Monument record MHG56910 - WWI fuel tanks - Seabank tank farm, Invergordon

Royal Navy Port Fuel Depot, Invergordon. A large number of brick, concrete and steel fuel tanks for the Royal Navy, constructed in several phases between pre-1913 and the 1960s. (see MHG36549 for overview)

Thirty-one tanks were built during WWI at Invergordon to provide fuel for naval ships who used the port. They augmented 10 situated to the west which were completed in 1913 (see MHG30324). <1>

Site visited in 1999 by J A Guy during work for the Defence of Britain Project. Brick, concrete and steel RN fuel tanks for Naval port. Piers and oil tanks and many other buildings. <2> The WWI tanks are not specifically mentioned, however.

Martin Briscoe has uploaded photographs of the fuel tank site to the Highland HER Flickr group. Only one of the images is linked directly to this record, as it is not clear if any of the other photos relate specifically to the WWI tanks, but follow the link to the Flickr group (at the bottom of this record) to see further comments and see MHG36549 for the photos. <3>

The WWI tanks were visited and photographed in 2015 as part of the ARCH project 'Invergordon in World War I'. Photographs show that they were painted with camouflage paint. The tanks were covered in bricks during WWII, but most of the bricks were taken away subsequently. Tank 13, at NGR 271016 868936, is the only one of the 41 in total which does not survive. On 17 February 1941 a single German bomber hit the tank, rupturing the sides, so that the top of the tank fell down intact. The oil spilled into the railway and down to the sea. There is a picture of the damaged tank on the Invergordon Archive (no. 389 - see link below). On a plan from 1962, Tank 27 (Site 27 in project database), at NGR 271243 869132, is labelled 'Water' and shown with a separate berm around it. The tank is still labelled 'Water' on its exterior. <4>

The whole of the tank farm was considered for listing at Category A by Historic Environment Scotland in 2016. <5>