ROSYTH Dockyard has been named one of the top 200 civil engineering projects which has helped shape the world and transformed people’s lives.

First built as a naval base for battleships, the site opened in 1915 and played a large part in the success of Britain’s war effort, providing access to the important battle zone of the North Sea.

The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is, to mark its 200th anniversary, celebrating 200 inspirational and world-changing projects from across the globe.

The dockyard has been included and Sara Thiam, ICE Scotland director, said: “I’m delighted to see another Scottish project join our list of 200 projects from around the world.

“It yet again highlights Scotland’s impressive track record for producing world class engineers and infrastructure over the last 200 years. Rosyth demonstrates the long-term benefits that civil engineering brings to society.

“It is a tribute to the enduring skills of civil engineers who created it and those responsible for its modification for continued use.”

Following its redevelopment after World War II, the site – now owned and operated by Babcock International – became an important part of the UK’s nuclear deterrent, refitting and maintaining conventional and nuclear submarines.

The most recent modification of the yard’s infrastructure has enabled Rosyth to undertake the assembly of the £6.2 billion aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, the largest warships ever to enter service with the Royal Navy.

Michael Murray OBE, a civil engineer who worked for Babcock at the Rosyth site between 1987 and 2016, said: “The Babcock Rosyth facility is an important local employer and training provider and has brought lots of opportunities to many people over the years.

“Civil engineering has played a hugely important part in the Babcock Rosyth site over the last century.

“Engineering is in Babcock’s DNA and technology is at the core of its engineering skills and capabilities, from which it seeks to drive and deliver innovation in every aspect of its work.

“It is great to see how the facility has adapted over the years due to changing demand, and how it continues to do so today.”

The dockyard joins the 200 projects featured on ICE’s website to mark its bicentenary but also to help people understand civil engineering, after it was revealed that only 45 per cent of adults know what the career entails and only 35 per cent of young people understand what a civil engineer does.

Nominated by members and selected by an expert panel, the 200 projects illustrate the breadth and depth of civil engineering’s impact and include the Forth Bridge, Forth Road Bridge and Queensferry Crossing, the Falkirk Wheel, Edinburgh Sewers, Manchester Airport, the Tate Modern in London, Auckland Harbour Bridge in New Zealand and the Lotus Temple in New Delhi, India.