For a long time, Great Britain was known as a powerful maritime power, which is not surprising given its geographical position... A large number of island territories have become the reason for the development of military and merchant fleets, as well as the construction of ports.
England's seaports are located along the coast and at the estuaries of major rivers, and some also have docks that allow ships to remain in port even at low tide.
The largest of the ports is London, it is the second largest in the world, right after New York. Almost half of all imports of the country and a quarter of exported goods pass through the capital. About nine thousand special barges are used for loading and unloading ships. A long line of docks stretched along the Thames, which were built in different time different companies, because there is a local flavor here.
Liverpool is inferior to London in terms of cargo turnover, but occupies a confident position in world rankings. About thirty percent of passenger transport - about a million people - passes through the port every year. The docks of the port of Liverpool are eighteen kilometers long, and the ports of neighboring cities like Wallacey and Birkenhead are also adjacent to them. The Titanic was assigned to the port of Liverpool, although it was launched in Belfast. The company that built the legendary ship was docked in Liverpool and is now a luxury hotel overlooking the port.
Slightly lower than Liverpool, the turnover for Southampton, the largest port on the English Channel. A natural harbor on the Isle of Wight protects ships from the winds. Food products, as well as oil and timber are brought into the port. In addition, Southampton is the final destination of express trains between America and England: if you get off at this port, you can get to the capital by train in three hours, while by sea the journey to London will take another day. More than sixty percent of the country's maritime passenger traffic passes through Southampton.
Manchester is twice as small as Liverpool in terms of cargo turnover, although through it and the docks of neighboring cities - Ellesmere Port and Eastham - oil tankers are unloaded, and several oil storage facilities are located nearby.
In the Bay of Bristol, the largest ports are Cardiff, Bristol and Swansea, in the northeast of the country - Middlesbrough and Newcastle. In Northern Ireland the most important is the port of Belfast, and in Scotland -. Passenger traffic with France is provided by the port of Dover, where ferries run.
Eighty-nine passenger and cargo ports are currently operating in the UK. Despite the fact that now the volumes of transported goods are not as significant as during the period of colonization by the British Empire eastern countries, English ports continue to generate steady income and play an important role in the country's economy.
Upon entering this extremely southern City on the banks of the English Canal, the slogan every now and then comes across: Portsmouth, the great waterfront city ("Portsmouth, the great coastal city").
Located mainly on the island PortseaIsland, the city is separated from the rest of England by a narrow stream PortsbridgeCreek, crossed by many bridges and roads, so you can understand that you are on the island only by climbing onto the observation deck of the 170-meter tower EmiratesSpinnakerTower, which is also called the Sail of the Solent for its special architecture ( Solent Is the strait that separates the island Wight from the rest of England). Observation deck located at an altitude of 100 m, and below on the ground floor there is a glass cafe WaterfrontCafé overlooking the port. WITH high tower you can see the center and the surrounding area of \u200b\u200bthe old city, the historic port, the coastal fortifications of the Tudor era and new high-rise buildings with a building in the form of a tube of lipstick towering above all others.
Despite the continuous strong wind brought by the hurricane Doris, on one of the gray-blue February days with ragged clouds and sudden solar insights, I went on an excursion with a local professional guide AndrewStarr, and he told me in detail about the centuries-old port past of the city, in the name of which, as in all geographical names its surroundings, the word "port" is present.
IN OldPortsmouth we walked along the embankment, against which dull green waves crashed with noise. Here rises one of the most ancient fortifications - the Square Tower, SquareTower, built in 1494 and also served as the governor's residence. On the north wall of the tower in a special niche is a gilded bust of King Charles (Charles) the First, presented to the city by himself in 1635. Charged with absolutism, war against parliament and betraying the interests of the people of England and their "rights, freedoms, justice and peace", Charles The first was convicted and beheaded under the leadership of Oliver Cromwell in January 1649. On the day of his execution, the king demanded an extra shirt for fear that he would begin to shiver from the cold and thus give the crowd a reason to think that he was trembling with fear. Local legend has it that every time the king's bust was taken out of the niche of the Square Tower to be cleaned, the most terrible events in the history of England took place. Only in the last century was it cleansed in 1939, on the eve of World War II, and in 1982, on the eve of the Falkland Islands War. Since then, the niche was closed with a metal mesh to prevent birds from accessing, and the king was left alone.
Not far from the Square is the Round Tower, RoundTowerbuilt by Henry the Fifth in 1426 from wood and overlaid with stone in the 1490s, as well as the ruins of a church from 1212 Royal Garrison Churchdestroyed by German bombing in the 1940s, and the Anglican Cathedral of the 12th-17th centuries PortsmouthCathedral, in which the son of Charles the First, Charles II, was married.
