Nuclear Power Stations in Scotland - Dounreay (Paperback)

Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Dounreay (Gaelic: Dnrath) (Ordnance Survey grid reference NC982669) is the name of a now ruinous castle on the north coast of Caithness, in the Highland area of Scotland. It is the site of several nuclear research establishments. Upper Dounreay formed part of the battlefield of the Sandside Chase in 1437. The site is used by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (Dounreay Nuclear Power Development Establishment) and the Ministry of Defence (Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment), and the site is best known for its five nuclear reactors, three owned and operated by the UKAEA and two by the Ministry of Defence. The nuclear power establishment was built on the site of a World War II airfield, called HMS Tern (II). The airfield was transferred to the Admiralty by RAF Coastal Command in 1944, as a satellite of HMS Tern at Twatt in Orkney. It never saw any action during the war and was placed into care and maintenance in 1949. Dounreay is near the A836 road, about 9 miles (14 km) west of the town of Thurso, which grew rapidly when the research establishment was developed during the mid 20th century. The establishment remained a major element in the economy of Thurso and Caithness until 1994 when the government ordered the reactors closed for good; a large population employed in the clean-up of the site (which is scheduled to continue until at least 2025) remains. Robert Gordon's map of Caithness, 1642, uses Dounrae as the name of the castle. Watson's The Celtic Place-names of Scotland gives the origin as Dnrath, and suggests that it may be a reference to a broch. This is the commonly accepted toponymy. According to folk etymology the name Dounreay came about after a local with a strong accent tried to pronounce Down Reay to a map maker (D... More: http://booksllc.net/?id=822900