Burntisland Shipbuilding Company
Encyclopedia
The Burntisland Shipbuilding Company was a shibuilder and repairer in Burntisland
, Fife
, Scotland that traded from 1918 until 1969.
emergency shipyard. Its yard at Burntisland West Dock had four berths and capacity to build ships up to 450 feet (137.2 m) long and up to 59 feet (18 m) beam. However, until the 1950s Burntisland built relatively few vessels more than about 425 feet (129.5 m) long and 57 feet (17.4 m) beam.
The yard was connected to the North British Railway
by an extensive internal rail network that carried steel to various parts of the yard.
Burntisland's first three vessels were standard "C" type cargo ship
s of just over 3,100 GRT
each for the UK Government's wartime Shipping Controller, laid down in 1918 as hull numbers 101, 102 and 103. They were launched in 1919 after the Armistice: hull 101 in June as , 102 in September as and 103 in November as .
Burntisland's first peacetime order was for a pair of 2,300 GRT cargo steamers for Compagnie Lasry of Oran
, Algeria. Hulls 104 and 105 were launched in 1920 as SS Nelly Lasry and SS Sidney Lasry
. In the 1920s the yard built merchant ships ranging from coasters of about 600 tons to ocean-going cargo ships of up to 4,700 tons GRT. Most common were ocean-going four- or five-hold
tramp steamers of 1,500 to 2,500 tons.
The yard also built a number of arch-deck colliers
from 900 to 2,300 tons GRT. Burntisland built numerous flatiron colliers with low superstructures, hinged funnel and hinged or telescopic mast(s) to fit under bridges upriver from the Pool of London
on the River Thames
. Burntisland's first flatiron was hull 119, launched in 1922 as the 932 GRT coastal collier SS Wandle for the Wandsworth, Wimbledon and Epsom District Gas Company. From 1923 to 1946 Burntisland built a further 11 colliers for the same customer, which from 1932 was called the Wandsworth and District Gas Company
.
. In 1929 the company introduced its
"Burntisland Economy" ship design, intended for maximum fuel efficiency. The concept was popular with ship-owners during the depression and Burntisland continued the design with a succession of developments during the 1930s.
Some ships that Burntisland built for shipping companies went on to become Empire ship
s under the Ministry of War Transport in the Second World War
. Hull 164, launched in 1935 as SS Roxburgh, became in 1942. Hull 207, launched in 1937 as SS Ginnheim, became SS Empire Ouse in 1945.
Burntisland continued to build numerous colliers. Hulls 171 and 172, launched in 1932 as SS Alexander Kennedy and SS Ferranti, were a pair of 1,315 GRT flatirons for the London Power Company
, which operated Battersea Power Station
and Deptford Power Station
. Burntisland went on to build six further colliers for the LPC between 1933 and 1945.
Hull 173 was launched in 1932 as , a 1,482 GRT flatirons for the Wandsworth, Wimbledon and Epsom District Gas Company. She replaced the previous SS Wandle that Burntisland had built for the same owner in 1922 (see above).
Hull 174 was launched in 1933 as SS London Queen, a 781 GRT coaster for the London and Channel Islands Shipping Company. Her owners became British Channel Islands Shipping Co, for whom Burntisland launched a further seven ships between 1937 and 1948.
Hulls 178 and 179, launched in 1933 and 1934 as SS Pulborough and SS Petworth, were for Stephenson, Clarke and Associates
. Burntisland went on to build eight ships for Stephenson, Clarke spread over nearly 30 years, the last being hull 398 launched as MV Gilsland in 1961.
Hull 184, launched as in 1934, was Burntisland's first diesel ship. She was a 403 GRT coaster with a Humboldt-Deutz engine and was built for T.J. Metcalf of London. Burntisland built a second Humboldt-Deutz-engined motor coaster for Metcalf, hull 196, that was launched in 1936 as .
Hulls 191 and 192, launched in 1935 as SS Corbrae and SS Corburn, were for William Cory & Son. Over the next 21 years Burntisland went on to build a total of 17 colliers for Cory, the last two being hulls 376 and 378 launched in 1956 as MV Corstar and MV Corsea.
Hulls 193–195 were a trio of flatirons launched in successive years as SS Fulham in 1935, SS Fulham II in 1936 and SS Fulham III in 1937. They were built for the Metropolitan Borough of Fulham
to supply Fulham Power Station
. Burntisland went on to build six further flatirons for Fulham between 1938 and 1948.
Hull 213, launched in 1938 as MV Derrymore, was a 4,799 GRT cargo ship for McCowen and Gross of London. Burntisland went on to build a further five ships for McCowen and Gross between 1938 and 1951.
Burntisland continued to concentrate on building merchant ships. However, in 1943 it also built three Loch class frigate
s: , and .
In May 1941 Burntisland launched hull 233 as SS Merton, the first of several large standard-design 7,195 GRT cargo ships for the Carlton Steam Ship Co of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. War shipping needs and losses called for an unprecedented rate of shipbuilding. In July, August and October 1941 Burntisland launched three further large ships of the same standard design for Carlton. They included , which was torpedoed and sunk off the North Cape
in July 1942 less than a year after her launch. Burntisland launched a further two large ships per year for Carlton in 1942–44.
Also in 1941, Burntisland started to build colliers for the Gas Light and Coke Company
to supply Beckton Gas Works
in east London. Hull 235 was launched in April as the 2,816 GRT SS Adams Beck. Burntisland went on to build five further colliers for the GL&CC in the 1940s.
In 1942 Burntisland launched hull 264 as the 7,043 GRT cargo ship MV Highland Prince for Prince Line. In 1944 hull 280 was launched as the 7,150 GRT MV Scottish Prince. Burntisland went on to build eight further merchant ships for Prince line between 1946 and 1960.
Burntisland built a number of war standard ships for the Ministry of War Transport, including the 7,290 GRT hulls 261 and 266 launched as SS Empire Rosalind and SS Empire Glory in 1942 and 1943. Other MoWT orders included two merchant aircraft carrier
s: hull 268 launched in 1942 as and hull 277 launched in 1943 as . Hulls 291 to 294 were launched in February and March 1944 as CHANT 66 to CHANT 69: part of the large CHANT
fleet of 400 GRT prefabricated
coastal tankers.
Wartime demand rose so high that in 1944–45 Burntisland subcontracted orders for five coasters to Hall, Russell & Company
of Aberdeen
: hulls 270, 273, 274, 276 and 281.
In April 1945 Burntisland launched hull 290, the 7,541 GRT for the British-India Steam Navigation Company
. BI ordered two more cargo ships from Burntisland after the war (see below).
Completion of MoWT orders continued after the surrender of Germany with the launches of hull 298 in May 1945 as the 1,337 GRT coaster and finally hull 289 in July as the 7,134 GRT cargo ship MV Empire Calshot
.
Hulls 307 and 308, launched in 1947 and 1948 as the 1,776 GRT MV Fulham VIII and 1,759 GRT MV Fulham IX, were the last two flatirons for Fulham Borough Council before the Electricity Act 1947 nationalised Britain's electricity supply industry. Burntisland supplied one collier for the new state-owned British Electricity Authority
: hull 341, launched in 1951 as the 1,837 GRT SS Brimsdown, named after Brimsdown Power Station
in north London.
