Anyone know what this is?

[polygonum]

Don't think we've got any new ones at all, let alone available for burial.

[Dave Liquorice]

Oh yes we do:

We are currently headed for having a total of seven, one is in service, a second preparing for service, another in sea trials, three under construction and the seventh ordered.

[Another John]

Why? ! ! ?

(And I speak as a big fan of the old British Empire.)

John

[Vir Campestris]

Your description is accurate.

Even though I needed a large engineer's adjuster and a punch to get the pin out...

The thing inside feels as though it moves sideways, not up and down - as if it was in a big lump of rubber.

Andy

[polygonum]

Goodness me! I knew about what had been commissioned but didn't realise the future plans. Obviously vitally important for protecting oil reserves... What do you mean, they are Scottish?

[damduck-egg]

Unlikely with a nuclear but strange things happen,not far from here is an industrial yard grown out of a farm which had a fire about 20 years ago. The fire brigade needed a large source of water quickly and over the fence was some MOD land that had been used for various testing purposes which had some large concrete lined ponds,as the water level dropped a small midget submarine appeared And if you know where to look not too far away in the New Forest there is a buried structure constructed for the testing of the Grand Slam bomb. At the time of construction it acquired the name the U boat Pen but it wasn't quite the same.

G.Harman

[Muddymike]

I'd hoped it was the cap for our well - it's somewhere around there -

If it were in my garden I would say its a testing point for Radon gas. Are you in an area that suffers?

Mike

[Vir Campestris]

Good thought. But we're on clay over chalk, so no.

Andy

[Richard]

Survey level marker? Central rod anchored a metre or so down so unaffected by surface soil movement

[Vir Campestris]

That's a really interesting idea. I'll have to get a torch and shine it down to get a better look.

I can't see one in google that looks like this though.

Andy