The pier at Shoebury was the Ordance pier. At one time the Royal Ordnace had it's own fleet, including tugs and ML's. The guns themselves were built at Woolwich and transported on barges named Gog and Magog, after the two giants of London. The ROC has it's own flag a defaced Blue Engsign. The Fleet office was also in charge of the Woolwich Arsenal Gas works. In 1890 two huge and at the time most expensive battleship guns ever built were being shipped for proof, and fell off the barge into the Thames at Woolwich! It made the front page of the times. During WW1 large loads such as rail guns were shipped on three specially built railway ferries (One of which was sunsequently sunk at Dieppe in WW2, and one was used to evacuate troops and equipment from Jersey in 1940) the port was the super secret built from scratch Military Port of Richbourough- http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=105335 http://www.berkeleygroup.co.uk/property-developers/berkeley/developments/royal-arsenal-riverside/history I used to vist the old gun very regularly back in the old Rotunda days, ee.. when I twere lad!