Greenock Dockyard | clydeshipbuilding

GREENOCK DOCKYARD COMPANY.

The shipyard in Main Street, Cartsdyke, now occupied by the Greenock Dockyard Company, Limited, is a very old established yard and has passed through various hands. The head of the company, Mr William Millar, was working in it in 1862, when it was owned by Caird & Co., who were then busy building the first steamers for the American-Hamburg Line and the first of the fleet known as the North-German-Lloyd, all of which vessels were built in this yard. It had previously been occupied by Scott & Co. When Caird & Co. left to go west for more room the place lay idle for some years, and was then taken over by three local gentlemen whose firm was entitled Robertson & Co., Mr Robertson having been a foreman with Caird & Co. Business was carried on for a few years, and the yard was once more closed. It was re-opened by Mr J. Edward Scott, who failed in 1878, when Russell & Co. bought the estate from the creditors and conducted business in Greenock until 1900, when the place was leased to Carmichael & McLean, who got into difficulties. The yard was then purchased by Mr Millar, of the Greenock and Grangemouth Dockyard Company, Limited, which while making a specialty of oil and general cargo ships, are builders of all types and classes, as well as of floating docks, sliding caissons, etc. In 1918 the business was sold to a London firm, and the yard is known now as The Greenock Dock and Co., Ltd. The ground belongs to the Harbour Trust, who acquired it from Messrs Burns, of the Belfast Steamboat Company, who had taken it in the early 'seventies with the view of making a dock or harbour for their steamers, but found that the railway connection did not work in well, and the Harbour Trust thereupon gave Messrs Burns certain concessions they had been asking and relieved them of their purchase. The ground was taken over by the Trust, and the various leaseholders since that time have been tenants of the Trust.

RM Smith

The period from 1918 to 1966 when the Greenock Dockyard was owned by The Clan Line Steamers Ltd of Glasgow saw one of the greatest shipbuilder/owner associations in British shipyard history, producing some 65 Clan Line cargo-liners. The Cartsdyke Mid Yard had been purchased from Russell & Co in 1900 by the Grangemouth Dockyard Co, which then amended its name to the Grangemouth & Greenock Dockyard Co.. In its early days the yard was more commonly known as the ‘klondyke’ yard, in reference to the then recent Alaskan gold rush of 1894. William Burrell ordered 20 tramps in a time of slump from five Port Glasgow and Greenock yards in 1906 including eight from the Dockyard all with ‘Strath’ names. In 1908 the company recognised the importance of the larger berths at Greenock, and reversed the yard names in the title, becoming the Greenock & Grangemouth Dockyard Co. Ltd. In 1918 the yard was purchased by Cayzer, Irvine & Co Ltd., owners and managers of the Clan Line Steamers Ltd of Glasgow with services to India and South Africa, and went on to build some 65 Clan Line cargo-liners starting with the Clan Alpine in 1918. In 1920 Lord Cayzer changed the name of the yard to the Greenock Dockyard Co. Ltd. Between 1931 – 1935 the yard closed – Depression. In 1934 it exchanged the Cartsdyke Mid Yard with the Cartsdyke East yard of Scott's and continued building for the Clan Line. During the War the yard completed ten cargo-liners for the Clan Line. After the war the yard continued to build for this company and the Union-Castle Line. The Cartsdyke East yard was modernised between 1958 and 1964 with the provision of two raised concrete crane piers at the sides of the two widened berths, instead of the previous three. The last two ships built by the yard while still owned by the British & Commonwealth Shipping Group (Clan Line & Union-Castle Line). The yard was taken over by Scott's in 1966.

Maria Goriainova

Restormel

Ionian

Helsingborg

Rollesby Broad

Castro Alen

Kortenaer

Falcon

Jupiter

Scarisbrick

Nadia

La Porte

Baltique

Antoine Fraissinet

Persistance

Pervoyance

Lederer Sandor

Pennoil

Neepawah

Flotow

Beethoven

Mozart

Rukmavati

Padmavati

Omravati

Scotscraig

Luchana

Gretavale

Kyleakin

Comte de Smet de Naeyer

Sydland

Strathearn

Strathtay

Strathyre

Strathspey

Strathord

Strathclyde

Avestruz

Strathavon

Strathallan

Aguila (II)

