Chatham naval base

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Chatham naval base. Henry VIII developed Deptford and Woolwich as naval bases and dockyards but in 1550 it was decided to develop Gillingham Water or Chatham, on the Medway, 20 miles nearer to the North Sea. During the Dutch wars of the 17th cent., Chatham became the major naval base. In 1667, in a surprise raid, De Ruyter burst through the boom at Sheerness, wreaked havoc on the ships at harbour, and towed away the Royal Charles. The dockyard closed in the 1980s.

J. A. Cannon

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Chatham naval base

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