HMNB Portsmouth 4.03

Her Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the British Royal Navy . Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is located on the eastern shore of Portsmouth Harbour, north of the Solent and the Isle of Wight. Until the early 1970s it was officially known as Portsmouth Royal Dockyard ; the shipbuilding, repair and maintenance element of the base was privatized in the late-1990s/early-2000s.The base is home to one of the oldest dry docks in the world, as well as being the headquarters for two-thirds of the Royal Navy's surface fleet. The base is also home to a number of commercial shore activities ; naval logistics, accommodation and messing; and personnel support functions provided by Defence Equipment and Support.The base is the oldest in the Royal Navy and it has been an important part of the Senior Service's history and the defence of the British Isles for centuries. At one time it was the largest industrial site in the world. Around the year 2000, the designation HMS Nelson was extended to cover the entire base.