Based in wallsend the company was responsible for some of the greatest ships of the 20th century. Tanker ottawa launch, wallsend shipyard, circa 1964. Royal navys county class guided missile destroyer london, after leaving the shipyard of swan hunter and wigham richardson ltd. Its first warship contract in 1909 was for the destroyer hms hope. Swan hunter cranes leave the tyne, ending 145 years of. Barry, who is a member of wallsend history society, began taking pictures because he felt that little was happening to document the last years of swan hunter he. Jul 15, 2006 a nearly finished landing ship is expected to be towed from swan hunter s wallsend yard to a rival one on monday for completion in a move that threatens to end tynesides long association with. The yard was taken over by a london firm called miller, ravenhill and salkeld but with no better results. Nra 23331 swan hunter see hmc records of british business and industry 17601914 metal processing and engineering, 1994. Swan hunter group river tyne, ship builder, shipbuilder. One of a series taken to illustrate a dudley barker story on workers in wartime.
The top secret guided missile destroyer hms glasgow one of three ultrasophisticated type 42 warships built on the tyne was being fitted out at swan hunter s neptune yard at wallsend. Nov 21, 2011 previously known as the ship in the hole, located near to the closed swan hunter shipyard. Hms albion afloat on the river tyne after launch by swan hunter and. Mike adie remembers watching hms illustrious and ark royal being launched from the swan hunter shipyard. In addition, swan hunter group ltd of which swan hunter shipbuilders was a whollyowned subsidiary, owned the shipyard operated by smiths dock co ltd on the tees and shipyards building smaller ships, i. Swan hunter s safety officer knew of the fire risk connected with oxygen and prepared a blue book for swan hunter employees and provided the information to their employees. Pages in category ships built by swan hunter the following 152 pages are in this category, out of 152 total. Jack mortimer is photographed caulking making watertight a ship. Sting leads the touring cast of the last ship during a recent stop in toronto. Sep 06, 2010 in 2000, swan hunter was awarded the contract to design and build 2 auxiliary landing ship dock ships for the royal fleet auxiliary with 2 other ships being built by bae systems naval ships. A very good and interesting book about the ships built at a once thriving shipyard on the river tyne, a local theme however also an interesting read for any one with a sea faring interest. Swan hunter was one of the best known shipbuilding companies in the uk. During a year existence, swan hunter built over 1,600 ships of various types. This was a meaningless name which was quickly changed to swan hunter group by november of the same year.
Sting sails the last ship musical into national theatre. These iconic cranes represent an industrial heritage that will be lost forever. Watch the lima jacket topple as veolia environmental services is decommissioning a gas rig at swan hunter, wallsend in newcastle. Building ships, including the mauretania and the carpathia, which helped to save.
Jul 21, 2008 book brings swan hunter shipyard back to life. Westgate road newcastle gateshead, north east england, local history, west end, old. A view of the swan hunter shipyard in wallsend, england in march 2007, a few months after its sale, before the cranes were dismantled. Building ships, including the mauretania and the carpathia, which helped to save survivors of the titanic in 1912, made sure its place was cemented in history. Equipment swan hunter provide a rental fleet of offshore installation equipment for flexible pipelines, umbilicals, and power cables. Thomas picken, a plater, directs a crane moving a large sheet of metal. The collection of photographs, log books and ship plans are now listed on.
