Ferguson Shipbuilders
Encyclopedia
Ferguson Shipbuilders Limited is a shipyard
located in Port Glasgow
on the River Clyde
in Scotland
. It is the last remaining shipbuilder on the lower Clyde, and is currently the only builder of merchant ships on the river - the company's mainstay has long been Roll-on/roll-off ferries.
shipyard in Paisley
to lease the Newark yard in Port Glasgow
in March 1903. The Ferguson brothers acquired the freehold in the Newark yard in 1907. The Company was purchased by John Slater Ltd. (Amalgamated Industries) in 1918, but was returned to the control of the Ferguson family in the late 1920s. Lithgows
Ltd. purchased an interest in the business in 1955 after Bobby Ferguson's death and took control of the Company in 1961. The Company remained a separate entity within the Scott Lithgow
group from 1969 to 1977.
The Company was nationalised and subsumed into British Shipbuilders
in 1977. The business was merged with the Ailsa Shipbuilding Company
to form Ferguson-Ailsa Ltd. in 1980. Ferguson and Ailsa were separated again in 1986 and Ferguson merged with Appledore Shipbuilders
in Devon
to form Appledore Ferguson. By the late 1980s the only yards still held in state ownership were the smaller Appledore and Ferguson yards. Ferguson was demerged from Appledore and acquired by Clark Kincaid in 1989 and started trading as Ferguson Shipbuilders. Clark Kincaid itself was acquired by Kvaerner and became Kvaerner Kincaid in 1990.
Ferguson Shipbuilders Ltd. was sold by Kvaerner to Ferguson Marine plc in 1991. The entire shareholding in Ferguson Marine was acquired by the Holland House Electrical Group in 1995.
Shipyard
Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
located in Port Glasgow
Port Glasgow
Port Glasgow is the second largest town in the Inverclyde council area of Scotland. The population according to the 1991 census for Port Glasgow was 19426 persons and in the 2001 census was 16617 persons...
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....
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is the last remaining shipbuilder on the lower Clyde, and is currently the only builder of merchant ships on the river - the company's mainstay has long been Roll-on/roll-off ferries.
History
The Company was founded by the four Ferguson Brothers (Peter, Daniel, Louis and Robert) who left the Fleming & FergusonFleming & Ferguson
Fleming and Ferguson was a Scottish marine engineering and shipbuilding company that traded between 1877 and 1969.-1877–1914:W.Y. Fleming and P. Ferguson founded the company in Paisley, Scotland in 1877, making marine steam engines. In 1885 they expanded into shipbuilding by taking over the...
shipyard in Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
to lease the Newark yard in Port Glasgow
Port Glasgow
Port Glasgow is the second largest town in the Inverclyde council area of Scotland. The population according to the 1991 census for Port Glasgow was 19426 persons and in the 2001 census was 16617 persons...
in March 1903. The Ferguson brothers acquired the freehold in the Newark yard in 1907. The Company was purchased by John Slater Ltd. (Amalgamated Industries) in 1918, but was returned to the control of the Ferguson family in the late 1920s. 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...
Ltd. purchased an interest in the business in 1955 after Bobby Ferguson's death and took control of the Company in 1961. The Company remained a separate entity within the Scott Lithgow
Scott Lithgow
-History:The Company was formed in 1967 by the merger of Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company and Lithgows. Scott Lithgow was based in Port Glasgow and Greenock on the lower Clyde in Scotland. Scott Lithgow was nationalised and subsumed into British Shipbuilders in 1977...
group from 1969 to 1977.
The Company was nationalised and subsumed into 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...
in 1977. The business was merged with the Ailsa Shipbuilding Company
Ailsa Shipbuilding Company
-History:The company was founded in 1885 by the 3rd Marquess of Ailsa.In 1902 the Ailsa yard fitted out the polar exploration ship Scotia for the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition of 1902-04...
to form Ferguson-Ailsa Ltd. in 1980. Ferguson and Ailsa were separated again in 1986 and Ferguson merged with Appledore Shipbuilders
Appledore Shipbuilders
-History:The Appledore Yard was founded in 1855 on the estuary of the River Torridge. The Richmond Dry Dock was built in 1856 by William Yeo and named after Richmond Bay in Prince Edward Island, where the Yeo family's shipping fleet was based....
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
to form Appledore Ferguson. By the late 1980s the only yards still held in state ownership were the smaller Appledore and Ferguson yards. Ferguson was demerged from Appledore and acquired by Clark Kincaid in 1989 and started trading as Ferguson Shipbuilders. Clark Kincaid itself was acquired by Kvaerner and became Kvaerner Kincaid in 1990.
Ferguson Shipbuilders Ltd. was sold by Kvaerner to Ferguson Marine plc in 1991. The entire shareholding in Ferguson Marine was acquired by the Holland House Electrical Group in 1995.