un-named

Carleton

Cramlington

Castle Eden

Guahyba

Purelight

Mina Brea

Albatros

H C Henry

Strathesk

Strathdene

San Francisco Xavier

Impoco

Barshaw

Broompark

Burma

Balvenie

Bargany

Essex Abbey

Hera

Strathmore

Bucegi

Strathcarron

River Orontes

Carpati

Uncas

Saint Cecilia

Saint Kentigern

Cassis

Saxonian

Inkusi

Barendrecht

Vennacher

Gogovale

Gretavale

Beechpark

Gentian

Thermol

Clan Alpine

Marjoram

Vitol

Clan Macwilliam

Hibiscus

War Briton

Leapark

Beechpark

Grangepark

Elmpark

Orowaiti

Mont Agel

Staur

Nordkyn II

Cedarpark

Clan MacIlwraith

Mirasol

Garza Azul

Valetta

Mobiloil

Barrdale

Hirondelle

Woodcock

Virgilia

Vancouver

British Reliance

Clan MacDonald

Clan MacDougall

Clan MacPherson

Barrwhin

Clan MacAlister

Melmay

Voreda

British Resource

British Energy

Clan MacArthur

Perthshire

Clan MacAulay

Clan Cameron

Clan Campbell

Clan Chattan

Clan Chisholm

Clan Cumming

Clan Buchanan

Clan Ferguson

Clan Menzies

Clan Forbes

Clan Fraser

Clan MacDonald

Lanarkshire

Clan Lamont

un-named

Empire Song

Athene

Empire Rainbow

Empire Ray

Empire Stanley

Empire Kingsley

Empire Homer

Empire Might

Empire Wisdom

Bonaventure

Clan Campbell

Clan Urquhart

Clan MacDougall

Clan Chattan

Clan Chisholm

Empire Byng

Clan Cumming

Empire Marshall

Empire Wallace

Empire Canute

Clan MacLaren

Clan MacLachlan

Clan MacLean

Clan MacLennan

Clan MacLeod

Clan MacLay

Clan MacTaggart

Clan MacTavish

Clan Shaw

Clan Sinclair

Kenuta

Flamenco

Clan Sutherland

Thorskog

Corato

Clan MacInnes

Imperial Transport

Alva Cape

Clan Stewart

Clan Robertson

Scottish Hawk

Potosi

Pizarro

Argyllshire

Clan Ross

Ayrshire

Clan Matheson

Clan Malcolm

Clan Menzies

Clan MacIver

Swan River

Rotherwick Castle

Rothesay Castle

Clan MacIlwraith

Clan MacNab

Clan Graham

Clan Grant

Clan MacGillivray

Clan MacGregor

Clan MacGowan

Letaba

Drakenstein

Tzaneen

Clan Ramsay

Clan Ranald

Clan Robertson

Clan Ross

Geestcape

Geesthaven

Grangemouth Dockyard Co., Cartsdyke Yard, Greenock

Greenock & Grangemouth, Greenock

Grangemouth Dockyard Co., Cartsdyke Yard, Greenock

Greenock & Grangemouth Dockyard Co. Ltd., Cartsdyke Yard, Greenock

Greenock & Grangemouth, Greenock

Greenock & Grangemouth Dockyard Co. Ltd., Cartsdyke Yard, Greenock

Greenock Dockyard Co Ltd., Cartsdyke Mid, Greenock

Greenock Dockyard Co. Ltd., Cartsdyke East, Greenock

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26.09.1900

22.11.1900

16.01.1901

09.02.1901

05.02.1901

21.03.1901

22.05.1901

02.07.1901

28.08.1901

24.09.1901

30.10.1901

10.01.1902

20.03.1902

12.02.1903

05.04.1902

22.05.1902

13.07.1903

18.11.1902

27.08.1903

13.08.1903

08.12.1903

20.02.1904

17.03.1904

06.04.1904

06.05.1904

15.06.1904

24.09.1904

24.02.1905

19.05.1905

11.10.1904

19.06.1905

19.10.1905

28.12.1905

01.05.1906

19.06.1906

07.09.1906

06.12.1906

03.05.1907

16.02.1907

18.04.1907

16.04.1907

circa 1907

29.08.1907

12.10.1907

06.02.1908

31.12.1907

01.07.1908

10.03.1909

12.12.1908

08.06.1909

27.08.1909

29.11.1909

11.12.1909

26.04.1910

27.07.1910

25.08.1910

03.03.1911

27.07.1911

13.06.1911

31.08.1911

14.05.1912

08.02.1912

09.06.1913

19.07.1912

23.10.1912

20.02.1913

25.04.1913

16.09.1913

20.11.1913

26.02.1914

15.05.1914

30.06.1914

02.03.1915

24.11.1915

31.08.1916

28.11.1916

00.00.1916

23.12.1915

29.04.1916

28.01.1918

26.12.1917

24.05.1917

23.10.1918

17.11.1917

23.07.1918

04.03.1919

02.06.1919

12.09.1919

06.02.1920

27.01.1921

29.04.1920

30.08.1920

30.09.1921

22.06.1922

14.08.1924

completed 06.1924

12.03.1925

completed 08.1925

30.09.1925

completed 12.1925

05.04.1927

00.08.1927

18.05.1928

08.12.1927

21.02.1928

28.09.1928

09.03.1929

05.09.1929

29.01.1930

09.06.1930

22.01.1935

23.12.1930

02.04.1931

14.10.1935

26.03.1936

07.08.1936

15.10.1936

14.01.1937

12.04.1937

05.08.1937

18.10.1937

21.12.1937

22.03.1938

15.06.1938

08.09.1938

20.12.1938

15.08.1939

30.11.1939

22.03.1939

cancelled circa 1939

18.06.1940

01.10.1940

22.12.1940

25.03.1941

15.07.1941

19.09.1941

19.11.1941

17.04.1942

29.07.1942

27.10.1942

23.02.1943

30.06.1943

10.11.1943

09.03.1944

23.06.1944

16.11.1944

03.05.1946

14.05.1945

04.09.1945

20.12.1945

25.09.1946

23.12.1946

02.06.1947

16.09.1947

13.02.1948

07.05.1948

08.10.1948

02.03.1949

23.08.1949

17.01.1950 by Mrs. K.M. Goodenough

22.05.1950

28.08.1950

28.12.1950

20.07.1951

14.12.1951

09.04.1952

24.10.1952

15.05.1953

22.10.1953

17.03.1954

11.11.1954

23.02.1955

20.05.1955

23.05.1956

17.01.1956

19.10.1956

26.08.1957

29.04.1957

22.01.1958

23.06.1958

02.11.1958

19.08.1959

30.12.1959

27.05.1960

31.01.1961

25.08.1961

22.12.1961

22.05.1962

26.09.1962

14.12.1962

20.08.1963

18.12.1963

15.04.1964

26.08.1964

21.12.1964

03.05.1965

24.09.1965

25.03.1966

00.00.1966

GREENOCK DOCKYARD COMPANY.

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