Burntisland maintained its reputation for high quality tramps and cargo-liners. By 1945 a majority of orders were for motor vessels. Hulls 316 and 317 were a pair of 3,668 GRT sister ship
s for British-India S.N. Co launched in 1948 as and . Each had a Barclay Curle
-Doxford
three-cylinder diesel engine.
Hulls 319–321 were launched for the newly-founded Christensen Canadian African Lines
as the 3,623 GRT MV Thorshall in May 1948, 3,632 GRT MV Thorstrand in December 1948 and 3,713 GRT MV Thorsisle in March 1949. Each ship had a Hawthorn Leslie
-Doxford four-cylinder diesel engine.
Hull 330 was launched in 1949 as MV Sycamore, a 3,343 GRT cargo ship for Johnston Warren Lines of Liverpool. Further orders from Johnston Warren Lines were hulls 353 and 355 launched in 1954 as the 3,596 GRT MV Beechmore and 3,597 GRT MV Pinemore, and hull 385 launched in 1958 as the 6,659 GRT cargo ship MV Mystic.
Hulls 334 and 335 were a pair of 3,364 GRT cargo liner
s for Prince line, launched in 1950 as and . Each ship had a 300 BHP Hawthorn Leslie four-cylinder diesel engine, a top speed of 14 knots (27.4 km/h) and accommodation for 12 passengers.
Hull 337 was launched in February 1951 as MV Derrymore, a 5,678 GRT cargo ship that replaced one of the same name that Burntisland built for the same customer in 1938. Before the end of 1951 the new Derrymore passed to O. Gross's Power Steam Ship Co as MV Huntsmore. Burntisland built three further ships for Power S.S. Co between 1954 and 1958.
During and after the Second World War the demand for larger cargo ships increased. Burntisland's slipway
s and berths were limited in size, but in the 1950s the yard managed to build a number of ships of more than 450 feet (137.2 m) length and 60 feet (18.3 m) beam. Hull 347, launched in 1954 as the 6,515 GRT for Power S.S. Co, had a length and beam of 477 feet (145.4 m) and 64 feet (19.5 m). Hull 362, launched in 1956 as the 8,390 GRT (11,850 DWT
) for the Tramp Chartering Corporation of Piraeus
, had a length, beam and draught of 479 feet (146 m), 63 feet (19.2 m) and 28 feet (8.5 m).
Hull 367, launched in October 1956 as the 1,873 GRT MV Kingston, was the final flatiron collier for the South Eastern Gas Board. She also turned out to be the last of 28 flatirons that Burntisland had built for various customers over a period of 34 years.
In the 1950s The Scottish and Mercantile Investment Co bought a majority shareholding in the company. However, the Ayre brothers continued to manage the business.
By the mid-1950s orders were sufficient for Burntisland to subcontract two coasters to Hall Russell in Aberdeen. In 1956 Hall Russell launched hull 378 as the 3,373 GRT MV Corsea for Wm. Cory. Hull 379 was launched in Aberdeen as for Glen and Company of Glasgow and completed in 1957. Winga proved to be Burntisland's last steam-powered ship.
The first turbine order was for a pair of ore carriers for the Panama
nian Pan Ore Steam Ship Co, Inc. Hull 352 was launched in 1953 as the 5,000 GRT . Her sister ship hull 351 was launched in 1954 as the 4,952 GRT . David Rowan and Company of Glasgow, part of Lithgows
Limited, built the turbines and reduction gearing for both ships.
The second turbine order was hull 377, launched in 1956 as for Skibs A/S Geirulv (Gjeruldsen & Tambs) of Arendal
, Norway. Her turbine was built by Scotts
of Greenock
on the River Clyde
.
By 2 July 1959 Burntisland Shipbuilding had laid off 100 workers and it was rumoured in the House of Commons that the company was to close down. On 30 October 1959 a new Labour
MP, Harry Gourlay
, whose Kirkcaldy Burghs
constituency included Burntisland, made his maiden speech
to the House of Commons. In it he reported that in 1957 about 1,700 people had been employed in shipyards in Kirkcaldy and Burntisland but this workforce had now been reduced to about 800.
On 26 July 1962 Harry Gourlay again expressed concern in the Commons that Burntisland Shipbuilding had made a number of its employees redundant. However, the Conservative
MP Frederick Erroll
, President of the Board of Trade, replied that the redundancies had not increased unemployment in Burntisland.
On 5 November 1962 Gourlay told the Commons that he blamed the Conservative Government's economic policy for the decline of shipbuilding in the United Kingdom. William Whitelaw
MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Labour, denied this and replied that the Ministry of Labour
planned to create a centre in Fife to retrain redundant workers for alternative employment.
On 14 March and 27 May 1963 and Gourlay told the Commons that Burntisland Shipbuilding had cut its workforce from about 1,500 in 1961 to just over 500 in 1963. (An alternative source states that in 1961 Burntisland had 1,000 employees.) On 14 March Gourlay pleaded for small shipyards on the east coast of Scotland such as Burntisland to be awarded War Department contracts and on 27 May he claimed in the Commons that the Local Employment Act had not led to the creation of any new jobs in Burntisland. Whitelaw conceded that the number of shipyard workers unemployed in Burntisland had risen from six in May 1961 to 116 in May 1963.
In 1963 Sir Wilfrid Ayre retired after 45 years at the head of the company.
Burntisland succeeded in securing orders from notable customers. Hull 402, launched in 1962 as MV Montreal City and hull 406, launched in 1964 as MV Halifax City were sister ships of just over 6,500 GRT for Bristol City Line
. Hull 403, launched in 1962 as MV Beaverpine, was a 4,514 GRT cargo ship for Canadian Pacific Steamships. Hulls 407 and 408, launched in 1964 as MV Newfoundland and MV Nova Scotia, were a pair of 6,660 GRT sister ships for Furness Withy
.
Hulls 414 and 415 were also coastal tankers, built as specialist liquid gas carriers. The sister ships were launched for the Nile Steam Ship Co as MV Teviot in 1965 and MV Traquair in 1966 respectively. Burntisland also built a larger tanker, hull 416, launched in 1965 as the 3,971 GRT MV Olau Mark for Olau Line
of Denmark.
for the East & West Steamship Company
of Karachi
, Pakistan. However, protracted negotiations with Ohrmazds owners over the ship's specification delayed her completion until November 1968. This activated a penalty clause in the building contract from which Burntisland Shipbuilding proved unable to recover, and the company went into receivership in 1968.
On 20 December 1968 the Burntisland yard was facing closure and a Conservative MP, James Prior
, told the Commons that he hoped it could be averted, but on 22 January 1969 the announcement was made that the yard would close. The next day, 23 January, the Commons debated the Labour Government's Shipbuilding Industry Bill. The Labour MP Gerald Fowler
, Joint Parliamentary Secretary
to the Ministry of Technology
, told the House:
Under the Shipbuilding Act 1967 the Labour Government offered credit to help the shipbuilding industry. Therefore during the 23rd January debate Edward Garrett, Labour MP for Wallsend
asked the Minister of Technology, Tony Benn
MP, about Burntisland Shipbuilding, "Is it true that since the credit facilities became available little attempt has been made by management, and, I fear, by the Minister, to ascertain whether the medium and small yards are being helped to become more economic?"
