PLUTO pipelineIn 1944, the first fuel-carrying PLUTO (Pipe-Line Under The Ocean) under the English Channel became operational supplying fuel from the Isle of Wight to Cherbourg for vehicles of the Allied forces in France. This over 70 mile pipe was laid in just 10 hours, and is one of the greatest feats of military engineering. The scheme was developed by A.C. Hartley, chief engineer with the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, from an idea by Admiral Louis Mountbatten to relieve dependence on vulnerable oil tankers. Prototypes of the pipeline were tested at several locations starting in May 1942. Britain and the U.S. then produced sufficient pipe to eventually lay 18 pipelines between England and France pumping 781 million litres of fuel by VE day.*Image: section of pipeline showing lead core and successive protective layers. |
