Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company
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| Former type | Public |
|---|---|
| Fate | Merged with others to form Upper Clyde Shipbuilders |
| Successor | BAE Systems |
| Founded | 1834 |
| Defunct | 1968 |
| Headquarters | Govan, UK |
| Industry | Shipbuilding |
The Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited was a British shipbuilding company in the Govan area on the Clyde in Scotland. Fairfields, as it is often known, was a major warship builder, turning out many vessels for the Royal Navy and other navies through the First World War and the Second World War. It also built many transatlantic liners, including record breaking ships for Cunard and the Canadian Pacific. At the other end of the scale Fairfields built fast cross channel mail steamers and ferries for locations around the world. These included ships for the Bosphorus crossing in Istanbul and some of the early ships used by Thomas Cook for developing tourism on the River Nile.
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[edit] History
The business was founded by Charles Randolph, who began trading as a millwright under the name Randolph & Elliott, building engines and machinery in the Tradeston district of Glasgow in 1834.[1] John Elder joined the business in 1852 and it then diversified into shipbuilding as Randolph, Elder and Company acquiring the Govan Old Shipyard in 1858.[1] The first ship was built in 1861 as No 14.
The buiness moved to a new yard at Fairfield Farm in 1868 changing its name to the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company in 1886[2] at which time it was owned by Sir William Pearce.[3]
John Carmichael was manager of the Fairfield yard in 1894. He had been born in Govan in 1858, and he had entered Fairfield as an apprentice in 1873. When his apprenticeship was completed seven years later, Sir William appointed him as head draughtsman, and later he was promoted to assistant manager.[4]
Alexander Cleghorn was the Fairfield manager in 1909.[5]The company also established the Coventry Ordnance Works joint venture with Yarrow Shipbuilders and others in 1905.
In 1919 the company became part of the Northumberland Shipbuilding Group, with Alexander Kennedy installed as managing director.[6] In 1921, Alexander Kennedy was knighted. Sir Alexander became Fairfield chairman in 1930 and remained so until after Fairfield was taken over by Lithgows of Port Glasgow in 1935 [7].
The Fairfield West Yard was added in 1920s but closed after ten years due to severe recession and was demolished in 1934. The Fairfield West yard was used by the United States Army in 1944 to build four landing craft.
The engine building operation merged with David Rowan & Company to form Fairfield Rowan Ltd in 1963. The company was placed in receivership in 1965[8] but reconstituted as Fairfield (Glasgow) Ltd.
Then in 1968 the Company became part of Upper Clyde Shipbuilders[9] which collapsed in 1971[10] when a strike and work-in received national press attention.[11] As part of the recovery deal, Fairfields was formed into Govan Shipbuilders which was nationalised and subsumed into British Shipbuilders in 1977.[12] On the breakup of British Shipbuilders under denationalisation, the former Fairfields yards were sold to the Kværner group, as Kværner (Govan).[13] In 1999 the yard passed to BAE Systems and is now part of BVT Surface Fleet.[13]
[edit] Ships built
Some of the better-known ships built by Fairfield's include:
- Battlecruisers:
- Battleships:
- Aircraft carriers:
- Passenger ships:
- Clyde paddle steamer:
- PS Jeanie Deans, 1931
[edit] References
- ^ a b Charles Randolph, University of Glasgow
- ^ Payne, Peter. (1967). Studies In Scottish Business History, p. 57.
- ^ Payne, p. 58.
- ^ Payne, pp. 57-58.
- ^ American Society of Naval Engineers. (1909). Journal of the American Society of Naval Engineers, Vol. 20, p. 9.
- ^ http://www.theglasgowstory.com/image.php?inum=TGSA05166
- ^ http://www.theglasgowstory.com/image.php?inum=TGSA05166
- ^ Cabinet Papers 1965 National Archives
- ^ Government's shipbuilding crisis BBC News, 1 January 2002
- ^ Parliamentary debates Hansard, 4 June 1971
- ^ BAE Systems: Heritage 1968 Upper Clyde Shipbuilders
- ^ What do you know about Govan? Evening Times
- ^ a b BAE Systems: Heritage 1973 Govan Shipbuilders
[edit] Further reading
- Payne, Peter Lester. (1967). Studies In Scottish Business History. London: Routledge. 10-ISBN 0-714-61349-5; 13-ISBN 978-0-714-61349-9 (cloth)
[edit] See also
- Ocean liners built for Canadian Pacific Steamships:
