Cammell, Laird and Co

Cammell, Laird and Co. was formed in 1903 when the Laird Brothers amalgamated their company with Charles Cammell and Co. This enabled the new company to manufacture armoured warships within its own jurisdiction, which was an arrangement favoured by the Royal Navy at the time. It continued trading until 1953.

Shipbuilding

• 1900s - After establishing itself, the new company set out on a programme of modernisation. More land was acquired at the Southern end of the Birkenhead yard. The area of the yard was increased to 98.5 acres and it had the largest private wet dock in Britain. However, this period of expansion also happened at almost exactly the same moment as the freight slump. Consequently, only small ships were built at this time. Financial losses were made on all ships up to 1909. William, John and Henry Laird had died, and the company was now managed by their sons J. Macgregor Laird (son of John, senior partner), Roy M. Laird and J. W. P. Laird. Ratsey Bevis was also a fourth director .
• 1909 - The yard completed the largest sand pump dredger in the world: Leviathan. From here onwards, the yard made longer passenger/cargo liners mainly for South American companies. Later, passenger liners were made for Norwegian-Amerika line.
• World War I - During the War, the yard made U-Boats as well as liners and continued manufacturing ships for Norway (who were neutral during the War and therefore exempt from the British Governments restriction on manufacturing for other countries). In addition five light cruisers of "C" class, six destroyers, two escorts and eight submarines were built during the war.
• 1912 - The largest floating dock in the world was completed for the Admiralty in 1912. It was 640 feet long and weighed 32,000 tons. By1912, there were no longer any members of the Laird family on the board, the Chairman became William Lionel Hitchens who remained in post until 1940.
• 1914 - The train ferry Leonard was launched on 17th January and was unusual in that it served as a floating bridge for the crossing of the Lawrence River and Quebec by the National Transcontinental Railway Company of Canada. The bridge itself was completed in 1920 and Leonard became redundant, being later converted into a tanker.
• World War I - During the War, the Birkenhead yard refitted and converted several steamers for war service, the yard also made seaplane carriers, and repaired over 500 ships. In addition, three "WAR" standard tramps were completed towards the end of the war along with two "AO" type tankers.
• 1920s - The vessel Fullagar was one of the first to use new welding techniques in its construction. In the early 1920s the yard won a number of contracts to build battleships, destroyers and liners. Most of the work carried out by the yard at this time was for the Admiralty. However, between 1920 and 1930 over 44 passenger/cargo liners, banana ships and cargo ships were completed too.
• 1927 - Robert S. Johnson, who had previously been a director of Workman, Clark and Co. was appointed Managing Director following the death of Sir George Carter. He remained in control of the Birkenhead yard upon becoming chairman in 1942 until his death in 1951. Johnson's son Robert W. Johnson was then appointed as Managing director and maintained control over the into the 1960s.
• 1930s - The yard made a wide variety of ships during the 30s including tankers, ferries, Great Lakes traders, deep sea tankers and a coastal tanker. However, as with many other companies, the yards closed for two years between 1931-33 and it was only thanks to the Admiralty bringing some orders forward that it was able to reopen again. The Depression hit the yard badly, and in 1932 the company's capital had to be reduced by £3.5M. However, things picked up again from 1934/5 when a number of Admiralty orders restimulated the market. One of these orders was the Ark Royal, the largest vessel ever launched from the yard at a cost of £3M in 1937. From 1935-39 the Birkenhead yard completed over 20 merchant ships. On 1st June 1939 the yard's new "T" class submarine Thetis sank and 99 naval and yard workers were killed.
• World War II - The yard made a number of battleships, destroyers, sloops and submarines, in total 106 ships were manufactured during the war. This amounted to a warship every 20 days during the six and a half years of war. The repair yard also repaired over 2000 vessels of varying types.
• 1950s - In the post-war years, the yard mainly made tanker and cargo-liner/bulk carriers although it did also make an aircraft carrier and a passenger liner too. From 1947-1982, the yard made over 60 tankers. Other important output included 39 cargo-liners (1946-66) and 15 ferries (1946-68). Finally, the yard had a consistent naval output for the twenty years of 1950-70.
• 1965 - The ship building and repairing activities of the yard were split into two separate companies: Cammell Laird (Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd formed in 1953 became a dedicated shipbuilder. Cammell Laird (Shiprepairers) Ltd concentrated on repairs.

The history of Cammell Laird now continues in a separate section: Cammell Laird (Shipbuilders and Engineers)/Cammell Laird (Shiprepairers).

See Also

Laird Brothers