ship calls bringing visitors to the Dorset area. [85], As part of the defence for HMS Osprey, now demolished, a "Yarnold Sanger" pillbox is located on Incline Road, constructed during the Cold War. [3], The lower freeboard was required by her use of armoured gun turretsa heavy type of rotating gun mounting of the mid-and-late 19th century very different from what would later be known as "turrets". The inner breakwater, with its jetty, former victualling store and Inner Pierhead Fort, are Grade II Listed. by (club) or (commercial) dive boats with launching possible from various points including Portland Marina and a free slipway at Castletown.? The port's aim was of developing the ship repair, leisure and tourism potential of the harbour. She stands about 13 metres throughout with her bows to the South and stern to the North. This naval trawler was mined in October 1940 and lies in 60 metres. Portland Harbour Name last changed on November Portland One vessel which experienced more than her fair share of bad luck was the Preveza. A 3081 ton steamship that was sunk in January 1918 by a German U-boat while carrying military stores, cattle fodder and military vehicles. Seven months later, on 12 December 1900, Hood recommissioned to relieve the elderly ironclad Thunderer as port guard ship at Pembroke Dock. Visibility in this area can sometimes be as good as 20 metres and it is a much rewarding dive for underwater hunters. WebPortland Harbour offers half a dozen of wreck sites, one of the most popular and intact of these is the Countess Of Erne ~ one of the most popular Portland Harbour wreck sites, Depth Max 16m. Depending on the tide, divers can get a good drift dive in this area. Another good resource of dive site information can be found at the Dive Beyond Dive Sites page travelling from Castletown beach using RHIBs. [6], Over time, Portland was successively the base for the Channel and Home Fleets, as well as part of the Reserve Fleet, and it also served as a depot for submarines. A 4343 steamer she was sunk in July 1940 by a German E-boat. [12] Below the eastern side of the citadel, East Weare Battery was built during the 1860s, along with the detention barracks East Weare Camp. However, the area is notoriously dangerous, with areas such as Portland Race and The Shambles requiring sailors to be wary due to strong tides and rocky shores. WebFate: Sunk 04 November 1914 as a blockship for southern entrance to Portland Harbour, designed to stop U-boats entering or firing torpedoes into Channel Fleet anchorage. SHORE: Chesil Cove (day and night), the Adelaide & Nor (day), Newtons Cove (night). Weymouth and Portland The exhibit explores efforts to prevent disaster through the development of lighthouses and other aids to navigation. [37] Within the same statement Sheerness Dockyard and a number of other naval establishments were also slated for closure. She collided with a Norwegian ship in 1889 and sank, now lying on a sand and shingle seabed. However, despite published reports in 1996 revealing that Portland Port Ltd were interested in the renovation of historic coastal fortifications in the area, no restoration of any kind has taken place.[40]. VII gun. Has plenty of marine life and is well broken up with only the ribs and plates showing with its highest point about 2 metres off the sea bed. Enecuri | The Spaniard? By 2012 Osprey Quay had been transformed with huge investment, offering over 11 hectares, a total of 60,000 square metres of business space.[48]. These have a total length of 4.57km (2.84mi) and enclose approximately 1,000ha (2,500 acres) of water. The Countess of Erne is probably the most popular dive-site in Portland Harbour. She took part in combined exercises of the Channel Fleet, Mediterranean Fleet, and Home Fleet off the coast of Portugal from 5 to 9 August 1903. Five shipwrecks that haunt Dorset's underwater graveyard There are dozens of popular recreational dive sites accessible from Portlandand literally hundreds of wrecks around the island as well as in the Channel. TREGUIER TO LE HAVRE. It is believed there have been at least 1,000 shipwrecks along the Dorset coast over the centuries. [5] Prompted by the expansion of the French naval port of Cherbourg, just across the Channel, the Royal Navy established a base at Portland in 1845 and a scheme for the harbour to be transformed into a refuge was granted parliamentary approval the year before. Both seacocks and explosives were used to sink her, but she rolled to port and capsized onto seabed. At the Breakwater Fort is a World War II 29 millimetre spigot mortar emplacement,[62] a pillbox,[63] and a battery observation post. Bottlebank Drift (19m). The squadron, which formed in February 