Research into the history of a former naval base near Torpoint has uncovered some fascinating stories.

The Wilcove Comm-unity Association is planning to produce a book on the history of their village and one of the chapters will be devoted to HMS Defiance.

The base comprised three ships moored off a jetty in the River Tamar and a nine-acre site, leased from the Antony Estate, in the village.

The three ships were HMS Inconstant, a frigate built in 1862, HMS Vulcan, a larger one-off vessel built in 1889, and HMS Andromeda, a cruiser launched in 1902 and the largest of the trio.

They became a familiar sight to villagers and housed thousands of sailors over the years.

The first buildings appeared on the nine-acre site during World War I. Barrage balloons were stored there and inflated for use in protecting Devonport Dockyard just across the river.

After hostilities ended, the site reverted to farmland and one of the buildings became the present village hall. Military activity resumed on the site during World War II with more buildings being erected.

Life could be tough on the ships and ashore, as the community association has discovered.

Research

Mrs Paddy Knott, chairman of the association, takes up the story: "Jim Smith, a retired naval officer who lives in the village, has been carrying out research on HMS Defiance.

"He had lots of details about the base but not from the war years - this was proving difficult to obtain.

"I wrote to Navy News on a different matter, about a relative who had been a Japanese prisoner of war, and on the end asked for information from anyone who had served at HMS Defiance in the war years."

This produced a tremendous response with a flood of telephone calls and letters from this country and abroad.

High on the list of memories was the fact that the old ships were infested with cockroaches. One person said the ships were a "time capsule of 1899".

An extract from a sailor who went on to serve for nearly 40 years in the navy said: "The senior rates seemed to have a comfortable life. Their main problem being levelling the snooker table before a game and balls being nudged when a boat came alongside!

"The junior rates however lived in overcrowded Victorian slum conditions. Some old hands loved it but health and safety inspectors today would have had a field day.

"I wonder if the Wilcove residents knew what a cockroach-infested slum they had on their doorstep."

Icicles

He added that throughout his long service conditions were never as bad as his Defiance experience.

Another veteran recalled the poop deck built out over the cliffs bordering the river.

He said: "The toilets were quite an experience. One felt at any time you could drop into the river perched out over the cliff edge."

One man who lived ashore remembers icicles hanging from the roof inside a hut and waking up to find frost on his bed covers in the morning.

HMS Defiance was used for a number of purposes. It was a torpedo school and provided electrical training. Midget submarine training took place and deep sea drivers and frogmen were given instruction.

Association member John Carter remembers a deep sea diver walking around the village looking like a spaceman!

The base was closed down and the three ships scrapped in the 1950s.

In the 1960s most of the site was given over to industrial use, then in the 1980s some of the businesses relocated to the Trevol Business Park in Torpoint.

A number of industrial units still remain but much of the site has been redeveloped for luxury houses.

As well as some of the old buildings, other reminders of the past can be found.

An avenue of trees on the new housing development once formed an attractive entrance to the base and an old lamp standard, formerly used to light a steel shelter where sailors waited for boats, now stands at the end of a jetty in the river. Cove Lodge, which was home to the commanding officer, is now a private residence.