Yarrow and Co
Yarrow, shipbuilders and marine engineers, of Poplar, London.
of Scotstoun, Glasgow (1908); and Canada.
The Yarrow company was one of the world's leading builders of Destroyers from its inception until after World War 2, building ships for both the Royal Navy and export customers. Yarrow was also a builder of boilers, and a type of water-tube boiler developed by the company was known as the "Yarrow type boiler".
1865/6 Alfred Yarrow established the partnership of Yarrow and Hedley at Folly Wall, Poplar on the Isle of Dogs to build steam river launches.
1870s Built torpedo boats for the Argentine and Japanese navies
1875 The Hedley partnership was dissolved; the company was then known as Yarrow and Co
1876 Stern wheel steamboat for South Africa. [1]
1879 Built the first torpedo boat, 85 ft long, for the British Navy.
1888 Built four petroleum spirit steam launches. [2]
1890 Built gunboats for the Zambesi and Shire rivers. Details and illustrations in 'The Engineer'. [3]
1892 built two destroyers for the Royal Navy: Havock and Hornet.
1894 Description and illustrations of their works on the Thames. [4]
1897 Incorporated as a limited company.
1898 moved out of Folly shipyard to the nearby London Yard
1900s The yard manufactured torpedo boat destroyers for the Royal Navy.
1903 or 1904 Inverted vertical triple expansion rotative engine built at Poplar for the Metropolitan Water Board (Wanstead Station). Maintained in superb condition when photographed by George Watkins in 1954. Cylinders 20", 32" & 53", 3' 6" stroke [5]
1904 'ENGINEERS AT YARROW'S WORKS. An interesting visit was made yesterday by the president (Mr. D. B. Butler) and members of the Society of Engineers to the shipbuilding and engineering works of Messrs. Yarrow and Co., at Poplar, where they witnessed the building and engining of light-draught high-speed craft of all kinds, notably torpedo-boats, destroyers, and light-draught gunboats. Notwithstanding that additions had been made from time to time to Messrs. Yarrow's old yard, their business so increased that about two years ago they had to acquire new and larger premises, which are conveniently situated near their old works. The present yard is that which formerly belonged to Messrs. Westwood, Baillie and Co., on the banks of the river Thames at Poplar. The yard has an area of about 11 acres with a river frontage of about 700 feet. The main workshop consists of four bays. each 360 feet in length. There are two engineers' shops, 50 feet and 36 feet wide respectively; a light machine shop, a heavy machine shop, a pattern-makers' and a joiners' shop; together with a large boilermakers' shop and an extensive shipbuilding department. Besides having perfect water communication, Messrs. Yarrow's establishment is connected with the railway system of the country by means of a line which passes round the works, with extensions into all the shops. Electrical driving has been adopted in the works, and most of the machine tools are of the latest pattern.
Upon the occasion of the society's visit the members found the works generally in a state of considerable activity, and they inspected a number of boats of various types in all stages of construction. Amongst the smaller craft a very successful type of boat is now being built. She is 75 feet long by 9 feet 3 inches beam, and with steam up has a draught of 11 inches with a speed of 10 miles an hour. The propeller is carried in a tunnel, and there is a special arrangement by which the efficiency of the propelling machinery is maintained at various loaded draughts, instead of at one designed draught only, as hitherto. There are at the present time about 12 vessels being built on this principle ; four of these are protected gunboats for the Brazilian Government, 120 feet long by 20 feet beam, whilst three others are protected armed launches. The firm have recently built 11 protected gunboats of shallow draught, and have lately delivered two, one for the Japanese Government just before the outbreak of the war, and one for the British Government. These are 160 feet long by 21 feet 6 inches beam ; they carry mountings for two 6-pounders and six Maxims, and have a draught of water of 2 feet 2 inches and a speed of 15 miles an hour. A large stern-wheel steamer is just being dispatched for the Amazon Steam Navigation Company. She is 168 feet in length over all by 31 feet beam, and is designed to run on a draught of 3 feet 6 inches, fully laden, carrying about 190 tons of cargo and passengers. A complete system of cranes and winches is provided for dealing with the cargo, whilst for the passengers a complete set of state-rooms. dining-rooms, bath-rooms and offices is provided on the upper deck. Messrs. Yarrow have also in hand a turbine-driven torpedo-boat 152 feet long by 15 feet 3 inches beam. This vessel is launched. and has undergone some very successful experimental trials in which the merits of its special arrangement are said to have been clearly proved. This arrangement consists in employing both turbine and reciprocating machinery for propulsion, a set of triple-expansion engines of power sufficient for cruising purposes being fitted, while a turbine engine on each side provide full-speed power. A large number of destroyers have been built at these works for the Japanese Goverment, and nine of these have been in very active service during the recent attacks on Port Arthur. The Yarrow water-tube boiler, which is now familiar as an efficient steam-raiser, has been growing in favour for cruisers and battleships in the British and other navies, and the visitors saw 20 of these boilers being constructed in the works. They weigh about 30 tons each and will develop over 1,000 i.h.p. After their inspection the visitors were entertained at afternoon tea by Messrs Yarrow and Co.. to whom the cordial thanks of the society were given by the president for a highly interesting and instructive visit.'[6]
1906–1908 The operation was moved to Scotstoun on the Clyde over a period of 2 years; the London shipyard closed in 1908.
