Construction of the dockyard by civil engineers
Easton, Gibb & Son commenced in 1909. At the time, the Royal Navy was strengthening its presence along the eastern seaboard of Great Britain due to a
naval arms race with
Germany.
First World War • In 1903 approval was given with an estimated cost of £3 million for "works" and £250,000 for machinery spread over 10 years. The site consisted of of land, of foreshore, and the main basin would be . This was intended to be large enough for 11 battleships or 22 if doubled up. The yard gained in size and importance during the First World War, with No. 6
Division of the Metropolitan Police set up to patrol it on 1 January 1916 (the Metropolitan Police then provided
police for UK dockyards). The first ship to
dry dock at Rosyth was the pre-dreadnought battleship on 28 March 1916.
Interwar years • as an ammunition store ship between October 1918 and 4 February 1920. •
HMS Crescent (1899) as a harbor depot ship between 1 May 1920 and 17 September 1921. • as a minelayer between February 1918 and January 1919.
World War II Rosyth Naval Dockyrd primarily acted as a repair and maintenance base ("serviced") rather than a principal construction site during this period, having been reopened in 1938 just before the war. Between 1939 and 1945, the dockyard served as a crucial repair and servicing hub for the Royal Navy, focusing on capital ships and destroyers operating in the North Sea. Major vessels serviced included battleships (such as the Queen Elizabeth class), battlecruisers, and cruisers. The dockyard also facilitated the repair of destroyers and provided essential maintenance for the Home Fleet.
Privatisation Babcock Thorn, a consortium operated by Babcock International and
Thorn EMI, was awarded the management contract for Rosyth dockyard in 1987; with Rosyth Dockyard becoming a government owned, contractor run facility. This contract was awarded in parallel with
Devonport Management Limited's contract to run
Devonport Dockyard,
Plymouth. In 1993 the
Ministry of Defence announced plans to privatise Rosyth. Babcock International, who had bought out Thorn's share of the original Babcock Thorn consortium, was the only company to submit a bid and after protracted negotiations purchased the yard in January 1997.
Nuclear submarine refitting In 1984 Rosyth was chosen as the sole location for refitting the Royal Navy's nuclear submarine fleet (a role it was already specialising in), and in 1986 extensive rebuilding commenced to facilitate this new role. However, in 1993, the government switched the refitting role to Devonport Dockyard.
Nuclear submarine decommissioning Seven nuclear submarines were stored at Rosyth in 2007. In 2018, the
Public Accounts Committee criticised the slow rate of decommissioning of these submarines, with the
Ministry of Defence admitting that it had put off decommissioning due to the cost and is currently due to be finalised in 2035. • • • • • • •
Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers )The Royal Navy's two carriers were constructed across six UK shipyards, with final assembly at Rosyth. == Today ==