Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company
Industry | Shipbuilding |
---|---|
Founded | 1837 |
Defunct | 1912 |
Fate | Defunct |
Headquarters | London |
The Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company, Limited was a
The company notably produced iron work for Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge over the Tamar in the 1850s,[2] and the world's first all-iron warship, HMS Warrior, launched in 1860.
History
1837–46
The company originated in 1837 as the Ditchburn and Mare Shipbuilding Company, founded by
The firm did well and within a few years occupied three sites covering an area of over 14 acres (5.7 ha).
Ditchburn and Mare were among the first builders of iron ships in the area; their partnership commenced with the construction of small paddle steamers of between 50 and 100 tons, before progressing to cross-Channel vessels and by 1840 were building ships of more than 300 tons. The company's early customers included the Iron Steamboat Company and the Blackwall Railway Company, several paddle steamers being constructed for the latter, including the Meteor and the Prince of Wales, which operated between Gravesend and the company's station on Brunswick Wharf.
In this period the company was also awarded several contracts by the
1847–56
Thomas Ditchburn retired in 1847 and the business was carried on by Charles Mare, under the name of C.J. Mare and Company. He was joined by naval architect James Ash, who later began his own shipyard at Cubitt Town.
From 1847 the company grew considerably and Mare purchased land in Canning Town on the Essex side of the River Lea, a ferry service being established between the two sites.[3]
Mare constructed a yard with
In 1855, the company which by now had more than 3000 employees, was threatened with closure following Mare's
1857–1912
The company's chief creditors moved to keep the company in operation, and two employees, Joseph Westwood and Robert Baillie were appointed works managers. The main figure in saving the company was Peter Rolt, Mare's father-in-law and Conservative MP for Greenwich. Rolt was also a timber merchant and a descendant of the Pett shipbuilding family. He was supported in the venture by another company director, Lord Alan Spencer-Churchill.[4]
Rolt took control of the company's assets and in 1857 transferred them to a new
The new company was the largest shipbuilder on the Thames, its premises described by the
By 1863 the company had the capacity to build 25,000 tons of warships and 10,000 tons of
Work on vessels such as Minotaur was performed on the Canning Town side of the Lea, and this is where the Thames Ironworks expanded from less than 10 acres (4.0 ha) in 1856 to 30 acres (12 ha) by 1891. While the old site at Orchard Place was still the company's official address until 1909, its presence there was minimal, by the late 1860s the company having only a 5 acres (2.0 ha) site there.
General shipbuilding on the Thames came under great pressure due to the cost advantages of northern yards with closer supplies of coal and iron, and many yards closed following the 1866 financial crisis. Of the survivors, those like the Thames Ironworks were specialised in warships and liners.[8]
Following the success of HMS Warrior and HMS Minotaur, orders were placed by navies all over the world, and vessels were built for
In the 1890s
In 1895 Hills helped to set up a football club for the Works' employees, Thames Ironworks F.C. and within their first two years they had entered the FA Cup and the London League. As a result of the committee's desire to employ professional players, the Thames Ironworks F.C. was wound up in June 1900 and West Ham United F.C. was formed a month later.
Merged with the engine builder John Penn and Sons in 1899 as the Thames Iron Works, Shipbuilding and Engineering Co.
During its lifetime the yard produced 144 warships and numerous other vessels. In 1911 Hills petitioned
The premises of the Thames Iron Works and Shipbuilding Company, Greenwich, were subsequently acquired in 1915, by the Royal Flying Corps (created in 1912) for the storage of aeroplanes.[12]
Archaeology
Part of the company's Limmo Peninsula site was excavated during the construction of Crossrail in 2012.[13]
Notable products
- In the 1850s the company produced iron work for I.K. Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge over the Tamar at Saltash.[2]
- In 1897 to 1912 the company made the ironworks of Sindh Provinceof Pakistan.
- HMS Warrior, launched in 1860, the world's first all-iron warship. When completed in October 1861, Warrior was the largest, fastest, most heavily armed and most heavily armoured warship in the world.
- In the 1890s the yard built two of the six British-built battleships that formed the main Japanese battle line in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905.
- The launch of HMS Albion in 1898 was marred by an accident when several observers died following a bridge collapse.
- The last major warship built by the yard, HMS Thunderer (22,500 tons), was launched in 1911.
Ships
- HMS Trident, Royal Navy, 1845 (Ditchburn & Mare)[14]
- HMS Recruit, Royal Navy, 1846, iron brig.
- DS Rigi, 1847. In continuous service on Lake Lucerne (Switzerland) until 1952. Since being decommissioned, she has been on display at the Swiss Transport Museum (Verkehrshaus).
- PS Vladimir, 1848 (C J Mare), "Russian War Steamer"[15]
- Argo, 1853, first steamship to circumnavigate the world.
- Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, later HMS Himalaya, Royal Navy.
- HMS Warrior, Royal Navy, 1860
- Yapura, Peruvian Navy, 1862, exported in sections for assembly on Lake Titicaca.
