Falmouth Docks

Falmouth Docks are a deep-water docks of the town of Falmouth in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The docks are the southern shore of the Fal Estuary which is the third largest natural harbour in the world and the deepest in Europe. They extend over 30 hectares (74 acres) and covers a range of services to shipping such as repair, refuelling, cleaning and disposal of waste services. The docks are served by the Falmouth Docks railway station. Policing is by the Falmouth Docks Police.

The town of Falmouth is on the south coast of Cornwall in the sheltered natural harbour of the River Fal. Because of the danger of attacks from the sea the earliest towns were inland at Penryn, Tregony and Truro. In the late 17th century the small town of Falmouth developed with shipbuilding and chandlers and the import of iron, coal, charcoal and timber, and the export of fish to the Mediterranean countries and tin. The Post Office selected Falmouth for its Packet Service in 1688 to Spain and Portugal. A sheltered harbour in the south-west meant ships did not have to sail down channel against westerlies and the Lizard Peninsula gave shelter from those same westerlies. At Its peak In the early 19th-century there were forty vessels sailing to seven ′stations′.^[1] A map of Falmouth Haven in the British Museum shows, on the site of Falmouth Docks, Porthan Withe which translates from Cornish as the ″port of shelter or protection″.^[2]

Falmouth Docks are built on the northern shore of Pendennis Point, on the estuary of the River Fal which is also known as Carrick Roads. The Fal Estuary is often described as the third largest natural harbour in the world and the deepest in Europe.^[2] On the southern side of the docks are Falmouth Docks Railway Station and the terminus of the A39 road.^[3]

The Falmouth Docks Company was formed after a meeting in Falmouth Town Hall on 31 May 1858 with the aim of keeping the Packet Service, by providing facilities for the new steam-driven ships. They gained authority to build docks with the passing of the Falmouth Docks and Harbour Act 1859 (22 Vict. c. xvi). James Abernethy, an engineer from Aberdeen was invited to draw up plans on a natural feature known as Bar Point, which extended northwards from Pendennis towards Trefusis Point. The docks was planned covering an area of 150 acres (61 ha). The shallow water was dredged by the Briton and by 1860 a channel of deep water 300 feet (91 m) wide linked the docks with deep water in Carrick Roads. The foundation stone was laid on 28 February 1860 by Lord Falmouth. There is no trace of the stone today. By 1862 No. 1 Graving Dock was built along with a warehouse, known as the grain store, which can still be seen.^[1]

The Grain Store built between 1860 and 1862 of killas rubble, rock-faced granite dressings and granite-coped parapet with Delabole slate roof. The interior retains the original cross-beam and joust floor structures. The store was listed as grade II on 23 January 1973 with amendments on 24 April 1996.^[4]

The Falmouth Dock Company had its own railway from January 1864 which connected it with the Cornwall Railway that had opened from Truro the previous year. The Eastern Breakwater was built in 1863 and No 2. Dock opened in 1864. Its first cargo to be exported was china clay brought on trains along the new railway.^[1] The original rail was 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm)broad gauge, being converted to 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge in 1892.^[5]

Los directores inicialmente pidieron prestadas 50.000 libras esterlinas a los Comisionados de Préstamos para Obras Públicas al 3,25% y tuvieron que pedir prestadas otras 20.000 libras esterlinas en 1864. Al año siguiente, el rompeolas occidental se derrumbó y desapareció de la vista, y el 11 de mayo de 1866 (en un día conocido como el Viernes Negro o el Pánico de 1866 ) el Banco de Inglaterra aumentó las tasas de interés al 10%. Las obras en los muelles se suspendieron. El rompeolas oriental resultó dañado durante un huracán en enero de 1867 y en marzo del mismo año la tripulación abandonó el bergantín Uhla , que arrastró el mismo rompeolas desplazando muchos pilotes. A finales de año, los directores cedieron la posesión a los Comisionados de Préstamos para Obras Públicas. El rompeolas fue reparado por 8500 libras esterlinas en 1869. ^{[ 1 ]} En 1882, el lecho marino junto al muelle este y el muelle oeste fue dragado en preparación para un aumento previsto del tráfico de grandes barcos de vapor y una disminución del tráfico de veleros. Al año siguiente, estaba prevista la finalización del dique seco n.° 2 de 150 metros (500 pies ) y se propuso una grúa de 30 toneladas para el muelle oeste de 120 metros (400 pies) . ^{[ 6 ]}  

En sus inicios, el muelle funcionaba de forma similar a un polígono industrial, con numerosas personas y organizaciones que alquilaban las instalaciones. La Docks, Foundry and Engineering Company (renombrada Cox and Co. en 1871) realizaba reparaciones navales, y la flota pesquera de Lowestoft desembarcaba sus capturas en la playa. Gran parte del grano de Cornualles se importaba y distribuía desde el muelle, y también se llevaban a cabo operaciones de salvamento , repostaje de buques e importación de carbón y madera. La British and Irish Steam Packet Company operaba un servicio regular de Dublín a Londres, con escala en Falmouth, en el rompeolas oriental. ^{[ 1 ]}

Durante la Primera Guerra Mundial, el Almirantazgo se hizo cargo de los astilleros y construyó el Dique n.º 3, más grande que los dos anteriores. Debido a la ofensiva submarina alemana, la reparación de buques adquirió una enorme importancia estratégica, pero las instalaciones y la mano de obra no daban abasto con el aumento de la carga de trabajo. La empresa londinense de reparación naval RH Green and Silley Weir envió personal para ayudar a reducir el retraso, y su director general, consciente del potencial de Falmouth, compró el astillero en 1918. Bajo el nuevo nombre de Silley Cox and Co., se construyeron nuevos talleres, se instaló maquinaria nueva y se contrató mano de obra cualificada procedente de Londres.

La empresa fue renombrada por elFalmouth Docks Act 1921 (11 & 12 Geo. 5. c. xxiii), becoming the Falmouth Docks and Engineering Company. Shipbuilding was a major activity until the 1920s, by which time 198 vessels had been built.^[7] A fourth dock was opened in 1928 and new wharves built on the western side of the Western Breakwater. They were Empire (1931–33), King's (1935–37) and Queen's (1938–42).^[1] The largest dry dock is the enlarged No. 2 Dock, renamed Queen Elizabeth Dock, which was opened, by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1958. This new dock was 850 feet (260 m) in length and able to take the largest ship, then built, at 85,000 tons.^[7]

In the 21st century the docks have three graving docks with a capacity of 100,00 dwt and wharfage of 2.5 km. Ship repairs, cleaning and the disposal of waste products are among the facilities offered by the seventeen tenants.^[8][9] Pendennis Shipyard relocated to the docks in 1988 and build and repair luxury yachts.^[10]

Falmouth Docks AFC played in the Cornwall Combination League from 1960 to 1985 winning the league in season 1969–70 and losing the league cup final to Porthleven in 1962–63.^[11][12]

• David Barnicoat Sailing Ship to Super Liner: Falmouth Docks, 1860-2010; 150 years of service to the shipping industry, Seaman Publications, 2010 ISBN 978-0-9558914-1-0.

• A&P Falmouth