Coal Wharf - Dockyards, Sandys Parish, Bermuda
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 32° 19.592 W 064° 50.008
20S E 327423 N 3578107
The former Royal Naval Coal Wharf is now the site of the Dockyards Ferry Terminal in the former Royal Naval Dockyards in Bermuda.
Waymark Code: WMRZKZ
Location: Bermuda
Date Posted: 08/29/2016
Views: 1
The Royal Naval Dockyards in Bermuda were established in 1809 after the British lost the American War of Independence and consequently all their ports along America’s Atlantic Coastline. They served as as British outpost in the North Atlantic Ocean during the War of 1812 through World War II.
As ships transitioned from sail to steam it became necessary to establish a coal wharf to fuel the British military ships. As oil fueled ships replaced coal the wharf was no longer needed. The British completely abandoned the Dockyard in 1995 and the Dockyard is now a cruise ship port and home to the ferry service to Hamilton and St. George.
A sign on the wharf has the image of a sailing ship and the inscription:
THE COAL WHARF
The change in primary naval propulsion from sail to
steam, (which finally came of age in the 1860's)
meant that large supplies of coal, the new naval fuel,
now had to be stockpiled at naval dockyards. A ship
steaming at speed required immense amounts of fuel
thus cruising distances became determined by the
proximity of fueling depots. For the 19th Century
Royal Navy with world wide commitments, this
meant that a chain of coaling stations had to be
established around the globe in places such as
Gibraltar, Malta, Halifax, Ascension island, Cape
Town, Colombia, Bermuda and Singapore.
Coal was originally stored in heaps of briquettes
which would be laboriously hand carried aboard
naval vessels alongside the breakwater in a process
known as "coaling ship" a laborious and dirty job
for an entire ship's company. Coal bunkers were
subsequently built against the Dockyard wall next to
the northern end of the north breakwater. it was not
until the First World War that the Royal Navy began
to change from coal to oil fired boilers.
Group that erected the marker: Government of Bermuda
URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link]
Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary:
Ferry Wharf
Dockyards, Sandys Parish Bermuda
|
Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the marker, preferably including yourself or your GPSr in the photo. A very detailed description of your visit may be substituted for a photo. In any case please provide a description of your visit. A description of only "Visited" or "Saw it while on vacation" by anyone other than the person creating the waymark may be deleted by the waymark owner or the category officers.
Recent Visits/Logs:
| There are no logs for this waymark yet. |
|
|
|