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Arts & Culture in West Dunbartonshire

Shipbuilding in West Dunbartonshire

There is a long history of shipbuilding in West Dunbartonshire: the area around Dumbarton Rock was used as a gateway to the Western Isles and to France; David II fled to France from here in 1333; and in 1548 Mary Queen of Scots sailed to France from the Rock to marry the French Dauphin.

Modern shipbuilding has its roots in the nineteenth century. The most successful shipbuilders were William Denny & Bros, founded in 1844, and Archibald MacMillan & Sons, set up in 1834. MacMillan's closed in 1930, a casualty of the Depression.

The Dennys finished the most famous of the Dumbarton-built ships: the Cutty Sark. Completed in 1869, it was one of the fastest clippers of all time. They also pioneered steel hulled ships and this inventiveness continued into the twentieth century when they invented a type of hovercraft that was tested on Gareloch in 1961.

They had a reputation for building ships very quickly and also started employee education programmes and initiated worker/employer dialogue before unions became popular.

Clydebank was founded by J and G Thomson shipbuilders when they expanded from their premises at Bankton, near Govan to land opposite the mouth of the River Cart. They brought with them the name Clyde Bank.

In 1899, John Brown and Sons took over the yard. Due to the naval race between Britain and Germany, this was a good time for shipbuilding and contracts expanded from luxurious liners like the Servia to warships for the Royal Navy and consultancy with the Russian Navy. It was at this time that the steel magnate William Beardmore purchased land in Dalmuir to expand his shipyard at Govan.

By the outbreak of War in 1914, John Brown's shipyard had contracts with Cunard, building ships like the Lusitania, and the navy, building such ships as the Hood, the greatest British warship of World War I. Beardmore raised employment to 13,000 in Dalmuir, building ships like the Ramilies and Argus. Beardmore also produced submarines, aircraft and tanks.

After the war, the John Brown shipyard struggled until the Queen Mary was finished. She was launched in 1936. The Queen Elizabeth was ordered in 1936. Beardmore also struggled but produced the three Contes for a shipping line in Genoa through the 1920s. By the late 20s though, Beardmore was struggling financially and Dalmuir shipyard was sold in 1930. By 1936 all of Beardmore's Dalmuir shipping business had been closed.

During the Second World War, John Brown's shipyard produced many warships including the Vanguard, a model of which we have in the museum. The ship never fired a shot in anger.

After the war, shipbuilding on the Clyde became increasingly unprofitable. The high point of the shipyards at Clydebank was the launch of the QE2 in 1967. The last ship Alisa left the yard in 1972.

View the Clydebank Museum's Shipbuilding Room page

DOWNLOADS

Below, you can download a factsheet about the Vanguard, one of the ships built at John Brown's shipyard:

The Vanguard

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