 In the nearby parish of Stoke Damerel the first dockyard , HMNB Devonport , opened in 1690 on the eastern bank of the River Tamar . Further docks were built here in 1727 , 1762 and 1793 . The settlement that developed here was called " Dock " or " Plymouth Dock " at the time , and a new town , separate from Plymouth , grew up . In 1712 there were 318 men employed and by 1733 it had grown to a population of 3 @,@ 000 people . 
