a slight off topic rant...and please forgive my ranting!

This blog is all about my voyages in Arwen and so it will always be. Occasionally however it might include more than just that and this is one of those occasions! Devonport naval Base, here in my fair city, is under threat of closure. Countless yachts and boats have sailed up the Tamar past this magnificent dockyard; countless more sail around the Sound, passing our Royal Naval frigates and destroyers, and other ships from visiting Navies from across the World.

This is a link to a site that gives you the history of the dockyard and the ships built there since the 1670's
http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/devonport_dockyard.htm



The Royal Navy and associated Royal marines have been part of the history of our city for at least 250 years! Yet now, we face huge cuts under the spending review of our newly elected coalition Government. I am not particularly political yet surely politicians in Westminster must know that moving the dockyard to Portsmouth will have a devastating effect on the economy of our city and wipe out all these years of tradition, attachment and bonds that we have with our senior service.

The frigate sheds and outer basin viewed across the Tamar from Torpoint!

Plymouth is a naval city – we are proud of our association with them and I was one of those who waved good bye and then again waved a welcome back to our sailors and marines during the 1980’s conflict. Now our marines are on deployment in Afghanistan; our Navies patrolling the seas worldwide. There are around 12,000 jobs directly associated within the dockyard; probably at a conservative estimate another 20,000 locally are directly linked to the yard through contracts and outsourcing; through shops and local services and schools – which our naval families use. Our local newspaper estimates 400 businesses locally will be directly affected should we lose any more submarine and surface fleet work. There are plans in Westminster to move our frigate fleet to Portsmouth; to decommission our three amphibious Royal Marine assault ships. I am not going to get into arguments of how incredibly short sighted this is in our current world situation....any intelligent person will know that. Devonport has the deepwater port – Portsmouth doesn’t; we have the extra capacity – Portsmouth doesn’t. Portsmouth is cramped and more of a security nightmare than the confines of Devonport Dockyard with its huge walls and gates. Big ships can only use Devonport – Portsmouth doesn’t have the facilities! We already have the Flag Officer Sea Training stations along the Tamar where all naval personnel begin their training. Have Portsmouth even begun to work out how they can get our largest ship HMS Ocean into their port......it’s why it’s a Plymouth based ship – dur! We have 15 dry docks, four miles of waterfront, 25 tidal berths, five basins and all the skilled personnel! Portsmouth already has 60% of our surface fleet based there ranging from aircraft carriers to HMS endurance, our Antarctic patrol vessel.

An aerial of part of Devonport Dockyards and the River Tamar

Come on – play fair........there is little money and there will be cuts but just because the majority of the top Naval Brass want to live up near London (and so that makes Portsmouth more suitable for them) doesn’t mean to say we should lose all our heritage, jobs, skilled personnel etc. Our dockyards have a reputation for outstanding workmanship and delivering every job on time and to budget. The Navy is woven into the very fabric of our history, culture and society in this part of South west England and we are all proud of it.

On the submarines in the sub pens at Devonport

So government ministers, if one of you is a sailor and is reading this – you know what we all think in Plymouth – do the sensible thing – abandon plans for Trident; extend the life of our current Vanguard subs (which with nuclear reactor replacements easily have another 15 – 20 years of life in them; save money and create 1000s of jobs here in the south west and stop 1000’s becoming unemployed by your governments stupid idea to relocate all Naval surface fleet work to Portsmouth!

Part of our much loved waterfront skyline - the huge lifting crane at Devonport!

My rant is over......I promise not to do it again.......I grew up in Wales.......we get rather passionate about injustices!

Steve