Books go search hello select your address best sellers customer service find a gift. Founded in 1880, the company united three powerful shipbuilding families swan, hunter and wigham richardson. Swan hunter by ken smith north east england books at the. A photograph of a worker in the swan hunter shipyard on tyneside, taken in january 1940 by bishop marshall for the daily herald. Workers in the swan hunter shipyard on tyneside, january. Ihave fond memories of the shipyards of swan hunters,i worked for an outside contracter fitting sonar domes to naval ships in the large dry dock. In mid2006, swan hunter was stripped of work, and the incomplete second ship was towed to baes shipyard. Two ships each were ordered from swan hunter and bae systems naval ships. All content is posted anonymously by employees working at swan hunter. The first hadrians wall sign with swan and hunter shipyard in the background. In 2006 swan hunter ceased vessel construction on tyneside, but continues to provide design engineering services. Reviewed in the united kingdom on february 16, 2017. Swan hunter cranes leave the tyne, ending 145 years of shipbuilding one hundred and fortyfive years of production at swan hunter, one of the. Apr 06, 2009 swan hunter cranes leave the tyne, ending 145 years of shipbuilding one hundred and fortyfive years of production at swan hunter, one of the worlds most famous shipbuilders, has ended after its.
Media in category swan hunter shipyard wallsend the following 58 files are in this category, out of 58 total. Our equipment pool includes basket carousels, reel carousels, reel drive systems, reels, tensioners, chutes, under roller drive systems, turntables and other ancillary installation equipment. The whole story of the tynes most famous shipyard is told with illustrations from the official swan hunter archive, pictures from the shipyard magazine and memories from the workers. The whole story of the tynes most famous shipyard is told with illustrations from the official swan hunter archive, pictures from the shipyard. In 2000, swan hunter was awarded the contract to design and build 2 auxiliary landing ship dock ships for the royal fleet auxiliary with 2 other. Ships built at swan hunters, wallsend ships nostalgia. Hms mendipl60, a hunt class destroyer, built by swan hunter, wallsend.
I am currently compiling a website of the dismantling of the cranes at swan hunter shipyard in wallsend. Mar 01, 2019 the show was inspired by his 1991 solo album, the soul cages, and it deals with his childhood growing up near the swan hunter shipyard in wallsend, england. Dec 16, 2009 the history of one of the northeast of englands best known shipyards is being celebrated in an exhibition. For more than a century, swan hunter on the tyne was a main builder of british naval vessels, turning out over 200 ships. The show was inspired by his 1991 solo album, the soul cages, and it deals with his childhood growing up near the swan hunter shipyard in wallsend, england. Very well written book backed by many good photographs. At the mariners museum, explore over 60,000 square feet of gallery space with rare figureheads, handcrafted ship models, civil war ironclad uss monitor artifacts, paintings, and much more. Miss robson worked at swan hunter for many years and was secretary to ian pike, the shipbuilding manager in charge of the sir eric sharp during its construction at the wallsend shipyard. It was swan hunter which loomed largest of all the great north east shipbuilders and became famous. Media in category ships built at swan hunter wallsend the following 23 files are in this category, out of 23 total. The mauretania remains a testament to the glory days of swan hunter and shipbuilding on the river tyne. The ship british valour in the dry dock at swan hunter shipbuilders. Because my brother worked at swans we used to get tickets for launches with my mum and dad. Swan hunter by ken smith north east england books at the works.
A kid on a chopper playing in the shadow of the supertanker tyne pride at swan hunter shipyard, wallsend, tyneside photo tom buist more chronicle archive pictures transformed from black and white to colour, this time looking at industrial working life in the north east. Launched at swan hunter s wallsend yard in september 1906, the mighty ship was. North easts closed pubs 2011 the ship inn wallsend youtube. However, they failed to distribute this information to telemeter and other contractors andor the employees of. Its yards at wallsend and walker would build more than 1,600 ships that sailed the. However, they failed to distribute this information to telemeter and other contractors andor the employees of those other contractors. It tells the story about community and the demise of the shipbuilding industry in wallsend, tyne and wear, with the closure of the towns swan hunter shipyard. Vigor industrial swan island shipyard portland, oregon. Newspaper article the journal newcastle, england the arks proud heritage. Feb 20, 20 workers in the swan hunter shipyard on tyneside, january 1940 by bishop marshall for the daily herald. Its a reminder of the thousands of vessels launched on the river wear and the. Workers leaving swan hunter shipyard at end of their shift. Its an interesting and enjoyable read, a mix of personal travel journal, history though i suspect that many of.
