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301:. The dock took two years to build and required the removal of two million tons of earth. The dock was built virtually entirely of concrete, with granite dressings for the sills and caisson stops, the flights of steps leading to the floor and the coping of the walls at the entrance. The dock is 1,200 ft (366 m) long, 135 ft (41 m) wide and over 50 ft (15 m) deep and was capable of holding 58,000,000 imp gal (264,000,000
379:
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51:
286:
vessel in place. By the 1930s, ships were built with near-vertical sides; this was reflected in the design of the new dock which has steep sides with a restricted number of stepped altars, at the base of the walls. High-level altars were not required as the large ships could dock on three lines of blocks without the need for shoring.
285:
The design of dry docks had evolved to mirror developments in ship design. Until the end of the 19th century most ships had curved hulls, so dry docks were built with curved or semi-circular cross-sections, with steps (known as "altars") built in to support the wooden props which held the hull of the
476:
In April 2012, there was a large fire in scrap metal stored at the dock, which resulted in a large cloud of smoke over the city for several days. A few weeks later, there was another incident at the dock when firefighters were called to attend a pile of wood chips which were releasing steam vapour.
501:
King George V Graving Dock has special historic interest both locally and nationally as a rare survival from the heyday of the transatlantic liner era. It has special architectural interest as a good example of the evolution of dock design as it stood in the mid-20th century, innovative in its
510:
The inter-war classical style is impressive and temple-like, and the interior is exceptional for its survival of fixtures and fittings. Although there have been some alterations to the periphery of the building, its function is amply illustrated by the surviving features and its architectural
427:
at St. Nazaire, thus enabling the commandos to familiarise themselves with the construction of the dock. The men practised descending the stairs of the pumping chamber in the dark and setting explosives against the pump mechanism; they also practised climbing inside the hollow
358:
Internally, the pumphouse walls are lined with cream and green tiles on the lower part. A wooden staircase leads to a mezzanine balcony with a wooden balustrade. In the main, southern part of the building, there are the four pumps which pumped water out of the dock.
309:) of water. The floor of the dock is 25 ft (8 m) thick at the centre line, tapering to 17.5 ft (5.3 m) thick at the sides. The dock was provided with bollards at regular intervals on either side with others set into the dock walls. The
398:, with King George V and Queen Mary on board, broke a red, white and blue ribbon stretched across the entrance as she sailed into the incomplete dock. During the naming ceremony, Queen Mary emptied a cup of "Empire" wine into the dock.
473:, following which the caisson gates and keel blocks were removed, converting the dock to a permanent wet dock. The dock was then used in conjunction with the bulk-handling terminal at Berths 107 to 109, operated by Solent Stevedores.
268:. There had previously been several dry docks in the port, each larger than its predecessor, but a larger dock was needed to accommodate the new passenger liners which were coming into service, including
492:
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1000:
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construction. The dock has associations with great ships and events important in
British history, and was the most significant dry dock in one of Britain's leading ports.
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In June 2006, despite the gates having been removed, the dock and the adjacent pump house were both granted Grade II listed building status. In the listing for the dock,
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The pumping station, at the western side of the dock, was also probably designed by F.E. Wentworth-Shields. It is a rectangular block building, with a
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of vessels striking the base of the walls. The faces of the piers were protected to a depth of 10 ft (3.0 m) below the top with
252:
on 26 July 1933 although the final construction work was only complete the following year. At the time of construction it was the largest
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347:, built of red brick with stone dressing in the "inter-war classical revival style suggesting a temple". The building has a stone
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321:. At 200 ft (61 m) intervals, there are vertical buttresses projecting from the sides of the dock; these prevented the
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to set explosives and setting charges against the gate winding machinery. In the raid itself, the obsolete
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was rammed into the
Normandie dock gates and exploded, while the commandos destroyed the dock machinery.
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In the spring of 1942, the dock was used for training the commandos who were to take part in the
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The dock was built as part of the westward expansion of
Southampton Docks, then owned by the
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The adjacent pump house held four pumps which could empty the dock in just over four hours.
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282:(1,031 ft (314 m)). The new dock cost more than £2,000,000 to construct.
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agreed to terminate the lease on the dock to the then operators, ship repairers
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678:. www.plimsoll.org. 26 July 1933. Archived from the original on 3 October 2013
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317:), slid sideways into a chamber at the right (east) of the entrance from the
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423:. The King George V dock was very similar in design and construction to the
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and a second stone band above the windows, which are separated by brick
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which were to be used as temporary floating breakwaters to protect the
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355:. The original west bay, which housed an office, has been demolished.
