In a letter dated 2 March 1818 were the results of an investigation already presented 27 February sent. This select committee on finance was ordered to examine the naval estimates and finances for the period 1817-5 January 1820. It gives an interesting description dealing with the dock yard at Sheerness. This sort of descriptions are quite useful if we want to compare the dock yard facilities available for the European, African and North American navies. (1)
p. 53: "This Dock-Yard, previous to the new works being begun, had only two dry docks, one graving slip and two building slips. The whole space occupied by the yard, stores and officers houses, was about twenty-three acres; all the wharfs and docks and most of the stores, were built with wood, and generally were in a most decayed and ruinous state; in so much, that on the 15th and l6th of January 1808, the whole of the wharfs was so shook and injured by a storm, that it was feared most of them would have fallen into the Medway; the fence of the mast-pond was broken down, and many of the spars washed out, and were driven by the violence of the waves against Queenborough wall, which was demolished, and the marshes overflowed, in consequence of which the Public were subjected to a considerable loss. The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, on seeing the bad state of the wharfs, docks and other buildings at this yard, and that it would soon become an entire ruin, unless the whole underwent a thorough repair, directed that an Estimate of the expense of repairing it should be made out; and in August 1808, Mr. Whidby and myself [a certain mister Rennie] made an Estimate for that purpose, amounting to near half a million; a sum so large to be expended on so small a yard, that their Lordships determined to take into consideration, not only the repairs of the yard, but also what improvements it was capable of: they therefore directed plans to be made out for this purpose, and several plans were submitted to their consideration, by Mr. Bentham, Mr. Parkins the master-builder at Sheerness, Mr. Whidby, and myself. These plans differing much in their construction, their Lordships ordered a part of the river wall, in which all the plans agreed, to be carried into execution ; and the other parts were submitted to a Committee of the Navy Board, assisted by three engineers of eminence; and in July 1812, this Committee submitted their plan to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, which being approved of by their Lordships, with few exceptions, was directed to be carried into execution ; and for that purpose, in July 1813, I was directed to make out the necessary plans, sections and specifications, their Lordships at the same time desiring that I should make such observations on the plan as might occur to me, with the view of rendering the whole more perfect. These plans, sections, and specifications, with various alterations suggested by me, were submitted to their Lordships and approved, and towards the close of the year 1813 the works were commenced. The plan made out by the Committee of the Commissioners of the Navy proposed a large extension of the yard, part of the ground for which to be taken out of the Medway; this extension amounted to about thirteen acres, which being added to the former extent, made the whole about thirty-six acres j they also recommended an exchange of ground with the Board of Ordnance, the gun-wharf belonging to which is situate in the middle of the yard, dividing it as it were in two, while it is detached from the rest of the Ordnance premises. This exchange took place about a year and a half ago, by which the Navy have given up to the Ordnance about three acres and a half of ground at the North end of the yard, and about two acres in houses and buildings in the Garrison ; and the Navy has received in return the Ordnance Wharf, a part of the lines next to the yard, ground for an Admiral's house, houses in Blue Town, and the greatest part of Major's Marsh, amounting in all to about twenty-six acres, .which, with what remains of the old dock yard, and the land taken in from the Medway, make the present extent of Sheerness yard about fifty-six acres. These progressive alterations and increase of space, have rendered it impossible to make out any thing like a correct Estimate of the probable expense of the works; and indeed it can scarcely be entered into at the present time, so as to render the whole complete; farther extension is still necessary. It is however
p. 54: satisfactory to reflect, that the design for the improvement of the Dock Yard, approved of by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty in 1813, admits of farther extensions, without any derangement of the general plan, the whole of what has been done and what is doing having that object ultimately in view. The Works, as I have before said, were begun at the end of the year 1813, by building the river wall, next to the Blue Town Jetty, at the south end, of the new ground to be taken from the Medway, and at the same time the wall adjoining Powder Monkey bay was begun. These walls have proceeded successfully ever since, although the ground is .extremely bad, and the weight of sea acting upon it great; the whole has been obliged to be done in cofferdams, which, although made in the most substantial manner, were in parts undermined by the water passing under them and blowing up in the inside, not close to the dams, but at many feet distant from them ; and the ground was so soft and rotten, that a new mode of building was obliged to be adopted, namely, that of hollow walls, and setting them on inverted arches, for the purpose of making them lighter, while the base covered a greater space, there being no hard stratum to support them at a less depth than from 25 to 26 feet under low water; this mode has succeeded satisfactorily, and there is now about 2,300 feet in length of this wall completed; and the entrance to the basin is now in hand, the foundations of which are about 15 feet under low water; and as the rise of spring tides is about 18 feet, the cofferdams are obliged to resist a pressure of water in ordinary tides of 33 feet in height, and in some tides 36 feet. It however gives me much satisfaction to observe, that the foundations are nearly completed, though it has required the most sedulous and unwearied attention, the depth of water within a short distance without it, being upwards of five fathoms at low water. The foundations of the mast-pond, mast-house, mast-locks and other works, are all in a forward state so that it is hoped the most difficult parts of the work at this end of the yard will in the course of the present year be completed. At the North end of the yard there is a new wharf wall going on, the foundation of which is 25 feet under low water. While the less hazardous and difficult parts of the work were in hand, the consumption of materials and labour were great, and these continued until the end of the year 1816; but when the more hazardous parts were begun, the consumption of materials was necessarily less comparatively speaking; therefore less money was required last year than in previous years, and indeed it was understood that the state of the public finances would not admit of a large expenditure. Although therefore £ 150,000 were estimated as the sum required for Sheerness, only £ 70,000 were granted by Parliament, some of the works were therefore suspended; and notwithstanding it was found that about £25,000 worth of timber could be spared from the dock yards for this work, and about £ 18,000 worth of stone was in store, making with the grant £. 113,000, yet these works were carried on in a very disadvantageous manner, which, had the full sum required been granted, would not have been the case, not only on account of the advantage to be gained by the acceleration of works in hazardous situations, but from the very low prices of materials and labour, as will appear by the annexed Comparative Estimate of Prices paid at the commencement of the work in the year 1813 and at the present time ; the sum therefore of £ 170,000 stated in the Estimate of the present year, is riot more than is wanted, and indeed if this was to be increased to £ 200,000, it could be laid out with great economy and advantage to the Country.”
Source
Parliamentary Papers. Eight report from the select committee on finance. Ordered by The House of Commons, to be printed, 6 March 1818.
Note
1. See on this weblog for instance the notes dealing with the facilities in the 
