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Summary

A landing craft maintenance site of Second World War date is visible as a range of structures on aerial photographs of 1946 onwards and on digital images derived from aerial photographs taken in 2012, to the southeast of the Boat House.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1020912: D-Day landing craft maintenance site on the River Dart, 270m south east of Maypool Cottage

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: 1383749
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX85SE/337
• Old SAM Ref: 33060

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• SHIPYARD (World War II - 1939 AD to 1945 AD (Between))

Full description

Unknown, MIGRATED RECORD - MONUMENT PROTECTION PROGRAMME DATA (Migrated Record). SDV331.

A mooring post emplacement set into the foreshore behind the s downstream end of the gridiron comprises the remains of a 0.27m square wooden post embedded in a 2.5m square concrete block which stands 0.5m proud of the surface; the mass of the block is believed to lie below ground level in order to provide secure purchase. Attached to the mooring post is an iron chain which itself attaches to a large floatable wooden pontoon which is lying in a beached position behind the gridiron. The chain and pontoon are considered likely to be contemporary with the wwii use of the site. The maintenance site was one of several such sites on the river dart of which only 3 now remain in anything like their original form. It was constructed by the united states naval advanced amphibious base (usnaab) dartmouth which was commissioned for preparations for the d-day invasion of 6th june 1944 and it was part of the range of shore-base and supply facilities constructed before and during the invasion. After d-day the importance of usnaab dartmouth as a base began to wane and the facilities (mpp).

'DOLPHINS', Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV167355.

Includes components of a wwii repair facility including a gridiron which was designed to allow flat-bottomed landing craft to be floated over it sideways at high tide then moored, coming to rest upon it as the tide fell and enabling inspection, scraping, and repairs to be carried out. Overall the gridiron measures a little over 54m in width nw-se, and contains 12 parallel straight piers centred 4.85m apart. The piers are just over 30m in length and slope gently down the intertidal shore to just below mean low water. The piers, which are built of shuttered concrete and are embedded in the foreshore shingle and mud, have a maximum width of about 0.7m; excavation of a gridiron site at mylor in cornwall suggests that the piers sit upon a concrete raft. Along the upper edges of each pier are a series of opposed recesses 0.6m in length by 0.18m wide and 0.12m deep, centred 3.2m apart. These recesses are believed to have held timber rails formerly laid along the piers' upper surfaces at right angles to them and these perhaps prevented the bottom of the craft's hull from coming into direct contact with the concrete piers. At a distance of 10m from either end of the gridiron and about 8m inland from mlw, are 2 low concrete emplacements both about 4m by 2m which are considered to be associated mooring structures allowing craft to be held securely in place when on the gridiron. The timber and steel mooring points ('dolphins') which would have held the craft whilst afloat no longer survive at maypool. A component of the repair facility which does survive is a small raised quay with an overall length of 23m and a width of 6m. It is orientated at right angles to the gridiron about 20m further into the shore at the high water mark. Set alongside the low cliff face it has a vertical shuttered-concrete wall 1.5m high which provides a platform just over 11m long by 6m wide. Grooved concrete settings running parallel with the length of the platform suggest the original presence of an arched open-ended covering structure which has since been removed. Forward of the platform was an apron about 3.5m in length at the head of a sloping ramp 8m in length which formed a slipway. The quay could have been employed only at high tide and it may have housed a dinghy or light craft allowing access to the landing craft prior to the beaching process.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV167358.

Des=mpp/144558.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV167359.

Schofield, j. /antiquity/75(2001)77-83/d-day site in england: an assessment.

SCHOFIELD, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV4491.

Vis=1/8/2000 (schofield) d-day landing craft maintenance site on the river dart, 270m south east of maypool cottage.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, RAF/CPE/UK/1890 FS 2222-23 10-DEC-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351061.

The maintenance site is visible as a range of structures.

Royal Air Force, 1950, RAF/541/520, RAF/541/520 RS 4062-63 13-MAY-1950 (Aerial Photograph). SDV352112.

The maintenance site is visible as a range of structures, although the former jetty is visible as a partly demolished structure.

Royal Air Force, 1960, RAF/58/3510 F21, RAF/58/3510 F21 244-45 22-APR-1960 (Aerial Photograph). SDV352350.