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913:"Firefighters called to steaming wood chip pile at city docks"
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in the world, a status it retained for nearly thirty years.
939:"No. 7 Pumping Station at King George V Dry Dock (1391677)"
891:"Dock fire: Firefighters will be tackling blaze for days"
392:
The dock was opened on 26 July 1933 when the Royal Yacht
672:"Opening Ceremony of George V Dock (with photograph)"
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St. Nazaire, Raid on, (Operation
Chariot), Part One
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2024: No.7 Pumping
Station, Quay Crane, and Fenders
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795:Black Jack: Quarterly Magazine Southampton Branch
50:
817:"City's dry dock loss is its rival Pompey's gain"
537:"King George V Dry Dock, Western Docks (1391678)"
445:In 1944, the dock was engaged in the building of
788:"Last Major Southampton Dry-Dock Decommissioned"
401:The first ship to use the dock was White Star's
313:door, which weighed 4,000 long tons (4,100
511:presence offsets the largely below-ground dock.
994:
797:. World Ship Society. Winter 2005. p. 11
8:
621:"A new dry dock for a new era by John Avery"
220:, also known as No. 7 Dry Dock, is a former
974:Video of RMS Queen Mary in the dock in 1949
527:
525:
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1001:
987:
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20:
489:summarised its historical importance:
374:entering the dock shortly after opening.
1659:Buildings and structures in Southampton
521:
1654:Grade II listed buildings in Hampshire
819:. Southern Daily Echo. 24 January 2007
718:. Simplon – The Passenger Ship Website
716:Southampton: Piers, Docks and Ferries
689:
643:
641:
764:Kennard, Michael F. (11 April 1947).
7:
1229:Southampton Terminus railway station
1224:Southampton Central railway station
867:. Solent Stevedores. Archived from
944:National Heritage List for England
915:. Southern Daily Echo. 17 May 2012
766:"The Building of Mulberry Harbour"
597:. bamnuttall.co.uk. Archived from
573:National Heritage List for England
568:"KING GEORGE V DRY DOCK (1391678)"
542:National Heritage List for England
14:
1093:286 (Swaythling Methodist Church)
299:Edmund Nuttall Sons & Company
275:(1,019 ft (311 m)) and
242:Edmund Nuttall Sons & Company
210:Edmund Nuttall Sons & Company
1615:
1604:
1603:
1163:St Michael and All Angels Church
1057:St Mary's Church, South Stoneham
49:
42:
29:
151:
1290:Regents Park Community College
650:"A new dry dock for a new era"
1:
1520:Southampton Old Bowling Green
1469:Southampton Courts of Justice
1305:Saint George Catholic College
652:. City of Southampton Society
506:Of the pump house, they said:
289:The new dock was designed by
244:. It was formally opened by
1474:Southampton General Hospital
1449:National Oceanography Centre
1364:Southampton City Art Gallery
1009:Buildings and structures in
1484:Titanic Musicians' Memorial
1399:Titanic Engineers' Memorial
1325:Woodlands Community College
843:Ports and the Local Economy
455:Allied invasion of Normandy
58:Location within Southampton
1675:
1459:Solent Sky aviation museum
1424:King George V Graving Dock
1394:Royal South Hants Hospital
1295:Sholing Technology College
1285:Redbridge Community School
1239:Swaythling railway station
1098:Avenue St. Andrew's Church
737:Antill, P (6 April 2001).
