Chatham Dockyard

Chatham was formally established as a Royal dockyard by Queen Elizabeth I in 1567, although for some time there had been an establishment at Gillingham. It assumed importance because of its strategic position in the Dutch wars and by the late seventeenth century it was the largest of all the yards. From that time, although it grew in area and in the size of its workforce, it lost its predominance to Portsmouth and then to Plymouth, partly because the main naval enemy was then France and the Western approaches became the main theatre of operations, and partly because the Medway silted and navigation became more difficult. Chatham thus became a building yard rather than a refitting base. In the eighteen-sixties there was a large building programme and St Mary's basin was constructed for the steam navy. With the closure of Deptford and Woolwich in 1869, it again became relatively important. During the mid to late twentieth century Chatham was redeveloped for the fitting and maintenance of nuclear submarines. The last warships built were conventional submarines. Many of the eighteenth-century yard buildings survive today, and the yard remained operational as H.M. Naval Base, Chatham, under the command of Flag Officer, Medway until 1984. The yard is now a tourist attraction, owned by the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust.