Flotta - a photo on Flickriver

Flotta

            At the turn of the 20th century, the island was a quiet rural community like many other small islands of Orkney, but its sheltered location led to three major upheavals in the island in the century.

Until 1914, Flotta was a quiet farming community. In 1910, a population of 431 included two blacksmiths, four carpenters and three dressmakers.

Everything changed with the arrival of the Royal Navy in Scapa Flow at the start of World War I. There is a photograph held by the Imperial War Museum in London that shows a boxing match taking place on Flotta in front of a wartime audience of 10,000 people.

During World War I, the island was home to a naval base. The dreadnought HMS Vanguard sank nearby in 1917, reputedly the worst maritime disaster in UK waters. In WW2, the island was again used as a military base.

1918 saw the mass exodus of Navy personnel, and 1939 saw their return. After the second world war the island had good piers and facilities, but a slowly declining population. It took until 1970 for fresh water to be piped to the island from Hoy and they didn't have a mains electricity supply until 1977. 

In 1974, Occidental Petroleum started construction of the island's oil & gas terminal. This became the second largest major terminal serving the UK North Sea, the largest being Sullom Voe in Shetland.

It took only two years from the start of construction until the first of the crude oil was pumped into the terminal, during which thousands of workers were posted at the "camp" in Flotta to complete the facility as Britain's thirst for oil was growing by the day. The Flotta terminal was opened by the energy minister, Tony Benn MP, on 11 January 1977.

Taken in: United Kingdom / Scotland / Oil Terminal (show map)

Taken on: May 13, 2015

Tags:

canon

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m more »

18-55mm

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Sets appears in: • Canon EOS M • Scotland 2015

Groups appears in: • canon photography • Canon Friends UK more » • Canon DSLR users UK • CANON-NO LIMIT • Canon EOS M Series - Mirrorless • Canon EOS M Mirrorless Cameras • A. VIEWPOINT. « less

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