Shoeburyness Boom
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The Shoeburyness Boom (also known as the Sheerness Boom, Thames Boom or Thames Estuary Boom) refers to two successive defensive barriers across most of the
Thames Estuary The Thames Estuary is where the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea, in the south-east of Great Britain. Limits An estuary can be defined according to different criteria (e.g. tidal, geographical, navigational or in terms of salini ...
in the mid-20th century. As to the part perpendicular to the north shore most of the latter incarnation remains, and its nearest concrete mooring/patrol point 600 metres south. A 2 km (2,200 yard) stretch, this is designated a
scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...
and marks the western edge of
MoD Shoeburyness MoD Shoeburyness is a military installation at Pig's Bay near Shoeburyness in Essex. History In 1849, the Board of Ordnance purchased land at South Shoebury with a view to setting up an artillery testing and practice range (until then, Plumst ...
firing range, a restricted area. The rest was taken up in the 1960s. The first guise was built in late 1939, the first months of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, mainly to protect shipping and
the capital ''The Capital'' (also known as ''Capital Gazette'' as its online nameplate and informally), the Sunday edition is called ''The Sunday Capital'', is a daily newspaper published by Capital Gazette Communications in Annapolis, Maryland, to serve ...
from attack by submarines, mines and surface vessels. It was dismantled. The second was built between 1950 and 1953 to forestall access to the estuary by Soviet submarines during the
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
. Both booms ran most of the way from
Shoeburyness Shoeburyness (; also called Shoebury) is a suburb of the city of Southend-on-Sea, in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. east of the city centre. It was an urban district of Essex from 1894 to 1933, when it ...
in Essex to
Sheerness Sheerness () is a town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 11,938, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby town ...
in Kent: 5.6 miles (9.0 km). The first guise consisted of wooden piles driven into the estuary bed save for in the deep-water channel which was protected by an
anti-submarine net An anti-submarine net or anti-submarine boom is a boom placed across the mouth of a harbour or a strait for protection against submarines. Examples of anti-submarine nets * Lake Macquarie anti-submarine boom * Indicator net * Naval operations in ...
. The second guise added concrete piles at either end of the gap (channel) able to assist Royal Navy vessels. The development of
nuclear missiles Nuclear weapons delivery is the technology and systems used to place a nuclear weapon at the position of detonation, on or near its target. Several methods have been developed to carry out this task. ''Strategic'' nuclear weapons are used primari ...
,
jet bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped from an aircr ...
s and the
hydrogen bomb A thermonuclear weapon, fusion weapon or hydrogen bomb (H bomb) is a second-generation nuclear weapon design. Its greater sophistication affords it vastly greater destructive power than first-generation nuclear bombs, a more compact size, a lowe ...
quickly rendered the Cold War boom obsolete and it was partially demolished in the 1960s.


