Royal Navy, Admiralty & Ministry of Defence

n Dockyard times, the Captain Superintendent was a leading figure in local society. Captain Ramsay (1857-62) was remembered for "his absence of red-tapeism, which was emphasized by his dress, consisting of a uniform coat and bell-topper hat, which he wore on going his daily rounds of inspection ... He possessed a smiling face and a kindly, thoughtful nature". Captain Pell, "a very quaint character", (1842-45) adopted a different approach to supervising the Dockyard workers. "He had a wooden leg, and ... used to ride from one place to another in the yard on a very intelligent pony called Jack ... Another of this Captain's habits was to ride up to the Barrack Hill, and from there with a spying glass see whether the men were idling or not". Captain Long's picture appears prominently in press accounts of the launch of the battleship Empress of India (1891).

The tug Empire Netta

Salvage vessel Garganey

1979: a tug guides HMS Warrior past Pembroke Ferry, on her departure from Pembroke Dock. She had served as an oil jetty since the 1930s, and is now splendidly restored at Portsmouth.

A variety of vessels operated from the MOD section of the Dockyard, including ...

Cdr John Guard summarizes the Royal Navy's role in the Dockyard and area after 1926. The Dockyard boom- defence base catered for Milford Haven's antisubmarine protection. Substantial fuel oil depots were at Llanreath and Llanion. The former was bombed in 1940, and the latter used HMS Warrior as a jetty. 764 Squadron Fleet Air Arm was based in the Dockyard in 1940, until moving to its own base at Llawrenny.

(Sources: Peters 14, 149; Mason 53; Guard) Pictures by courtesy of : Captain Long, Pembrokeshire County Libraries - Empire Netta, Garganey, Royal Naval Association Club, Pembroke Dock - HMS Warrior, Pembroke Dock Museum Trust.

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(Amendment, updates and additions) (AJ) Anndra Johnstone