Stephenson Clarke Shipping
Encyclopedia
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.
of Long Benton
, Tyneside
had two sons, Ralph and Robert Clarke. The boys went to sea, working their way up to being master mariner
s.
During their career at sea, they began to buy shares in ships, gradually making the transition from captain to owner. The company that would become Stephenson Clarke was formed when the brothers bought shares in a 300-ton sailing vessel. Thus the business was established in 1730, in the early years of the reign of King George II
.
Stephenson Clarke managed other owners' ships as well as its own. For several decades it managed the Gas Light and Coke Company's collier
fleet.
coastal collier
launched by the Burntisland Shipbuilding Company
of Burntisland
, Fife
, Scotland in 1924 for the Wandsworth, Wimbledon, Epsom and District Gas Company
. Stephenson Clarke bought her in 1932 and renamed her Pitwines. On 11th January 1940 she survived being bombed and machine-gunned by enemy aircraft in the North Sea about 25 miles (40.2 km) off Flamborough Head
. On 11th November 1941 she survived an attack by enemy aircraft off Yarmouth
. On 19th November 1941 she was involved in a collision off West Hartlepool
with the 744 GRT coaster SS Gateshead and sank about 7 miles (11.3 km) northeast of Heugh
.
SS Pulborough was a 960 GRT
coaster launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1933. On 29 July 1940 she was caught in an air raid off the Kent coast in the Straits of Dover. A bomb exploded close to her in the sea, opening up several plates in her hull. Her crew managed to launch a lifeboat and abandon ship as she sank.
SS Petworth was a 972 GRT coaster launched launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1934. She was sold to new owners in 1957 who renamed her Belvedere. She was broken up in 1960.
SS Woodcote was a 1,527 GRT flatiron coastal collier launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1924 for the Wandsworth, Wimbledon, Epsom and District Gas Company. Stephenson Clarke bought her in 1934 and renamed her Cerne. She was broken up at Dunston-on-Tyne
in 1955.
SS Horsted was a 1,670 GRT coaster launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1936. On 4 December 1939 she was in an east coast convoy in the North Sea when she suffered an explosion caused by either a torpedo or a mine. She sank with the loss of five of her crew.
SS Portslade was a GRT coaster built by William Pickersgill & Sons Ltd of Sunderland in 1936. On 25 July 1940 while sailing in a convoy in the English Channel
she was bombed by enemy aircraft and sunk east of Dungeness.
SS Burstow was a 927 GRT coaster launched by John Lewis & Co of Aberdeen
in 1927. She was sold in 1931 to new owners who named her Nephrite. Stephenson Clarke bought her in 1946 and renamed her Portslade to replace the vessel sunk in 1940. In 1954 Stephenson Clarke sold her to new owners who renamed her Rosefleet. She foundered in a gale at Mardyck
in northern France in 1956.
MV Minster was a 3,194 GRT coaster launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in March 1950. She was lengthened from 335 feet (102.1 m) to 375 feet (114.3 m) in 1964, which increased her to 3,647 GRT. She was sold to Cypriot owners in 1971 who renamed her Elandi. She was renamed three more times in the next five years and was still trading in 1976.
MV Emsworth was a 1,784 GRT coaster launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in September 1950. She was sold to Cypriot owners in 1971 who renamed her Andora. She was broken up in 1976.
was a 1,436 GRT coaster launched by SP Austin & Son Ltd
of Southwick, Sunderland in 1951. She was sold to new owners in 1971 who renamed her Ballyrobert. She was sold again in 1977 to Cypriot owners who renamed her Lucky Trader. She was scrapped in 1982.
MV Storrington was a 3,809 GRT coaster launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1959. She was sold to Cypriot owners in 1978 who renamed her Milos II.
MV Gilsland was a 7,242 GRT cargo ship
launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1961. She was sold to Argentinian owners in 1968 who renamed her Mardulce. She was sold again in 1975 to Bangladeshi owners who renamed her Banglar Joy.
All of the ships are single deck bulk carriers with open hatches and open holds. Several are small self load/unloading vessels of between and . These smaller vessels are fully self-unloading and are equipped with excavators and small tractors.
