Diemazz

Swan Hunter Corporate Logo

Swan Hunter, formerly known as "Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson", was one of the best known shipbuilding companies in the United Kingdom. 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 held the Blue Riband for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic, and the RMS Carpathia which rescued the survivors from the RMS Titanic.

As the name suggests, the company represented the combined forces of three powerful shipbuilding families: Swan, Hunter and Wigham Richardson.

The company has effectively ended all shipbuilding and is now concentrating on ship design with just under 200 people employed.

History

Swan & Hunter was formed in 1880. In 1903, it merged with Wigham Richardson (founded by John Wigham Richardson as Neptune Works in 1860), specifically to bid for the prestigious contract to build the Mauretania on behalf of Cunard. Their bid was successful, and the new company, Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson Ltd, went on to build what was to become, in its day, the most famous ocean going liner in the world. RMS Mauretania was launched from Wallsend on Tyne on 20 September 1906 to the cheers of huge crowds. She left service in 1935.

Swan Hunter once owned the Wallsend Slipway & Engineering Company, which built the engines for some of its greatest ships. The company was an early licensed manufacturer of Parsons turbine engines, which enabled the Mauretania to achieve its great speed.

The current flagship of the Royal Navy, HMS Ark Royal was built at Swan Hunter, entering service in 1985.

The shipyard was bought out from receivership by Jaap Kroese, then trading as "Swan Hunter", after it was forced to call in the receivers when the UK government awarded the contract for HMS Ocean to Kværner in Govan in 1993. The yard subsequently undertook several ad-hoc ship repair and conversion projects for private-sector customers.

In 2000, however, Swan Hunter was awarded the contract to design and build 2 (Auxiliary) Landing Ship Dock ships for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary with 2 other ships being built by BAE Systems Naval Ships. The cost of the 2 Swan Hunter ships was to be £210 million including £62 million for lead yard services, with an inservice date of 2004. By July 2006, the costs had risen to £309 million and only one ship had been delivered. As result of this, the second ship RFA Lyme Bay was transferred to BAE Govan for completion.

Closure

A view of the yard shortly after its closure

In November 2006, after the failure to complete RFA Lyme Bay within budget and resulting exclusion from future Royal Navy shipbuilding projects, Jaap Kroese announced that the business was effectively finished placed the Wallsend Yard's iconic cranes up for sale. He also said that he was actively looking for a buyer for the the land. In April 2007, Swan Hunter's cranes, along with its floating dock and other equipment, were sold to Bharati Shipyards, India's second largest private sector shipbuilder. The entire plant machinery and equipment from Swan Hunter was dismantled and brought to India over six months to be re-built at Bharati Shipyards.

See also

Ships built by Swan Hunter

This is a partial list

Naval vessels

• Aircraft carriers
  • HMS Albion
  • HMS Ark Royal
  • HMS Illustrious (R06)
  • HMS Vengeance
• King George V class battleship
  • HMS Anson (1942)
• Town class light cruiser
  • HMS Edinburgh (1938)
• Crown Colony class cruisers
  • HMS Gambia (1940)
  • HMS Mauritius (1941)
• Destroyers
  • HMS Barfleur
  • HMS Bolebroke
  • HMS Border
  • HMS Brilliant
  • HMS Bristol
  • HMS Bulldog
  • HMS Burton
  • HMS Calpe
  • HMS Codrington
  • HMS Corrunna
  • HMS Daring
  • HMS Eridge
  • HMS Esk
  • HMS Exeter
  • HMS Exmoor
  • HMS Express
  • HMS Farndale
  • HMS Gabbard
  • HMS Glasgow
  • HMS Grenville
  • HMS Grove
  • HMS Hambledon
  • HMS Heythrop
  • HMS Holderness
  • HMS Hope
  • HMS Hunter
  • HMS Hursley
  • HMS Hyperion
  • HMS Janus
  • HMS Khartoum
  • HMS Somali
• Type 42 destroyers
  • HMS Newcastle
  • HMS Glasgow
  • HMS Exeter
  • HMS York
• Type 23 frigates
  • HMS Marlborough
  • HMS Westminster
  • HMS Northumberland
  • HMS Richmond
• Type 14 (or Blackwood class) anti submarine frigates
  • HMS Russell
  • HMS Pellew
• HMS Scarborough World War Two era sloop
• RFA Fort George
• HMCS Cartier (Later Renamed HMCS Charny)

Research Vessels

• CSS Acadia (1913)

Commercial vessels

• Atlantic Causeway (1969)
• Atlantic Conveyor (1970)
• Augustina (1927)
• Aurania (1916)
• Ascania (1911)
• RMS Carpathia (1902)
• MV Derbyshire (1976)
• Esso Northumbria (1969)
• Esso Hibernia (1970)
• Everett F. Wells (1976)
• Franconia (1910)
• Helcion (1954)
• Heldia (1955)
• Helisoma (1956)
• Helix (1953)
• Imbricaria (1935)
• Ivernia (1899)
• Kossmatella (1953)
• RMS Laconia (1911)
• RMS Laconia (1921)
• Lida (1938)
• Llanishen 32,000 ton oil tanker (1957)
• London Lion (1972)
• RMS Mauretania (1906)
• Mitra (1912)
• Mytilus (1916)
• Nacella (1968)
• Narica (1967)
• Neverita (1944)
• Port Fairy (1928)
• Shell Supplier (1946)
• Solen (1961)
• Texaco Great Britain (1971)
• Tyne Pride (1975)
• Varicella (1959)
• Velletia (1952)
• SS Volo (1938)
• Velutina (1950)
• Volvula (1956)
• Windsor Lion (1974)
• World Unicorn (1973)
• Zaphon (1957)

Cable ships

• Alert
• All America
• Ariel
• Bullfinch
• Bullfrog
• Bullhead
• Cambria
• Colonia
• Dominia
• Edward Wilshaw
• Emile Baudot
• Guardian
• Iris
• John W. Mackay
• Lord Kelvin
• Marie Louise Mackay
• Monarch
• Patrol
• Recorder
• St. Margarets
• Stanley Angwin
• Telconia

References

• http://www.swanhunter.com/index.html - company website
• http://atlantic-cable.com/Cableships/SwanHunter/index.htm - cable history website
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/tees/360/swannindex.shtml - BBC Website about the yard
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/tyne/content/articles/2006/11/23/swan_hunter_23112006_feature.shtml - Demise of Swan Hunter
• http://www.business-standard.com/compindustry/storypage.php?tab=r&autono=280577&subLeft=1&leftnm=1 - Purchase by Bharati Shipyards

External links

• Official Website
• Tyne and Wear Archives Service

• Swan Hunter is at coordinates 54°59′12″N 1°31′43″W / 54.98675, -1.52856 (Swan Hunter)Coordinates: 54°59′12″N 1°31′43″W / 54.98675, -1.52856 (Swan Hunter)

See also

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