Search results for ""Author Keith Hall""

Devonport, the largest naval base in Western Europe, covers 650 acres and has fifteen dry docks. There are 4 miles of waterfront, twenty-five tidal berths and five basins. Plymouth has had a naval base since 1691 and today Devonport is the base port of the largest ship in the Royal Navy (HMS Ocean) and also the smallest vessel, HMS Gleaner, a 25-ton surveying motor launch. Devonport is also home to fourteen Type 22 and Type 23 frigates, seven Trafalgar-class submarines and four of the five hydrographic ships which form the Royal Naval Surveying squadron.Alongside its surface ship refitting facilities, Devonport is the only site in the UK equipped to conduct nuclear submarine refits, including those for the Vanguard class. Keith Hall has brought together a fascinating selection of images of the base over its lifetime and illuminated them with commentary on the history of Devonport and its relationship with Plymouth. Keith has served in the Royal Navy and has sailed aboard the Trident and Polaris fleet.

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In the latter half of the 19th Century, the Gosport side of Portsmouth harbour was developed as a fortified port. Fort Blockhouse, originally established in 1495, was updated and became the home of the Royal Engineers' Submarine Mining School in 1873. This book looks at the history of this submarine base at Gosport.

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The X- and XE-Class submarines were conceived during the Second World War: around 51ft (16m) long, they were designed to be towed by a ‘mother’ submarine and use their small size to complete stealth missions, such as attacking harbours and performing reconnaissance. Although they would not begin active service until 1942, the submarine crews achieved quite the record, racking up 167 honours between them, including four Victoria Crosses.Written by ex-submariner Keith Hall, X3 to X54 is a look at the entire life and evolution of the British midget submarine, from its early prototypes to its final journeys. With a wealth of imagery, including archive X-craft photographs as well as up-to-date views of the X51 (HMS Stickleback) from the Scottish Submarine Centre, this is the fascinating, yet little-known, story of Britain’s midget submarines.

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The Clyde submarine base was officially commissioned in 1967. The Faslane site had originally been used as a military port during the Second World War and was built and manned by the army. HMS Adamant, the Depot ship of the 3rd Submarine Squadron, first anchored in Faslane Bay in 1957, and over the years the base has increased in size to accommodate the growing sophistication of the squadron submarines and the increasing number of hulls. This book traces the development of the base in unsurpassed pictorial detail, from its initial use by the army to October 1996, when the base became HM Naval Base Clyde. Chronicling the histories of the two submarine squadrons based at Faslane, the 3rd and 10th Squadrons, this collection is sure to provoke nostalgia among submariners and personnel who have served at the base, while providing a fascinating insight for those not so familiar with its story.

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Between 15 June 1968 and 13 May 1996, the Polaris submarines of the 10th Submarine Squadron carried out a total of 229 patrols, travelling over 2 million miles. Wherever you sit on the nuclear debate, it makes an impressive tale; delivered on time and on budget essentially by a small group of naval officers and civil servants, the Polaris programme ensured that Britain had a Continuous at Sea Deterrence for twenty-eight years. Polaris is not just the history of the weapons, submarines and politicians: it is the history of those who were there. Combining through history with personal memories and photographs, Keith Hall has created a long-lasting legacy to a fascinating project and provided an insight into a world that no longer exists.

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