Ports At War
Enemy action
 Bomb damage to Rank flour mill caused by an air
raid |
Ports are vital in time of war. In both major wars of the
twentieth century, food, raw materials, and oil came through ports.
Troops, their equipment and ammunition were sent overseas. The
Royal Navy had to be supplied and its ships repaired. Later in both
wars there were immense numbers of US troops, plus aircraft, tanks
and other supplies shipped into the UK on their way to the
continent of Europe. Of course, the Germans recognised the importance of ports. In
the First World War (1914-18), their battle fleet attacked ports
like
Hartlepool, although damage was minor. During the Second World
War (1939-45), ports were prime targets for air raids. Substantial
damage was done to London, Liverpool, Plymouth, Southampton and
other ports. Air raids on ports caused much temporary disruption, with ships
sunk or set on fire. In Liverpool, for instance, the ammunition
ship Malakand blew up after incendiary bombs set it
alight, in May 1941, destroying the dock it was in and surrounding
ships. However, immense efforts were made by firefighters, other
emergency services and troops stationed nearby. As a result, ports
began working again surprisingly quickly. In Liverpool, the dock in
which Malakand had blown up was simply filled in with
rubble and the port got on with its work. London and east coast ports were particularly vulnerable to air
raids. This was particularly so after the fall of France 1940 when
German aircraft could be based just across the Channel. So these
ports were used less, and ships were diverted to west coast ports,
which were less vulnerable through being more distant.
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