Saint Peter Port Harbour is located in
Saint Peter Port
St. Peter Port () is a town and one of the ten parishes on the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. It is the capital of the Bailiwick of Guernsey as well as the main port. The population in 2019 was 18,958.
St. Peter Port is a small tow ...
, Guernsey. It was a natural anchorage used by the
Romans
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of Roman civilization
*Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
which has been changed into an artificial harbour that is now the island's main port for passengers. Loose cargo, liquids and gas are shipped to and from
St Sampson's
St Sampson (Guernésiais: ) is a parish of Guernsey, an island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, directly north of St Peter Port. It is on the north-west and north-east coasts of the island and is split into two sections, intersected by Vale.
The p ...
harbour.
Castle Cornet
Castle Cornet is a large island castle in Guernsey, and former tidal island, also known as Cornet Rock or Castle Rock. Its importance was as a defence not only of the island, but of the roadstead. In 1859, it became part of one of the breakwat ...
has formed the harbour main defence for centuries. The castle was formerly a tidal island, but since 1859 a breakwater has connected it to the enlarged harbour.
History
The earliest evidence of shipping was the discover of a wreck in 1982 in the entrance of the harbour, which has been named "Asterix". It is thought to be a 3rd-century Roman cargo vessel and was probably at anchor or grounded when the fire broke out.
The first breakwater, from before the 13th century was a mole, made of loose stones, where the Albert Pier now stands.
In 1605, a
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...
authorised a ''pettie Custume'' tax on imports to Guernsey to pay for harbour development.
The English Civil War saw the harbour in the firing line in 1643 between the Royalist held
Castle Cornet
Castle Cornet is a large island castle in Guernsey, and former tidal island, also known as Cornet Rock or Castle Rock. Its importance was as a defence not only of the island, but of the roadstead. In 1859, it became part of one of the breakwat ...
and the Parliamentarian held town. Cannonballs fired from the castle caused some damage to the town.
In 1831 gas lamps replaced oil lamps on quays, in 1857 electric lights were demonstrated.
[ The harbour piers were extended by 1864 to allow ships to berth at any state of the tide.] Problems were experienced with many piers, quicksand, subsidence and bulges were often solved with piles and by reducing the weight through making problem piers hollow.[ Dredging in 1899 and removal of some rock from the harbour bed, improved services.
Since 1881 the harbour has housed the ]Saint Peter Port Lifeboat Station
St Peter Port Lifeboat Station is located at Saint Peter Port, St Peter Port, Capital city, capital of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, and main port of the island of Guernsey, a self-governing British Crown Dependency and one of the Channel Islands. ...
, originally in a building on the Castle Pier.
The First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
saw the establishment of a French seaplane base, on the pier close to Castle Cornet. The pilots flew on constant watch for German submarines.
On 28 June 1940, German commanders sent a squadron of bomber
A bomber is a military combat aircraft that utilizes
air-to-ground weaponry to drop bombs, launch aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploy air-launched cruise missiles.
There are two major classifications of bomber: strategic and tactical. Strateg ...
s over the islands and bombed the harbours of Guernsey and Jersey. In St Peter Port
St. Peter Port () is a town and one of the ten parishes on the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. It is the capital of the Bailiwick of Guernsey as well as the main port. The population in 2019 was 18,958.
St. Peter Port is a small tow ...
some lorries lined up to unload tomato
The tomato (, ), ''Solanum lycopersicum'', is a plant whose fruit is an edible Berry (botany), berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originate ...
es for export to England were mistaken by the reconnaissance for troop carriers. Forty-four islanders were killed in the raids. The BBC then broadcast the message that the islands had been declared "open towns", after Prime Minister Winston Churchill refused to announce the demilitarisation through diplomatic channels, and later in the day reported the German bombing of the island.
The Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
saw the town also bombed by Allied bombers which killed harbour workers and caused damage to the harbour, such as on 14 June 1944, having been identified by Cryptanalysis of the Enigma
Cryptanalysis of the Enigma ciphering system enabled the western Allies of World War II, Allies in World War II to read substantial amounts of Morse code, Morse-coded radio communications of the Axis powers that had been enciphered using Enigm ...
intercepts, which was confirmed with a solo photographic reconnaissance Spitfire from No. 541 Squadron RAF
No. 541 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed as a photographic reconnaissance squadron in World War II.
History
Formation in World War II
The squadron formed at RAF Benson on 19 October 1942 from 'B' and 'F' flights of No. 1 PR ...
