20 February 2013
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Royal Navy's HMS Bristol moves to new home
HMS Bristol, the Royal Navy’s harbour training ship, has returned home after being temporarily moored at the entrance to Portsmouth International Port. ...
HMS Bristol, the Royal Navy’s harbour training ship, has returned home after being temporarily moored at the entrance to Portsmouth International Port.
During that time a team of up to 30 men have been constructing a new berth off Whale Island, just a few hundred yards from where she was previously moored for the last two decades.
Despite it being a small change there will be a big impact on operations at Portsmouth International Port. Moving HMS Bristol has increased the turning circle available to longer vessels needing to berth, removing a problematic pinch point at the Port’s entrance. With ever longer ships now wanting to call at Portsmouth the work was a necessity.
Close co-operation between the City Council owned Port and the Royal Navy has meant the operation has run on time and on budget.
HMS Bristol was moved on 5th November 2012, with work starting immediately on construction of the new berth.
Portsmouth based contractor ML UK Ltd won a competitive tender for the project, and began by dredging the site of the berth to seven metres below the level of low tide.
They then sank large piles, 24 metres into the sea-bed. Each of the two ‘dolphins’ they have created to make the berth is constructed with three steel piles.
HMS Bristol continues to provide a wide variety of training opportunities for service personnel, for example, medical staff exercise casualty evacuation routines, maritime security personnel practice board and search techniques, while marine engineers develop heavy machinery lifting and handling skills.
Last year over 5,000 training days were achieved onboard. HMS Bristol also provides accommodation for service personnel and youth organisations.
During that time a team of up to 30 men have been constructing a new berth off Whale Island, just a few hundred yards from where she was previously moored for the last two decades.
Despite it being a small change there will be a big impact on operations at Portsmouth International Port. Moving HMS Bristol has increased the turning circle available to longer vessels needing to berth, removing a problematic pinch point at the Port’s entrance. With ever longer ships now wanting to call at Portsmouth the work was a necessity.
Close co-operation between the City Council owned Port and the Royal Navy has meant the operation has run on time and on budget.
HMS Bristol was moved on 5th November 2012, with work starting immediately on construction of the new berth.
Portsmouth based contractor ML UK Ltd won a competitive tender for the project, and began by dredging the site of the berth to seven metres below the level of low tide.
They then sank large piles, 24 metres into the sea-bed. Each of the two ‘dolphins’ they have created to make the berth is constructed with three steel piles.
HMS Bristol continues to provide a wide variety of training opportunities for service personnel, for example, medical staff exercise casualty evacuation routines, maritime security personnel practice board and search techniques, while marine engineers develop heavy machinery lifting and handling skills.
Last year over 5,000 training days were achieved onboard. HMS Bristol also provides accommodation for service personnel and youth organisations.
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