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Swan Hunter

Coordinates:54°59′12″N1°31′43″W/ 54.98675°N 1.52856°W/54.98675; -1.52856
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Swan Hunter
Company typePrivate
IndustryShipbuilding
Naval architecture
Offshore installation services
Founded1880;144 years ago(1880)
HeadquartersWallsend,Tyne and Wear,England
Key people
Gerard Kroese, (Director)
Number of employees
25 including contractors (2017)
WebsiteswanhunterEdit this at Wikidata
World Unicorn,built by Swan Hunter at the Wallsend shipyard, Tyneside in 1973.
TankerOttawalaunch, Wallsend shipyard,circa1964

Swan Hunter,formerly known asSwan Hunter & Wigham Richardson,is ashipbuildingdesign, engineering, and management company,[1]based inWallsend,Tyne and Wear,England.

At its apex, the company represented the combined forces of three powerful shipbuilding families: Swan, Hunter and Wigham Richardson.

The company was responsible for some of the greatest ships of the early 20th century, most famouslyRMSMauretaniawhich held theBlue Ribandfor the fastest crossing of theAtlantic,andRMSCarpathiawhich rescued survivors fromRMSTitanic.

In 2006Swan Hunterceased vessel construction on Tyneside, but continues to provide design engineering services.

History[edit]

Swan & Hunter was founded byGeorge Burton Hunter,who formed a partnership with the widow ofCharles Sheridan Swan(the owner of aWallsendShipbuilding business established in 1852 byCharles Mitchell)[2]under the name in 1880.[3]

In 1903, C.S. Swan & Hunter merged withWigham Richardson(founded byJohn Wigham Richardsonas Neptune Works in 1860), specifically to bid for the important contract to buildRMSMauretaniaon behalf ofCunard.[4]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 oceangoing liner in the world. Also in 1903, the Company took a controlling interest in theWallsend Slipway & Engineering Company,which was an early licensed manufacturer ofParsonssteam turbine engines, which enabledMauretaniato achieve her great speed.[5]Mauretaniawas launched fromWallsendon 20 September 1906 by theDuchess of Roxburghe.[6]The firm expanded rapidly in the early part of the twentieth century, acquiring the Glasgow-basedBarclay Curlein 1912.[5]

In 1966, Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson merged withSmiths Dock Companyto formAssociated Shipbuilders,which later becameSwan Hunter Group.[7]Following the publication of theGeddes Reportrecommending rationalisation inBritishshipbuilding, the Company went on to acquireClelands Shipbuilding Company[8]andJohn Readhead & Sonsin 1967.[9]Meanwhile, Swan Hunter inherited both the Naval Yard atHigh Walkeron theRiver TyneofVickers-Armstrongs[8]and theHebburnYard ofHawthorn Lesliein 1968.[9]In 1973 further expansion came with the purchase ofPalmersDock atHebburnfromVickers-Armstrongs.[10]

Then in 1977, Swan Hunter Group wasnationalisedas part ofBritish Shipbuilders.[7]The former flagship of theRoyal Navy,HMSArk Royalwas built at Swan Hunter during this period, entering service in 1985.[11]

The Company wasprivatisedagain in 1987 but decided to close its Neptune Yard in 1988.[12]It was then forced to call in the receivers when the UK government awarded the contract forHMSOceantoKvaerner Govanin 1993.[13]The receiver took steps to break up the business.[14]However, the main shipyard inWallsendwas bought out from receivership by Jaap Kroese, a Dutchmillionaire.[7]The yard subsequently undertook several ad-hoc ship repair and conversion projects for private-sector customers.[15]

A view of the Wallsend shipyard shortly after its closure

In 2000, Swan Hunter was awarded the contract to design and build two (Auxiliary) Landing Ship Dock ships for theRoyal Fleet Auxiliarywith two other ships being built byBAE Systems Naval Ships:the cost of the two Swan Hunter ships was to be £210 million including £62 million for lead yard services, with an inservice date of 2004.[16]By July 2006, the costs had risen to £309 million and only one ship had been delivered. As a result of this, the second shipRFALyme Baywas transferred toBAE Systems Govanin Glasgow for completion.[17]

In 2001, Swan Hunter acquiredKværner'sPort Clarenceoffshore yard atTeesside[18]but then in 2006 sold it to Wilton Engineering Group.[19]

In November 2006, after the failure to completeLyme Baywithin budget and resulting exclusion from future Royal Navy shipbuilding projects,Jaap Kroeseannounced that the business was effectively finished and placed the Wallsend Yard's iconic cranes up for sale. He also said that he was actively looking for a buyer for the land.[20]During this time,Lyme Bay's earlier sister ship,Largs Bay,was noted as the last ship to be built and fully completed by Swan Hunter. In April 2007, Swan Hunter's cranes, along with its floating dock and other equipment, were sold toBharati Shipyards,India's second-largest private-sector shipbuilder. The entire plant machinery and equipment from Swan Hunter was dismantled and transported to India over six months to be rebuilt at Bharati Shipyards.[21]

Swan's performed the conceptual design ofPioneering Spirit,provisionally namedPieter Schelte,the world's largest platform installation/decommissioning and pipelay vessel. The basic design of the lifting systems was completed by the end of 2008, and detailed design of the hulls by May 2010.[22]

In 2008, the company said it was concentrating on ship design with just under 200 people employed.[1][23]

In 2016, Jaap Kroese died but the company said it would continue with its business of ship design. At the time, the company had 40 employees and contractors.[24]