A day later, 24 January, the Scottish National Party
MP Winnie Ewing
asked in the Commons if the Ministry of Technology would form a government holding company
to buy the Burntisland yard and keep it and all its employees at work. Gerald Fowler said that it would not, and "the best hope of a long-term solution would be if a shipbuilding undertaking which can find orders capable of being carried out profitably at this yard were to take it over".
On 29 January in the Commons Willie Hamilton
, Labour MP for West Fife, called for a public enquiry into the causes of the Burntisland yard's closure. In his reply, Gerald Fowler said:
On 30 April 1970, during another Shipbuilding Bill debate in the Commons, the Liberal
MP Jo Grimond asked "Is there any news about the site at Burntisland? ... I understand that it is out of shipbuilding. Is it out of the industry altogether? Is it being used on prefabrication or for any other purpose?" Harold Lever
MP, Paymaster General, replied that the Burntisland yard "is now satisfactorily in the East Scotland Group and quite active." Grimond immediately asked "Will it build again?", to which Lever replied "I think it is building now. It is functioning well in another reasonably successful group."
Burntisland's new owner was Robb-Caledon Shipbuilders
of Leith and Dundee. On 31 January 1972 Gourlay told the Commons "Now there are only 80 persons employed there [i.e. at Burntisland yard], and even their jobs are in jeopardy unless something is done very soon." His Labour colleague Dick Douglas
MP added:
Burntisland still built no more ships, and on 11 February 1972 Robb-Caledon made another 10 workers at Burntisland redundant In the Commons on 6 March 1972 Gourlay again pleaded for Government money to help keep the yard open. The Conservative MP Nicholas Ridley
replied that the Department for Trade and Industry had no proposals to help Robb-Caledon. Robb-Caledon eventually removed Burntisland's equipment to its other yards.
's Auk oilfield
. This was followed in 1973 by an order for modules for North Sea oil platforms. By November 1974 Robb-Caledon had formed a Burntisland Engineering Fabricators (BEF) subsidiary and the yard was building modules for the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, but Gourlay complained in the Commons that the yard had lost a potential order for an oil rig
to an overseas competitor for reasons of cost and "the geographical conditions on the site".
In April 1975 John Smith MP, Under-Secretary of State
for the Department of Energy
told the Commons that BEF was one of the UK's two largest constructors for the offshore oil and gas industry. It had not secured orders for offshore platforms but had become the UK's leading builder of modules to fit on them. In December 1975 Gregor Mackenzie
MP, a minister at the Department of Industry told the Commons that his department had lent BEF £450,000 under the Industry Act 1972, had given its parent company Robb-Caledon a £400,000 loan and almost £1.1 million in grants and the company was also elegible for grants under the Local Employment Act.
the Labour Government nationalised the UK's shipbuilding industry. Robb-Caledon became a wholly owned subsidiary of British Shipbuilders
, which thereby held a 52% share in BEF. On 7 January 1979 Burntisland was nearing completion of its current order and Gourlay asked in the Commons whether the Secretary of State for Industry "will hold discussions to ensure the continuing operation of the yard at Burntisland when the present contract is completed". Les Huckfield
MP replied on behalf of the Secretary of State "Although there are no further orders in prospect for the yard, British Shipbuiders is using its best endeavours to sell the yard as a going concern, thereby preserving employment". On 24 October 1979 Gourlay told the Commons of the closure of the Burntisland yard and asked what George Younger
MP, Secretary of State for Scotland
would do to help the unemployed to find to re-employment.
took over the yard as Burntisland Fabrications or BiFab. BiFab describes itself as the only major fabricator continuing in production in Scotland since 2005.
team and two football teams. In 1925 the football teams were constituted as Burntisland Shipyard Amateur F.C.
, and since 1929 the club has competed in the qualifying stages of the Scottish Cup
. The club is a member of the Kingdom Caledonian Football League
.
Burntisland
Burntisland is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland on the Firth of Forth. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town has a population of 5,940....
, Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, Scotland that traded from 1918 until 1969.
Founding and early years
Brothers Amos and Wilfrid Ayre founded Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1918 as a First World WarWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
emergency shipyard. Its yard at Burntisland West Dock had four berths and capacity to build ships up to 450 feet (137.2 m) long and up to 59 feet (18 m) beam. However, until the 1950s Burntisland built relatively few vessels more than about 425 feet (129.5 m) long and 57 feet (17.4 m) beam.
The yard was connected to the North British Railway
North British Railway
The North British Railway was a Scottish railway company that was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923.-History:...
by an extensive internal rail network that carried steel to various parts of the yard.
Burntisland's first three vessels were standard "C" type cargo ship
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
s of just over 3,100 GRT
Gross Register Tonnage
Gross register tonnage a ship's total internal volume expressed in "register tons", one of which equals to a volume of . It is calculated from the total permanently enclosed capacity of the vessel. The ship's net register tonnage is obtained by reducing the volume of non-revenue-earning spaces i.e...
each for the UK Government's wartime Shipping Controller, laid down in 1918 as hull numbers 101, 102 and 103. They were launched in 1919 after the Armistice: hull 101 in June as , 102 in September as and 103 in November as .
Burntisland's first peacetime order was for a pair of 2,300 GRT cargo steamers for Compagnie Lasry of Oran
Oran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
, Algeria. Hulls 104 and 105 were launched in 1920 as SS Nelly Lasry and SS Sidney Lasry
SS Cap Tafelneh
Cap Tafelneh was a 2,266 GRT cargo ship which was built in 1920 by Burntisland Shipbuilding Company Ltd, Fife, Scotland. She was built for Joseph Lasry as Sydney Lasry. In 1931, she was sold to Compagnie Générale Transatlantique and renamed Ariège. In 1938 she was sold to Société Anonyme de Gerance...
. In the 1920s the yard built merchant ships ranging from coasters of about 600 tons to ocean-going cargo ships of up to 4,700 tons GRT. Most common were ocean-going four- or five-hold
Hold (ship)
thumb|right|120px|View of the hold of a container shipA ship's hold is a space for carrying cargo. Cargo in holds may be either packaged in crates, bales, etc., or unpackaged . Access to holds is by a large hatch at the top...
tramp steamers of 1,500 to 2,500 tons.
