I served the first year of my apprenticeship in the Fitting Shop (Engineering Workshop ) in Sheerness Dockyard in 1944.
The building was T shaped with the long top of the T nearest the Rats Bay end .
Entering the main door from the short end of the T ,the centre of the shop consisted mainly of the torpedo tube manufacture area , testing and repair. Also there was the planning machine capable of machining very large pieces of metal ( approximately ,say ,30ft long and 5 ft wide ) and lots of free space to work on very large pieces of ships engines or propelllor shafts
I saw a crankshaft , 2 feet in diameter from a very large ship repaired there.
On the right hand side were two rows of lathes of various sizes mainly worked by “Dilutee Turners “ these were very skilled men not apprenticed and only allowed to be lathe turners and were paid considerably less than “time served men “Moving left across the 6 feet wide pathway was another row of lathes then the main centre area .Moving again to the left was a long row of drilling machines etc and another pathway 6 feet wide and then more assorted machines .Set into the wall was an opening to the fairly smallish Tool Room ,engraving labels and very small intricate work was covered. And in another opening was the Store Room for rags , drills , and any tools that were required for any job.
On entering the Fitting Shop ( F.S.) turn sharp left and then sharp left again ,this leads to the Testing bay , a small room with a very large machined flat test bed .A large Gantry crane could run the length of the F.S.
Around the entire F.S. was a 6 foot wide balcony on the next floor up complete with machine vices etc ,this was the home of the 12 apprentices in my year .
Just above the F.S. main door in this balcony was THE Inspectors main office
With the top of the T this consisted of two floors, the lower section was used for repairing engines and small machines ,and all mechanical parts of engines .
The upper section was the Patternmakes domain ,fitted out with 20?? Woodworkers large benches.One room here was used by us , the apprentices,and their Instructor to cover the theory of engines steam and diesel and petrol ,turbines and reciprocating , and all machinery associated with ships
( Most of this data is correct , or very nearly correct )
We had to work in the Foundry Shop doing a six week course it was very dusty and dirty .We were all very pleased when this course was finished