In the 1650s, when Oliver Cromwell, according to the custom of all victorious revolutionaries, himself turned into a dictator, Charles (Charles) II hid in France and the Netherlands, and after the death of Cromwell, as a result of the political crisis that led to the restoration of the monarchy, he ascended to throne. After Cromwell and his puritanical henchmen, the people happily accepted the "merry king", not alien to earthly pleasures. (He had only 12 illegitimate children, recognized by him himself.) Charles II married Catherine Braganza from an aristocratic Portuguese family. As an "old bride" for 23 years, she was also a Catholic with poor english language, and a childless (three miscarriages) queen, poor Catherine was not popular in England. Despite the constant betrayal of her husband and the coldness of the court, she was a faithful wife, a fair ruler who stood up for the prisoners, and a brave scout in the fashion world. With slender legs, she even tried to set an example for wearing short skirts that completely exposed her feet! Once she was accused of trying to poison the king, she was tried and tried to sentence her to death, but Charles stood up for his wife and saved her life. England owes Catherine Braganza her sacred custom of afternoon tea - she taught the king and courtiers to drink tea.
To the south of the stone towers stretches the longest embankment, decorated with monuments to English sailors, very clean and adapted for long walks. Here at the beginning of the last century was popular with Londoners seaside resort... Later, with the advent of large ferries and cheap travel to Spain, the resort stalled, but the long piers of the Victorian era were left with entertainment, bars and restaurants. On a promontory protruding into the sea, a footpath runs into a medieval fortress. This is the castle Southsea castle, built in 1539 by Henry VIII, who was actively involved in strengthening the sea lines (and not just chopping off the heads of his wives one after another). The fortress was built with money received as a result of the closure of Catholic monasteries and in anticipation of aggression from France. In 1545, during a naval battle with the French, the king watched from here the sinking of his beloved brainchild - the largest ship in the country since 1511 Mary rose, which went to the bottom, taking with it 500 human lives.
The wreck of the sunken ship was discovered in 1971. The starboard side was completely destroyed by time, but the left side has survived in many respects, as are the guns, navigational instruments, metal utensils, tools, money and even the skeletons and clothes of many sailors and one dog. A museum was built around the ship's skeleton, where today you can see the only ship in Europe from the 16th century.
At the historic docks Portsmouth Historic Dockyard also houses Her Majesty's wooden warship Victory, on which Admiral Nelson fought and died at the Battle of Cape Trafalgar in 1805.
In the old town in a small bay you can visit the so-called Spice Island Spice Islandwhere taverns and brothels were located and where smugglers often hunted. They say that there were more than 400 taverns in the city, but it should be borne in mind that they, as a rule, were tiny establishments for 15-20 people, and the port has always lived a full life, and there is a shortage of sailors, lovers of going ashore and having fun , did not have.
Like every seaside town, Portsmouth has an aquarium museum Bluereef aquariuminhabited by fish, crabs and shellfish of the English coast, guests from warm tropical seas and amphibians. Other local species include European spotted sharks.
Also on the embankment is a large modern shopping center Gunwharf Quays with an excellent assortment of shops and restaurants. Firms from Adidas before Wonderbra sell their wares at significant discounts, and small coffee shops and bakeries provide shoppers with lunch breaks.
Photos: Emma Krasov.Moreat “RealTravelAdventures "www.realtraveladventures.com and “Art and Entertain Me” www.artandentertainme.blogspot.com. Copyright Emma Krasov. All rights reserved. Email: [email protected]
Emma Krasov
The UK economy is highly dependent on the health of the national merchant marine. According to the Department of Transport and the UK Shipping Chamber, about 95% of the tonnage and 75% of the value of British foreign trade goods, as well as up to 25% of domestic trade goods, are transported by water.
To service marine trade and passenger shipsand cargo handling, the UK has over 70 international commercial seaports of commercial importance, as well as over 200 small port points where local cargo is handled. More than 565 million tons of cargo are transshipped through British ports annually, of which about 220 million are imported and 180 million are imported. export, as well as carried up to 30 million passengers.
All areas of the UK, except the West Midlands, are connected with seaports, which serve as major transport hubs. The largest of them are London, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow, Bristol, Newcastle. (Figure 1 shows all ports in the UK).