- Mahmudiye, Ottoman Navy, 1863
- HMS Minotaur, Royal Navy, 1863
- RUS Pervenetz, Imperial Russian Navy, 1863
- HMS Valiant, Royal Navy, 1863
- Victoria, frigate, 1865[16]
- SNS Vitoria, Spanish Navy, 1865
- HMS Serapis, Royal Navy troopship, 1866
- Anglia, 1866, iron paddle tug.[17]
- SMS König Wilhelm, 1869, Prussian Navy[18]
- Avnillah, Ottoman Navy, 1869
- Feth-i Bülend, Ottoman Navy, 1870
- HMS Magdala, Royal Navy, 1870
- Hamidiye, Ottoman Navy, 1872, purchased by the Royal Navy as HMS Superb
- Mesudiye, Ottoman Navy, 1872
- PS Castalia, English Channel Steamship Company, 1874
- Mindello, Portuguese Navy, 1875
- Rainha De Portugal, Portuguese Navy, 1875
- Vasco da Gama, Portuguese Navy, 1876
- Fox 1877, iron tug[17]
- Canada 1880, Screw Tug[17]
- HMS Linnet, Royal Navy, 1880
- NRP Afonso de Albuquerque, Portuguese Navy, 1884
- HMS Benbow, Royal Navy, 1885
- HMS Sans Pareil, Royal Navy, 1887
- HMS Blenheim Royal Navy, 1890
- SS Robin, Arthur Ponsonby, 1890
- HMS Grafton, Royal Navy, 1892
- HMS Theseus, Royal Navy, 1892
- Battleship IJN Fuji, 1896
- Battleship Shikishima, 1898
- HMS Albion, Royal Navy, 1898
- HMS Cornwallis, Royal Navy, 1901
- HMS Duncan, Royal Navy, 1901
- RNLI1902
- HMS Black Prince, Royal Navy, 1904
- J C Madge, RNLI, Sheringham lifeboat, 1904,[19]
- HMS Nautilus, Royal Navy, 1910, later named HMS Grampus
- HMS Thunderer, Royal Navy, 1911
Links to West Ham United Football Club
Employees at the Thames Ironworks formed a works football team, called Thames Ironworks Football Club. This club was later renamed West Ham United, whose emblem of the crossed hammers represents the large riveting hammers used in the shipbuilding trade. West Ham are also known as "The Hammers" for this reason.
While the media and the general football world commonly refer to the club as The Hammers, the club's own supporters have always referred to their team as 'The Irons', which again comes from the link with Thames Ironworks. The chant 'Come on you Irons' is heard on every match day at West Ham.[citation needed]
The shape of the 16th evolution of the club badge, launched after club moved to the Olympic Stadium in 2016, is a representation of the cross-section of the bow of HMS Warrior, the first iron clad battleship, built by the Thames Ironworks in 1860.[20]
Notes
- ^ Survey of London: volumes 43 and 44, Leamouth Wharf edited by Hermione Hobhouse, 1994
- ^ ISBN 1-86077-100-9
- ^ Leamouth Road and Orchard Place: Historical development. Survey of London. Vol. 43 and 44: Poplar, Blackwall and Isle of Dogs. British History Online. 1994. pp. 646–655. Retrieved 8 October 2007.
- ^ Rolt and Spencer-Churchill entered a further consortium led by Churchward, an entrepreneur from Dover: https://doverhistorian.com/2015/08/08/packet-service-part-iii-churchward-founder-of-the-packet-yard-and-politician/ Retrieved 3 November 2016.
- ISBN 0-7153-7479-6.
- ^ "Leviathan Workshops No. 1". The Mechanics' Magazine. 75 (6). Robertson, Brooman, & Co: 94. July–December 1861.
- ISBN 1-84151-261-3
- ISBN 0-7168-1611-3.
- ^ Sea Breezes, Volume 11, 1951, page 58
- ^ Robert Gardiner, Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906-1921, Naval Institute Press, 1985, pp. 421-422
- ^ "Kotri Bridge". Heritage of Sindh. The Endowment Fund Trust for Preservation of the Heritage of Sindh. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
- ^ Air 29/4692 held in The National Archives, Kew
- ^ "BBC News London". Crossrail dig uncovers historic Limmo Peninsula shipyard remains. BBC. 23 March 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
- ^ Illustrated London News 27 December 1845
- ^ Illustrated London News 1 April 1848
- ^ Illustrated London News 1 June 1867
- ^ a b c Thames Tugs, William Watkins Limited[permanent dead link]
- ^ Illustrated London News 20 February 1869
- ^ Register of Historic Vessels – J C Madge Archived 21 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Hopps, Kat (13 December 2015). "How a new West Ham United crest is keeping strong links between the football club and HMS Warrior". Newham Recorder. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
Further reading
- Johnston, Ian; Buxton, Ian (2013). The Battleship Builders – Constructing and Arming British Capital Ships (Hardback). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-027-6.
External links
- Arnold Hills – International Vegetarian Union
- Port of London History
- Grace's Guide: Chronology