The yard also built a number of arch-deck colliers
Collier (ship type)
Collier is a historical term used to describe a bulk cargo ship designed to carry coal, especially for naval use by coal-fired warships. In the late 18th century a number of wooden-hulled sailing colliers gained fame after being adapted for use in voyages of exploration in the South Pacific, for...
from 900 to 2,300 tons GRT. Burntisland built numerous flatiron colliers with low superstructures, hinged funnel and hinged or telescopic mast(s) to fit under bridges upriver from the Pool of London
Pool of London
The Pool of London is a part of the Tideway of the River Thames from London Bridge to below Tower Bridge. It was the original part of the Port of London. The Pool of London is divided into two parts, the Upper Pool and Lower Pool...
on the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
. Burntisland's first flatiron was hull 119, launched in 1922 as the 932 GRT coastal collier SS Wandle for the Wandsworth, Wimbledon and Epsom District Gas Company. From 1923 to 1946 Burntisland built a further 11 colliers for the same customer, which from 1932 was called the Wandsworth and District Gas Company
Wandsworth and District Gas Company
The Wandsworth and District Gas Company was a maker and distributor of coal gas in south-west London from 1834 until 1949.-History:The Wandsworth gasworks was built in 1834 on the Surrey bank of the River Thames near Wandsworth Bridge. Its supplied Wandsworth, Putney and part of Battersea...
.
Surviving the Great Depression
Being built in 1918 the yard was modern, well-equipped and thus well-placed to compete during the Great DepressionGreat Depression in the United Kingdom
The Great Depression in the United Kingdom, also known as the Great Slump, was a period of national economic downturn in the 1930s, which had its origins in the global Great Depression...
. In 1929 the company introduced its
"Burntisland Economy" ship design, intended for maximum fuel efficiency. The concept was popular with ship-owners during the depression and Burntisland continued the design with a succession of developments during the 1930s.
Some ships that Burntisland built for shipping companies went on to become Empire ship
Empire ship
The Empire ships were a series of ships in the service of the British Government. Their names were all prefixed with "Empire". Mostly they were used during World War II by the Ministry of War Transport , who owned the ships but contracted out their management to various shipping lines. Some ships...
s under the Ministry of War Transport in the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Hull 164, launched in 1935 as SS Roxburgh, became in 1942. Hull 207, launched in 1937 as SS Ginnheim, became SS Empire Ouse in 1945.
Burntisland continued to build numerous colliers. Hulls 171 and 172, launched in 1932 as SS Alexander Kennedy and SS Ferranti, were a pair of 1,315 GRT flatirons for the London Power Company
London Power Company
The London Power Company was an electricity generating and supply company in London, England. The LPC was formed in 1925 by the merger of 10 smaller electricity companies...
, which operated Battersea Power Station
Battersea Power Station
Battersea Power Station is a decommissioned coal-fired power station located on the south bank of the River Thames, in Battersea, South London. The station comprises two individual power stations, built in two stages in the form of a single building. Battersea A Power Station was built first in the...
and Deptford Power Station
Deptford Power Station
Deptford Power Station was a coal-fired power station on the south bank of the River Thames at Deptford, south east London.-Deptford East:The first station was designed in 1887 by Sebastian de Ferranti for the London Electric Supply Corporation. It was located at the Stowage, a site to the west of...
. Burntisland went on to build six further colliers for the LPC between 1933 and 1945.
Hull 173 was launched in 1932 as , a 1,482 GRT flatirons for the Wandsworth, Wimbledon and Epsom District Gas Company. She replaced the previous SS Wandle that Burntisland had built for the same owner in 1922 (see above).
Hull 174 was launched in 1933 as SS London Queen, a 781 GRT coaster for the London and Channel Islands Shipping Company. Her owners became British Channel Islands Shipping Co, for whom Burntisland launched a further seven ships between 1937 and 1948.
Hulls 178 and 179, launched in 1933 and 1934 as SS Pulborough and SS Petworth, were for Stephenson, Clarke and Associates
Stephenson Clarke Shipping
Stephenson Clarke Shipping Limited, established in 1730, is Great Britain's oldest shipping company. The company specializes in short sea bulk cargo such as aggregates, alumina, grain, coal, fertilizers and steel.-History:...
. Burntisland went on to build eight ships for Stephenson, Clarke spread over nearly 30 years, the last being hull 398 launched as MV Gilsland in 1961.
Hull 184, launched as in 1934, was Burntisland's first diesel ship. She was a 403 GRT coaster with a Humboldt-Deutz engine and was built for T.J. Metcalf of London. Burntisland built a second Humboldt-Deutz-engined motor coaster for Metcalf, hull 196, that was launched in 1936 as .
Hulls 191 and 192, launched in 1935 as SS Corbrae and SS Corburn, were for William Cory & Son. Over the next 21 years Burntisland went on to build a total of 17 colliers for Cory, the last two being hulls 376 and 378 launched in 1956 as MV Corstar and MV Corsea.
Hulls 193–195 were a trio of flatirons launched in successive years as SS Fulham in 1935, SS Fulham II in 1936 and SS Fulham III in 1937. They were built for the Metropolitan Borough of Fulham
Metropolitan Borough of Fulham
The Metropolitan Borough of Fulham was a Metropolitan borough in the County of London between 1900 and 1965, when it was merged with the Metropolitan Borough of Hammersmith to form the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was a riverside borough, and included the areas of Fulham, West...
to supply Fulham Power Station
Fulham Power Station
Fulham Power Station was a coal-fired power station on the north bank of the River Thames at Battersea Reach in Fulham, London, not to be confused with Lots Road Power Station, a mile or so downstream in Chelsea.-History:...
. Burntisland went on to build six further flatirons for Fulham between 1938 and 1948.
Hull 213, launched in 1938 as MV Derrymore, was a 4,799 GRT cargo ship for McCowen and Gross of London. Burntisland went on to build a further five ships for McCowen and Gross between 1938 and 1951.
Second World War
During the Second World WarWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Burntisland continued to concentrate on building merchant ships. However, in 1943 it also built three Loch class frigate
Loch class frigate
The Loch class was a class of anti-submarine frigate built for the Royal Navy and her allies during World War II. They were an innovative design based on the experience of 3 years of fighting in the Battle of the Atlantic and attendant technological advances.-Design:The Lochs were based upon the...
s: , and .
In May 1941 Burntisland launched hull 233 as SS Merton, the first of several large standard-design 7,195 GRT cargo ships for the Carlton Steam Ship Co of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. War shipping needs and losses called for an unprecedented rate of shipbuilding. In July, August and October 1941 Burntisland launched three further large ships of the same standard design for Carlton. They included , which was torpedoed and sunk off the North Cape
North Cape
North Cape may refer to:*North Cape, Prince Edward Island*North Cape, New Zealand*North Cape, Norway, also known as Nordkapp*North Cape, Wisconsin, an unincorporated community...
in July 1942 less than a year after her launch. Burntisland launched a further two large ships per year for Carlton in 1942–44.
Also in 1941, Burntisland started to build colliers for the Gas Light and Coke Company
Gas Light and Coke Company
The Gas Light and Coke Company , was a company that made and supplied coal gas and coke. The Company was located on Horseferry Road in Westminster, London...
to supply Beckton Gas Works
Beckton Gas Works
Beckton Gas Works was a major London gas works built to manufacture coal gas and other products including coke from coal. It has been variously described as 'the largest such plant in the world' and 'the largest gas works in Europe'. It operated from 1870 to 1969, with an associated by-products...
in east London. Hull 235 was launched in April as the 2,816 GRT SS Adams Beck. Burntisland went on to build five further colliers for the GL&CC in the 1940s.
