Spithead
50°45′05″N 1°08′12″W / 50.75140°N 1.13667°W
Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds except those from the southeast. It receives its name from the Spit, a sandbank stretching south from the Hampshire shore for 5 km (3.1 mi). Spithead is 22.5 km (14.0 mi) long by about 6.5 km (4.0 mi) in average breadth. Spithead and the channel to the north is the main approach for shipping to Portsmouth Harbour and onwards to Southampton.[1] Spithead itself is an important naval anchorage.[2] Historically, Spithead was used for assembling Royal Navy ships, including as a formation area for squadrons or fleets at anchors, as well as for the resupply of ships.[3][4]
History
[edit]_-_Spithead,_Two_Captured_Danish_Ships_Entering_Portsmouth_Harbour_-_N00481_-_National_Gallery.jpg)
There are evidence of submerged prehistoric landscapes at Spithead.[2]
The Spithead mutiny occurred in 1797 in some of the ship of the Royal Navy Channel fleet which were at anchor at Spithead.[5]
Spithead was the location where HMS Royal George sank in 1782 with the loss of more than 800 lives.[5]
The Fleet Review is a British tradition that usually takes place at Spithead, where the monarch reviews the massed Royal Navy.[1]
In July 2007, Admiral Alan West, a former First Sea Lord took the name Spithead when he was appointed to the House of Lords, taking the title Baron West of Spithead.[6]
Infrastructure
[edit]Spithead has been strongly defended by four Solent Forts, which complement the Fortifications of Portsmouth.[7] The forts were begun in 1865 under Lord Palmerston and completed by 1880.[7]
At the eastern end of the approaches to Spithead lies Nab Tower, which is sunk in place over rocks and replaced an earlier light vessel.[8][9]
In popular culture
[edit]In the operetta H.M.S. Pinafore by Gilbert and Sullivan, the character "Buttercup" is referred to as "The rosiest, roundest, and reddest beauty in all Spithead".
In the book series about the naval officer Horatio Hornblower by C. S. Forester, the main protagonist starts off his career by becoming seasick in calm weather on Spithead.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Royal Reviews at Spithead". History Today. 6 June 1977. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
- ^ a b Satchell, Julie; English Heritage; Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund; Hampshire And Wight Trust For Maritime Archaeology (2007), England's Historic Seascapes: Solent and Isle of Wight, doi:10.5284/1000315
- ^ Macdonald, Janet W. (2010). The British Navy's Victualling Board, 1793-1815. Woodbridge, Suffolk ; Rochester, NY: Boydell & Brewer. p. 84. ISBN 978-1-84383-553-0. OCLC 619635266.
- ^ Dunn, Steve (30 January 2021). The Power and the Glory. Seaforth Publishing. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-5267-6905-3.
- ^ a b Manwaring, G.E.; Dobree, Bonamy (30 May 2004). The Floating Republic. Pen and Sword. ISBN 978-1-4738-1931-3.
- ^ "No. 58391". The London Gazette. 13 July 2007. p. 10139.
- ^ a b White, Marcus (19 June 2024). "Solent sea forts each sell for more than £1m". BBC News. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
- ^ Hamilton, Keith (13 August 2012). "Historic tower to be given a makeover". Daily Echo. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
- ^ "Nab Tower Lighthouse". Trinity House. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Spithead at Wikimedia Commons
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