Smith's Dock, Number 8 Graving Dock

This is the largest and latest dock on the Smith's Dock site. It opened in 1954. The scale of the dock is a reflection of the increase in size of oil tankers which were the stock trade of the yard. The dock is skewed at 28.5 degrees to the riverside and runs into sloping ground, which necessitated the excavation of great quantities of spoil including the remains of Smith's Ballast Shore. Thick sheet piling was used during the construction of the dock to cut down on the quantitiy of concrete involved. All walls are symmetrical with a 'v' shaped forward end. The pumping chamber sits on the western flank of the dock adjacent to the gate. This latter is a single leaf flap and was, at the time, the largest example of such a gate in the world. Dimensions - 216.1m x 28.9m x 8.2m deep. Recorded in 2005.