HMS Forward (shore establishment 1939)
Encyclopedia
HMS Forward was a shore establishment of the British Royal Navy
during World War II
. It was based at South Heighton
, just outside Newhaven, East Sussex
.
Holiday Home, Forward served as the command centre for all Royal Naval establishments in the area and was responsible for:, the Electrical Training School at Eastbourne
.
In 1941 a complex of tunnels were constructed 20 m (65.6 ft) underground to house a centre which plotted all shipping traffic in the English Channel
between Dungeness and Selsey Bill
, in conjunction with the coastal radar chain.
Forward was decommissioned on 31 August 1945.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was based at South Heighton
South Heighton
South Heighton is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is located seven miles south of Lewes. In the 1890s the population of the village grew from less than 100 to over 500 as a result of the opening of a nearby cement manufacturing plant...
, just outside Newhaven, East Sussex
Newhaven, East Sussex
Newhaven is a town in the Lewes District of East Sussex in England. It lies at the mouth of the River Ouse, on the English Channel coast, and is a ferry port for services to France.-Origins:...
.
Service history
Based in a former Guinness TrustGuinness Trust
The Guinness Trust is the oldest member of the Guinness Partnership, a group of housing associations. It is a UK registered charity providing affordable housing....
Holiday Home, Forward served as the command centre for all Royal Naval establishments in the area and was responsible for:, the Electrical Training School at Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
.
- HMS Forward II (renamed in 1942), the Coastal ForcesCoastal Forces of the Royal NavyCoastal Forces was a division of the Royal Navy established duringWorld War II under the command of Rear Admiral Coastal Forces. -History:The Royal Navy had previously operated flotillas of small torpedo- and depth-charge-armed craft during the First World WarThe first Headquarters was set up at ...
base at Newhaven. - The Combined Operations Landing Craft bases of at Newhaven and at ShorehamShoreham-by-SeaShoreham-by-Sea is a small town, port and seaside resort in West Sussex, England. Shoreham-by-Sea railway station is located less than a mile from the town centre and London Gatwick Airport is away...
and HoveHoveHove is a town on the south coast of England, immediately to the west of its larger neighbour Brighton, with which it forms the unitary authority Brighton and Hove. It forms a single conurbation together with Brighton and some smaller towns and villages running along the coast...
. - HMS Vernon (R)HMS Vernon (shore establishment)HMS Vernon was a shore establishment or 'stone frigate' of the Royal Navy. Vernon was established on 26 April 1876 as the Royal Navy's Torpedo Branch and operated until 1 April 1996, when the various elements comprising the establishment were split up and moved to different commands.-Foundation...
, the Torpedo, Mining & Electrical Training Establishment at Roedean SchoolRoedean School-Roedeanians in fiction:* Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward * Dawn Drummond-Clayton * Emily James...
, BrightonBrightonBrighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
.
In 1941 a complex of tunnels were constructed 20 m (65.6 ft) underground to house a centre which plotted all shipping traffic in the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
between Dungeness and Selsey Bill
Selsey Bill
Selsey Bill is a headland into the English Channel on the south coast of England in the county of West Sussex.The southern most town in Sussex is Selsey which is at the end of the Selsey Peninsula and Selsey Bill is situated on the towns southerncoastline...
, in conjunction with the coastal radar chain.
Forward was decommissioned on 31 August 1945.