Leith Shipyards 1918-1939

R. O. Neish

ISBN 10: 184995481X / ISBN 13: 9781849954815

Published by Porto Press Ltd, GB, 2021

About this Item

Leith Built Ships Volume 2: Leith Shipyards 1918-1939 by R.O. Neish is a richly illustrated maritime history book exploring the interwar development of Leith's shipbuilding industry in Scotland. Continuing the acclaimed Leith Built Ships series, this volume charts the evolution of Leith shipyards from the end of the First World War through the economic challenges of the Great Depression and into the outbreak of the Second World War.Focusing on Scottish shipbuilding heritage, the book examines the fortunes of major Leith shipyards, including their consolidation under Henry Robb Ltd, one of the most influential names in British maritime engineering. It highlights technical advances in ship design and propulsion, particularly the rise of diesel-powered coasters and innovative shipbuilding methods that helped modernise the industry.The book also documents notable vessels built during this period, including ships associated with global trade routes, maritime adventure and tragedy. Most famously the five-masted auxiliary sailing barque København, the largest sailing ship ever built in a British shipyard.Rich in ship plans, historical photography and detailed archival research, the book pays tribute to the skilled craftsmen and engineers who sustained Leith's shipbuilding legacy during a period of economic uncertainty and industrial change. It also traces the expansion of Henry Robb Ltd as it absorbed key yards such as Victoria, Cran and Somerville and Ramage and Ferguson - transforming Leith into a centre of innovative ship construction.Ideal for readers interested in Scottish maritime history, industrial heritage, and shipbuilding innovation, this volume offers a compelling record of one of Britain's most important coastal industries.

Seller Inventory # LU-9781849954815

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Leith Shipyards 1918-1939
• Publisher: Porto Press Ltd, GB
• Publication Date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 184995481X
• ISBN 13: 9781849954815
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New
• Weight: 433 grams

About this title

Synopsis

This volume includes some very famous ships with tales of adventure and new trade routes, also sadness, the launch and then the loss of the largest sailing ship ever built in a British shipyard – the five-masted auxiliary sailing barque, Kobenhavn. It recounts the days when shipbuilding should have flourished and into the tough times of the Great Depression. It remains a testimony to the skill and determination of the people who built the ships and those who served on them.

The fortunes of the three main shipyards are followed through good times to eventual closure or assimilation by the man who would open up the shipyard that took his name. Henry Robb Ltd, shipbuilders and engineers, began without a yard in which to build ships, but eventually took over firstly the old S&H Morton Shipyard, now occupied by Hawthorns & Co. Ltd. That gave Robb control of the Victoria Shipyard, and a few years later he would take over the Cran & Somerville yard, before acquiring the plant and goodwill of the Ramage & Ferguson Shipyard – the cream of the Leith shipyards.

This last yard would always have a ship on one of its slipways; at the peak they had nine slips, and were pioneers in the building of diesel-powered coasters. Always innovative and with some of the best craftsmen in the industry, the shipyard of Henry Robb quickly acquired the reputation as builders of special ships.

Leith Shipyards 1918–1939 continues the chronological story begun in Volume I and provides a fascinating illustrated story that reveals the remarkable and ongoing story of shipbuilding for which Scotland and the UK were renowned.

About the Author

The author is a proud shipbuilder who is still active in shipbuilding and well-qualified to tell this story.