Pounds scrapyard, Portsmouth

[fatdeeman]

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!

 

[Neosea]

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

 

[reddwarf9]

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

 

[Bishop]

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

 

[fatdeeman]

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

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.

 

[reddwarf9]

That Larc V would be good for fishing

for about 60 people!!!

 

[Foxylady]

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

 

[oldscrote]

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

 

[Bax__]

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:

 

[King Al]

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

 

[reddwarf9]

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

 

[Foxylady]

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

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

 

[Lightbuoy]

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

Lb

 

[Neosea]

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

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

 

[reddwarf9]

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?

 

[TK421]

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!!

 

[stevejd]

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/

 

[LeatherDome]

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.

 

[Mr Sam]

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

 

[smiffy]

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.........