13 – 1916 The Entrance Pier / Coaling Station

Monoliths also formed the foundation for the triangular entrance Pier. At 30 ft (9.1m) square, these were slightly smaller than the seawall monoliths. They were driven into the seabed to form an open pattern, with top of each monolith at Low Water Ordinary Spring Tide. They were topped with a lattice of concrete beams covered with a wooden deck to create a pier.

This pier was intended as a coaling station but from 1912 onwards, the new Queen Elizabeth –class battleships were oil-burners. Hence the need for an adjacent oil tank farm.

Once the Inner Basin and Entrance Lock were in active use it was found that cross-currents flowing through the open grid of the pier at certain states of the tide affected ships manoeuvring in and out of the entrance dock. This was solved by filling the gaps between the monoliths with screens of reinforced concrete piles.