1966: Historic Event at the Dockyard
1966: Historic Event at the Dockyard
England’s victory over Norway in last night’s World Cup quarterfinal has taken many back to 1966.
Whilst most people are referring to England’s only World Cup win. Here at The Historic Dockyard Chatham, we are actually remembering the catastrophic fire that destroyed No.2 Covered Slip.
That fateful day of Tuesday 12 July (coincidentally, the day after the 1966 World Cup had started) is remembered by many local people, including Historic Dockyard volunteer Bob.
Bob’s Story
If memory serves me correctly, it was a beautiful Summer’s day. I was a third-year Dockyard Electrical Fitter apprentice who was attending college that day at Collingwood (the Dockyard college and training centre). It was situated just off the Khyber Road, which ran from near Pembroke Gate (Dock Road) up to Prince Arthur Road.
Well, that’s my alibi out of the way…
1960s Dockyard
The last ship laid down in No. 2 Covered Slip at Chatham Dockyard was HMS VIDAL, a Royal Navy survey ship which was completed in 1954.
After the last ship was launched, the Slip was mainly used for storage, including a collection of ships’ figureheads. Not only were they stored inside the structure, but some were on display outside and became victims of the fire.
The figurehead in the iconic picture of the fire is that of Admiral Lord Nelson, and it was very badly damaged /destroyed. It had been removed from the 3rd-rate ship HMS VANGUARD when it was broken up at Chatham Dockyard in 1875.
About the Fire
I cannot be sure at what time the fire actually started, but it was sometime in the morning.
The Periscope (the Dockyard’s in-house paper) later reported:
“The fire, such as Medway Towns had not seen for 20 years. The fire grew from wisps of smoke in a matter of seconds to an enormous blaze, and within minutes it was a mass of flames enveloping the whole No 2 Slipway and the historic 300 ft wooden building, which only the previous year had housed the Victory Exhibition. In less than half an hour, the roof caved in, and it was clear that nothing could be done to save any part of the area.”
A nearby machine shop was also damaged. However, attending firemen had ensured that the threat of the fire spreading to other buildings in proximity, including the Commissioner’s House, was averted.
First attenders were Dockyard Police and Fire Brigade,some workers also offered assistance. An emergency call had been made to Kent Fire Brigade, Green Street engine attended closely followed by engines from Chatham and other stations across the Medway towns and Kent.
The structure and contents were totally destroyed, a number of private vehicles were damaged, number reported to have been 16.
Fortunately there were no serious injuries, however 44 people were reported to have suffered injuries in the fighting of the fire.
Aftermath
A fire of such magnitude, and in a Royal Dockyard was considered as serious as to be tabled and raised in the House of Commons. It was noted in Hansard of the 13th July 1966 of the proceedings, that the slipway was of considerable historic interest, had contained stores of not a great value and had been totally destroyed.
41 persons received minor injuries and 16 private cars were damaged.
Further questions were asked in Parliament on 15th July 1966 by Mr Frederick Burden, Conservative MP for Gillingham, recorded in Hansard, including how the fire was started, asking for the total cost, including private property, and whether any essential production in Chatham Dockyard had been affected by the fire damage.
His final question related to compensation for damage caused to private property.
Mr J.P.W. Mallalieu, the then Secretary of State for Defence, replied:
“The cause and cost of this fire are matters for the Board of Inquiry, but I can say now that the value of the stores which were burnt was not very great, and production was not affected by the fire.
Private property is brought into a dockyard at the owners’ risk, but we are always prepared to consider exceptional claims without prejudice.”
What Caused the Fire
The result of the Board of Enquiry was recorded in Hansard Friday January 20th 1967, and read out to the House.
“As the hon. Member was informed on 21st July, it is not normal to publish reports of Service Boards of Inquiry, but I am now able to make a statement on the fire at Chatham Dockyard in No. 2 Slip.
A large building erected in 1700, it was of unique wooden construction and of considerable historical interest. The building was used as a naval store for packed equipment, copper tubing, packaging material and some sailing gear.
The Board of Inquiry concluded that the fire started as a result of the action of an employee who has since been discharged.
It spread very rapidly, partly because of the explosion of wood and other dust which has accumulated in the wood members over centuries, and partly because the open-ended structure of the building formed a natural wind tunnel which drove the fire its whole length.
As a result of the fire, the building and its contents were completely destroyed.
As previously stated, 41 people received minor injuries. The total loss is estimated at about £80,000.
The Board of Inquiry made an exhaustive investigation into the adequacy of the fire precautions and prevention measures in the slip, and in the light of their recommendations, we are undertaking a review of the fire precautions for all old buildings used as stores.”
Mention in the report was of an employee of the Dockyard responsible for the fire, and who was dismissed from employment. No name or further information given. Unofficially, believed that fire was caused by discarded cigarette/s by an apprentice/ apprentices.
About No.2 Covered Slip
During the long working life of the Dockyard, three of the shipbuilding slips – numbers 1, 2, and 3 were covered. The work was carried out during the 17th century. This came about due to the Navy Board’s concern about minimising the impact of dry rot on ships during construction.
This concern was during the ongoing Napoleonic War, 1803 – 1815, when Chatham Dockyard was heavily involved in shipbuilding, as ships were needed quickly for the war.
In 1813, the first one to be covered was No. 2 Slip, followed by No. 1 in 1815. Today, the only existing Slip is No.3, which was built in 1836 and covered in 1838. We are fortunate to still have this fine example of 17th-century architectural glory.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, No. 2 Slip would have been used in the construction of wooden-hulled ships, through to the hybrids of the day, such as HMS GANNET. Finally, building fully armoured ships such as HMS ACHILLES, an iron-clad frigate which was completed in 1864.
No. 3 Slip gives an image of what the No. 2 would have been like.
