Balaclava Bay

For the bay in Crimea, Ukraine, see Balaklava Bay.
View northeast across Balaclava Bay from the Isle of Portland towards the southern and eastern entrances of Portland Harbour. The dark colour of the water between the two breakwaters is the position a scuttled battleship, HMS Hood.

Balaclava Bay is a bay situated on the edge of Portland Harbour, where the breakwater meets the island, at the northern end of the Isle of Portland, Dorset, in southern England.[1] The bay is part of the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site. The bay is overlooked by the Victorian East Weare Battery, built in the 1860s to protect the harbour. The nearest road within the dockyard of Portland Port is named Balaclava Road.

Background

The bay was created in Victorian times by the construction of the inner breakwater at Portland Harbour. It was named after the Battle of Balaclava, which saw the famous charge of the Light Brigade in the Crimean War, in 1854.[2] Although the bay is now within the boundary of Portland Port, following the departure of the Royal Navy at the end of the 20th century, the bay is still accessible by kayaks and boats, while divers often use the bay, and the bay area is often described as a rewarding dive.[3] The ground varies from ledges to very rocky undulating ground, and usually displays very prolific sea life, often with a lot of scallop, crabs and bass. With a mixture of large and small boulders on the coastline, the sea bed is mostly the same as the shore with the addition of large kelp beds and gullies.[4] One wreck, known as the Dredger, lies within the sheltered bay, on the outside slope of the inner breakwater of the harbour.[5] It is believed to be a sand dredger, made of steel, dating from early-to-mid 20th century. Although the wreckage is now largely broken up, lying in two parts, the wreck is a popular shallow dive and a good training site for many weather and sea conditions.[6][7] The wreck has been inhabited by plenty of fish, squid, and many hermit and spider crabs.[8]

In January 2010 Weymouth and Portland Borough Council passed plans for a power station at Portland Port, which was to generate electricity by burning palm oil from Indonesia. The power station was due to be situated at Balaclava Bay.[9] The company W4B were unable to finance the plant, and in 2013 then applied to have their original planning consent extended to allow them to do several new things. This included importing rubber crumb from old tyres, processing the tyre waste using machinery to turn it into synthetic diesel, and then transport the diesel off site together with the material Carbon Black.[10] Again these plans have not yet come to fruition, although they were given planning permission.[11] The plant plan received much objection from local citizens, and saw the formation of the protest organisation "No Oil Palm Energy" (NOPE).[12][13]

During the Second World War a number of anti-invasion structures were placed at Balaclava Bay, constructed between 1940-41. An anti boat landing obstacle was laid offshore, compromising of a line of stone boulders. A field visit in 1996 found the stones to be in a good condition, although some had moved from their original positions.[14] On the shore a minefield was laid, using mine 'B', type 'C', forming part of the Dorset coast defences and the Isle of Portland defences. It had been cleared by 1946.[15] A little further south of the landing obstacle and minefield was a coast artillery searchlight, near the Admiralty Research Establishment. Built of brick, concrete and iron, a field visit in 1996 found the structure to be extant.[16] Another coast artillery searchlight, constructed during 1940-41, was situated further south of this, although it is unclear whether it still remains today.[17]

During World War II, six pillboxes were built within the surrounding area, and all are still in existence, most of which remain complete, although overgrown. One of the six pillboxes is located close to the two coast artillery searchlights at Balaclava Bay, within close region to Incline Road.[18]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Portland Fishing — Church Ope to Balaclava Bay". UK: PortlandBill.co.uk. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  2. ↑ Legg, Rodney (1999). Portland Encyclopaedia. Dorset Publishing Company. p. 15. ISBN 978-0948699566.
  3. ↑ http://www.portlandbill.co.uk/fishing/grove_point.htm
  4. ↑ http://www.peardrop.co.uk/portland_wrecks.htm
  5. ↑ http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=832504&sort=2&type=&typeselect=c&rational=a&class1=None&period=None&county=None&district=None&parish=None&place=balaclava&recordsperpage=10&source=text&rtype=&rnumber=
  6. ↑ "Dive Sites around Portland & Weymouth". UK: Underwater Explorers. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  7. ↑ "Diving Balaclava Bay, Portland, Dorset". YouTube. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  8. ↑ http://www.underwaterexplorers.co.uk/portlandsbest
  9. ↑ http://nope.org.uk/about-us/
  10. ↑ http://nope.org.uk/
  11. ↑ http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/10567915.Go_ahead_for_tyres_plant_scheme_on_Portland/
  12. ↑ http://nope.org.uk/about-us/
  13. ↑ http://www.geoffkirby.co.uk/Portland/700720/
  14. ↑ "Detailed Result: MONUMENT NO. 1420313". Pastscape. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
  15. ↑ "Detailed Result: MONUMENT NO. 1420417". Pastscape. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
  16. ↑ "Detailed Result: MONUMENT NO. 1425455". Pastscape. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
  17. ↑ http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=1425456&sort=2&type=&rational=a&class1=None&period=None&county=93347&district=93625&parish=93626&place=&recordsperpage=10&source=text&rtype=&rnumber=&p=20&move=n&nor=294&recfc=0
  18. ↑ http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=1420391&sort=2&type=&rational=a&class1=None&period=None&county=93347&district=93625&parish=93626&place=&recordsperpage=10&source=text&rtype=&rnumber=&p=20&move=n&nor=294&recfc=0

Coordinates: 50°33′59″N 2°25′36″W / 50.5665°N 2.4267°W