Rosyth Dockyard was only approved in 1903 and building work did not commence until 1909. The Dockyard included a dry dock and main basin which was initially built to accommodate eleven battleships, or twenty two if doubled up.
The building of Rosyth Dockyard and the growing threat posed by the German Navy in the run up to 1914, saw a rapid expansion in the coastal defence batteries built along the Firth of Forth. The Dockyard increased in importance during World War I. Rosyth Dockyard now covers 300 acres although operated as a private concern.