# Pounds scrapyard, Portsmouth



## fatdeeman (May 20, 2008)

Went there about 4 years ago now, I'm sure many people know about this place, by the time I went to take pictures there wasn't as much there, submarines were long gone sadly but there was still quite alot of interesting things to see....








chieftain tank:




































A pair of larc lx's, related to dukw or "ducks" more info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LARC-LX

















































































Hms Handy, a gunboat built in the late 1800's, more info here: http://www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/ships_register.php?action=ship&id=16

"today 20th May Harry Pounds scrapyard foiled a rescue attempt by running a bulldozer through HMS Handy destroying a 130 year old historic ship. A wanton and spiteful act of vandalism which is a disgrace to firm that made its money from the Royal Navy." - http://royal-navy.org/Forum/index.php?topic=306.msg606





















HMRC Vigilant, a customs cutter built in 1901, more info here: http://www.vigilant.org.uk/pages/rescue.html











Hms Stalker, canadian built landing ship, more info here: http://nationalhistoricships.org.uk/index.cfm/event/getVessel/vref/1789/pic/1












































































Hope you liked!


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## Neosea (May 20, 2008)

I will take one of the landing craft and an anchor. Love to see peoples faces turning up to work in one of those and the anchor will look good on the lawn

Great find, thanks for the photo's


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## reddwarf9 (May 20, 2008)

Neosea said:


> I will take one of the landing craft



I'll take the other, what awesome machines, and all the other stuff too, amazing place thanx for sharing


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## Bishop (May 20, 2008)

Fantastic stuff. I found a Flickr account a year or so back with pictures of this scrapyard but no details of the location, it's without a doubt the same place the US military stuff looks identical.

The tank with the wacky paint job is an ex British Army Chieftain, with the add on Stillbrew armour. The LARC is a bit of an odd one to find in a UK scrapyard, below is a link to the Wiki page on it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LARC-V

When I was about 15 (long time ago) I remember driving past this scrapyard and seeing numerous submarines there, the scrappers were using an ex British Army Stalwart amphibious transport (Fitters version with the crane) to swim out to the vessels to cut bits of.

REME Stalwart. I wonder if it's still there?






Anyway, excuse my prattling on. Good work Fatdeeman.


B


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## fatdeeman (May 20, 2008)

Bishop said:


> Fantastic stuff. I found a Flickr account a year or so back with pictures of this scrapyard but no details of the location, it's without a doubt the same place the US military stuff looks identical.
> 
> The tank with the wacky paint job is an ex British Army Chieftain, with the add on Stillbrew armour. The LARC is a bit of an odd one to find in a UK scrapyard, below is a link to the Wiki page on it.
> 
> ...



I doubt it's still there mate, the site is being redeveloped and is all but bare empty as far as I know.

There was a piece about the place on the news once, the owner has a collection of military vehicles somewhere in portsmouth and big buildings full of all sorts of fascinating stuff, cars planes and even props from films like indiana jones!

That was going back a few years now, no idea if it still all exists.

I think the owners wanted to put an ikea there but it fell through.


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## reddwarf9 (May 20, 2008)

Neosea said:


> That Larc V would be good for fishing



for about 60 people!!!


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## Foxylady (May 20, 2008)

Wow, what a fantastic site! Love those larcs. Damn, I was too late to bagsy one of them! 
Great pics and report, fdm.


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## oldscrote (May 21, 2008)

grand photos,love the larcs anybody out there know wether any still survive in restored and running condition


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## Bax__ (May 21, 2008)

I'll take the gun turret for my garden, how's that for an ornament!!! Need to get it working to slow down some of the boy racers that don't stop at the T junction beside the house!!lol:lol:


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## King Al (May 21, 2008)

Great selection of pics there fatdeeman like the tank and the larc lx's. you would think they would donate them to a museum or something


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## reddwarf9 (May 21, 2008)

Foxylady said:


> Love those larcs. Damn, I was too late to bagsy one of them!



You can borrow mine as long as you put the fuel in  4 V8's I bet they sound awesome


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## Foxylady (May 21, 2008)

reddwarf9 said:


> You can borrow mine as long as you put the fuel in



Nah, it's okay...I'll just come on the booze cruise.


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## Lightbuoy (May 21, 2008)

Some amazing pieces of scrap. If only the A-Team had been cornered in this place................
Really interesting -thanks for sharing your snaps 

Lb


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## Neosea (May 21, 2008)

Foxylady said:


> ...I'll just come on the booze cruise.



