ROSYTH DOCKYARD AND NAVAL BASE THROUGH TIME

With the start of the naval arms race against Germany, the Admiralty decided in 1903 to establish a naval base and dockyard at Rosyth. Construction work started in 1909 and the dockyard was finished in 1916. The yard closed in 1925, reopening in 1938 when relations with Germany began to worsen, and served throughout the Second World War. During the Cold War, Rosyth was used to re-fit nuclear-armed submarines as well as other warships. In 1997 Rosyth was acquired by Babcock International, becoming the first privatised naval dockyard in Britain.