麻豆社

It was not a naval base as such but Tyneside nevertheless played a huge role in World War One.

A third of all the battleships completed for the Admiralty were built here, and more than a quarter of destroyers. Many other naval vessels were repaired on the Tyne particularly after the Battle of Jutland. A huge floating dock was constructed and moored near Jarrow where many of those repairs took place.

There were no fewer than 19 shipyards on the Tyne at the outbreak of war, and five of them were big enough to build warships. Hawthorn Leslie, for example, built 25 royal navy vessels including HMS Verdun, which brought the body of the unknown soldier from France at the end of the war.

The smaller shipyards, including those on the Wear, built smaller, but still important vessels like gunboats, patrol vessels and cruisers.

Location: Wallsend, North Tyneside NE28 6EQ
Image Shipyards on the Tyne
Courtesy of Beamish Museum