1897, bombarded insurgent forces, put sailors and marines ashore to occupy key cities, and blockaded Crete and key ports in Greece, actions which brought organized fighting on the island to an end by late March 1897. [4], Hood's protection used both compound armour and nickel steel armour. Measuring 200 in length it was partly salvaged. This German submarine was sunk in October 1917 and lies on a north to south line, with a hole in her port side and a list to starboard. A DETAILED REPORT ON THIS ACCIDENT CAN BE READ BY CLICKING HERE. The Red Band Fish and Lumpsuckers that visit the Countess seasonally are occasionally even joined by seals. [16] In 1892, the Verne High Angle Battery was built in a disused quarry near the Verne Citadel, but was decommissioned in 1906. She measures 240 by 32. Advertisement. the ss bournemouth wrecked on rocks near portland bill 1886. all 160 passengers were rescued. This is reported to be a wreck with a deck at 58 metres sitting at 70+ metres of a sea bed and 400 ft long. This British armed tug was sunk by accident while towing a target in August 1946 and now lies on a shingle seabed uprights and intact. In 2004 changes led to Portland Harbour Authority Ltd becoming the Statutory and Competent Harbour Authority and Portland Port Ltd the Port Operator. VII gun. As above but the stern lies on her starboard side with the prop missing and on a gravel, shingle and sand sea bed. This was intended to allow them to reach a speed of 17.5 knots (32.4km/h; 20.1mph). Its shore-based activities continued, moving from temporary accommodation in Weymouth to accommodation in East Weare, just south of the Dockyard. It makes a powerful dive in good visibility and is full of fish. on the inside of the harbour, against a breakwater: the Spaniard - barge 50 metres south-west of the Chequered Fort, This page was last edited on 30 April 2023, at 05:30. (Harbour wall to 16m.) The battleship Russell relieved Hood on 28 September 1904. Both seacocks and explosives were used to sink her, but she rolled to port and capsized onto seabed. Websince 2010 for the Portland Harbor site, to evaluate natural resource injuries incurred over time in areas contaminated with hazardous substances (such as DDT, PCBs, and others), and oil. It is naturally protected by Portland to the south, Chesil Beach to the west and mainland Dorset to the north. The exhibit explores efforts to prevent disaster through the development of lighthouses and other aids to navigation. If youre looking for local, recreational diving, whether it be wrecks, reefs or drift, check out the Dive Sites From Jurassic Aquasports, travelling to the sites direct fromPortlandMarina either by a catamaran hard boat (with diver lift) or an RHIB for smaller groups. About 190203 the 6-pounders on the main deck were removed; two were remounted on the superstructure, but the other two were not replaced. Hood, the last of the eight Royal Sovereign-class battleships to be built, differed significantly from the other ships of her class in that she had a forward freeboard of only 11feet 3inches (3.43m) compared to 19feet 6inches (5.94m) of the other ships. The sea bed, heavily silted, is littered with bottles, cups and plates with other oddities. ALL 160 PASSENGERS WERE RESCUED. [49] The victualling store was built around 1850. General History Group created on November 15, 2013. A major government project, the construction work had become Dorset's greatest tourist attraction of its time. She measures 260 and lies on her port side standing 5 to 6 metres in places. 12-18m Range: Countess of Erne, Enecuri, Bombardon Unit & Landing Craft, the Dredger, James Fennel, Black Hawk (bow). The Dredger (Breakwater wall down to 12m). Boats shuttle out and in for harbour dives allowing you to rest, de-gas and fill up in between dives. This is on the outside of the breakwater and just around the corner from the Fort. 215 TONS, 123X22FT. The Countess of Erne is probably the most popular dive-site in Portland Harbour. [65][66], On the northeast breakwater, at the southern end, directly opposite the fort, is the Portland Breakwater Lighthouse. WebHarbour Wrecks Easily accessibly via Dive Boats shuttling out of Portland Marina and Castletown these wrecks are shallower than 20m and can be dived on all state of tides. A small Admirality trawler only 123 long that went aground on Blacknor Point in March 1920 in thick fog, slid off and sank there. It covered the middle 250 feet (76.2m) of the ship and was 8.5 feet (2.6m) high of which 5feet 6inches (1.7m) was below the waterline at normal load. [8] During 1848, HM Prison Portland was established to provide convict labour to quarry the stone needed to construct the breakwaters