Vittoria Dock

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Vittoria Dock is a dock in Birkenhead, England. It was built between 1905 and 1909 on the side of the east side Great Float.

1 The Name 'Vittoria'
2 History
3 Future
4 External Links
5 References

[edit] The Name 'Vittoria'

The dock is named after The Battle of Vittoria, fought on June 21, 1813 and was designed by A.G.Lyster. An alternative view is that Vittoria Dock has derived its name as a tribute to the first ship to circumnavigate the globe, Magellan's 'Vittoria'.^[1] However, Magellan's ship was named after the church of Santa María de la Victoria de Triana, therefore, this Vittoria naming may be questioned. Vittoria Dock is, also, often & incorrectly, quoted as 'Victoria Dock', thought in reference to Queen Victoria.

[edit] History

During its construction on March 6 1909 a temporary dam collapsed, killing 14 navvies. This incident is now referred to as the Birkenhead Dock Disaster. Between 1937 and 1941, HMS Conway, a training ship, was based here. Between the 1920s and 1970s, the Clan Line & Blue Funnel shipping companies had loading facilities at the dock. The dock fell into disuse as container shipping came in to use.^[1]

[edit] Future

The dock is hoped to encompass part of Wirral Waters, a redevelopment by Peel Group. An initial planning application is to be submitted in the summer of 2007.^[2]