INVERCLYDE SHIPBUILDING
STEELE & CO
The Steele family connection with Greenock shipbuilding began in 1786. James Steele was a Burgess and Guild Brother of the burgh of Ayr. His son Robert, born in 1745, was for some time engaged in building fishing vessels and coasters at Saltcoats, and on the death of his father in 1786 he entered into partnership at Greenock with John Carswell, the firm being known as Steele & Carswell. This partnership was dissolved in 1816, when Mr. Steele assumed his sons Robert and James as partners under the designation of Robert Steele & Co. The firm almost at once began to build steamships, many of the fine vessels of the Burns, Clyde Shipping Company, Dublin Steam Packet Company, and Isle of Man Steam Packet Company fleets coming out of their Yard. The head of the company died in 1830, aged 85, his son James, had predeceased him, and Robert Steele secundus was left to carry on the concern. The business continuing to expand and, in course of time he took into partnership his sons Robert and William and the firm was soon building for the Cunard, Allan, North German Lloyd, Donald Currie & Co., George Smith & Sons, and other great lines. They turned out one of the first of the Cunard fleet. They also built a number of racing yachts that were successful at many of the regattas round the British coast. In the construction of clippers they occupied great the renown of their China clippers being world-wide. After the new co-partnery, the company, took over the works of the Shaws Water Foundry and Engineering Company. About this time also, when iron was coming into vogue for ships' hulls, they opened a new yard in Cartsdyke for the building of iron vessels, keeping the older Yard it the West Burn for wooden ships and Yachts. Robert Steele secundus died in 1870, in his 88th year. He was a notable citizen of his day, public spirited, entering into all movements which, aimed at benefiting the community, and in business a man of singular integrity. It was said at his decease that " to him it was not simply a question of pushing trade and dispatching orders, but the execution of examples of naval architecture that should disarm criticism with respect to material, form, and finish, and that should meet all the demands of commerce with reference to stability, speed, and capacity." Robert Steele tertius and his brother William carried on the business for some years, but on account of financial difficulties entirely unconnected with shipbuilding, and contracted in their father's lifetime, the firm was in 1883, obliged to go into liquidation, and was wound up.
RM Smith
Achilles
Actaeon
Ada
Africa
Agnes
Agnes
Albion
Albion
America
Arab
Arabia
Ariel
Aurora
Avalon
Balclutha
Balclutha
Brisbane
Britannia
Caledonia
Cambria
Canada
Canada
Canada
Catarina
Cherokee
Chinaman
City of Dehli
City of Manchester
Clydesdale
Columbia
Commodore
Conqueror
Coromandel
Cressida
Cruzeiro do Sul
Dante
Druid
Eagle
Eclipse
Elfin
Eliza Stewart
Ellen Rodger
Elphinstone
Eugenie
Eurydice
Falcon
Falcon
Glasgow
Guinevere
Gulliver
Hebe
Hebe
Helen
Henrietta
Hercules
Hercules
Hibernia
Hound
Iceni
James McInroy
James Stewart
Jean Brown
Juliet
Kate Carnie
Kelvin
Kestrel
La Plata
Lady le Marchant
Lady Octavia
Lahloo
Laira
Larriston
Lavinia
Liverpool
Londonderry
Lotus
Madonna
Mahaica
Majestic
Manchester
Margaret McGowan
Margaretta
Marion Hendry
Marjorie
May (iv)
Meteor
Mic Mac
Min
Monarch
Mountaineer
Niagara
Nyanza
Oimara
Othello
Otterburn
Oyapock
Palmyra
Parana
Parejero
Pioneer
Pomona
Prince of Wales
Princess Royal
Princess Victoria
Rochester
Romeo
Romsdal
Rowley
Rowley
Runnymede
Saltoun
Sappho
Sappho
Sarah Tennant
Scotia
Scotia
Sea Horse
Selene
Serica
Sindbad
Stork
Thalestris
Theresina
Tomatin
Unicorn
United Kingdom
un-named
Venture
Virginia
Vrilya
Walter Baine
Wave
Zephyr
Beaver
City of Madras
Plover
City of Quebec
City of Dublin
Mangerton
City of Tanjore
Inca
Dom Affonso
Panther
un-named
Dom Pedro
Scotia
United Kingdom
City of Canton
Palestine
un-named
un-named
un-named
un-named
Canadian
City of Hankow
Saint Georges
un-named
Circe
Sarah
Reverie
E Shun
Silvercraig
King Arthur
Waverley
Peruvian
Yuh Shing
un-named
Barwon
un-named
Taeping
Lady Palmerston
Red Gauntlet
Arundel Castle
Moravian
Knight of Snowdoun
Lord of the Isles
Tantallon Castle
Aglaia
un-named
Ravenscrag
Janet Cowan
Gryfe
City of Athens
Pomona
Fleetwood
un-named
Ardgowan
Cartsburn
Walter Baine
Ralston
Hartfield
Assaye
Parsee
Araby Maid
Lake Superior
Halcione
Scandinavian
Cathcart
Lady Burn
Arethusa
Palatine
