Wigham Richardson
Encyclopedia
The Wigham Richardson shipbuilding
company was named after its founder, John Wigham Richardson
(1837-1908), the son of Edward Richardson, a tanner
from Newcastle upon Tyne
, and Jane Wigham from Edinburgh
.
.
Its first ship, a 65 ft (19.8 m) paddle steamer
called Victoria, was launched on the River Tyne that summer. She was commissioned to carry passengers, carts and livestock between Portsmouth
and the Isle of Wight
, and is thought to have cost around £700.
At least part of Wigham Richardson's success in the latter part of the 19th century was through the surge in demand for passenger ships, taking emigrants to the New World.
In 1903, Wigham Richardson merged with Swan and Hunter
specifically to bid for the prestigious contract to build the RMS Mauretania
. Their bid was successful, and she went on to capture the Blue Riband
for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic - a record that was held for two decades. Even today, she is the largest liner ever to be built on the Tyne.
The company flourished, and between 1906 and 1912, no other company in the world could match it in terms of the tonnage of shipping produced. In 1907, for example, 15% of the world’s shipping, in tonnage terms, was built by Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson.
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
company was named after its founder, John Wigham Richardson
John Wigham Richardson
John Wigham Richardson was one of the great figures of British industrial life, and a leading shipbuilder on Tyneside during the late 19th and early 20th century.-Career:...
(1837-1908), the son of Edward Richardson, a tanner
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
from Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, and Jane Wigham from Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
.
History
The Company was set up with less than £5,000, given to John Wigham Richardson by his father in 1860. This was enough for him to found the Neptune Shipyard at WallsendWallsend
Wallsend is an area in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. Wallsend derives its name as the location of the end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 42,842.-Romans:...
.
Its first ship, a 65 ft (19.8 m) paddle steamer
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
called Victoria, was launched on the River Tyne that summer. She was commissioned to carry passengers, carts and livestock between Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
and the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, and is thought to have cost around £700.
At least part of Wigham Richardson's success in the latter part of the 19th century was through the surge in demand for passenger ships, taking emigrants to the New World.
In 1903, Wigham Richardson merged with Swan and Hunter
Swan Hunter
Swan Hunter, formerly known as "Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson", was one of the best known shipbuilding companies in the world. Based in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, the company was responsible for some of the greatest ships of the early 20th century — most famously, the RMS Mauretania which...
specifically to bid for the prestigious contract to build the RMS Mauretania
RMS Mauretania (1906)
RMS Mauretania was an ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson at Wallsend, Tyne and Wear for the British Cunard Line, and launched on 20 September 1906. At the time, she was the largest and fastest ship in the world. Mauretania became a favourite among...
. Their bid was successful, and she went on to capture the Blue Riband
Blue Riband
The Blue Riband is an unofficial accolade given to the passenger liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean in regular service with the record highest speed. The term was borrowed from horse racing and was not widely used until after 1910. Under the unwritten rules, the record is based on average speed...
for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic - a record that was held for two decades. Even today, she is the largest liner ever to be built on the Tyne.
The company flourished, and between 1906 and 1912, no other company in the world could match it in terms of the tonnage of shipping produced. In 1907, for example, 15% of the world’s shipping, in tonnage terms, was built by Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson.
Wigham Richardson's ships
Ships built by Wigham Richardson's Neptune Yard, prior to the merger with Swan Hunter included:- Bathori - A single screw steam schoonerSchoonerA schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
, 285 ft (86.9 m) long, built in 1892 for Royal Hungarian Sea Navigation Co. She flew the Austro-HungarianAustria-HungaryAustria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
flag.
- Castelbank (later renamed the Aidar) - She was built in 1883 for G Tweedy & Co of LiverpoolLiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, and sank in 1896 following a boiler failure in the Mediterranean. The Aidar was owned at the time by London Steamers and was carrying a cargo of grain and oil cakes between OdessaOdessaOdessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
and Marseilles. The crew were rescued by a steamship called Staffordshire.
- SS Clearwater (later renamed Ingalls and Yosemite) - A steamer built in 1894 and acquired by the US War Department in 1899. She was renamed Ingalls and used as an army transport ship until 1910 when she was transferred to the Navy. Renamed Yosemite, she remained in reserve before being decommissioned and scrapped in 1912.
- CS Colonia - Built in 1902, at over 500 ft (152.4 m) long, the Colonia was the largest cableSubmarine communications cableA submarine communications cable is a cable laid on the sea bed between land-based stations to carry telecommunication signals across stretches of ocean....
-laying ship in the world until 1926. She was responsible for laying a cable from Sennen Cove, CornwallCornwallCornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, to Bay RobertsBay Roberts, Newfoundland and LabradorBay Roberts is located on the north shore of Conception Bay on the Bay de Verde Peninsula in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada...
, NewfoundlandDominion of NewfoundlandThe Dominion of Newfoundland was a British Dominion from 1907 to 1949 . The Dominion of Newfoundland was situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic coast and comprised the island of Newfoundland and Labrador on the continental mainland...
, and from there to New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The cable was reportedly around 3370 miles (5,423.5 km) in length, and weighed 13,500 tons.
- SS Elisabeth Rickmer - Built in 1896 for Norddeutscher Lloyd, of Bremen in GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, she was 410 ft (125 m) long.
- Europa - Built in 1884 for the Lavarello Line of ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, this single screw passenger ship was capable of 12 knots (23.5 km/h) and offered accommodation for 75 in first class, 52 in second class and 750 in third. She ran between GenoaGenoaGenoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
and South AmericaSouth AmericaSouth America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, for several different owners, until being scrapped in 1893.