1911 Motor yacht 'Felicitas'. [7]
1914 Listed as engineers and shipbuilders. Specialities: torpedo boats and torpedo boat destroyers, vessels of shallow draft for military and trading purposes, "Yarrow" water-tube boilers, naval craft, screw steamers with speeds ranging up to forty miles an hour, paddle and screw steamers for shallow waters with drafts as low as six inches. [8]
WWI As the First World war began, the company enjoyed an advantage in that it had already begun manufacturing ships for the military. It was able to begin mass production and at its peak the yard employed over 2,000 workers. The yard was able to make 29 destroyers, 16 gunboats, a submarine, three hospital ships and a floating workshop for the Navy.
1918 The yard began courting merchant orders and built yachts, cargo ships and coasters. River steamers were also made for Chinese use too.
1921 Due to lack of orders the yard closed.
1922 Sir Alfred Yarrow on account of his advanced age over 80, decided to retire from chairmanship of the company. The firm went into voluntary liquidation with Mr Harold Edgar Yarrow as liquidator and succeeding chairman. The company Yarrow and Co (1922) was formed.[9]
1922 Public company.
1922 Alfred Yarrow's son, Harold Edgar Yarrow, moved the yard towards producing water-tube boilers for power stations and industrial uses. The yard was reopened with a much reduced staff of 24 to begin doing this.
1924 Advert. Mentions HMS Tyrian and the Tigris gunboat flotilla plus patent water tube boilers. [10]
1925 See Aberconway for information on shipbuilding h.p produced in 1904 and 1925
1926 Yarrow are to build four river gunboats to the order of the Admirality
1926 Name changed.
Late 1920s orders began coming in again for tankers and the yard's fortunes revived with more Royal Navy orders arriving for destroyers and gunboats.
1930s The military build-up continued and more orders came in from the Royal Navy for ships to meet this demand. In the late 30s Yarrow also began operating two overseas yards in British Columbia and Yugoslavia.
WWII The yard built eighteen destroyers, eight sloops and two river gunboats.
1941 The yard was bombed and badly damaged. 47 shipyard workers were also killed.
1945 After the war, the yard returned to making merchant ships and the ten years after the war was an extremely busy time for them. The Company made shallow-draft craft for countries all around the world. These were shipped out in parts and reassembled at their destination.
c.1947 a Research and Development Department was established; this became known as the Yarrow-Admiralty Research Department.
1950s The Admiralty continued to be a key customer for the yard, ordering frigates and seaward defence boats.
By 1954, the workforce was up to 2,500.
Late 1950s: research into the application of nuclear power to marine uses.
1961 Marine engineers, shipbuilders and boiler makers. Extensive research carried out on nuclear propulsion units. 2,300 employees. [11]
1962 Sir Harold Yarrow died.
1963 Agreement with Timsons that Yarrow of Glasgow would manufacture certain sizes of Timsons' web-feed offset printing presses[12]
1965 Acquired the Blythswood yard.
1966 Yarrow (Shipbuilders) Ltd came into being, as the yard was expanded. In the 60s the yard continued with merchant orders making three survey ships and then 'Leander' class frigates.
See also: Yarrow Engineers (Glasgow).
See Also
Sources of Information
- British Shipbuilding Yards. 3 vols by Norman L. Middlemiss
- L. A. Ritchie, The Shipbuilding Industry: A Guide to Historical Records (1992)
- [1] Wikipedia
- The Steam Engine in Industry by George Watkins in two volumes. Moorland Publishing. 1978. ISBN 0-903485-65-6
- ↑ The Engineer of 1st September 1876 p144
- ↑ The Engineer of 25th May 1888 p421 & p427
- ↑ The Engineer of 30th May 1890. p440 and p445
- ↑ The Engineer of 22nd June 1894 p535-9
- ↑ 'Stationary Steam Engines of Great Britain' Vol 9, by George Watkins, Landmark Publishing Ltd
- ↑ Lloyd's List - Thursday 28 July 1904
- ↑ The Engineer of 27th October 1911 p431
- ↑ 1914 Whitakers Red Book
- ↑ The Engineer 1922/04/07
- ↑ 1924 Naval Annual Advert page vii
- ↑ 1961 Dun and Bradstreet KBE
- ↑ The Times, Nov 04, 1963