Defence Munitions Crombie is a military
munitions depot on the upper
Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth () is a firth in Scotland, an inlet of the North Sea that separates Fife to its north and Lothian to its south. Further inland, it becomes the estuary of the River Forth and several other rivers.
Name
''Firth'' is a cognate ...
in West Fife, Scotland. The depot is located on the north shore of the river, south of the village of
Crombie and west of
Charlestown. The site commenced operations in 1916. It was formerly known as
RNAD Crombie and DMC Crombie. It is now operated as part of the UK's
Defence Storage and Distribution Agency.
The depot has two jetties and a deep water channel allowing
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
warships and
Royal Fleet Auxiliary
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is a naval auxiliary fleet owned by the UK's Ministry of Defence. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service and provides logistical and operational support to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines.
The RF ...
replenishment vessels to moor for resupply.
The
US Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
operates a
cooperative security location (CSL) at the depot which provides logistical capabilities in support of US Navy and allied forces operating in
northern Europe
The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other ge ...
. The CSL is administered by
Naval Supply Systems Command's Fleet Logistics Center Sigonella, based at
Naval Air Station Sigonella
Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella is an Italian Air Force base ('), and a U.S. Navy installation at Italian Air Force Base Sigonella in Lentini, Sicily, Italy. The whole NAS is a tenant of the Italian Air Force, which has the military and the ...
in Italy.
History
DM Crombie formerly served as the primary munitions depot for
Rosyth Naval Yard, which is downriver of the depot. Since the naval yard's closure, DM Crombie has been retained primarily as a loading/off-loading facility for naval vessels and the storage and maintenance of the Royal Air Force's air launched weapons.
In 2003 the site employed around 200 people;
by 2012 this was reduced to 84 staff, all civilians.
The site occupies about 200 acres.
References
External links
*
Installations of the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
Ammunition dumps in Scotland
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