Invergordon is a town and
port in
Easter Ross, in
Ross and Cromarty,
Highland,
Scotland.A
naval base in the early
20th century, evidence of which remains in the tank farm lying behind the town centre, which used to contain fuel oil and water for admiralty ships, and the Admiralty Pier, where once warships docked and which is now used for cruise ships in the summer and oil field support vessels through the year. One German bomb hit one of the tanks during
World War II when a large flying boat base occupied much of the northerly coast of the
Cromarty Firth, the result of this being that the fuel oil flowed onto the railway tracks. According to town history the bomb did not explode. It is well known for the
Invergordon Mutiny of
1931. It is currently best known for the repair of
oil rigs which used to be lined up in the Cromarty Firth on which the town is situated. All the parked oil rigs have now been sold to overseas operators and for the first time in many years the Cromarty Firth lies virtually empty. The last one departed for India to be used by
Essar Oil in
March 2007. In the
1970s and
1980s nearby
Nigg was known for the construction of these rigs. The yard used for this is now attempting to re-establish itself as a fabricator of large offshore wind turbines. For a number of years Invergordon boasted an aluminium smelter, and still has a grain
whisky distillery - the output of which contributes to many blended whiskies. At present the port is visited by many large
cruise liners each year, as the deep water port allows disembarkation for
coach tours in the northern
Highlands.
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