While the fleet is capable of worldwide operations, it is focused on operations in Northern Europe
, including the Mediterranean Sea
, the Black Sea
, West Africa
, Macaronesia
, Scandinavia
and the Baltic Sea
. The company states that keeping the ships in this area increases operational flexibility and efficiency.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
's oldest shipping company
Ship transport
Ship transport is watercraft carrying people or goods . Sea transport has been the largest carrier of freight throughout recorded history. Although the importance of sea travel for passengers has decreased due to aviation, it is effective for short trips and pleasure cruises...
. The company specializes in short sea bulk cargo
Bulk cargo
Bulk cargo is commodity cargo that is transported unpackaged in large quantities. This cargo is usually dropped or poured, with a spout or shovel bucket, as a liquid or as a mass of relatively small solids , into a bulk carrier ship's hold, railroad car, or tanker truck/trailer/semi-trailer body...
such as aggregates, alumina, grain, coal, fertilizers and steel.
History
Reverend Ralph Clarke, a vicarVicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
of Long Benton
Longbenton
Longbenton is a district of North Tyneside, England. It is largely occupied by an extensive estate originally built as municipal housing by Newcastle City Council in the 1950s and 1960s. It is served by the Tyne and Wear Metro stations Longbenton Metro station and Four Lane Ends Metro Station...
, Tyneside
Tyneside
Tyneside is a conurbation in North East England, defined by the Office of National Statistics, which is home to over 80% of the population of Tyne and Wear. It includes the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the Metropolitan Boroughs of Gateshead, North Tyneside and South Tyneside — all settlements on...
had two sons, Ralph and Robert Clarke. The boys went to sea, working their way up to being master mariner
Master mariner
A Master Mariner or MM is the professional qualification required for someone to serve as the person in charge or person in command of a commercial vessel. In England, the term Master Mariner has been in use at least since the 13th century, reflecting the fact that in guild or livery company terms,...
s.
During their career at sea, they began to buy shares in ships, gradually making the transition from captain to owner. The company that would become Stephenson Clarke was formed when the brothers bought shares in a 300-ton sailing vessel. Thus the business was established in 1730, in the early years of the reign of King George II
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
.
Stephenson Clarke managed other owners' ships as well as its own. For several decades it managed the Gas Light and Coke Company's collier
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...
fleet.
Former ships
SS Wandle was a 932 GRT flatironFlatiron (ship)
A flatiron is a type of coastal trading vessel designed to pass under bridges that have limited clearance. Her mast are hinged or telescopic, her funnel may be hinged, and her wheelhouse may also fold flat....
coastal collier
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...
launched by the Burntisland Shipbuilding Company
Burntisland Shipbuilding Company
The Burntisland Shipbuilding Company was a shibuilder and repairer in Burntisland, Fife, Scotland that traded from 1918 until 1969.-Founding and early years:...
of Burntisland
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 in 1924 for the Wandsworth, Wimbledon, Epsom 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...
. Stephenson Clarke bought her in 1932 and renamed her Pitwines. On 11th January 1940 she survived being bombed and machine-gunned by enemy aircraft in the North Sea about 25 miles (40.2 km) off Flamborough Head
Flamborough Head
Flamborough Head is a promontory of on the Yorkshire coast of England, between the Filey and Bridlington bays of the North Sea. It is a chalk headland, and the resistance it offers to coastal erosion may be contrasted with the low coast of Holderness to the south...
. On 11th November 1941 she survived an attack by enemy aircraft off Yarmouth
Yarmouth
-In Canada:*Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia**Yarmouth, Nova Scotia **Yarmouth, Nova Scotia *New Yarmouth, Nova Scotia-In the United Kingdom:*Yarmouth, Isle of Wight...
. On 19th November 1941 she was involved in a collision off West Hartlepool
West Hartlepool
This article refers to the place; for the Rugby Football Club see West Hartlepool R.F.C.West Hartlepool refers to the western part of the what has since the 1960s been known as the borough of Hartlepool in North East England...
with the 744 GRT coaster SS Gateshead and sank about 7 miles (11.3 km) northeast of Heugh
Heugh Battery
The Heugh Gun Battery is located on the Headland at Hartlepool, County Durham, England.- History :Heugh Battery was one of three erected in 1860 to protect the fast growing port of Hartlepool. Heugh and Lighthouse Battery were placed close by the lighthouse and armed with four and two 68pr...
.
