The Downs

The Downs was a roadstead in the English Channel off the east coast

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of Kent, between the North and the South Foreland. The Downs served as a permanent base for warships patrolling the North Sea, and formed a favourite anchorage during heavy weather, protected on the east by the Goodwin Sands and on the north and west by the coast. It has depths down to 12 fathoms (22 m). Even during southerly gales some shelter was afforded, though under this condition wrecks were not infrequent.

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The Downs lie between the Strait of Dover and the Thames Estuary, so both merchant ships awaiting an easterly wind to take them down the English Channel and those going up to London gathered there, often for quite long periods.

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It could be quite a dangerous area. The Goodwin Sands were constantly shifting, and were not always adequately marked. Storms could also drive ships onto the shore or onto the sands.

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For The Downs, a public open space in Bristol, England, please see The Downs (Bristol).

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For The Downs as a general term for chalk hills in southern England, see Downland

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Roadstead: A roadstead is a place outside a harbor where a ship can lie at anchor. It is an enclosed area with an opening to the sea, narrower than a bay or gulf. It has a surface that cannot be confused with an estuary. It can be created artificially by jetties or dikes. Natural roadsteads offer shelter from ...

English Channel: The English Channel, also for some time known as the British Sea (French: La Manche, "the sleeve") is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. It is about 563 km (350 mi) long and at its widest is 2...

Kent: :This article is about the English county of Kent. See also Kent (disambiguation)....

The Downs related Images and Photos (experimental)

Morning Fog Hangs over the Downs	Heaven Rises Him Who Can Downs Him (Yu Chigong)	The Acrobats' Camp Epsom Downs	Onset of Fall at Crystal Downs
Adam Had Four Sons Ingrid Bergman Warner Baxter Johnny Downs Richard Denning Robert Shaw 1941	Figure on a Pathway Leading Up a Hill in the South Downs Near Lewes Sussex England UK