The unseen mauretania 1907, by j kent layton, and published by the history. Swan hunter is internationally renowned as a world class shipbuilder. This collection of pictures shows part of the history of the swan hunter shipyard on the tyne. Continuing the wellrespected style of the glory days series, this cracking new book beautifully explores the turbulent history of swan hunter through the 20th century. I would like to hear from anyone who lived or worked in this area in the 193040s. This website is dedicated to the memory of the rms mauretania, the most famous ship ever built on tyneside, and the now lost skills of the shipyard workers that went into her construction. Fears for tyneside tradition as swan hunter ship is towed. Kaiser swan island, portland or most recent update. Completed in mid1942 with 8 shipbuilding ways, the yard laid its first keel on july 1st, 1942 and by the end of world war two the yard had built 148 tankers for service across the globe. Swan hunter provide a rental fleet of offshore installation equipment for flexible pipelines, umbilicals, and power cables. History of tyneside shipbuilding put in focus as photos of. The shipyard was bought out of receivership by jaap kroese. A unique history of one of the legendary names of british shipbuilding swan hunter supplemented by many eyecatching photographs. The yards first admiralty order was in 1900 for a floating dock for bermuda.
My mother mentioned hunter davies 1974 a walk along the wall to me a few weeks ago as something that might be ideal reading for someone preparing to spend their summer holiday walking the hadrians wall national trail, so i sought out a secondhand copy and read it over the weekend. Many warships were built at swan hunter during the second world war, including destroyers, destroyer escorts, cruisers and battleships. The tale is brought up to date as the phoenix of the new swan hunter rises from the ashes of the old shipbuilding industry. The fall of swan hunter seems to signal the end of tynesides long and famous shipbuilding tradition. The mauretania is one of the vessels that defines the great shipbuilding history and tradition of the river tyne.
The history of one of the northeast of englands best known shipyards is being celebrated in an exhibition. Book brings swan hunter shipyard back to life chronicle live. Swan hunter, where maritime experts david williams and. The swan hunter shipyard in wallsend was not only a major employer in the region but also became a landmark, with its iconic cranes shaping the skyline. The reason for this is that future generation will not know what once stood tall and proud on the banks of the river tyne. This website features oral histories, photographs and emails exploring the lives of employees of swan hunter. Construction work started in 2002, but saw major delays and cost overruns, particularly at swan hunter s shipyard. R v swan hunter shipbuilder and telemeter safetyphoto. Gas rig toppling at the swan hunter shipyard in newcastle. Jan 03, 2008 distinguished history of naval service. The long dry dock at swan hunter shipbuilders in wallsend.
Apr 09, 2009 mike adie remembers watching hms illustrious and ark royal being launched from the swan hunter shipyard. Our equipment pool includes basket carousels, reel carousels, reel drive systems, reels, tensioners, chutes, under roller drive systems. The set has been produced to celebrate sunderland history fair on 7 june 2014. Wilfs book highlights the history of the yard that began with ship repair and. A collection of archives documenting 200 years of north east history have. A nearly finished landing ship is expected to be towed from swan hunter s wallsend yard to a rival one on monday for completion in a move that threatens to end tynesides long association with. We had our lunch in the big canteen very day,i was only a nipper at the time and working away fropm home a month at a time and it was a welcome relief to have a hot cooked meal instead of living on takeaways. Eight men were killed and six injured in one of britains worst shipyard disasters.
Based in wallsend, tyne and wear, the company was responsible for some of the greatest ships of the early 20th century most famously, the rms. The rush home as workers finish their shift at swan hunter shipyard in wallsend 29 november 1977. Cranes of swan hunter and wigham richardsons shipyard wa flickr see more. Many warships were built at swan hunter during ww2. Fears for tyneside tradition as swan hunter ship is towed to. The photo is taken from a skyscraper west of the yard and facing east. The yard, and others on the tyne, were still in full swing at the time but under pressure from shrinking order books and cheap foreign competition.
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