HMNB Devonport

HMNB Devonport stands on 650 acres beside Plymouth Sound in the west of the city. The base began in the late 17th century when Edmund Dummer built one of the world’s first stone dry docks and an integrated yard for repairing warships. Over the next two centuries it grew into the largest naval base in Western Europe, covering four miles of waterfront with twenty-five berths and fourteen dry docks. In the 20th century it became the Royal Navy’s only nuclear repair and refuelling site. Today the base supports 2,500 service personnel and civilians and contributes about ten per cent of Plymouth’s income. The base is home to most of the fleet’s Type 23 frigates, the survey ship HMS Scott, the Antarctic patrol ship HMS Protector and the submarine HMS Magpie. Training and amphibious units share the site, including the Royal Navy’s Amphibious Centre of Excellence at RM Tamar and the Fleet Operational Sea Training hub. Babcock International runs the privatised Devonport Royal Dockyard, providing engineering support, refits and modernisation for submarines and surface ships. A ten-year upgrade programme is under way around No. 5 Basin and several dry docks to meet new demands. Visitors find a working naval base with historic docks and modern workshops. The South Yard, the oldest part, once built over three hundred ships and now hosts Princess Yachts. The Royal Naval Barracks, dating from 1889, still provides accommodation and support. From the waterfront there are views across the Sound to the city and the moors beyond.