Alexander Stephen and Sons: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Former shipbuilding company in Glasgow, Scotland}} |
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{{Infobox company |
{{Infobox company |
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|name = Alexander Stephen and Sons |
|name = Alexander Stephen and Sons |
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'''Alexander Stephen and Sons Limited''', often referred to simply as '''Alex Stephens''' or just '''Stephens''', was a Scottish [[shipbuilder|shipbuilding company]] based in [[Linthouse]], [[Glasgow]], on the [[River Clyde]]. |
'''Alexander Stephen and Sons Limited''', often referred to simply as '''Alex Stephens''' or just '''Stephens''', was a Scottish [[shipbuilder|shipbuilding company]] based in [[Linthouse]], [[Glasgow]], on the [[River Clyde]] and, initially, on the east coast of Scotland. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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[[File:Clyde Tunnel Southern Entrance - geograph.org.uk - 138002.jpg|thumb|265px|The red brick former offices of Alexander Stephen and Sons are situated on Holmfauld Road adjacent to the Clyde Tunnel and are now commercial office space.]] |
[[File:Clyde Tunnel Southern Entrance - geograph.org.uk - 138002.jpg|thumb|265px|The red brick former offices of Alexander Stephen and Sons are situated on Holmfauld Road adjacent to the Clyde Tunnel and are now commercial office space.]] |
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[[File:The grave of Alexander Stephen and family, Glasgow Necropolis.jpg|thumb|265px|The grave of Alexander Stephen of Kelly (1832 |
[[File:The grave of Alexander Stephen and family, Glasgow Necropolis.jpg|thumb|265px|The grave of Alexander Stephen of Kelly (1832–1899) and John Stephen (1835–1916) and their families, Glasgow Necropolis]] |
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The company's roots can be found in Alexander Stephen (1722 |
The company's roots can be found in Alexander Stephen (1722–1793) who began shipbuilding at [[Burghead]] on the [[Moray Firth]] in 1750.<ref name=history>[http://cheshire.cent.gla.ac.uk/ead/search/?operation=full&rsid=11315&firstrec=1&numreq=20&highlight=1&hitposition=1 Records of Alexander Stephen & Sons Ltd, shipbuilders and engineers, Linthouse, Govan, Glasgow, Scotland]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} University of Glasgow Archives</ref> |
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In 1793 William Stephen (1759 |
In 1793 William Stephen (1759–1838), a descendant of his, established a firm of shipbuilders at [[Footdee]] in [[Aberdeen]].<ref name=grace>[http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/wiki/A_Shipbuilding_History._1750-1932_(Alexander_Stephen_and_Sons):_Chapter_1 A Shipbuilding History 1750–1932 (Alexander Stephen and Sons) Chapter 1] Grace's Guide</ref> |
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In 1813 another member of the family, again called William (1789 |
In 1813 another member of the family, again called William (1789–1829), commenced shipbuilding at [[Arbroath]].<ref name=grace/> |
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Alexander Stephen (1795 |
Alexander Stephen (1795–1875), a member of the third generation of the family, merged the [[Aberdeen]] and [[Arbroath]] businesses in 1828<ref name=history/> and then, after closing the Aberdeen yard in 1829, moved production to the Panmure yard in [[Dundee]] in 1842.<ref name=history/> In 1850 Alexander Stephen arranged a lease of the [[Kelvinhaugh, Glasgow|Kelvinhaugh]] yard in [[Glasgow]] from Robert Black for twenty years from May, 1851. The site of the Kelvinhaugh yard is now Yorkhill Quay.<ref name=history/> The Arbroath yard finally closed in 1857. Due to the restrictions in size of the Kelvinhaugh yard, as well as the impending expiry of the lease, in 1870 the Glasgow business moved to a new site at [[Linthouse]].<ref name=history/> The Dundee shipyard was sold to the [[Dundee Shipbuilders Company]] in 1893.<ref>[http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/wiki/A_Shipbuilding_History._1750-1932_%28Alexander_Stephen_and_Sons%29:_Chapter_4 A Shipbuilding History 1750–1932 (Alexander Stephen and Sons) Chapter 4] Grace's Guide</ref> |
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In a tragic disaster in 1883, the [[SS Daphne (1883)|''Daphne'']], a steamer, capsized after its launch from the Linthouse yard, and 124 workers lost their lives.<ref>[http://www.theglasgowstory.com/image.php?inum=TGSW00001 A Stephen ( |
In a tragic disaster in 1883, the [[SS Daphne (1883)|''Daphne'']], a steamer, capsized after its launch from the Linthouse yard, and 124 workers lost their lives.<ref>[http://www.theglasgowstory.com/image.php?inum=TGSW00001 A Stephen (1833–1899), shipbuilder at Kelvinhaugh & Linthouse], The Glasgow Story</ref><ref>[https://www.lostglasgow.scot/posts/the-daphne-disaster-689/ The Daphne Disaster], Lost Glasgow, 3 July 2020</ref><ref>[https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/ss-daphne-memorial-257782 SS 'Daphne' Memorial], Art UK</ref> |
