fort bovisand july 2012

i got brave and went across the border into devon . i wasnt expcecting much from this explore but i was wrong was a good nose visited with my son and a freind
In 1816 a stone jetty and slip were built for boats from sailing warships anchored in Plymouth Sound to collect fresh water from the nearby reservoir. The first fort at the site, named Staddon Height Battery, was started in 1845, and still exists in the upper part of the present fort. As part of the recommendations of the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom, work started on the main part of the fort consisting of 23 granite casemates, originally housing 22 9-inch Rifled Muzzle Loaders (RMLs), one 10-inch RML gun and 180 men. By 1880 the armament included 14 10-inch and nine 9-inch RML guns. Underground there are large deep tunnels to store artillery ammunition safe from enemy gunfire. In 1898 six 12-pounder quick-firing guns were installed.
In the early 1900s the original guns were removed. In 1942 the remaining four 12-pounders were replaced by two twin 6-pounders, to combat E-boats.[1] A Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft gun was installed in 1943. In 1956 the Ministry of Defence abandoned the fort and a lease was granted in 1970.
By 2000 the main leaseholder Fort Bovisand Underwater Centre had liquidated, but other diving services continued trading. Months of argument continued about the status of the leases and viability of existing businesses based there. info shamelessly robbed from wiki on with the pics













nearly missed this


















some peely




target practice maybe ??




all aboard

on the way out spotted the gate shut one climbed over one went under . i slid the bolt and opened the gate lol
thanks for looking

Cracking photos,thanks for sharing.

Looks interesting! I attempted this with Scotty many years ago but were only able to get into the tunnels at night so photography was a but limited
http://www.doesnotcompute.co.uk/gallery.php/UE/Bovisand%20fort/

You know I thought the place was a dive center once, what a shame it has gotten like that.

night crawler said:

You know I thought the place was a dive center once, what a shame it has gotten like that.

Click to expand...

im sure it still is

Good pics very interesting to see inside the pace thanks for sharing

Given it's location I'm surprised it has been left to rot. Many of the other forts in the area have been put to good use.

brilliant post, will have a look there soon

i used to play here as a kid .. when it was an outwards bounds type place ... about 1985 ish .. there are also some seriosly bottomless pits that near claimed me .. nice album ... look like te a38 does have a point to it

It's so wierd to see Bovi like this because the last time I was there I was a paying customer on a lifting and salvage course!!! Oh how I remember creeping into the gun emplacements at midnight after the long drive down and trying to get to sleep with twenty other hairy arsed divers all farting and snoring the night away!

And how well I remember that bar!!!

Happy days...

PS... the gas cylinder pic to which you said, "target practice maybe?"... quite possibly but unless I am mistaken they are more likely to have been used on one of the explosives training courses which Bovi ran. The damage to those cylinders is consistant with a small charge of explosive.

I guess this is what the military & the church call "surplus to requirements." Seems like waste to me. Hope if finds a new life soon.

Good explore, thanks for sharing mate

Nice to see the captains quarters. Last time was there had a door attached to me and had to dance down two stairs. Flat on back with door on top of me! If they did attach hope they used hinges and not just screws..

Great splore Muppet thanks for sharing it .

great stuff, on my list the next time i'm down that way.

My brother trained down at Bovisand as a diver in late 70's.