The Invergordon Archive

What an amazing photograph. I had no idea there were US sailors based in the area during WW1. I assume the Distillery was requisitioned as their barracks? If they were just visiting, the free samples must have emptied a few barrels!
I wonder if there is any connection between this circumstance and the old "American gardens" where the Golf Course now is? Was the pier at Dalmore for their use?

Bill, all these photos relating to the Mine Assembly Base at Dalmore have been placed in a 'group' (The Northern Barrage) with a fairly detailed desciption on their background. You can access this via the link above under 'This picture is in the following groups'.

The old “American Gardens” are shown on the old Ordnance Survey map of 1880, so they would appear to pre-date the American presence at Dalmore. I guess the name comes from an old family connection of the residents of the Castle.
You’re right about the pier, though, as Marinell Ash explains in her superb book on the Cromarty Firth. I’ve extracted the relevant part and put it in the ‘group’ description mentioned above. It’s clear that this pier was built out to the deep channel running up the Firth as do all the other piers at Saltburn, Invergordon (Admiralty Pier and the Service Base) and at Highland Deephaven. This would have allowed the mines to be loaded onto ships at Dalmore rather than transporting them to Invergordon, an altogether much safer exercise.

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