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⚫ | In 1968, Stephens was incorporated into [[Upper Clyde Shipbuilders]]<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/uk_confidential/1717110.stm Government's shipbuilding crisis] BBC News, 1 January 2002</ref> and was closed after the latter organisation collapsed in 1971.<ref>[ |
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⚫ | In 1968, Stephens was incorporated into [[Upper Clyde Shipbuilders]]<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/uk_confidential/1717110.stm Government's shipbuilding crisis] BBC News, 1 January 2002</ref> and was closed after the latter organisation collapsed in 1971.<ref>[https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1971/jun/14/upper-clyde-shipbuilders Parliamentary debates] Hansard, 4 June 1971</ref> The engineering and ship repair elements of Alexander Stephen & Sons were not part of the UCS merger and continued until 1976, with the Company eventually wound up in 1982, when the shareholders were repaid. |
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⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
There is no knowledge of the earliest ships built, but the last 153 which were built on the East Coast are recorded. On the Clyde the firm built 697 ships, 147 at the Kelvinhaugh shipyard and the remainder at Linthouse. |
There is no knowledge of the earliest ships built, but the last 153 which were built on the East Coast are recorded. On the Clyde the firm built 697 ships, 147 at the Kelvinhaugh shipyard and the remainder at Linthouse. |
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It was at Stephens shipyard that [[Billy Connolly]] served his apprenticeship as a boilermaker. In 1992, he returned to the site of the now-demolished shipyard he worked at 35 years earlier. "What an extraordinary feeling. I spent a great deal of my life in here. From age 16 to... well, I started at 15. I started my apprenticeship at 16 and finished when I was 21. Stayed till I was 22, and moved along. I finished welding when I was 24. When I came here, as an apprentice, there was six ships being built, right where I'm standing. It was an extraordinary place. A hive of activity. Welders, caulkers, platers, burners, joiners, engineers, electricians. I learned how men talked to one another, and how merciless Glasgow humour can be. It has made an indelible mark on me."<ref name=south>{{cite episode |title=Billy Connolly |series=[[The South Bank Show]] |date=4 October 1992 |network=LWT |season=16 |number=1 |last=Bragg |first=Melvin (host)}}</ref> His [[Construction foreman|foreman]] was Sammy Boyd, but the two biggest influences on him, according to the book written by his wife Pamela, were Jimmy Lucas and Bobby Dalgleish. Jimmy was one of Billy's trainers in the yard who helped him to hone his skills as a welder and a comedian.<ref name="Stephenson1">{{cite book |last=Stephenson |first=Pamela |title=Billy |location=London, UK |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |date=2001 |isbn=978-0-00711-091-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780007110926 }}</ref> |
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It was at Stephens shipyard that [[Billy Connolly]] served his apprenticeship as a boilermaker. |
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Part of the site is now occupied by a [[Thales Optronics]] facility, with the former main office building converted into lettable office space by Govan Workspace. The A-listed former Engine Shop was salvaged by the [[Scottish Maritime Museum]] in 1991 and rebuilt at its site in [[Irvine, North Ayrshire|Irvine]]. |
Part of the site is now occupied by a [[Thales Optronics]] facility, with the former main office building converted into lettable office space by Govan Workspace. The A-listed former Engine Shop was salvaged by the [[Scottish Maritime Museum]] in 1991 and rebuilt at its site in [[Irvine, North Ayrshire|Irvine]]. |
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! Launched |
! Launched |
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|- |
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|42 |
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|Passenger cargo vessel / Commerce raider |
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|Extreme Tea Clipper |
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|{{ship|CSS|Shenandoah}} |
|{{ship|CSS|Shenandoah}} |
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|1863 |
|1863 |
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|- |
|- |
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| |
|83 |