- Hannover - One of the larger passenger ships of her day, the Hannover was built in 1899 for North German Lloyd of Bremen. She had a single funnel, twin screw and was almost 430 ft (131.1 m) long. Hannover had room for 120 people in second class and 1,850 in third class and made regular crossings between Germany and the USA and CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
until the outbreak of the First World War. She was then laid up at Bremen and surrendered to Britain in 1919. Two years later she was resold to North German Lloyd and refitted before resuming crossings between Bremen and New York. She was scrapped in 1932.
- Malang - A steel cargo ship, built in 1898. After serving as a merchant ship in the Atlantic, she was acquired by the US Navy, in 1918, when she was fitted with two four inch (102 mm) guns. She carried a crew of 62 and travelled at up to ten knots. She was decommissioned in 1919, and was returned to her owner, Rotterdamsche Lloyd.
- Port Fairy (later renamed Dona Maria and Italian) - Launched in 1887 as Port Fairy, she was renamed Dona Maria by her first owners, the Anglo-Australasian Steam Navigation Co of Newcastle. She offered accommodation for 50 first class and 700 third class passengers. After her maiden voyage to AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1888, she was sold to the Andresen Line. Until 1903, she sailed between LisbonLisbonLisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
and New York via the AzoresAzoresThe Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
. In 1907 she was sold to the Booth Line of Liverpool, and renamed Port Fairy, before being sold to Ellerman Lines in 1909, and renamed Italian. She was scrapped in 1913.
- Portia - A single screw schooner, built in 1885, 220 ft (67.1 m) long and 31 ft (9.4 m) across the beam. She was owned by CT Bowring & Co and registered at Liverpool.
- Sikh (later renamed Regina Elena, Georgia and Shinsei Maru) - The Sikh was built in 1889 for the Mogul Line, and was a single mast, single screw passenger ship, with accommodation for 25 second class and 1,100 third class passengers. She was bought by Puglia Societa di Navigazione of BariBariBari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
, Italy in 1901 and renamed Regina Elena, travelling between Italy and the Americas. In 1904 she was sold to Unione Austriaca, renamed Georgia, and second class accommodation was upgraded to first class. Three years later, she was sold to JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese owners and renamed Shinsei Maru. She was sunk by US aircraft in 1945 close to TaiwanTaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
.
- Silvia - An iron single screw schooner, built in 1885, which was unusual in that it was fitted with electric lights. She was owned by New York, Newfoundland & Halifax Steam Ships Co and registered at Liverpool.
- St Olaf - Built in 1871 for the Norse American Line, with accommodation for 30 first class and 500 third class passengers. She had a single funnel, a single screw and was capable of ten knots. St Olafs maiden voyage was from Bergen to New York and she continued on this service until 1875. She was sold and scrapped in 1903.
- Steinmann (later renamed Alexandre Smyers) - Built for the White Cross Line in 1872, with a top speed of ten knots, she sailed regularly between Antwerp and New York until 1877. Steinmann was acquired by A.Smyers & Cie that year and renamed Alexandre Smyers. She sank off Hantsholm, SkagerrakSkagerrakThe Skagerrak is a strait running between Norway and the southwest coast of Sweden and the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea area, which leads to the Baltic Sea.-Name:...
in 1881.
- SS Urania - Built for Finland Steamship Co Ltd, she offered accommodation for 22 first class, 34 second class and 186 third class, and sailed between FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, CopenhagenCopenhagenCopenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
and Kingston upon HullKingston upon HullKingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
. She sank in 1913 after colliding in fog with SS Fancy, north west of Kullen, Kattegatt. Crew and passengers were rescued by SS Fancy, although herself badly damaged, and taken to ElsinoreElsinoreHelsingør is a city and the municipal seat of Helsingør municipality on the northeast coast of the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. Helsingør has a population of 46,279 including the southern suburbs of Snekkersten and Espergærde...
, DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
.
- SS WartburgUSS Wabash (ID-1824)USS Wabash was a German cargo ship, impounded in the neutral United States when World War I commenced. Once the United States entered the war, the ship was confiscated and turned over to the U.S...
was a single-screw, steel-hulled freighterCargo shipA 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...
completed in 1900 for service with the Deutsche Dampferfahrts Gesellschaft later named USS Wabash (ID-1824)USS Wabash (ID-1824)USS Wabash was a German cargo ship, impounded in the neutral United States when World War I commenced. Once the United States entered the war, the ship was confiscated and turned over to the U.S...
.
- Willowbank - An iron barqueBarqueA barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...
built in 1861, measuring 190 ft (57.9 m) in length and 32 ft (9.8 m) across the beam. She sank after colliding with the steamship City of Berlin off PortlandIsle of PortlandThe Isle of Portland is a limestone tied island, long by wide, in the English Channel. Portland is south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. A tombolo over which runs the A354 road connects it to Chesil Beach and the mainland. Portland and...
in December 1895.
- SS Wittekind (later renamed Iroquois and Freedom) - A passenger liner, originally built by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg, in 1894, but substantially rebuilt by Wigham Richardson six years later. The company extended her from 383 ft (116.7 m) in length to 446 ft (135.9 m). At the outbreak of the First World War, she took shelter at BostonBostonBoston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. In April 1917 she was seized by the US authorities and was renamed Iroquois. In 1919 she was renamed Freedom, and was scrapped in 1924.