 During Henry VIII's reign, the upper Medway gradually became the principal anchorage for ships of the Royal Navy while they were "in ordinary," or out of commission.They were usually stripped of their sails and rigging while in this state and the opportunity was taken to refit and repair them.Storehouses and servicing facilities were built in the Medway towns of Gillingham and Chatham which eventually became the nucleus of the Chatham Dockyard.