Sarmatian
Polynesian
Lake Simcoe
Circassian
un-named
Braunschweig
Nurnberg
Sardinian
Hesperus
Eurydice
Aurora
Orpheus
Niobe
Bannockburn
Lady Ruthven
Bencleuch
Zingara
Cuba
City of Santiago
Deveron
Aline
Brahmin
Harbinger
Corsewall
Portland
Melrose
Ulva
Venice
Lancashire Witch
Wanderer
Ferrara
Routenburn
Asia
Modena
Savona
Cape Clear
Peerless
Wicklow
Seraglio
Glaucus
Lonsdale
Teviotdale
Inversnaid
Nigel
Breslau
Coblenz
un-named
Cremona
Tortona
Aster
Inveruglas
Falcon
Olinda
Elizabeth McLea
Constance
Young Lochinvar
Albert Victor
Helen
Sir Lancelot
Condor
Lion
Titania
Douro
Ferida
Fanquai
Kaisow
Wylo
Lavinia
Hampshire
Garrion
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1
2
3
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5
6
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8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46 - 51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
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85
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89
90
91
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98
99
100
105
106
107
108
112
113
114
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
144
145
146
147
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
27.05.1839
completed 1838
29.04.1861
00.07.1850
completed 1818
completed 1824
11.02.1845
completed 1818
13.05.1847
completed 1820
21.06.1852
29.06.1865
completed 1839
26.12.1878
completed 1832
completed 1850
completed 1855
24.01.1845
23.06.1841
01.08.1844
02.06.1848
completed 1831
completed 1852
24.06.1880
14.06.1854
16.03.1865
21.03.1856
29.04.1854
02.02.1846
11.09.1840
01.06.1837
completed 1840
completed 1843
31.05.1844
22.07.1857
27.11.1851
completed 1841
completed 11.1835
completed 07.1821
completed 1845
completed 1833
29.06.1858
completed 1826
15.11.1854
completed 1853
15.06.1848
completed 1848
completed 1817
01.07.1862
completed 1826
09.06.1856
13.07.1853
completed 1823
04.10.1861
completed 1822
completed 1840
08.09.1842
completed 1840
05.07.1853
completed 1825
08.09.1856
completed 1834
completed 1834
24.03.1855
completed 1827
completed 1850
24.12.1851
21.07.1852
08.03.1853
23.07.1867
completed 1877
04.06.1852
completed 1825
completed 07.1830
completed 08.1841
completed 1830
completed 1833
completed 1837
13.01.1846
completed 1832
07.06.1845
08.11.1858
completed 1850
00.04.1883
04.04.1881
00.08.1862
completed 1849
12.07.1861
completed 1836
completed 1835
28.07.1847
04.06.1867
07.05.1867
completed 1841
09.03.1878
06.06.1857
completed 1839
04.09.1854
00.08.1867
25.04.1846
completed 1819
completed 1841
completed 1841
completed 1835
completed 1819
completed 1838
00.10.1877
completed 1826
completed 1853
19.09.1845
completed 1824
completed 1826
completed 1840
00.02.1840
completed 1827
completed 1828
19.01.1859
08.06.1865
04.08.1863
04.12.1862
completed 1851
completed 1824
06.09.1862
completed 1839
00.05.1836
25.04.1826
completed 1850
completed 1841
04.01.1859
completed 1878
08.03.1851
completed 1834
completed 1879
00.09.1854
00.02.1855
04.04.1855
00.06.1855
31.07.1855
00.08.1855
00.01.1856
06.03.1856
01.08.1856
05.09.1856
00.09.1856
03.10.1856
10.04.1857
13.06.1857
07.08.1857
17.04.1858
00.09.1858
00.11.1858
00.05.1859
00.06.1859
10.12.1859
28.03.1861
09.08.1861
00.05.1861
23.04.1862
00.04.1862
00.06.1862
31.07.1862
11.09.1862
07.11.1862
20.01.1863
21.08.1863
06.03.1863
completed 1863
22.05.1863
00.04.1863
24.12.1863
09.02.1864
24.02.1864
06.09.1864
05.07.1864
18.10.1864
18.11.1864
09.03.1865
00.00.1865
00.10.1865
17.01.1866
00.06.1866
27.09.1866
13.12.1866
08.02.1867
03.04.1867
completed 1865
19.09.1867
27.02.1868
09.04.1868
04.06.1868
10.07.1868
00.08.1868
17.09.1868
29.10.1868
30.12.1868
11.03.1869
08.11.1869
21.10.1869
24.11.1869
22.07.1869
14.06.1870
07.03.1871
12.02.1872
04.07.1871
06.06.1872
completed 1872
01.04.1873
09.09.1873
03.06.1874
20.11.1873
30.07.1874
15.09.1874
06.11.1874
24.12.1874
06.04.1875
03.06.1875
23.07.1875
00.09.1875
00.06.1875
04.11.1875
00.11.1875
15.11.1875
12.06.1876
10.08.1876
07.09.1876
24.10.1876
12.02.1877
05.03.1878
16.04.1878
29.08.1878
12.12.1878
04.08.1880
14.04.1881
31.01.1850
05.05.1881
28.06.1881
30.09.1881
completed 1850
07.01.1882
18.08.1882
03.07.1851
12.07.1882
18.05.1882
04.01.1882
20.10.1882
22.12.1882
20.02.1883
cancelled circa 1883
08.05.1883
27.06.1883
05.06.1883
20.09.1883
06.01.1859
13.08.1859
13.02.1860
03.07.1860
29.08.1863
22.08.1864
00.07.1864
27.07.1865
21.04.1866
19.04.1866
00.11.1866
15.10.1867
06.06.1868
09.09.1868
19.11.1868
14.04.1869
22.05.1869
15.03.1870
08.04.1871