, German submarine U-275 was attacked by no less than 8 Hawker Typhoon
The Hawker Typhoon was a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft. It was intended to be a medium-high altitude interceptor aircraft, interceptor, as a replacement for the Hawker Hurricane, but several design problems we ...
strike attack aircraft of No. 263 Squadron RAF while tied up in harbour. No damage was caused to the submarine; escorting vessels were not so lucky, where the rockets hit a Dutch coaster M.V. Karel in the harbour. Many windows in town were shattered including most of those in the Town Church.
The Nazi German forces improved the defences of the harbour including building a number of steel and concrete bunkers and casemates, most of which are located on the Castle pier. One bunker was removed from the New Jetty after the war due to fears that weight may collapse the jetty. Considerable work has recently been undertaken strengthening the New Jetty. A workshop erected by the Germans on the Albert Pier was demolished in the 1970s.
During the mid 1980s the harbour was dredged to provide easier access for shipping, with the excavated aggregate pumped through pipes to reclaim the land currently used for the North Beach parking, between the harbour and the Queen Elizabeth II Marina.
Harbour Facilities
Freight and Passengers
A passenger terminal and customs facilities are located on St Julian's Pier.
Facilities at the harbour include two ro-ro
Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, Trailer (vehicle), trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their ...
ramps for cars and lorries that travel on car/passenger ferries such as the 97m long catamaran '' Condor Voyager'' or freight/car/passenger traditional ferries such as the '' Islander''.
, -
, colspan=5, Future ferry service
Two large cranes and a number of smaller ones facilitate the loading/unloading of containers.
Piers
Albert Pier
The southern arm of the original harbour going east from near the Town Church was originally a mole
Mole (or Molé) may refer to:
Animals
* Mole (animal) or "true mole"
* Golden mole, southern African mammals
* Marsupial mole
Marsupial moles, the Notoryctidae family, are two species of highly specialized marsupial mammals that are found i ...
, referred to in 1275 by Edward I of England
Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 1254 ...
when it was mentioned as needing reconstruction, given permission to raise a local tax to cover the cost, little was done until a dry stone pier, was constructed by 1580.[ The pier was well built, standing 35 ft high and 360 ft long, paved with a parapet and still being in good condition in 1815.][ Until 1806 a roundhouse tower at the end of the pier had been used as a holding cell for prisoners who needed to be shipped by sea to Castle Cornet, a lighthouse was built on the remains of the roundhouse in 1831 before being demolished in 1860. Improved in 1861-63 with north return arm now at right angles.][ It was renamed in honour of ]Prince Albert
Prince Albert most commonly refers to:
*Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria
*Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco
Prince Albert may also refer to:
Royalty
* Alb ...
who had died in 1861. A statue of Prince Albert, a copy of an original by Joseph Durham
Joseph Durham (1814 – 27 October 1877) was an English sculptor.
Life
Durham was born in London in 1814. Around 1827 he was apprenticed to John Francis. He later worked in the studio of E. H. Baily for three years, and exhibited his ...
, was erected in 1863.[
]
North or Crown Pier
The northern arm of the original harbour heads east from the Quay, with a retaining pier for the Careening Hard going north. Originally built from 1703 as a breakwater, gradually improved and by 1750 was completed as a dry construction with an arm heading south east.[
The harbour quay was completed by the late 1770s, prior to that everything was landed on the beach, cattle still being made to swim ashore.
In 1838 the entrance to the old harbour was widened to make it 40 ft at the top and 68 ft at the bottom.][ In 1893 the pier was rebuilt to 220 ft length.][
]
St Julians Pier
St Julian's Pier is the pier running east from St Julian's Avenue roundabout. The foundation stone for the pier being laid in 1853. The first weighbridge
A truck scale (US), weighbridge (non-US) or railroad scale is a large set of Weighing scale, scales, usually mounted permanently on a concrete foundation, that is used to weigh entire Railroad car#Freight cars, rail or road vehicles and their co ...
was built on the pier in 1861,[ later rebuilt in stone in 1892 and upgraded to 20-ton in 1923. Moving east along the pier you reach the Cambridge Berth (1909), the new Inter-Island Quay, the Ro-Ro ramps (1975), the New Jetty (1927) and finally the White Rock Pier with its Lo-Lo facilities.
]
Castle Pier
The Castle Pier was constructed in the 1850s to protect the southern side of the expanded harbour. Connecting the south esplanade with Castle Cornet to the east. There is a retaining wall for the Albert Marina, the Fish Quay built from the model yacht pond, a connecting bridge to Castle Cornet
Castle Cornet is a large island castle in Guernsey, and former tidal island, also known as Cornet Rock or Castle Rock. Its importance was as a defence not only of the island, but of the roadstead. In 1859, it became part of one of the breakwat ...
