Hoy, Lyness, Wee Fea, Underground Fuel Reservoir

The underground fuel reservoir at Lyness, known as Wee Fea, was built between 1938 and 1943. It consists of an extensive network of six rectangular underground fuel storage tanks, along with operational and maintenance access tunnels and valve chambers that have been carved out of the hillside bedrock and are mainly lined with shuttered concrete. At the beginning of the operational piping tunnel, there is a small square-plan fan room, and at the end, the six underground fuel tanks are located. The tunnel measures approximately 350 metres in length and 3 metres in width. Within the tunnel, two pipes are laid beneath the concrete floor, with metal inspection covers allowing access, connecting each underground tank to the tank farm in Lyness. The tanks vary in size due to the geological conditions of Wee Fea, but they average about 9 metres in width, 237 metres in length, and 13.5 metres in height, with a total capacity of approximately 5.6 million gallons of fuel.