Difference between revisions of "John Brown and Co"
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* 1930s Orders from Australia for cruisers, along with continuing Admiralty work led to the West yard being reopened in 1934. | * 1930s Orders from Australia for cruisers, along with continuing Admiralty work led to the West yard being reopened in 1934. | ||
* 1938 Purchased a controlling interest in [[Westland]] from [[Petters]] plus additional land adjoining the Westland site at Yeovil for expansion of production, paid for in '''Westland''' shares. This move was said to bring John Brown's experience of shipbuilding as well as with new steels | * 1938 Purchased a controlling interest in [[Westland]] Aircraft from [[Petters]] plus additional land adjoining the Westland site at Yeovil for expansion of production, paid for in '''Westland''' shares. This move was said to bring John Brown's experience of shipbuilding, as well as with new steels, to the production of aeroplanes. This move was said to be in keeping with John Brown's policy of sharing developments in transport<ref>The Times, 9 September 1938</ref>. The later history of [[Westland]] is described under that heading. | ||
* WWII The yard was extremely prolific during the War. Focusing on naval construction, the output consisted of a battleship, aircraft carrier, cruisers, a monitor, a depot ship, 28 destroyers, two frigates and eight invasion barges. The yard also repaired or made alterations on 116 warships of varying sizes and types and eleven merchant ships were converted for war time use too! | * WWII The yard was extremely prolific during the War. Focusing on naval construction, the output consisted of a battleship, aircraft carrier, cruisers, a monitor, a depot ship, 28 destroyers, two frigates and eight invasion barges. The yard also repaired or made alterations on 116 warships of varying sizes and types and eleven merchant ships were converted for war time use too! | ||
Revision as of 14:02, 1 June 2010
John Brown and Company of Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire was a shipbuilder. [1]
- John Brown and Co were Sheffield steel makers.
- 1864 The company was established, to acquire the business of ironworkers of the firm of the same name. [2]
- 1864 Incorporated as a Limited Company.
- 1889 Supplied ribbed rings to Purvis's patent to William Barbour and Sons. [3]
- 1899 They took over the shipbuilding yard of J. and G. Thomson of Clydebank. This strengthened the yard's reputation for building armoured plate. [4] The business of the Clydebank Engineering and Shipbuilding Co was taken over.
- 1900s In the early 1900s, the company innovated marine engineering technology through the development of the Brown-Curtis turbine, which had been originally developed and patented by the U.S. company International Curtis Marine Turbine Co. The performance of these engines impressed the Royal Navy which, as a consequence, placed orders for many of its major warships with John Brown. [5]
- 1902 The company acquired seven-eighths of the ordinary shares of Thomas Firth and Co.
- 1907 John Brown took a controlling interest in the Belfast shipbuilders Harland and Wolff which led to further orders for cargo-liners and then refrigerated vessels for the New Zealand meat industry; the yard built 11 such ships between 1889 and 1912. Prior to World War I, the yard consolidated its naval and Admiralty work which had led to it being used to build battlecruisers, battleships, cruisers, destroyers and submarines.
- 1914 Steel Manufacturers, Shipbuilders and Coal-owners. Builders of the record-breaking Cunarder "Lusitania". Also Manufacturers of Railway Material, Marine Specialities, Armour Plates, Guns, Battleships and Passenger Steamers of the largest size and power.[6]
- WWI The yard was producing destroyers almost monthly. The yard also made a railway steamer and a merchant ship.
- 1920 January. HMS Hood launched. detail and images in The Engineer. Details of engines in 26th March. [7] [8]
- 1920s Naval work continued to be the mainstay of the yard, along with passenger liners and cargo-liners. In particular, over a dozen large liners were completed between 1922 and 1932. However in the early 1920s, the yard slowed down somewhat when work was hard to come by.
- 1924 Advert states they are shipbuilders, marine engineers, steel manufacturers, ironmasters etc. Address is Atlas Works, Sheffield and Clydebank. [9]
- 1925 See Aberconway for information on shipbuilding h.p produced in 1904 and 1925
- 1927 See Aberconway for information on the company and its history
- 1927 Also see Aberconway for information on the company and its history
- 1930s Orders from Australia for cruisers, along with continuing Admiralty work led to the West yard being reopened in 1934.
- 1938 Purchased a controlling interest in Westland Aircraft from Petters plus additional land adjoining the Westland site at Yeovil for expansion of production, paid for in Westland shares. This move was said to bring John Brown's experience of shipbuilding, as well as with new steels, to the production of aeroplanes. This move was said to be in keeping with John Brown's policy of sharing developments in transport[10]. The later history of Westland is described under that heading.
- WWII The yard was extremely prolific during the War. Focusing on naval construction, the output consisted of a battleship, aircraft carrier, cruisers, a monitor, a depot ship, 28 destroyers, two frigates and eight invasion barges. The yard also repaired or made alterations on 116 warships of varying sizes and types and eleven merchant ships were converted for war time use too!
- Post-War the yard went back to merchant construction, with passenger liners being a key part of this.
- 1950s The yard completed the Royal yacht Britannia which was launched on 16th April 1853 by The Queen. However, the key focus remained on tankers and cargo-liners and from 1946 to 1962, the yard built 25. In addition from 1950 to 1965 the yard also built ever larger tankers with 25 in total coming out of the yard. Finally, the yard continued making ferries for British companies and continued with its Admiralty commitments.
- 1953 Became a private company
- 1960s The East Yard had four berths and the West yard had two berths and this led to more merchant orders for South African and Singaporean companies. In 1966 the engineering works were separated from the shipyard by the creation of a new company John Brown Engineering (Clydebank) Ltd while the shipyard continued under the name John Brown & Co (Clydebank) Ltd
- 1967 Launched the Queen Elizabeth II on September 20th.
- 1968 Following the publication of the Geddes Report the Clydebank, Fairfield, Stephen and Connell yards became Upper Clyde Shipbuilders in 1968. The East Yard began to make oil rigs.
- 1970s The East Yard only made two more ships, whereas the West yard continued to be used for the building of bulk carriers. From 1965 to 1973 12 such liners were made by them.
- 1971 Upper Clyde Shipbuilders Ltd collapsed.
- 1973 The Clydebank yard was sold to Marathon Oil of Texas for the building of oil rigs. The West Yard was refurbished and new fabrication shops were built parallel to the river. The yard continued making oil rigs.
- 1980 Marathon closed the Clydebank yard and it was taken over by the French owned Union Industrielle et d'Enterprise. Throughout the early 80s, until 1986, a number of triangular oil rigs were made. The East Yard was demolished in 1986, and the West Yard continues to make large oil rigs.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ [1] Wikipedia
- ↑ The Stock Exchange Year Book 1908
- ↑ The Engineer of 2nd November 1894 p377
- ↑ British Shipbuilding Yards. 3 vols by Norman L. Middlemiss
- ↑ White's Directory of Sheffield and Rotherham, 1901 p979
- ↑ 1914 Whitakers Red Book
- ↑ The Engineer of 23rd Jan 1920 p92
- ↑ The Engineer of 26th Mar 1920 p313 & p324
- ↑ 1924 Naval Annual Advert page xii & xiii
- ↑ The Times, 9 September 1938
- ↑ 1961 Guide to Key British Enterprises
- ↑ 1961 Dun and Bradstreet KBE