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|[[Composite ship|composite]] [[barque]] |
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⚫ | |||
|[[Fusi Yama]]<ref name="MacGregor">{{cite book |last=MacGregor |first=David R. |date= 1983|title=The Tea Clippers, Their History and Development 1833-1875 |publisher=Conway Maritime Press Limited |pages=213–216|isbn=0-85177-256-0}}</ref> |
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|1865 |
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|- |
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|56 |
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|Barquentine-rigged steam cutter |
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|''Bear'' |
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|1874 |
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|- |
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|215 |
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|[[Iron]] [[barque]] |
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|[[Mabel Young (Barque)|Mabel Young]]<ref name="MacGregor">{{cite book |last=MacGregor |first=David R. |date= 1983|title=The Tea Clippers, Their History and Development 1833-1875 |publisher=Conway Maritime Press Limited |pages=213–216|isbn=0-85177-256-0}}</ref> |
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|1877 Iron Barque "South Esk" |
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|- |
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|250 |
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⚫ | |||
| ''Alverton'' |
| ''Alverton'' |
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| 1880<ref>{{cite news|title=New Screw Steamer For Cardiff|work=The Cornishman|issue=116|date=30 September 1880|page=4}}</ref> |
| 1880<ref>{{cite news|title=New Screw Steamer For Cardiff|work=The Cornishman|issue=116|date=30 September 1880|page=4}}</ref> |
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|- |
|- |
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| |
|303 |
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|4 mast iron barque |
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|''Bracadale'' |
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|1887 |
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|- |
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|394 |
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|Passenger cargo liner |
|Passenger cargo liner |
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| |
|{{SS|Burutu|1902|6}} |
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|1902 |
|1902 |
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|- |
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|509 |
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|Tug |
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|''[[Forceful (tugboat)|Forceful]]'' |
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|1925 |
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|- |
|- |
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|519 |
|519 |
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|529 |
|529 |
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|Passenger Liner |
|Passenger Liner |
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|Kenya |
|''Kenya'' |
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|1930 |
|1930 |
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|- |
|- |
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|582 |
|582 |
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|Bangor class minesweeper |
|Bangor class minesweeper |
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|{{HMS|Lyme Regis| |
|{{HMS|Lyme Regis|J193|6}} |
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|1942 |
|1942 |
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|- |
|- |
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**{{SS|Wardha}} |
**{{SS|Wardha}} |
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**{{SS|Pisa|1896|6}} |
**{{SS|Pisa|1896|6}} |
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*Barque |
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**[[Fusi Yama]] |
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**Bear |
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**Bracadale |
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**[[Mabel Young (Barque)|Mabel Young]] |
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|} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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* {{Commons category-inline|Alexander Stephen & Sons}} |
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* [http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/search.asp The Clyde-built ships data base - lists over 22,000 ships built on the Clyde] |
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* [http://www.clydeships.co.uk/list.php?a1PageSize=100&builder=4352 William Stephen, Arbroath. ''Clyde Built Ships, yard list''] |
