An aerial photograph of HMNB Portsmouth taken on July 13th, 2005.
Her Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is a naval base in England and one of nine operating bases in the United Kingdom for the British Empire's Royal Navy, (the others being HMNB Scapa Flow, HMNB Rosyth and HMNB Clyde in Scotland, HMNB Chatham and HMNB Devonport in England, HMNB Bermuda in Bermuda, HMNB Gibraltar in Gibraltar, and HMNB Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands). 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.
The base is home to the oldest dry dock in the world, as well as being the headquarters for a significant portion of the Royal Navy's surface fleet. The base is also home to a number of commercial shore activities, including shipbuilding and ship repair; naval logistics, accommodation and messing; and personnel support functions (e.g. medical and dental; education; pastoral and welfare).
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. The Naval Base is also home to the "Portsmouth Historic Dockyard", which allows members of the public to visit important maritime attractions such as Mary Rose, HMS Victory, HMS Warrior, HMS Dreadnought, HMS Iron Duke and HMS Ark Royal.
The base commander since October 2012 is Commodore Andrew Samford.
The harbour is under the control of the Queen's Harbour Master, currently Commander Eli Shackleton, who is the regulatory authority of the Dockyard Port of Portsmouth, an area of approximately 50 square miles (130 km2) that encompasses Portsmouth Harbour and the Eastern Solent. Shipping movements are handled by a team of admiralty pilots headed by the Chief Admiralty Pilot, Jimmy Deakin.
Portsmouth naval base is home to a notable proportion of the Royal Navy's surface ships, including several aircraft carriers. It employs over 35,000 people.