The largest British port - London, which is the second in the world after New York, is located on the Thames, 45 km from its mouth. London passes 40-50% of all UK imports and about 25% of exports. Docks, wharves, warehouses, stretching for tens of kilometers, mainly on the north bank of the Thames, were built at different times various companies... For unloading and loading operations in the port of London, in addition to floating cranes, about 9 thousand so-called lighters (lighters) are widely used - self-propelled barges with a carrying capacity of 20 to 100 tons.
London is inferior in terms of cargo turnover Liverpool, in the Mersei estuary, also one of the world's largest ports. Liverpool rivals London in terms of its export role. The port of Liverpool also handles 30% of the country's maritime passenger turnover (about 1 million passengers per year). In addition to the docks of Liverpool itself, stretching for 18 km along the right bank of the Mersey estuary, the port of Liverpool also includes the docks of nearby cities that are part of the conurbation of Greater Liverpool, in particular Birkenhead and Wallace on the left bank of the Mersey estuary.
Manchester is a major port in Great Britain. Connected with the mouth of the river. The Mersey, which flows into the Irish Sea, is a 58 km long shipping channel. The Port of Manchester includes 20 tidal dock basins, part of a canal, piers and quays. The length of the berth front is 17 km with depths up to 12.2 m. The port has specialized berths for tankers, ore carriers and vessels carrying containers. About 70% of the total turnover of sea cargo is liquid cargo: oil, gasoline, liquid sulfur.
The total turnover of sea cargo passing through Manchester is 11.4 million tons. The port has powerful loading and unloading facilities, 3 dry docks and floating docks provide any repair of ships and ships up to and including destroyers and submarines. Through the channel and the mouth of the river. Mersey is connected to the port of Liverpool.
Glasgow - a major port of Great Britain and one of the main centers of shipbuilding on the Clyde River, 34 km from the mouth, on west coast Scotland. The port includes dock pools, piers and quays. The length of the berthing front is 20.4 km with depths up to 12.5 m. The total volume of sea cargo passing through the port of Glasgow exceeds 5.5 million tons. There are 6 dry docks and slipways in the port of Glasgow, which provide any ship repair. Glasgow shipyards produce about 45% of all British shipbuilding. The port is connected by a canal to the Firth of Forth in the North Sea.
Bristol -large port of Great Britain, located at the top of the bay of the same name at the mouth of the river. Avon. Includes King raid, 7 tidal dock basins that span the entire estuary, and tanker berths. The rest of the vessels are handled only at the docks due to high tidal currents. The length of the berthing front is up to 14 km with depths up to 14 m. The total turnover of sea cargo in the port of Bristol is 3.9 million tons. The structure of sea cargo passing through the port is diverse, with a predominance of oil imports. The Port of Bristol provides all types of ship and ship repairs.
Newcastle - the port of Great Britain on the river. Tyne, which flows into the North Sea, 11 km from the mouth. The Port of Newcastle has 3 dock pools, a promenade and marinas. The depth in the roadstead is 6.4--12.6 m. The length of the mooring front is up to 6 km with depths of up to 11 m. The following sea cargo is imported to the port of Newcastle: oil and oil products, non-ferrous metals, iron ore, chemicals, cement, foodstuffs; exported - coke, coal, cast iron, machinery, lead and other metals. The total turnover of sea cargo passing through the port of Newcastle is 5 million tons. The berths are equipped with loading and unloading equipment, there are warehouses, cargo areas, oil storage facilities, a shipyard, and a dry dock.
Insular position of the country at the crossroads of important sea routes between Europe and other continents and dependence economic development countries from external markets for raw materials and sales and the possibility of foreign trade transportation only by sea - all this contributes to the development of the country's merchant marine fleet and its transformation into the largest maritime power in the world.
For several centuries, Great Britain has owned the largest maritime fleet in the world.
in 1904, the British maritime fleet was equal to almost half of the world tonnage. From 1948 to 1964 the British merchant fleet was the second largest in the world.
The British Register includes 649 vessels with a displacement of over 100 so-called "long" tons. Their total carrying capacity is 15 million tons. Among them: 149 vessels with a total deadweight of 5.5 million tons for the transportation of oil, gas and chemicals; 453 vessels with deadweight of 9.3 million tons, hired as dry cargo and container ships; 47 passenger ships with a total deadweight of 100 thousand tons.
In the past, more passengers arrived in the UK by sea than by air. However, since the beginning of the 60s of the 20th century, the number of air passengers began to grow rapidly and now exceeds the number of those arriving in the country by sea several times. In total, the country has about 150 airports through which it is connected by regular airlines with more than 100 countries of the world.
According to the British Statistical Office, 77% of ships owned by British companies are registered in the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man or British Overseas Territories.