 Just think of the booze that Larc could carry. Plan on sobering up in about 2030


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## reddwarf9 (May 21, 2008)

Neosea said:


> Just think of the booze that Larc could carry. Plan on sobering up in about 2030



100 ton capacity, how many crates of beer is that?


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## TK421 (May 21, 2008)

I like old boats, I like old scrapyards, fit a bar in one corner which also serves bacon sandwiches of that place and it's all good!!


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## stevejd (May 24, 2008)

there is an LARC that runs on Hunstanton beach alongside a DUKW for trips around the local coast and yes those V8s sound unbelivable.

http://www.seatours.co.uk/


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## LeatherDome (May 24, 2008)

fatdeeman said:


>




I can't recognise the one in the foreground as it's marinised and I can't see much of it. The engine in the right background is a Cummins L10 250 from a Seddon Atkinson 211.

What's a truck engine like that doing in a boat scrap yard? Well I've answered many a phone call from fishermen and boat yards thinking these would be good things to re power their boats with.

Yet another _unfinished project_, I fear.


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## Mr Sam (May 28, 2008)

what a find loving those 'ducks' and the bent props


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## smiffy (May 28, 2008)

*pounds yard*

Thats a real bit of history dis-appearing there folks....
During the immediate years after the Second world War HArry Pound scrapped literally hundreds of military vehicles especially tanks...In later years they've specialised in boats / ships and general marine equipment......I used to do a bit of business with them back in the 80s and early 90s...You should have seen the stuff they had in there in those days and that was nothing apparently to what could be seen there in the 50s and 60s. They had a big clearout when they emptied the 'inner' side of the yard and a lot of good stuff was found homes (there are quite a few WW2 tanks about the preservation rallies that were saved from there including at least two M10 Tank Destroyers and half a dozen or so Churchills).Great report ...sad to see the place go..

Just remembered this too............
The gates on that yard are made out of bits of the Normandy Beaches 'Mulberry Harbour'...
Pounds were one of the companies that cut up the remains of the Mulberrys for the French Government back in the late 40s early 50s....They used several bits to make their yard gates with ...Hope someone rescues those bits.........


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## chizyramone (May 28, 2008)

Whoah! Check this link out

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LARC-LX

Yet another site I drove past loads on my way to the docks,always meant to stop and have a look on the way back- never happened though!


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## statler (May 29, 2008)

chizyramone said:


> Yet another site I drove past loads on my way to the docks,always meant to stop and have a look on the way back- never happened though!


Exactly the same mate, definately remember there being lots of submarines all lined up waiting to be scrapped!


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## fatdeeman (May 29, 2008)

statler said:


> Exactly the same mate, definitely remember there being lots of submarines all lined up waiting to be scrapped!



As far as I know of the last two subs left there, one was acquired by a german museum and is on display in a harbour: http://uk.geocities.com/majorsnowdon/galmisc/otis.html

And the other was involved in a proposal to make a pretty cool sculpture: http://www.drydockart.com/oberon/Oberon Web Pictures/OB Pictures 1.htm

Seems to be some confusion over the names, the one that went to germany was definitely Otus but the other one may have been osiris or opportune or oracle, according to wikipedia Osiris got sold to canada but according to that sculpture site and the portsmouth news, osiris was the last one to be sat there, but it was widely reported that the last submarine to be at pounds was lost under tow to a scrapyard abroad and was called Oracle so god knows!

But alas, the first time I went there to take pictures I was over cautious and thought I had explored the whole site and realised on the way back home that I had missed them both thinking they had already gone!

The next time I was there they were already gone, bugger 

The place gradually got more sparse over the years but even as recent as the mid 90's there was still a lot to see, I found this photo a while back and it must have been taken close to an occasion when I went past in the car with the old man because everything in the picture I remember seeing







You had the MV brading (the ferry), 3 lightships, a couple of subs, what appeared to be a frigate or some other fairly large navy ship as well as loads of other ships and tanks and I even saw a traction engine

The best thing I saw was probbaly the remains of "hms p556" that was often mistaken for a uboat but was actually an american sboat, unbelieveably it survived at pounds yard in varying forms from 1947 till some point in the early to mid 90's






Some people might remember it being on the LEFT side of the m275 going into portsmouth, laying on it's side and orange with rust and full of holes!

I also remember seeing the old steam cable ship St Margarets that was later on the news because it was being saved from the cutting torch to go to italy and be converted to a private yacht 

Pictured here in situ at pounds 






Ok I'm done for the night! I go on a bit sometimes!


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## grizlyadams (Jun 8, 2008)

Id love to have seen that place with sboat in place!


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## Locksley (Jul 25, 2008)

I bagsy the Chieftain...

