Spithead

 

eastern part of the channel between Hampshire, England, and the Isle of Wight. In 1797 a celebrated wartime mutiny occurred in the fleet stationed at Spithead: the crews sent the officers ashore, ran the ships by committee, and won their demands for better wages and working conditions.

Map sources for Spithead at grid reference SZ6195

Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds, except those from the southeast. It receives its name from the Spit, a sandbank stretching south from the Hampshire shore for 5 km (3 miles); and it is 22.5 km (14 miles) long by about 6.5 km (4 miles) in average breadth.

The "Spithead Review of the Royal Navy" is famous, where the Monarch of the United Kingdom reviews a large fleet of warships.

In 1797 there was a mutiny (the Spithead mutiny) in the Royal Navy fleet at anchor at Spithead.

Spithead has been strongly defended since 1864 by fortifications completing those of Portsmouth.

Coordinates: 50.75140° N 1.13667° W

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