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* [http://www.clydeships.co.uk/list.php?a1PageSize=100&builder=2087 Alexander Stephen & Sons, Dundee. ''Clyde Built Ships, yard list''] |
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* [http://www.clydeships.co.uk/list.php?a1PageSize=100&builder=294 Alexander Stephen & Sons, Kelvinhaugh. ''Clyde Built Ships, yard list''] |
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* [http://www.clydeships.co.uk/list.php?a1PageSize=100&builder=495 Alexander Stephen & Sons, Govan. ''Clyde Built Ships, yard list''] |
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{{Clydeshipyards}} |
{{Clydeshipyards}} |
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{{British shipbuilders evolution}} |
{{British shipbuilders evolution}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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[[Category:Defunct shipbuilding companies of Scotland|Alexander Stephens]] |
[[Category:Defunct shipbuilding companies of Scotland|Alexander Stephens]] |
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[[Category:Govan]] |
[[Category:Govan]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:British companies established in 1750]] |
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[[Category:1750 establishments in Scotland]] |
[[Category:1750 establishments in Scotland]] |
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[[Category:1982 disestablishments in Scotland]] |
[[Category:1982 disestablishments in Scotland]] |
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[[Category:Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1982]] |
[[Category:Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1982]] |
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[[Category:Manufacturing companies established in |
[[Category:Manufacturing companies established in 1750]] |
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[[Category:River Clyde]] |
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[[Category:Manufacturing companies based in Glasgow]] |
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[[Category:Companies based in Aberdeen]] |
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[[Category:Companies based in Dundee]] |
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[[Category:British companies disestablished in 1982]] |
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[[Category:British Shipbuilders]] |
Latest revision as of 05:37, 29 June 2024
Company type | Private |
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Industrie | Shipbuilding & Engineering |
Gegründet | 1750 |
Defunct | 1982 |
Fate | Liquidated |
Hauptsitz | Linthouse, Glasgow, Scotland |
Alexander Stephen and Sons Limited, often referred to simply as Alex Stephens or just Stephens, was a Scottish shipbuilding company based in Linthouse, Glasgow, on the River Clyde and, initially, on the east coast of Scotland.
History
[edit]The company's roots can be found in Alexander Stephen (1722–1793) who began shipbuilding at Burghead on the Moray Firth in 1750.[1]
In 1793 William Stephen (1759–1838), a descendant of his, established a firm of shipbuilders at Footdee in Aberdeen.[2]
In 1813 another member of the family, again called William (1789–1829), commenced shipbuilding at Arbroath.[2]
Alexander Stephen (1795–1875), a member of the third generation of the family, merged the Aberdeen and Arbroath businesses in 1828[1] and then, after closing the Aberdeen yard in 1829, moved production to the Panmure yard in Dundee in 1842.[1] In 1850 Alexander Stephen arranged a lease of the Kelvinhaugh yard in Glasgow from Robert Black for twenty years from May, 1851. The site of the Kelvinhaugh yard is now Yorkhill Quay.[1] The Arbroath yard finally closed in 1857. Due to the restrictions in size of the Kelvinhaugh yard, as well as the impending expiry of the lease, in 1870 the Glasgow business moved to a new site at Linthouse.[1] The Dundee shipyard was sold to the Dundee Shipbuilders Company in 1893.[3]
In a tragic disaster in 1883, the Daphne, a steamer, capsized after its launch from the Linthouse yard, and 124 workers lost their lives.[4][5][6]
In 1968, Stephens was incorporated into Upper Clyde Shipbuilders[7] and was closed after the latter organisation collapsed in 1971.[8] The engineering and ship repair elements of Alexander Stephen & Sons were not part of the UCS merger and continued until 1976, with the Company eventually wound up in 1982, when the shareholders were repaid.
The ship repair business was based at the Govan Graving Docks , which had been purchased from the Clyde Port Authority in 1967.
There is no knowledge of the earliest ships built, but the last 153 which were built on the East Coast are recorded. On the Clyde the firm built 697 ships, 147 at the Kelvinhaugh shipyard and the remainder at Linthouse.
