The intention was to board the Waverley at Southend Pier for a trip down the Thames Estuary to view the WW2 Anti-Aircraft Forts...
However the weather was not playing ball with a gusting wind hitting 50mph+ out to sea, so we were diverted down the River Medway as far as Gillingham.
It was still an intresting trip as ee did get to see some Napoleonic Forts, shipwrecks and other stuff normally out of sight to non-river traffic.
General Things
Sheerness Port.
Southern Bay refregirated cargo transporter.
Car transporter waiting loading
Freighter waiting loading
Duel Fuel Power Station, both coal & gas.
LNG (Liquidfied Nateral Gas) pumping station.
Disused 2.5km gas jetty.
Coal being off loaded.
The Napoleonic Forts
Sheerness, now in use as part of the port, Medway Control, GPS Control amd Coastguard station.
Further down the river on the Southernshore is this fort
on the point island is its twin sister
Fort at the mouth of the Medway
Shipwrecks
Lighter Barges laid up long ago.
Two of the retired Lightships
Another retired Lightship
Unknown beached ship
On Thursday, November 26th 1914 HMS Balwark the 15,000 ton battleship was part of the 5th Battle Squadron she was moored up at the No.17 buoy in Kethole Reach when at 7:35 she sufferd an internal magazine explosion of the crew of 700-800 14 surrived the blast, a number of these however died later at hospital.
On 27th May 1915 HMS Princess Irene the minelayer with a crew of 225 along with 80 Petty Officers from Chatham and 76 Sheerness Dockyard workers the crew were priming mines on the twin arming deck when a detination of a mine setting off a massive chain reaction obliterating most of the boat and those on board, today the lower decks and keel still surrive where they sunk, they are begining to cause a hazard to the newer larger ships using the port.
The Waverley
Depature for London
USS Richard Montgomery, The Ticking Time bomb
This is the wreck of a Liberty Ship, which came to rest on a sandbank during 1944 she broke her back and flooded, she was carrying 1000's tons of explosives much was removed however some 4000tons remain on board to this day, they say its best to leave her well alone as the TNT can become unstable with age and a detination would obliterate Sheerness about a mile away, the isle of sheppy and cause major damage to Southend...