Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd
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Launch of HMS Daring, a Type 45 destroyer from the former YSL yard, now BAE Systems.
Launch of HMS Daring, a Type 45 destroyer from the former YSL yard, now BAE Systems.

Yarrow (Shipbuilders), Limited (YSL), often styled as simply Yarrows, was a major shipyard, now part of BVT Surface Fleet, a joint venture between BAE Systems and VT Group, which also includes the nearby Govan shipyard. The shipyard is located in the Scotstoun district of Glasgow, Scotland on the River Clyde.

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History

The company was founded by Alfred Yarrow, later Sir Alfred Yarrow, 1st Baronet, in the 1870s as Yarrow & Company, Limited. Originally it was based on the Isle of Dogs in London, where hundreds of steam launches, lake and river vessels, and eventually the Royal Navy's first destroyers were built between 1869 and 1908. Yarrow was also a builder of boilers, and a type of water-tube boiler developed by the company was known as the "Yarrow type boiler", first used in a torpedo boat in 1887.[1]

Despite a move of yards, Yarrows outgrew its Poplar site and this and the cost of land and labour in London led to a second move to Scotstoun, Glasgow beginning in 1906. Between 4,000 and 5,000 tons of material had to be transported, from models to heavy machine tools. A train-load of from forty to fifty wagons left the works at Poplar every day. The first destroyer was launched from the new works at Scotstoun on July 14, 1908.[2]

The Yarrow company was one of the world's leading builders of destroyers from its inception until after World War 2, building ships for both the Royal Navy and export customers. For many years until the 1960s Yarrow also built merchant ships, specialising particularly on vessels for the rivers and lakes of Burma, India, Africa and South America. In total Yarrow built approximately 400 ships on the Clyde - these can be traced in detail in the Clyde-built Ship Database.

In 1977 the Labour government of James Callaghan passed the Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act 1977 which nationalised the company, by now known as Yarrow (Shipbuilders), Limited, and grouped it with other major British shipyards as British Shipbuilders. The succeeding government of Margaret Thatcher began a privatisation programme and Yarrow was one of British Shipbuilder's early divestitures. It was sold in 1985 to GEC's GEC-Marconi division, becoming Marconi Marine (YSL). In 1999 Marconi Electronic Systems was sold to British Aerospace, creating BAE Systems. Marconi Marine (YSL) became BAE Systems Marine (YSL). As of 2008, YSL is now part of BVT Surface Fleet, a BAE Systems/VT Group joint venture.

Ships built by Yarrow

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Built in London

  • PS Aotea (later renamed PS Waimarie) 1899 - preserved in Wanganui, New Zealand
  • River class destroyers
    • HMS Teviot 1903
    • HMS Usk 1903
    • HMS Ribble 1904
    • HMS Welland 1904
    • HMS Gala 1905
    • HMS Garry 1905

Built in Glasgow

FERRIES

Note: Ships without hull numbers were built for another company before BC Ferries.

  • Clyde-class RNLI lifeboats
    • Charles H Barrett (70-001)
    • Grace Paterson Ritchie (70-002)

External links

See also

Shipyards of the Clyde


References

  1. ^ Barnes, Eleanor C.,Alfred Yarrow: His Life and Work, P126, Kessinger Publishing, 2005, ISBN 1417952636
  2. ^ Bridges, T.C, Kings of commerce, P286, Ayer Publishing, 1928, ISBN 0836901029
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