The maintenance site is visible as a range of structures, although the former jetty and huts have been removed.

Clamp, A., 1994, Dartmouth and Kingswear during the Second World War, 25-33 (Monograph). SDV341255.

Jury, R., 1996, Maypool Landing Craft Maintenance Facility (Worksheet). SDV167357.

Site visited on 17th June 1996. Maypool landing craft maintenance facility. There are concrete rails built on the river bank so that work could be done on the hulls of us landing craft at low tide. Edges of site marked by green poles. There are the remains of onshore facilities in the form of a ramp and hut remains.

Jury, R., 1999, Maypool Scrubbing Rails (Gridiron) (Worksheet). SDV357265.

Site visited again on 22nd July 1999. Photos of detail of site taken, including inserts in the rails, perhaps for cross-pieces, and also shore installations such as mooring blocks above and below low tide.

Channel Coast Observatory, 2001-2012, Channel Coast Observatory Aerial Photography, Channel Coastal Observatory SX8754 18-SEP-2012 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351226.

The maintenance site is visible as a range of structures.

Dyer, M. J., 2002, Greenway, Galmpton: Archaeological and Historic Landscape Survey: Part 1, 10 (Report - Survey). SDV169254.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2013-2014, South Devon Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV351146.

A landing craft maintenance site of Second World War date is visible as a range of structures on aerial photographs of 1946 onwards and on digital images derived from aerial photographs taken in 2012, to the southeast of the Boat House. The main elements of the site comprise a gridiron of twelve parallel piers sloping down towards the shore, with two concrete mooring structures located either side. Approximately 45m to the southeast of the gridiron is a single northeast to southwest aligned jetty which extends from the shoreline into Mean Low Water, at a length of approximately 51m. The jetty itself is two-tiered and rises up gently at approximately 10m from the shore line, possibly to allow easier access onto landing craft and other vessels. Further inland are two probable maintenance or storage huts visible as structures, with the northern of the two huts constructed onto a quay. On aerial photographs of 1950, the jetty to the south of the site is visible as a partly demolished structure and by 1960 has been removed altogether, in addition to the two huts. The remaining structures, including the gridiron, mooring structures and quay remain visible as structures on digital images derived from aerial photographs taken in 2012.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV167355	Migrated Record: 'DOLPHINS'.
SDV167357	Worksheet: Jury, R.. 1996. Maypool Landing Craft Maintenance Facility. Defence of Britain Project. Worksheet + Digital.
SDV167358	Migrated Record:
SDV167359	Migrated Record:
SDV169254	Report - Survey: Dyer, M. J.. 2002. Greenway, Galmpton: Archaeological and Historic Landscape Survey: Part 1. Exeter Archaeology Report. 02.48. A4 Bound. 10.
SDV331	Migrated Record: Unknown. MIGRATED RECORD - MONUMENT PROTECTION PROGRAMME DATA. Monument Protection Programme. Unknown.
SDV341255	Monograph: Clamp, A.. 1994. Dartmouth and Kingswear during the Second World War. Dartmouth and Kingswear during the Second World War. Paperback Volume. 25-33.
SDV351061	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946. RAF/CPE/UK/1890. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1890 FS 2222-23 10-DEC-1946. [Mapped feature: #95513 ]
SDV351146	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2013-2014. South Devon Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme Project. AC Archaeology Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:1
SDV351226	Aerial Photograph: Channel Coast Observatory. 2001-2012. Channel Coast Observatory Aerial Photography. Channel Coast Observatory. Digital. Channel Coastal Observatory SX8754 18-SEP-2012.
SDV352112	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1950. RAF/541/520. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/541/520 RS 4062-63 13-MAY-1950.
SDV352350	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1960. RAF/58/3510 F21. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/58/3510 F21 244-45 22-APR-1960.
SDV357265	Worksheet: Jury, R.. 1999. Maypool Scrubbing Rails (Gridiron). Defence of Britain Project. Worksheet + Digital.
SDV4491	Migrated Record: SCHOFIELD.

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6127 - Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey National Mapping Programme (NMP) for South-West England - South Coast Devon (Ref: ACD618)

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