Second World War boom

The boom was erected in 1939, at the start of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. The main intention was to prevent any incursion of enemy submarines up the estuary where they could attack merchant shipping. Secondary benefits included protection against floating mines, enemy surface vessels and to reduce the available invasion beachheads. The boom ran apart from a minor gap for the navigation channel. Its north part ran from the East Beach at Shoeburyness, Essex. Its south part ran from Royal Oak Point in
Sheerness Sheerness () is a town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 11,938, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby town ...
, Kent thus most of the 5.6-mile (9-kilometre) span. In the shallow water at either end, closest to the land, the boom was wooden piles driven into the sandy seabed and reinforced with concrete. From the Essex (north) side these ran for over 1 mile (1.6 km). Where the boom met the deep water channel it became an
anti-submarine net An anti-submarine net or anti-submarine boom is a boom placed across the mouth of a harbour or a strait for protection against submarines. Examples of anti-submarine nets * Lake Macquarie anti-submarine boom * Indicator net * Naval operations in ...
. At intervals along the net 200-ton
lighters A lighter is a portable device which creates a flame, and can be used to ignite a variety of items, such as cigarettes, gas lighter, fireworks, candles or campfires. It consists of a metal or plastic container filled with a flammable liquid or ...
were stationed armed with
anti-aircraft gun Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
s and searchlights. Two gates were set in the net for access by shipping, one towards the north for access to the Thames and one towards the south for the
Medway Medway is a unitary authority district and conurbation in Kent, South East England. It had a population of 278,016 in 2019. The unitary authority was formed in 1998 when Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with the Borough of Gillingham to for ...
ports. These were opened by a Royal Navy
boom defence vessel A net laying ship, also known as a net layer, net tender, gate ship or boom defence vessel was a type of naval auxiliary ship. A net layer's primary function was to lay and maintain steel anti-torpedo or anti-submarine nets. Nets could be laid ...
and closed overnight. The boom was backed up by the nearby
Maunsell Sea Forts The Maunsell Forts are armed towers built in the Thames Estuary, Thames and River Mersey, Mersey estuaries during the Second World War to help defend the United Kingdom. They were operated as army and navy forts, and named after their designer, ...
and by a coastal battery/emplacement at Shoeburyness. The latter housed two 6 naval guns and search-light emplacements protected by landward defences. A second boom was placed across the mouth a little further west at
Canvey Island Canvey Island is a town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames estuary, near Southend-on-Sea, in the Castle Point district, in the county of Essex, England. It has an area of and a population of 38,170.Office ...
. Similar protections were quickly installed at the
Solent The Solent ( ) is a strait between the Isle of Wight and Great Britain. It is about long and varies in width between , although the Hurst Spit which projects into the Solent narrows the sea crossing between Hurst Castle and Colwell Bay to ...
(to protect the ports of
Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
and
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...
) and at
Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...
. The remains of Shoeburyness battery, together with its magazines and search-light emplacements are visible in the grounds of
MoD Shoeburyness MoD Shoeburyness is a military installation at Pig's Bay near Shoeburyness in Essex. History In 1849, the Board of Ordnance purchased land at South Shoebury with a view to setting up an artillery testing and practice range (until then, Plumst ...
– with no public access. In the south are scant remnants: a line of piles and wrecked boats at East End, close to Minster Beach.


Gallery

File:Line of Shipwrecks near Royal Oak Point - geograph.org.uk - 1333240.jpg, Remains of piles and wrecked boats at Royal Oak Point, East End. File:Thames boom 2.jpg, One of the gates in the boom File:Boom defence vessels.jpg, Boom defence vessels File:The Royal Navy during the Second World War A2020.jpg, Royal Navy diver preparing to check the mooring lines of one of the gate ships


Cold War boom

The replacement booms were built 15 to 60 m (16 to 65 yards) west of the old ones between 1950 and 1953 by labourers and servicemen for the Admiralty. These comprised two offset rows of concrete piles, linked by angle-iron straps. The northern boom had two changes of direction along its length before meeting the deep water channel. In times of extreme alert the gap between the two was intended to be closed by moored Royal Navy vessels. By its final year the nature of the threat was shifting from submarines to nuclear-armed bombers against which the boom would have been scant defence. With the coming of reliable nuclear-armed rockets, jet-powered bombers and the hydrogen bomb in the mid-1950s the principle was beyond doubt obsolete. It is the only known anti-submarine boom of the Cold War. In the 1960s the piles at the Kent (south) side were removed. Those at the Essex (north) side have been shortened by 600 m (660 yards), leaving 2.01 km (2,200 yards) projecting from the shore. It has developed a few gaps from loss by erosion of a few piles. The post that marked the transition from the boom to the deep water anti-submarine net remains in the mid-north of the channel. The boom is a landmark on this stretch of coast. The structure marks the western boundary of the firing range at the MoD property (managed by Qinetiq) and access is not permitted to the beach beyond. It was granted
scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...
status in 2004. The remains of the boom and deep, broad channel post are Hazards on regional shipping charts. A modern navigation light with accompanying mooring bollards and accessway is at the broad channel post. On 25 July 2015 the boom was struck by an empty, drifting fishing vessel.


Gallery

File:Shoebury Boom 1 - geograph.org.uk - 311121.jpg, Detail of the first corner angle File:MoD Barrier across Shoebury East Beach - geograph.org.uk - 1430544.jpg, Showing some of the further reaches of the boom File:Shoeburyness east-beach.jpg, In context with public use of the beach File:Shoebury Boom - geograph.org.uk - 302957.jpg, View along the boom File:Shoebury Boom 2 - geograph.org.uk - 311128.jpg, Close up of boom piles


References


External links

* {{authority control World War II sites in England Cold War fortifications Scheduled monuments in Essex Military history of Essex Thames Estuary