218:King George V Graving Dock
24:King George V Graving Dock
1599:
1581:Southampton Power Station
1384:Ordnance Survey buildings
1315:Upper Shirley High School
1300:St Anne's Catholic School
1275:Oasis Academy Lord's Hill
1214:Redbridge railway station
1199:Millbrook railway station
1153:St James' Church, Shirley
1108:Christ Church, Freemantle
1047:Medieval Merchant's House
969:Video of opening ceremony
696:: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
388:in King George V dry dock
295:John Mowlem & Company
238:John Mowlem & Company
206:John Mowlem & Company
196:Francis Wentworth-Shields
37:
28:
18:Dock in Southampton Docks
1444:Marlands Shopping Centre
1341:Carlton Place drill hall
1244:Woolston railway station
1234:St Denys railway station
1179:Bitterne railway station
712:"King George V Dry Dock"
676:Port Cities: Southampton
595:"BAM Nuttall - the team"
467:Associated British Ports
181:Associated British Ports
1576:Northam railway station
1464:South Stoneham Cemetery
1320:Weston Secondary School
1219:Sholing railway station
260:Construction and design
187:Design and construction
1439:Ford Southampton plant
1280:Oasis Academy Mayfield
1103:Central Baptist Church
1072:Tudor House and Garden
745:. www.historyofwar.org
513:
504:
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419:on the French port of
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291:F.E. Wentworth-Shields
234:F.E. Wentworth-Shields
1368:Southampton Guildhall
1270:King Edward VI School
1172:Transport and bridges
768:. The War Illustrated
508:
499:
495:
447:Bombardon breakwaters
381:
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232:. It was designed by
1374:South Stoneham House
1346:God's House Hospital
1260:Bitterne Park School
1253:Schools and colleges
893:. BBC. 17 April 2012
145:Construction started
1649:Port of Southampton
1566:Day's Itchen Ground
1498:Pubs and recreation
1419:Hollybrook Cemetery
1404:Townhill Park House
1310:St Mark's CE School
1086:Religious buildings
1062:St Michael's Church
739:"The British Force"
461:Decline and closure
395:Victoria and Albert
293:and constructed by
236:and constructed by
125: /
88:Architectural style
75:General information
1551:All Saints' Church
1525:The Old Farm House
1351:Southampton Castle
1148:St Joseph's Church
1143:St Edmund's Church
1133:St. Alban's Church
1052:St Julien's Church
1042:King John's Palace
498:
425:Normandie dry dock
390:
376:
305:; 70,000,000
129:50.9096°N 1.4416°W
1631:
1630:
1586:Television Centre
1535:Mayflower Theatre
1479:St Mary's Stadium
1414:God's House Tower
451:Mulberry harbours
215:
214:
100:Southampton Docks
1666:
1622:Listed buildings
1619:
1618:
1607:
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1209:Redbridge Bridge
1158:St Mary's Church
1118:Highfield Church
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935:Historic England
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871:on 23 April 2012
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564:Historic England
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533:Historic England
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487:English Heritage
345:half-hipped roof
266:Southern Railway
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134:50.9096; -1.4416
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1138:St Denys Priory
1123:Holyrood Church
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1032:Canute's Palace
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937:(5 June 2006).
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535:(5 June 2006).
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481:Listed building
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339:Pumping station
279:Queen Elizabeth
262:
202:Main contractor
172:> £2,000,000
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1429:Carnival House
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1389:Peartree House
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1077:The Wool House
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1020:Grade I listed
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963:External links
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845:. Solent Forum
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601:on 8 June 2012
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70:No. 7 Dry Dock
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1561:County Ground
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1379:Old Cemetery
1356:Civic Centre
1128:Jesus Chapel
1037:The Cenotaph
948:. Retrieved
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869:the original
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254:graving dock
224:situated in
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192:Architect(s)
164:26 July 1933
67:Former names
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1515:The Joiners
1194:Mans Bridge
1012:Southampton
625:coss.org.uk
453:during the
439:Campbeltown
421:St. Nazaire
323:bilge keels
307:US gal
228:'s Western
226:Southampton
161:Inaugurated
132: /
107:Coordinates
1638:Categories
1544:Demolished
1510:The Hobbit
1067:Town Walls
516:References
319:River Test
272:Queen Mary
250:Queen Mary
117:50°54′35″N
465:In 2005,
434:destroyer
407:in 1934.
353:pilasters
153:Completed
120:1°26′30″W
1644:Drydocks
1610:Category
1571:The Dell
1489:Westquay
692:cite web
404:Majestic
385:Majestic
372:Majestic
222:dry dock
96:Location
91:Concrete
1027:Bargate
430:caisson
363:Opening
349:cornice
330:fenders
311:caisson
950:24 May
919:26 May
897:26 May
875:26 May
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801:26 May
772:24 May
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722:26 May
682:22 May
656:26 May
548:21 May
208:&
1334:Other
791:(PDF)
630:8 May
605:8 May
579:8 May
230:Docks
177:Owner
952:2012
921:2012
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803:2012
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724:2012
698:link
684:2012
658:2012
632:2017
607:2017
581:2017
550:2012
437:HMS
417:raid
382:RMS
297:and
277:RMS
270:RMS
248:and
240:and
169:Cost
156:1934
148:1933
83:Dock
80:Type
327:elm
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