and the harbour defences. A number of wrecks lie both inside and immediately outside the breakwater walls attracting hundreds of divers every year. This is an East Inidiaman that struck the Shambles bank and sunk in front of Weymouth in 1805 with a large loss of life. [19], The ship's bell was later used as one of at least two bells [23] on the battlecruiser HMSHood. As part of the NRDA process, separate from the EPA cleanup process, NOAA and its co-trustees are conducting an injury assessment at the site. [73] On the far end of the North Eastern Breakwater, on the Weymouth side, is the site of B Pier Head Battery. FOST was relocated to Devonport. The Countess of Erne is probably the most popular dive-site in Portland Harbour. Offshore wrecks In 1924, Portland's Anti-Submarine School (having been consolidated with similar units from HMS Vernon and HM Signal School, Portsmouth) was commissioned as HMS Osprey, becoming an independent shore command. DURING THICK FOG ON THE 16TH JANUARY 1920, SHE DROVE STRAIGHT ONTO THE ROCKS, NORTH OF BLACKNOR POINT, PORTLAND. Torch Recommended. Apart from the usual freshwater, fuel, shore power and pump-out facilities the marina also has a bar/restaurant, 15 retail/business units and 5 larger commercial units. Easily accessibly via Dive Boats shuttling out of Portland Marina and Castletown these wrecks are shallower than 20m and can be dived on all state of tides. Webmore pictures and details of portland shipwrecks can be found here. Although mortally wounded he continued to fire his gun against the attackers until he died. The vessel broke into two after impact and sunk. [84] A number of pillboxes were built around East Weare Battery. MARBELLA TO ROTTERDAM. WebPortland Harbour is located beside the Isle of Portland, Dorset, on the south coast of England. This vessel was a sand dredger and makes an excellent dive both for training and as? She is broken up and difficult to locate. Aside from the training of Royal Navy ships, many ships of NATO countries also trained and frequented at the harbour. Given the depth and limited tidal range, the predominant habitat within the Harbour is one that is truly marine. WebIn total, 418,585 troops and 144,093 vehicles would embark from Portland and Weymouth Harbours. WebThe Portland Harbor Museum's exhibit presents the variety of shipwreck causes, both man-made and natural that occurred over the years. Despite her 1914 scuttling, the Royal Navy included Hood on its sale list in both 1916 and 1917. The 6-inch gun was removed in 1924 and in 1934 two 12-pounder guns were transferred across from the recently decommissioned B Pier Head. HMS Hood (1891 The Verne Citadel, designed by Captain Crosman R.E., was built at Verne Hill between 1860-81: the 56 acre fortress was designed for 1000 troops and had gun emplacements facing seawards on three sides. In this section we look at dives available around Portland and inside Portland Marina with links to photos and information on the most popular harbour dives. Foylebank - Part Three", "Subterranea Britannica: Sites: Portland underground Naval Headquarters & Communications Centre", "Northern Chiswell and Northern Fortuneswell", "Maritime Archaeology Trust Maritime Archaeology Trust, HWTMA Mulberry Harbour", "MULBERRY HARBOUR, TWO SECTIONS CIRCA 115 METRES NORTH OF PIER (1203075)", "BBC ON THIS DAY | 13 | 1961: Five Britons accused of spying for Moscow", "Portland's naval history ends as last warship sails", "EGDP Portland Heliport - Helicopter Database", "Dorset Coast Landscape and Seascape Assessment", "Portland Port's 26m deep-water berth upgrade set to start", "Asylum seeker barge plan could face legal challenge", "History - WPNSA - Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy", "Details from listed building database (1203106)", "Details from listed building database (1205991)", "Details from listed building database (1281863)", "Details from listed building database (1002412)", "Details from listed building database (1205814)", "Details from listed building database (1280475)", "Details from listed building database (1203099)", "Details from listed building database (1203074)", "Visitor centre for Island (From Dorset Echo)", "Details from listed building database (1389124)", Coxswain Edward Palmer, awarded BEM for rescue work following the sinking of HMS Foylebank in Portland Harbour, July 1940, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Portland_Harbour&oldid=1152429965, Ports and harbours of the English Channel, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2016, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2014, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Floating Dry Dock Development at Queen's Pier.