It was at Stephens shipyard that Billy Connolly served his apprenticeship as a boilermaker. In 1992, he returned to the site of the now-demolished shipyard he worked at 35 years earlier. "What an extraordinary feeling. I spent a great deal of my life in here. From age 16 to... well, I started at 15. I started my apprenticeship at 16 and finished when I was 21. Stayed till I was 22, and moved along. I finished welding when I was 24. When I came here, as an apprentice, there was six ships being built, right where I'm standing. It was an extraordinary place. A hive of activity. Welders, caulkers, platers, burners, joiners, engineers, electricians. I learned how men talked to one another, and how merciless Glasgow humour can be. It has made an indelible mark on me."[9] His foreman was Sammy Boyd, but the two biggest influences on him, according to the book written by his wife Pamela, were Jimmy Lucas and Bobby Dalgleish. Jimmy was one of Billy's trainers in the yard who helped him to hone his skills as a welder and a comedian.[10]
Part of the site is now occupied by a Thales Optronics facility, with the former main office building converted into lettable office space by Govan Workspace. The A-listed former Engine Shop was salvaged by the Scottish Maritime Museum in 1991 and rebuilt at its site in Irvine.
Ships built by Alexander Stephen and Sons
[edit]University of Glasgow Archives hold a number of separately catalogued records collections for various Clyde shipbuilding firms associated with the name Alexander Stephen. For ship's plans, two of the larger holdings are "Collection of miscellaneous ship plans built on the river Clyde, Glasgow, Scotland" (gb 248 GB 248 UGD 130/5) and "Records of Upper Clyde Shipbuilders Ltd, Linthouse Division, shipbuilders Glasgow, Scotland" (gb 248 GB 248 UGD 349). However the cataloging does not list names of individual vessels. Cataloguing is accessed via a link from the GLA home page, directly from the GLA search page.
The table below provides basic details of vessels from 1940, and it will be expanded to include other vessels. Further lists of vessels built by the firm can be found at the "Maritime History Virtual Archives": Arbroath yard list 1830-1843, Dundee yard list 1844-1893, Linthouse yard-list 1870-1893.
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References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Records of Alexander Stephen & Sons Ltd, shipbuilders and engineers, Linthouse, Govan, Glasgow, Scotland[permanent dead link] University of Glasgow Archives
- ^ a b A Shipbuilding History 1750–1932 (Alexander Stephen and Sons) Chapter 1 Grace's Guide
- ^ A Shipbuilding History 1750–1932 (Alexander Stephen and Sons) Chapter 4 Grace's Guide
- ^ A Stephen (1833–1899), shipbuilder at Kelvinhaugh & Linthouse, The Glasgow Story
- ^ The Daphne Disaster, Lost Glasgow, 3 July 2020
- ^ SS 'Daphne' Memorial, Art UK
- ^ Government's shipbuilding crisis BBC News, 1 January 2002
- ^ Parliamentary debates Hansard, 4 June 1971
- ^ Bragg, Melvin (host) (4 October 1992). "Billy Connolly". The South Bank Show. Season 16. Episode 1. LWT.
- ^ Stephenson, Pamela (2001). Billy. London, UK: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-00711-091-9.
- ^ a b MacGregor, David R. (1983). The Tea Clippers, Their History and Development 1833-1875. Conway Maritime Press Limited. pp. 213–216. ISBN 0-85177-256-0.
- ^ "New Screw Steamer For Cardiff". The Cornishman. No. 116. 30 September 1880. p. 4.
- ^ From 1932 Southern Cross. Built for James Mackay, 1st Earl of Inchcape, 1932 bought by Howard Hughes, 1937 bought by Axel Wenner-Gren, 1942 bought by Mexican Navy
External links
[edit]- Media related to Alexander Stephen & Sons at Wikimedia Commons
- William Stephen, Arbroath. Clyde Built Ships, yard list
- Alexander Stephen & Sons, Dundee. Clyde Built Ships, yard list
- Alexander Stephen & Sons, Kelvinhaugh. Clyde Built Ships, yard list
- Alexander Stephen & Sons, Govan. Clyde Built Ships, yard list
- Defunct shipbuilding companies of Scotland
- Govan
- British companies established in 1750
- 1750 establishments in Scotland
- 1982 disestablishments in Scotland
- Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1982
- Manufacturing companies established in 1750
- River Clyde
- Manufacturing companies based in Glasgow
- Companies based in Aberdeen
- Companies based in Dundee
- British companies disestablished in 1982
- British Shipbuilders