Invergordon
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Invergordon is a town and port in Easter Ross, in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland.
A naval base in the early 20th century, evidence of which remains in the tank farm lying behind the town centre, which used to contain fuel oil and water for admiralty ships, and the Admiralty Pier, where once warships docked and which is now used for cruise ships in the summer and oil field support vessels through the year. One German bomb hit one of the tanks during World War II when a large flying boat base occupied much of the northerly coast of the Cromarty Firth, the result of this being that the fuel oil flowed onto the railway tracks. According to town history the bomb did not explode.
It is well known for the Invergordon Mutiny of 1931. It is currently best known for the repair of oil rigs which used to be lined up in the Cromarty Firth on which the town is situated. All the parked oil rigs have now been sold to overseas operators and for the first time in many years the Cromarty Firth lies virtually empty. The last one departed for India to be used by Essar Oil in March 2007. In the 1970s and 1980s nearby Nigg was known for the construction of these rigs. The yard used for this is now attempting to re-establish itself as a fabricator of large offshore wind turbines. For a number of years Invergordon boasted an aluminium smelter, and still has a grain whisky distillery - the output of which contributes to many blended whiskies. At present the port is visited by many large cruise liners each year, as the deep water port allows disembarkation for coach tours in the northern Highlands.
Since the 1970s some would perceive the town as a 'Glasgow colony', since many workers were imported from southern Scotland to work in the oil rig fabrication and aluminium smelting industries. As a result, the residents' accents often show more influence from Glasgow, than the surrounding Easter Ross dialect of Highland English. However with the grandchildren of 1970s migrant workers now in school after intermarriage with 'locals', this phase is likely to be moving towards its close.
It has one secondary school, Invergordon Academy, and three primary schools,Newmore Primary School, Park Primary School and South Lodge Primary School
[edit] See also
- Invergordon Mutiny
- Invergordon F.C.
- Easter Ross
- Ross-shire
- Ross and Cromarty
- Aber and Inver as place-name elements
[edit] External links
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