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Photographs - Gallery 9
All photos in this section were supplied by Peter Night.
He has a site devoted to HMS Rodney's sistership,
HMS Nelson.
Photos are from Inverkiething, where HMS Rodney was broken up.
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RODNEY at Inverkeithing's deep water wharf on 19 August 1948 showing
'B' triple 16-inch turret following removal of the seven and a quarter-inch
roof plates. The panels on the rear cover are ventilation holes. Ahead of
her is British India's cargo liner KARAGOLA furthest centre the hulk of
FRESNO STAR to the left GENERAL OSORIO. The viaduct carries the
main Edinburgh to Aberdeen railway, providing a good view for
passengers of the yard. |
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Inverkeithing at it;s busiest. This view taken on 24 May 1949 shows
three battleships, with RODNEY on the finishing berth which dried
out at low tide. Nelson at the deep water berth, with REVENGE
outboard. Although the latter arrived six months before NELSON, she
was not finished until the end of 1952. A new office block is under
construction for Ward's next to the road. 1949 was the peak year of
British shipbreaking, with around 500,000 tons of scrap produced,
the equivalent of sixteen battleships or 400 destroyers. |
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RODNEY was the first of four battleships to arrive at Ward's Inverkeithing yard
within a 14-month period. Here she has just arrives (on 26 March 1948) at the
deep water wharf, berthing outboard of ex-German 11590 GRT liner GENERAL
OSORIO, with the stern of ex-German 6390 GRT cargo vessel BELGRANO at the
finishing berth to the left. Demolition of RODNEY had already started at Rosyth
Dockyard early in 1948 to lighten her to get into Inverkiething. This included
the removal of all six twin 6-inch turrets. She was beached on 13 April 1949,
with removal of her last sections in December 1949.
She yielded 31,763 tons of scrap.
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