In 1942 Burntisland launched hull 264 as the 7,043 GRT cargo ship MV Highland Prince for Prince Line. In 1944 hull 280 was launched as the 7,150 GRT MV Scottish Prince. Burntisland went on to build eight further merchant ships for Prince line between 1946 and 1960.
Burntisland built a number of war standard ships for the Ministry of War Transport, including the 7,290 GRT hulls 261 and 266 launched as SS Empire Rosalind and SS Empire Glory in 1942 and 1943. Other MoWT orders included two merchant aircraft carrier
Merchant aircraft carrier
Merchant aircraft carriers were bulk cargo ships with minimal aircraft handling facilities, used during World War II by Britain and the Netherlands as an interim measure to supplement British and United States-built escort carriers in providing an anti-submarine function for convoys...
s: hull 268 launched in 1942 as and hull 277 launched in 1943 as . Hulls 291 to 294 were launched in February and March 1944 as CHANT 66 to CHANT 69: part of the large CHANT
CHANT (ship type)
A CHANT was a type of prefabricated coastal tanker which was built in the United Kingdom during the Second World War due to a perceived need for coastal tankers after the invasion of France. Some CHANTs were adapted to carry dry cargos...
fleet of 400 GRT prefabricated
Prefabrication
Prefabrication is the practice of assembling components of a structure in a factory or other manufacturing site, and transporting complete assemblies or sub-assemblies to the construction site where the structure is to be located...
coastal tankers.
Wartime demand rose so high that in 1944–45 Burntisland subcontracted orders for five coasters to Hall, Russell & Company
Hall, Russell & Company
Hall, Russell & Company, Limited was a shipbuilder based in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK-History:Brothers James and William Hall, Thomas Russell, a Glasgow engineer, and James Cardno Couper founded the company in 1864 to build steam engines and boilers. In 1867 the company built its first ship, the Kwang...
of Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
: hulls 270, 273, 274, 276 and 281.
In April 1945 Burntisland launched hull 290, the 7,541 GRT for the British-India Steam Navigation Company
British-India Steam Navigation Company
British India Steam Navigation Company was formed in 1856 as the Calcutta and Burmah Steam Navigation Company. The company had been formed out of Mackinnon, Mackenzie & Co, a trading partnership of the Scots William Mackinnon and Robert Mackenzie, to carry mail between Calcutta and Rangoon. It...
. BI ordered two more cargo ships from Burntisland after the war (see below).
Completion of MoWT orders continued after the surrender of Germany with the launches of hull 298 in May 1945 as the 1,337 GRT coaster and finally hull 289 in July as the 7,134 GRT cargo ship MV Empire Calshot
MV Argobeam
Argobeam was a 7,130 GRT cargo ship which was built in 1945 as Empire Calshot for the Ministry of War Transport . In 1946 she was sold and renamed Derrycunihy. A further sale in 1952 saw her renamed Argobeam. In August 1955 an engine room fire left her listing 40° to port and she was abandoned...
.
Post-war production
Burntisland continued to build colliers after the war. Hulls 295 and 301, launched in 1946 as SS Chessington and SS Mitcham, were the last two flatirons for the Wandsworth and District Gas Co. Hull 328 was launched in 1948 as MV Adams Beck for the GL&CC. Under the Gas Act 1948 the Wandsworth and District Gas Co became part of South Eastern Gas Board, whom Burntisland supplied with five further flatirons between 1949 and 1956.Hulls 307 and 308, launched in 1947 and 1948 as the 1,776 GRT MV Fulham VIII and 1,759 GRT MV Fulham IX, were the last two flatirons for Fulham Borough Council before the Electricity Act 1947 nationalised Britain's electricity supply industry. Burntisland supplied one collier for the new state-owned British Electricity Authority
British Electricity Authority
The British Electricity Authority was established in 1948 with the nationalisation of the Great Britain's electricity supply industry. It was created by means of the Electricity Act 1947...
: hull 341, launched in 1951 as the 1,837 GRT SS Brimsdown, named after Brimsdown Power Station
Brimsdown Power Station
Brimsdown Power Station was a coal-fired power station on the Lee Navigation at Brimsdown in Enfield, North London. The station had seven cooling towers which were visible from a wide area.-History:...
in north London.
Burntisland maintained its reputation for high quality tramps and cargo-liners. By 1945 a majority of orders were for motor vessels. Hulls 316 and 317 were a pair of 3,668 GRT sister ship
Sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
s for British-India S.N. Co launched in 1948 as and . Each had a Barclay Curle
Barclay Curle
-History:The company was founded by Robert Barclay at Stobcross in Glasgow, Scotland during 1818. In 1862, the company built a large engineering works at Stobcross in Glasgow. In 1876, the company moved their yard down the river to Whiteinch. It was incorporated in 1884 as Barclay Curle...
-Doxford
William Doxford & Sons
William Doxford & Sons Ltd, often referred to simply as Doxford, was a British shipbuilding company.-History:The Company was established by William Doxford in 1840. From 1870 it was based in Pallion, Sunderland, on the River Wear in Northeast England. The Company was managed by William Doxford's...
three-cylinder diesel engine.
Hulls 319–321 were launched for the newly-founded Christensen Canadian African Lines
Christensen Canadian African Lines
Christensen Canadian African Lines was a Norwegian cargo shipping company that traded between Canada and Africa between 1948 and 2000.-History:...
as the 3,623 GRT MV Thorshall in May 1948, 3,632 GRT MV Thorstrand in December 1948 and 3,713 GRT MV Thorsisle in March 1949. Each ship had a Hawthorn Leslie
Hawthorn Leslie and Company
R. & W. Hawthorn Leslie and Company, Limited, usually referred to as Hawthorn Leslie, was a shipbuilding and locomotive manufacturer. The Company was founded on Tyneside in 1886 and ceased building ships in 1982.-History:...
-Doxford four-cylinder diesel engine.
Hull 330 was launched in 1949 as MV Sycamore, a 3,343 GRT cargo ship for Johnston Warren Lines of Liverpool. Further orders from Johnston Warren Lines were hulls 353 and 355 launched in 1954 as the 3,596 GRT MV Beechmore and 3,597 GRT MV Pinemore, and hull 385 launched in 1958 as the 6,659 GRT cargo ship MV Mystic.
Hulls 334 and 335 were a pair of 3,364 GRT cargo liner
Cargo liner
A Cargo liner is a type of merchant ship which carried general cargo and often passengers. They became common just after the middle of the nineteenth century, and eventually gave way to container ships and other more specialized carriers in the latter half of the twentieth...
s for Prince line, launched in 1950 as and . Each ship had a 300 BHP Hawthorn Leslie four-cylinder diesel engine, a top speed of 14 knots (27.4 km/h) and accommodation for 12 passengers.
Hull 337 was launched in February 1951 as MV Derrymore, a 5,678 GRT cargo ship that replaced one of the same name that Burntisland built for the same customer in 1938. Before the end of 1951 the new Derrymore passed to O. Gross's Power Steam Ship Co as MV Huntsmore. Burntisland built three further ships for Power S.S. Co between 1954 and 1958.
