Maritime History > Harbours and Dockyards

Chatham Docks to close

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castle261:
I have only just seen this -- M.B.B.


You are right, the contractors stated work in 1983 to build the ramp for roll on / roll off ships.


Earlier in 1970`s, a lorry stopped by me full of these wooden boxes. 10ft x 6 x 6 with 2 doors.
These was padlocked & were the fore runners, before the larger metal containers.
These were called - Chacons - Cha - Chatham --- Cons - for Containers --  the first of many !


Used for Royal Navy Stores - to places like Gibraltar - Hong Kong.

Medway Born and Bred:
Castle261

When you were working in No 2 basin and heard the news was this towards the end of the time that it was still a naval dockyard i.e. 1983 ish? The reason I ask is because I was working for a wharf in Rochester in 1984 and they moved onto a couple of berths in basin 3 in 1985, probably 7 and 8 if memory serves right. It was the far side of the basin and I remember warehouses being frantically built. It was ideal because prior to that we could only bring in conventional cargo at Rochester that was craned off, whereas this would allow us to bring in lucrative RORO cargo on much larger ships. We did utilise some already existing dockyard sheds and a very large flat roofed brick building for office and canteen facilities.

castle261:
I was working in No 2 basin when it was announced that a company had acquired the No 3 basin,
as a terminus for it`s `Roll on, Roll off, ships `. I watched as the company had contractors, dig for
ages, to replace a wall, with a concrete slope. I was engaged to help build a new 5 ton crane, on
the ex store boat site, the first of the few. I did not know that No 2 basin, belong to them, as well.

stuartwaters:
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/800-jobs-on-the-line-at-port-215214/

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