Plymouth (England)

Plymouth is a major port city located on the south coast of Devon, England. The port is approx 60 km (37 mi) southwest of Exeter and approx 310 km (190 mi) southwest of London. The port is located between the mouths of Plym River (to the east) and Tamar River (to the west). Here they both join to create the boundary with Cornwall.

The city covers an area approx 70 km2 (31 mi2). By population (around 260,000) is ranked UK's 30th most populous and South West England 's 2nd-largest (after Bristol).

Port Plymouth is also HMNB Devonport - UK's (and Western Europe's) largest operational naval base. The abbrev "HMNB" stands for "Her Majesty's Naval Base, Devonport". Current-day Plymouth's economy is based on seafaring, shipbuilding and services. Car and passenger ferries link to France-Brittany (St Malo and Roscoff) and Spain (Santander).

In January 2018, Port Plymouth became Devon England's second port (together with Torquay / Torbay) on the list of UK cruise ports The port officially announced joining CruiseBritain, and its ambition to become a major cruise ship travel destination by 2020. CruiseBritain represents cruisetour companies and UK seaports.

For season 2018, the cruise port had scheduled 5 ship calls - by the Phoenix Reisen liners Artania and Amadea, and the Seabourn Cruises' new ship Seabourn Ovation (2018-built).

In 2021, the UK-based company CMV-Cruise And Maritime Voyages for the first time homeports in Plymouth (during the summer) with the ship Marco Polo. CMV's 2021 program has planned 4 roundtrip cruises from Plymouth. The itineraries include 6-night (August 19), 7-night (August 25), 10-night (September 1) and 14-night (September 12).

The settlement emerged as the Roman Empire's trading post. The village (Sutton) was established in the 9th century. During the Industrial Revolution (1760-1840), the city also grew as a major commercial shipping port that handled passengers and imports from North America and exported locally-sourced minerals (copper, tin, lime, arsenic, china clay). The neighbouring Devonport became a Royal Naval dockyard and shipbuilding site.

In 1914, three neighbouring towns (East Stonehouse, Plymouth and Devonport) merged into a County Borough under the name Plymouth. City status was granted in 1928. The city's naval importance led to its partial destruction during WW2 (1939-1945). During the Plymouth Blitz (Nazi bombing raids in 1940-44) the downtown was completely destroyed.

Plymouth cruise terminal