, and at the end the Castle Breakwater, authorised in 1854, completed in 1861, with its lighthouse completed 1868. The abattoir was completed and the Victoria Boat Pond, later called the ''Model Yacht Pond'', was opened in 1887 for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.[ In the ]First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
a French seaplane base was established on the pier, next to the pond.
From 1931 to 1951 oil was imported at the Albert dock,[ the Germans building tunnels in 1942 to house fuel containers at La Vallette, the tunnels now form a museum.
]
Fish Quay
A purpose built quay built in 1987 with a reinforced concrete deck supported on piles with pontoons, built out from the Castle Pier to provide facilities for the small number of local fishing boats.
Local yachts
Two marinas are dedicated to local yachts and motor boats. The smaller original 1975 Albert Marina, located between the Castle and Albert piers and the newer Queen Elizabeth II Marina located north of the St Julian's Pier which was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1989. Both marinas have retaining sills.
Visiting yachts
Visiting tourist yachts and motor vessels can tie up to pontoons inside the inner harbour, which has a fixed barrier to maintain water in the harbour at low tide, or may moor against outer harbour deep water pontoons. St Peter Port marina is the largest marina in the British Isles, it hosts over 10,500 visiting yachts every year.[
]
Cruise ships
The island has become a regular destination for cruise ships with over 100 ships arriving between April and October and is the largest tender port for cruise liners in Europe.
The restricted size of the harbour will not allow cruise ships to enter resulting in the ships needing to anchor in the roads. The disembarkation of passengers, mainly using their own ships tenders was, until 2014 using a ro-ro
Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, Trailer (vehicle), trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their ...
ramp on the White Rock pier until an alternative pontoon and ramp were installed attached to the Albert Pier. Initially the ramp caused complaints as it was considered too steep to passengers to climb when tides were very low, in 2015 this was rectified with a longer ramp which reduced the gradient.
Businesses are developing for transporting and entertaining the 100,000+ annual visitors, with some queues being experienced on days when two large ships arrive on the same day.
Memorials
A number of commemoration plaques and memorials are located at the harbour:
At start of St Julians Pier
* Plaque in memory of the local people lost when RMS Titanic
RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that Sinking of the Titanic, sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking Iceberg that struck the Titanic, an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York Ci ...
sank
On St Julians Pier:
* Plaque to commemorate evacuation of children in 1940
* Plaque in memory of those killed in the harbour bombing in 1940
* Plaque in memory of the holocaust and Jewish residents deported in 1942
* Plaque to commemorate deportation of islanders in 1942-3
* Plaque in memory of foreign workers
Foreign workers or guest workers are people who work in a country other than one of which they are a citizen. Some foreign workers use a guest worker program in a country with more preferred job prospects than in their home country. Guest worke ...
who died in 1940-5
* Guernsey Resistance plaque
* Liberation monument to commemorate the liberation in 1945 (winner of Civic Trust Award
The Civic Trust Awards scheme is a British awards scheme to recognise outstanding architecture, planning and design in the built environment. It was established in 1959, and is the longest-standing built environment awards scheme in Europe. The ...
in 1997
At end of St Julians Pier
* Plaque in memory of loss of SS Stella (1890) and sacrifice of Mary Ann Rogers.
On slipway in inner harbour:
* Stone commemorating landing of Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
and Albert, Prince Consort
Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Franz August Karl Albert Emanuel; 26 August 1819 – 14 December 1861) was the husband of Queen Victoria. As such, he was consort of the British monarch from their marriage on 10 February 1840 until his ...
in August 1846
* Stone commemorating landing of Task Force 135 troops on 9 May 1945
On Albert Pier:
* Statue of Prince Albert
Gallery
Image:CastleCornet.png, An old print of Castle Cornet c. 1814.
Image:Liberation Monument Guernsey 2.jpg, Liberation Monument
Image:Guernsey July 2010 Plaque 51.jpg, Evacuation of children
Image:Guernsey July 2010 Plaque 52.jpg, Deportation of three Jews
Image:Guernsey July 2010 Plaque 53.jpg, Deportation of islanders
Image:Arrival at St Peter Port, Guernsey - May 1945 Art.IWMARTLD5600.jpg, British troops landing during the liberation
See also
* Maritime history of the Channel Islands
Harbour master plan 2013
Guernsey harbours web site
References
{{UK Docks
Ports and harbours of Guernsey
Harbour
A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be Mooring, moored. The t ...