Thorn Island
| Thorn Island | |
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 Thorn Island |
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 Thorn Island
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| Thorn Island shown within Pembrokeshire | |
| OS grid reference | SM8602 |
| Community | |
| Principal area | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Dyfed-Powys |
| Fire | Mid and West Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| EU Parliament | Wales |
Thorn Island (alternative spelling: "Thorne Island") is a rocky islet, part of the Community of Angle off the coast of Pembrokeshire in south west Wales. It has an area of 2-acre (8,100 m2). The island is dominated by a coastal artillery fort that was built to defend Milford Haven in the mid-19th century. It has been the site of a number of shipwrecks, including one in 1894 that was carrying a cargo of Scotch whisky.
Thorn Island commands the entrance to the anchorage of Milford Haven and access to the former Royal Dockyard at Pembroke Dock. A proposal was made to fortify the island in 1817, but it was not implemented. In the 1850s, there was growing concern about the increasing strength of the French Navy and the expansionist policy of the Emperor Napoleon III. Work started on the existing fort at some time after 1852 and a date of 1854 is carved above the entrance. The fort is an irregular polygon in plan and was designed with a seaward facing battery for five RBL 7 inch Armstrong guns and four 68-pounder guns, all mounted en barbette (i.e. in an open mounting, firing over a parapet). The landward side of the fort consists of a defensible barracks, with a loopholed parapet overlooking the entrance. In 1860, the report of the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom commented that "Although these batteries [ie: Thorn Island Fort, Dale Fort and West Blockhouse Fort] would prevent an enemy from making use of the anchorage at the mouth of Milford Haven, they would not prevent the passage of steamers of war, and therefore would not suffice to protect the dockyard or the haven itself." This was due to the limited number and size of guns that the existing could bring to bear on any fast moving target. The report recommended to Lord Palmerston that further forts should be strengthened or constructed to counter the potential threat of the French Navy. Eventually twelve forts were constructed around the entrance to Pembroke Dock and Milford Haven including Fort Hubberstone, Popton Fort and Stack Rock Fort.
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