During and after the Second World War the demand for larger cargo ships increased. Burntisland's slipway
Slipway
A slipway, boat slip or just a slip, is a ramp on the shore by which ships or boats can be moved to and from the water. They are used for building and repairing ships and boats. They are also used for launching and retrieving small boats on trailers and flying boats on their undercarriage. The...
s and berths were limited in size, but in the 1950s the yard managed to build a number of ships of more than 450 feet (137.2 m) length and 60 feet (18.3 m) beam. Hull 347, launched in 1954 as the 6,515 GRT for Power S.S. Co, had a length and beam of 477 feet (145.4 m) and 64 feet (19.5 m). Hull 362, launched in 1956 as the 8,390 GRT (11,850 DWT
Deadweight tonnage
Deadweight tonnage is a measure of how much weight a ship is carrying or can safely carry. It is the sum of the weights of cargo, fuel, fresh water, ballast water, provisions, passengers, and crew...
) for the Tramp Chartering Corporation of Piraeus
Piraeus
Piraeus is a city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens Urban Area, 12 km southwest from its city center , and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf....
, had a length, beam and draught of 479 feet (146 m), 63 feet (19.2 m) and 28 feet (8.5 m).
Hull 367, launched in October 1956 as the 1,873 GRT MV Kingston, was the final flatiron collier for the South Eastern Gas Board. She also turned out to be the last of 28 flatirons that Burntisland had built for various customers over a period of 34 years.
In the 1950s The Scottish and Mercantile Investment Co bought a majority shareholding in the company. However, the Ayre brothers continued to manage the business.
By the mid-1950s orders were sufficient for Burntisland to subcontract two coasters to Hall Russell in Aberdeen. In 1956 Hall Russell launched hull 378 as the 3,373 GRT MV Corsea for Wm. Cory. Hull 379 was launched in Aberdeen as for Glen and Company of Glasgow and completed in 1957. Winga proved to be Burntisland's last steam-powered ship.
Turbine steamers
In the 1950s there were far fewer orders for ships with reciprocating steam engines. However, geared steam turbines are more compact, more powerful and less vibratory than reciprocating engines. Early in the 1950s Burntisland received two orders for steam turbine cargo ships.The first turbine order was for a pair of ore carriers for the Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
nian Pan Ore Steam Ship Co, Inc. Hull 352 was launched in 1953 as the 5,000 GRT . Her sister ship hull 351 was launched in 1954 as the 4,952 GRT . David Rowan and Company of Glasgow, part of Lithgows
Lithgows
Lithgows Limited, was a British shipbuilding company based in Kingston, Port Glasgow, on the River Clyde in Scotland.-Founding:The Company was established by Joseph Russell and his partners Anderson Rodger and William Lithgow who leased the Bay Yard in Port Glasgow from Cunliffe & Dunlop and...
Limited, built the turbines and reduction gearing for both ships.
The second turbine order was hull 377, launched in 1956 as for Skibs A/S Geirulv (Gjeruldsen & Tambs) of Arendal
Arendal
is a town and municipality in the county of Aust-Agder, Norway. Arendal belongs to the traditional region of Sørlandet.The town of Arendal is the administrative center the municipality and also of Aust-Agder county...
, Norway. Her turbine was built by Scotts
Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company
Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Limited, often referred to simply as Scotts, was a Scottish shipbuilding company based in Greenock on the River Clyde.- History :...
of Greenock
Greenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
on the River Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
.
Cancellations and redundancies
In the 1950s Burntisland suffered a number of cancelled orders. Hull 365 was cancelled in 1954 and hull 368 in 1955, but worse came with the cancellation of six hulls in 1959–60. The first three cancelled hulls were all for Power S.S. Co. in about 1959. The last cancellation was hull 396 for Prince Line in about 1960. This left hull 395, launched as the 4,800 GRT MV Lancastrian Prince, as Burntisland's last completed order for Prince Line.By 2 July 1959 Burntisland Shipbuilding had laid off 100 workers and it was rumoured in the House of Commons that the company was to close down. On 30 October 1959 a new Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
MP, Harry Gourlay
Harry Gourlay
Harry Philip Heggie Gourlay was a Scottish Labour Party politician.Gourlay was educated at Kirkcaldy High School and was a vehicles examiner...
, whose Kirkcaldy Burghs
Kirkcaldy Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)
Kirkcaldy Burghs was a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1974. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post voting system...
constituency included Burntisland, made his maiden speech
Maiden speech
A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament.Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country...
to the House of Commons. In it he reported that in 1957 about 1,700 people had been employed in shipyards in Kirkcaldy and Burntisland but this workforce had now been reduced to about 800.
On 26 July 1962 Harry Gourlay again expressed concern in the Commons that Burntisland Shipbuilding had made a number of its employees redundant. However, the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MP Frederick Erroll
Frederick Erroll, 1st Baron Erroll of Hale
Frederick James Erroll, 1st Baron Erroll of Hale TD PC was a British Conservative politician.-Background and education:...
, President of the Board of Trade, replied that the redundancies had not increased unemployment in Burntisland.
On 5 November 1962 Gourlay told the Commons that he blamed the Conservative Government's economic policy for the decline of shipbuilding in the United Kingdom. William Whitelaw
William Whitelaw, 1st Viscount Whitelaw
William Stephen Ian Whitelaw, 1st Viscount Whitelaw, KT, CH, MC, PC, DL , often known as Willie Whitelaw, was a British Conservative Party politician who served in a wide number of Cabinet positions, most notably as Home Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister.-Early life:Whitelaw was born in Nairn, in...
MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Labour, denied this and replied that the Ministry of Labour
Ministry of Labour
The Ministry of Labour was a British civil service department established by the New Ministries and Secretaries Act 1916. It was renamed the Employment Department in 1988, and finally abolished in 1995...
planned to create a centre in Fife to retrain redundant workers for alternative employment.
On 14 March and 27 May 1963 and Gourlay told the Commons that Burntisland Shipbuilding had cut its workforce from about 1,500 in 1961 to just over 500 in 1963. (An alternative source states that in 1961 Burntisland had 1,000 employees.) On 14 March Gourlay pleaded for small shipyards on the east coast of Scotland such as Burntisland to be awarded War Department contracts and on 27 May he claimed in the Commons that the Local Employment Act had not led to the creation of any new jobs in Burntisland. Whitelaw conceded that the number of shipyard workers unemployed in Burntisland had risen from six in May 1961 to 116 in May 1963.
In 1963 Sir Wilfrid Ayre retired after 45 years at the head of the company.
1960s production
Metcalf Motor Coasters renewed its relationship with Burntisland by ordering five new coastal tankers: hull 399 launched as MV Ann M in 1961, hull 404 launched as MV John M in 1962, hull 410 launched as MV Frank M in 1964, hull 411 launched as MV Nicholas M in 1965 and finally hull 417 launched as MV Eileen M in 1966.Burntisland succeeded in securing orders from notable customers. Hull 402, launched in 1962 as MV Montreal City and hull 406, launched in 1964 as MV Halifax City were sister ships of just over 6,500 GRT for Bristol City Line
Bristol City Line
Bristol City Line was a British shipping line based in Bristol, England that traded from 1704 until 1974. From 1760 Bristol City Line also built ships....