Awesome pics, mite have to try and visit one day.


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## skittles (Jul 25, 2008)

Nice pics although I am sure I have seen them before

Why would Harry Pounds scrapyard want to foil a rescue attempt?


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## ColHan (Nov 4, 2008)

Nice pics from a great site, visited there in 2005 for a shoot with Digital Camera Magazine. As and when my other external drive makes it out here I'll try and get a few pics up.


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## Puppet (Dec 8, 2008)

*Photoshoot*

Are the public allowed in Pounds?

We are looking for somewhere cool for a band photoshoot.


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## Puppet (Dec 8, 2008)

Cool as in interesting/ different.

Any idea if we can go in there for an afternoon?


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## Trinpaul (Jan 15, 2009)

I used to spend my summers each year in the 80's outside of Waterlooville so I was frequently in Portsmouth and Southsea and also remember seeing some diesel submarines there for scrapping. I have a picture around somewhere which I'll upload as soon as I find it. If I remember correctly there were also some old minesweepers.


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## sparky1987 (Jan 15, 2009)

Been meaning to go down there and have a look.
See it quite regally when we go over to Portsmouth town.


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## and7barton (Jan 16, 2009)

Puppet said:


> Are the public allowed in Pounds?
> 
> We are looking for somewhere cool for a band photoshoot.



"ALLOWED" ?
You are a member of this forum and you say the word "ALLOWED" ?


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## Trinpaul (Jan 16, 2009)

I had found these pictures some years ago.





A couple of old diesel subs at Pounds for scrapping. These would have been "Oberon" (??) class submarines? 





HMS Whitby at Britton Ferry for scarpping.

I may be wrong but I can recall seeing HMS Blake moored in Portsmouth harbour in the early 80's before she was sold for scrap.


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## B-F-C (Jan 28, 2009)

fatdeeman said:


> A pair of larc lx's, related to dukw or "ducks" more info here:



I could so use one of those L.A.R.C. craft - make commuting so much more fun 

I was on holiday years ago and remember seeing a bloke preping one - he now uses it pretty regularly I think - google for sea tours Hunstanton and you get a few pics


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## j666eds (Jan 29, 2009)

Trinpaul said:


> QUOTE]
> 
> I remember them! one of them somehow got the front end of it smashed in while being moored up there.


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## TonyG (Feb 16, 2009)

*little known fact*

little known fact: the painted cheiftain was used in a music for a girl bands somewhere around 2002 but i can't remember what the band was.... might well have had "girls" in the name.


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## james.s (Feb 22, 2009)

>



Is this the remains of HMS handy then?


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## tommy (Jun 13, 2009)

*hms handy???*



james.s said:


> Is this the remains of HMS handy then?


 interesting subject as me and my brother thinks it maybe a section from a mulbury harbour, will have to try and find out


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## waynezbitz1 (Jun 13, 2009)

i remmber going on a school trip many may years ago and driving past this yard and i was fasinated, but until recent years of seeing reports on this place ect, i never knew what this place was or where exactly i had seen it.

it was in the very early 80's i saw this and recall seeing a couple of submarines moored up and loads of boats and ship just ran aground.


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## Kissick99 (Jul 27, 2009)

ace explore, i spent a lot of time in pounds scrapyard as a kid (with harry's permission) i loved exploring that place!


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## soranman (Jul 27, 2009)

I found a video of the LARC at Hunstanton. This one was used during the Vietnam war, and the paint job is original from that time apparently.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RovYqfvnIms[/ame]


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## graybags (Jul 27, 2009)

*Pounds*

looking at google earth, seems like there's only a couple of LARC's left

G


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## sheffieldbloke (Aug 1, 2009)

*Larc*

A LARC for sale on ebay
250474776962


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## Potter (Aug 1, 2009)

Awesome stuff.

I see one of the boats still has an inflatable life boat.


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## Mercury (Nov 30, 2009)

So, is this place actully worth visting now? Or has everything interesing pretty much all gone?


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## diehardlove (Nov 30, 2009)

thats amazing nice work mate


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## Flexible (Nov 30, 2009)

I used to work in Southhampton and occasionally Portsmouth in 1988 and passed this yard regularly on the flyover. There must have been about a dozen subs piled up in there back then and I always wanted to go and have a nose around. Never got around to it though  and the guys I worked with used to say I was some sort of nutcase


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## fatdeeman (Feb 7, 2010)

james.s said:


> Is this the remains of HMS handy then?




Bit late but no, it's the picture below that one. This thing was some kind of concrete barge or jetty that's had the lid ripped off.


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