NAVAL DOCKS The dockyard at Rosyth, on the north side of the Firth of Forth, is the most modern example of naval dock construction in Great Britain. The works had been commenced in 1909 and, although a large part of the accommodation was made available for the fleet by the summer of 1915, construction continued until 1921. The dockyard occupies a site on the foreshore of the Firth above the Forth bridge and comprises a closed basin or dock of 561ac., an entrance lock, three dry docks, and tidal basins and in addition, there is a tidal entrance to the basin isft. wide at sill level (see Proc., Inst. C.E. 1927).
To meet the growing needs of the navy new locks and a dry dock were constructed at Portsmouth shortly before the war, the dimensions of which are practically identical with those at Rosyth. The largest of the Devonport locks and dry docks, in use in 1928, were of somewhat smaller dimensions but in that year the entrance to the Keyham dock was widened from 95 to i25ft.
In 1922 the Admiralty initiated a scheme f or the construction of a naval base at Singapore. Although some preliminary works and dredging were carried out in the interval, it was not until 1928 that the building of the main works was begun. The dockyard will include deep-water berths for ships under repair, a dry dock and floating dock with the necessary shops, power station, etc., re quired f or a repair base; in addition there will be a store base with sheds, etc., and an oil installation with all necessary facilities for f uelling.