. Hull 403, launched in 1962 as MV Beaverpine, was a 4,514 GRT cargo ship for Canadian Pacific Steamships. Hulls 407 and 408, launched in 1964 as MV Newfoundland and MV Nova Scotia, were a pair of 6,660 GRT sister ships for Furness Withy
Furness Withy
Furness Withy was a major British transport business. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange.-History:The Company was founded by Christopher Furness and Henry Withy in 1891 in Hartlepool. This was achieved by the amalgamation of the Furness Line of steamers with the business of Edward Withy and...
.
Hulls 414 and 415 were also coastal tankers, built as specialist liquid gas carriers. The sister ships were launched for the Nile Steam Ship Co as MV Teviot in 1965 and MV Traquair in 1966 respectively. Burntisland also built a larger tanker, hull 416, launched in 1965 as the 3,971 GRT MV Olau Mark for Olau Line
Olau Line
Olau Line was a shipping company that existed between the years 1956 and 1994. It operated a ferry service from the United Kingdom to the Netherlands from 1974 until 1994. Originally based in Denmark, the company passed under ownership of the German TT-Line in 1980.-History:Olau Line was founded in...
of Denmark.
MV Ohrmazd and receivership
Hull 418 was launched in April 1967 as the 11,046 GRT , a fast passenger and cargo linerCargo liner
A Cargo liner is a type of merchant ship which carried general cargo and often passengers. They became common just after the middle of the nineteenth century, and eventually gave way to container ships and other more specialized carriers in the latter half of the twentieth...
for the East & West Steamship Company
East & West Steamship Company
East & West Steamship Company was one of the oldest locally owned shipping line in Pakistan until it was nationalised in 1974. Its ship, was the first ship ever registered at the newly established Port of Registry at Karachi in August 1948. It was owned by the Cowasjee family. The company was...
of Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Pakistan. However, protracted negotiations with Ohrmazds owners over the ship's specification delayed her completion until November 1968. This activated a penalty clause in the building contract from which Burntisland Shipbuilding proved unable to recover, and the company went into receivership in 1968.
On 20 December 1968 the Burntisland yard was facing closure and a Conservative MP, James Prior
James Prior, Baron Prior
James Michael Leathes Prior, Baron Prior, PC, known as "Jim Prior" , is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he was a Member of Parliament from 1959 to 1987, representing the constituency of Lowestoft from 1959 to 1983 and the renamed constituency of Waveney from 1983 to 1987...
, told the Commons that he hoped it could be averted, but on 22 January 1969 the announcement was made that the yard would close. The next day, 23 January, the Commons debated the Labour Government's Shipbuilding Industry Bill. The Labour MP Gerald Fowler
Gerald Fowler
Gerald Teasdale Fowler was a British Labour Party politician.Fowler was educated at Northampton Grammar School where he was a friend of Bernard later Lord Donoughue, Lincoln College, Oxford and Frankfurt University...
, Joint Parliamentary Secretary
Parliamentary Secretary
A Parliamentary Secretary is a member of a Parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior minister with his or her duties.In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, it is customary for the prime minister to...
to the Ministry of Technology
Minister of Technology
The Minister of Technology was a position in the government of the United Kingdom, sometimes abbreviated as "MinTech". The Ministry of Technology was established by the incoming government of Harold Wilson in October 1964 as part of Wilson's ambition to modernise the state for what he perceived to...
, told the House:
"We in the Ministry of Technology have spared no effort to find, if we can, a commercial solution to this problem to keep this yards in shipbuilding, and the hon. Member for Kirkcaldy Burghs (Mr. Gourlay) has made as strenuous an effort to save this yard, as could be expected of any constituency Member, and all credit is due to him for that, and I hope that his efforts and ours will be rewarded with success."
Under the Shipbuilding Act 1967 the Labour Government offered credit to help the shipbuilding industry. Therefore during the 23rd January debate Edward Garrett, Labour MP for Wallsend
Wallsend (UK Parliament constituency)
Wallsend was a parliamentary constituency centred on Wallsend, a town on the north bank of the River Tyne in North Tyneside.It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until it was abolished for the 1997 general election.It was...
asked the Minister of Technology, Tony Benn
Tony Benn
Anthony Neil Wedgwood "Tony" Benn, PC is a British Labour Party politician and a former MP and Cabinet Minister.His successful campaign to renounce his hereditary peerage was instrumental in the creation of the Peerage Act 1963...
MP, about Burntisland Shipbuilding, "Is it true that since the credit facilities became available little attempt has been made by management, and, I fear, by the Minister, to ascertain whether the medium and small yards are being helped to become more economic?"
A day later, 24 January, the Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
MP Winnie Ewing
Winnie Ewing
Winifred Margaret 'Winnie' Ewing is a Scottish nationalist, lawyer and prominent SNP politician who was formerly a Member of Parliament , Member of the European Parliament and Member of the Scottish Parliament...
asked in the Commons if the Ministry of Technology would form a government holding company
Holding company
A holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow...
to buy the Burntisland yard and keep it and all its employees at work. Gerald Fowler said that it would not, and "the best hope of a long-term solution would be if a shipbuilding undertaking which can find orders capable of being carried out profitably at this yard were to take it over".
On 29 January in the Commons Willie Hamilton
Willie Hamilton
William Winter "Willie" Hamilton was a British politician who served as a Labour Member of Parliament for constituencies in Fife, Scotland between 1950 and 1987...
, Labour MP for West Fife, called for a public enquiry into the causes of the Burntisland yard's closure. In his reply, Gerald Fowler said:
"I hope that we can reach a commercial and viable solution which will enable the yard to stay in production. However, I must point out that the assistance voted by this House in the Shipbuilding Industry Act was meant to be used not to save uneconomic yards but to assist reorganisation with a view to promoting competitiveness in the industry. If the Burntisland yard fits that pattern, I shall be pleased, but I do not think that an inquiry would help us as of now."
Final ships
Burntisland launched four more ships after launching Ohrmazd. Hull 419, launched in 1967 as MV Peter Schröder and hull 420, launched in 1968 as MV Paul Schröder, were a pair of cargo ships each of just over 5,000 GRT for Reederei Richard Schröder of Hamburg, Germany. Hull 421, launched in 1968 as MV Christiane Bolten, was a similar cargo ship for another Hamburg customer, the long-established August Bolten William Miller's Nachfolger. Hull 422 was the yard's final vessel, another cargo ship similar to the Peter Schröder and Paul Schröder. She was launched in April 1969 as for the St. Vincent Shipping Co. of Liverpool and completed ahead of schedule that July. The yard then made about 800 of its remaining workers redundant.On 30 April 1970, during another Shipbuilding Bill debate in the Commons, the Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
MP Jo Grimond asked "Is there any news about the site at Burntisland? ... I understand that it is out of shipbuilding. Is it out of the industry altogether? Is it being used on prefabrication or for any other purpose?" Harold Lever
Harold Lever, Baron Lever of Manchester
Harold Lever, Baron Lever of Manchester, PC was a barrister and Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom....
