ABSTRACT
The Board of Admiralty adopted Bentham’s proposals for Portsmouth yard in October 1795. To hasten refitting, he proposed more jetties, more moorings and the use of mast cranes, to double the size of the basin and create two new deep docks. He believed that up to twelve ships could be refitted at the same time within the boundary of the yard and that, with a deeper entrance, they could be admitted with ‘all in’. The Navy Board maintained that the need for work on so many ships at the same time was improbable and that reconstruction of the yard was dangerous owing to the fragility of the sub-soil which made a collapse and total cessation of operations likely. The yard officers thought more jetties and moorings were unnecessary, that the crowding of so many ships into the basin was impractical and dangerous, while the docking of ships with ‘all in’ would be damaging to their structures. Yet they admitted the deepening of the basin and its entrance would be helpful, as would an extra dock. The latter were points of agreement that prompted the Admiralty to sanction Bentham’s proposals. The yard officers continued to raise objections based on fears of danger and presumed obstacles to effective use of the new facilities. Yet Bentham demanded data and logical argument and they had to accept the main plan. Indeed, in 1799 when Bentham proposed the creation of further new docks for frigates in the Boat Channel, they had to accept that too.