SS Pulborough was a 960 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...
coaster launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1933. On 29 July 1940 she was caught in an air raid off the Kent coast in the Straits of Dover. A bomb exploded close to her in the sea, opening up several plates in her hull. Her crew managed to launch a lifeboat and abandon ship as she sank.
SS Petworth was a 972 GRT coaster launched launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1934. She was sold to new owners in 1957 who renamed her Belvedere. She was broken up in 1960.
SS Woodcote was a 1,527 GRT flatiron coastal collier launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1924 for the Wandsworth, Wimbledon, Epsom and District Gas Company. Stephenson Clarke bought her in 1934 and renamed her Cerne. She was broken up at Dunston-on-Tyne
Dunston, Tyne and Wear
Dunston was originally an independent village on the south bank of the River Tyne. It has now been absorbed into the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead in the English county of Tyne and Wear...
in 1955.
SS Horsted was a 1,670 GRT coaster launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1936. On 4 December 1939 she was in an east coast convoy in the North Sea when she suffered an explosion caused by either a torpedo or a mine. She sank with the loss of five of her crew.
SS Portslade was a GRT coaster built by William Pickersgill & Sons Ltd of Sunderland in 1936. On 25 July 1940 while sailing in a convoy in the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
she was bombed by enemy aircraft and sunk east of Dungeness.
SS Burstow was a 927 GRT coaster launched by John Lewis & Co 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 ....
in 1927. She was sold in 1931 to new owners who named her Nephrite. Stephenson Clarke bought her in 1946 and renamed her Portslade to replace the vessel sunk in 1940. In 1954 Stephenson Clarke sold her to new owners who renamed her Rosefleet. She foundered in a gale at Mardyck
Mardyck
Mardyck is a former commune in the Nord department in northern France. Associated since 1980 with Dunkerque.-Heraldry:-References:...
in northern France in 1956.
MV Minster was a 3,194 GRT coaster launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in March 1950. She was lengthened from 335 feet (102.1 m) to 375 feet (114.3 m) in 1964, which increased her to 3,647 GRT. She was sold to Cypriot owners in 1971 who renamed her Elandi. She was renamed three more times in the next five years and was still trading in 1976.
MV Emsworth was a 1,784 GRT coaster launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in September 1950. She was sold to Cypriot owners in 1971 who renamed her Andora. She was broken up in 1976.
was a 1,436 GRT coaster launched by SP Austin & Son Ltd
A&P Group
A&P Group Ltd is the largest ship repair and conversion company in the UK, with three shipyards located in Hebburn, Middlesbrough and Falmouth. The Company undertakes a wide variety of maintenance and repair work on commercial and military ships with projects ranging from a two day alongside repair...
of Southwick, Sunderland in 1951. She was sold to new owners in 1971 who renamed her Ballyrobert. She was sold again in 1977 to Cypriot owners who renamed her Lucky Trader. She was scrapped in 1982.
MV Storrington was a 3,809 GRT coaster launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1959. She was sold to Cypriot owners in 1978 who renamed her Milos II.
MV Gilsland was a 7,242 GRT 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...
launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1961. She was sold to Argentinian owners in 1968 who renamed her Mardulce. She was sold again in 1975 to Bangladeshi owners who renamed her Banglar Joy.
Current ships
As of 2008, the Stephenson Clarke fleet consists of 10 bulk carriers with a combined capacity of . The ships have an average age of 21 years, with the oldest built in 1975, and the newest built in 2001. The ships are small, having between one and four holds apiece. They range in size from the with a capacity of only to the of .All of the ships are single deck bulk carriers with open hatches and open holds. Several are small self load/unloading vessels of between and . These smaller vessels are fully self-unloading and are equipped with excavators and small tractors.
While the fleet is capable of worldwide operations, it is focused on operations in Northern Europe
Northern Europe
Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. Northern Europe typically refers to the seven countries in the northern part of the European subcontinent which includes Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland and Sweden...
, including the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
, West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
, Macaronesia
Macaronesia
Macaronesia is a modern collective name for several groups of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean near Europe and North Africa belonging to three countries: Portugal, Spain, and Cape Verde...
, Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
and the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
. The company states that keeping the ships in this area increases operational flexibility and efficiency.
External links
- Company Profile at Det Norske Veritas
- Stephenson Clarke at Flags of the World
- Stephenson Clarke at shipphotos.co.uk
- Stephenson Clarke at the National Archives