MP, Paymaster General, replied that the Burntisland yard "is now satisfactorily in the East Scotland Group and quite active." Grimond immediately asked "Will it build again?", to which Lever replied "I think it is building now. It is functioning well in another reasonably successful group."
Burntisland's new owner was Robb-Caledon Shipbuilders
Henry Robb
Henry Robb, Limited, known colloquially as Robbs, was a British shipbuilding company based in Leith Docks on the east coast of Scotland. Robbs was notable for building small-to-medium sized vessels, particularly tugs and dredgers.-History:...
of Leith and Dundee. On 31 January 1972 Gourlay told the Commons "Now there are only 80 persons employed there [i.e. at Burntisland yard], and even their jobs are in jeopardy unless something is done very soon." His Labour colleague Dick Douglas
Dick Douglas
Richard Giles "Dick" Douglas is a former Scottish politician, having been a member of the British House of Commons firstly as a Labour Co-operative candidate, then latterly as a Scottish National Party member....
MP added:
"My hon. Friend indicates a specific problem. It may be that the good offices of the Department can be used to ensure that some of the work that Robb Caledon takes on board is dispersed not only to the Burntisland yard but to the Dundee yard, in view of the present high level of unemployment. The male rate is running at 12.3 per cent., and the local figure is 9.8 per cent. of the insured population of Dundee and Broughty Ferry."
Burntisland still built no more ships, and on 11 February 1972 Robb-Caledon made another 10 workers at Burntisland redundant In the Commons on 6 March 1972 Gourlay again pleaded for Government money to help keep the yard open. The Conservative MP Nicholas Ridley
Nicholas Ridley, Baron Ridley of Liddesdale
Nicholas Ridley, Baron Ridley of Liddesdale, PC was a British Conservative Party politician and government minister.-Personal life:...
replied that the Department for Trade and Industry had no proposals to help Robb-Caledon. Robb-Caledon eventually removed Burntisland's equipment to its other yards.
Offshore oil and gas fabrications
Robb-Caledon eventually succeeded in attracting orders to build structures for Scotland's North Sea oil and natural gas industry. By December 1972 Burntisland was building a structure for ShellRoyal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
's Auk oilfield
Auk oilfield
The Auk Oilfield is situated east, southeast of Aberdeen, Scotland, in block number 30/16. It was operated by Royal Dutch Shell until October 2006 when it was bought by Talisman Energy, and is now licensed by Talisman Energy. It was discovered in February 1971 in a water depth of 82 metres....
. This was followed in 1973 by an order for modules for North Sea oil platforms. By November 1974 Robb-Caledon had formed a Burntisland Engineering Fabricators (BEF) subsidiary and the yard was building modules for the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, but Gourlay complained in the Commons that the yard had lost a potential order for an oil rig
Oil rig
Oil rig may refer to* Drilling rig, an apparatus for on-land oil drilling* Oil platform, an apparatus for offshore oil drillingOIL RIG or OILRIG may refer to :...
to an overseas competitor for reasons of cost and "the geographical conditions on the site".
In April 1975 John Smith MP, Under-Secretary of State
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
A Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the government of the United Kingdom, junior to both a Minister of State and a Secretary of State....
for the Department of Energy
Department of Energy (United Kingdom)
The Department of Energy was a department of the United Kingdom Government. The Department was established in January 1974, when the responsibility for energy production was transferred away from the Department of Trade and Industry in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis and with the importance of...
told the Commons that BEF was one of the UK's two largest constructors for the offshore oil and gas industry. It had not secured orders for offshore platforms but had become the UK's leading builder of modules to fit on them. In December 1975 Gregor Mackenzie
Gregor Mackenzie
James Gregor Mackenzie was a British Labour Party politician.Mackenzie was educated at the Royal Technical College and Glasgow University...
MP, a minister at the Department of Industry told the Commons that his department had lent BEF £450,000 under the Industry Act 1972, had given its parent company Robb-Caledon a £400,000 loan and almost £1.1 million in grants and the company was also elegible for grants under the Local Employment Act.
Nationalisation and closure
Under the Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act 1977Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act 1977
The Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act 1977 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that nationalised large parts of the UK aerospace and shipbuilding industries and established two corporations, British Aerospace and British Shipbuilders ....
the Labour Government nationalised the UK's shipbuilding industry. Robb-Caledon became a wholly owned subsidiary of British Shipbuilders
British Shipbuilders
British Shipbuilders Corporation was a public corporation that owned and managed the shipbuilding industry in England and Scotland from 1977 and through the 1980s...
, which thereby held a 52% share in BEF. On 7 January 1979 Burntisland was nearing completion of its current order and Gourlay asked in the Commons whether the Secretary of State for Industry "will hold discussions to ensure the continuing operation of the yard at Burntisland when the present contract is completed". Les Huckfield
Les Huckfield
Leslie John Huckfield is a British Labour politician, who served as Member of Parliament for Nuneaton from 1967 to 1983 and as an MEP from 1984 to 1989....
MP replied on behalf of the Secretary of State "Although there are no further orders in prospect for the yard, British Shipbuiders is using its best endeavours to sell the yard as a going concern, thereby preserving employment". On 24 October 1979 Gourlay told the Commons of the closure of the Burntisland yard and asked what George Younger
George Younger, 4th Viscount Younger of Leckie
George Kenneth Hotson Younger, 4th Viscount Younger of Leckie KT KCVO TD PC was a British politician and banker....
MP, Secretary of State for Scotland
Secretary of State for Scotland
The Secretary of State for Scotland is the principal minister of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Scotland. He heads the Scotland Office , a government department based in London and Edinburgh. The post was created soon after the Union of the Crowns, but was...
would do to help the unemployed to find to re-employment.
Revival
In 1990 under new owners Burntisland West Dock resumed the production of major offshore oil and gas fabrications. In 2001 a management buyoutManagement buyout
A management buyout is a form of acquisition where a company's existing managers acquire a large part or all of the company.- Overview :Management buyouts are similar in all major legal aspects to any other acquisition of a company...
took over the yard as Burntisland Fabrications or BiFab. BiFab describes itself as the only major fabricator continuing in production in Scotland since 2005.
Football club
In 1919 a recreation fund was established, funded by a weekly subscription from the workers' wages. The fund created a cricket team, bowlsBowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
team and two football teams. In 1925 the football teams were constituted as Burntisland Shipyard Amateur F.C.
Burntisland Shipyard Amateur F.C.
Burntisland Shipyard Amateur Football Club is a Scottish football club based at the Recreation Ground in the town of Burntisland, Fife. It was formed from the Burntisland Shipbuilding Company's recreation fund, which had been established in 1919 by weekly subscription from the workers at the...
, and since 1929 the club has competed in the qualifying stages of the Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
. The club is a member of the Kingdom Caledonian Football League
Kingdom Caledonian Football League
The Kingdom Caledonian Football League is a football league competition for amateur clubs in Fife, Scotland. The league was formed in 1984 and is fully affiliated with the Scottish Amateur Football Association.-League Members:...
.
External links
- Photograph of SS Nelly Lasry on Picasa web albums
- Photograph of MV Helen Miller on Shipspotting.com