Spithead

Spithead, a celebrated roadstead on the south coast of England, and a favourite rendezvous of the British navy, is the eastern division—the Solent (q.v.) being the western—of the strait that separates the Isle of Wight from the mainland. It is protected from all winds, except those from the south-east, and its noted security warranted the name which has been applied to it by sailors of the 'king's bedchamber.' It receives its name from the 'Spit,' a sandbank stretching south from the Hampshire shore for 3 miles; and it is 14 miles long by about 4 miles in average breadth. Here in 1797 the sailors of the Channel Fleet mutinied for more liberal pay and allowances, which were granted to them. Spithead has been strongly defended since 1864 by fortifications completing those of Portsmouth (q.v.).