Also in 2016, Swan Hunter was relaunched into the subsea industry by Gerard Kroese, the eldest son of former owner Jaap Kroese. Swan Hunter started to offer specialist equipment, design, engineering & project management services to the offshore renewables and subsea oil & gas energy markets.[25]On 12 October 2016, the company announced the issue of a letter of intent for the design and build of a basket carousel loading tower.[26]The company announced further equipment pool growth through a 15Te tensioner and 450Te reel drive system.[27]Swan Hunter announced loading tower readiness on 5 May 2017[28]with completion of mobilisation onto EMAS Chiyoda Subsea's multi-lay vessel 'Lewek Constellation' shortly thereafter.[29]

Operations[edit]

The Company owned three main yards:

All three were on the north side ofRiver Tyne.The company also owned theWallsend Slipway & Engineering Company,the yard that built the engines for the Mauretania, from 1903 until the 1980s. At various times Swan Hunter also ownedPalmers Hebburn Yard,Hawthorn Leslie Hebburn YardandReadheadsatSouth Shieldswhich were all on the south side of theRiver Tyne.

Ships built by Swan Hunter[edit]

See also:Category:Ships built by Swan Hunter

Naval vessels

Commercial vessels

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
  • Pacific Guardian(1984)
  • Patrol
  • Recorder
  • Sir Eric Sharp(Launched 1988 – renamed CSIT Intrepid)
  • St. Margarets
  • Stanley Angwin
  • Telconia

Bulk Carrier

  • Hoegh Duke(1984)
  • Robkap IV(1977)
  • Liverpool Bridge Renamed to the MV Derbyshire(1976)

Research Vessels

Tankers

  • Shell Supplier(1946)
  • ARAPunta Médanos(1950)
  • Velutina(1950)
  • Velletia(1952)
  • Helix(1953)
  • Helcion(1954)
  • Heldia(1955)
  • Helisoma(1956)
  • Volvula(1956)
  • Llanishen(1957)
  • Zaphon(1957)
  • Varicella(1959)
  • Solen(1961)
  • Ottawa(1964)
  • Sir Winston Churchill(1964)
  • Clementine Churchill(1965)
  • Narica(1967)
  • Nacella(1968)
  • Esso Northumbria(1969)
  • Esso Hibernia(1970)
  • Faraday(1970) Liquified petroleum gas tanker
  • Texaco Great Britain(1971)
  • London Lion(1972)
  • Frank D. Moores(1973)
  • World Unicorn(1973)
  • Windsor Lion(1974)
  • Tyne Pride(1975)
  • Everett F. Wells(1976)
  • BP Achiever(1983)

Battleship Potemkin[edit]

On 1 May 2006, British pop-duoPet Shop Boysperformed their soundtrack to the 1925 Soviet silent-filmBattleship Potemkinalongside theRoyal Northern Sinfoniaat the shipyard.[43]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ab"History".Archived fromthe originalon 11 June 2013.Retrieved21 March2016.
  2. ^"History".Archived fromthe originalon 3 March 2016.Retrieved21 March2016.
  3. ^"History".Archived fromthe originalon 3 March 2016.Retrieved21 March2016.
  4. ^"History of the Atlantic Cable & Submarine Telegraphy - Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Ltd".Retrieved21 March2016.
  5. ^ab"History".Archived fromthe originalon 27 July 2014.Retrieved21 March2016.
  6. ^Maxtone-Graham, John (1972), Page 25, The Only Way to Cross. New York: Collier Books,ISBN978-0-7607-0637-4
  7. ^abcFears for Tyneside tradition as Swan Hunter ship is towed to Govan for completionGuardian, 15 July 2006
  8. ^ab"Tyne & Wear Archives"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 3 November 2013.Retrieved4 April2009.
  9. ^ab"History".Archived fromthe originalon 3 March 2016.Retrieved21 March2016.
  10. ^"History".Archived fromthe originalon 22 February 2012.Retrieved21 March2016.
  11. ^"Remembering Swan Hunter".BBC.30 January 2008.Retrieved16 January2011.
  12. ^Royal Navy Ship may bring work for 100'sEvening Chronicle, 30 August 2008
  13. ^Duce, Richard (1993-05-12). "Barrow ship order dismays Tyneside". The Times (Times Newspapers).
  14. ^Russell Hotten (14 October 1994)."Receiver breaks up Swan Hunter".The Independent.Archivedfrom the original on 26 May 2022.Retrieved16 January2011.
  15. ^Peter Popham (22 June 1996)."Making waves again".The Independent.Archivedfrom the original on 26 May 2022.Retrieved16 January2011.
  16. ^Ministry of Defence Annual Report and Accounts 2004-05: Sixth Report of session 2005-06.Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Defence Committee. Page 29. 2006
  17. ^Lyme Bay gets going at GovanMaritime Journal, 1 April 2007
  18. ^Shipbuilder Swan's sells Teesside yardArchived1 April 2017 at theWayback MachineThe Journal, 13 April 2006
  19. ^Ten years ago Port Clarence was an empty shell - now it's a hive of activityEvening Gazette, 27 May 2008
  20. ^"Demise of Swan Hunter?".BBC.18 January 2007.Retrieved16 January2011.
  21. ^Bharati buys out UK shipyard major SwanBusiness Standard, 10 April 2007
  22. ^"Pioneering Spirit Heavy Lift Construction Vessel, Switzerland".ship-technology.Retrieved31 March2017.
  23. ^People blame the MoD for Swan Hunter's decline, not meEvening Chronicle, 14 February 2008
  24. ^Barbara Hodgson (1 January 2016)."Swan Hunter owner Jaap Kroese has died in his native Holland, aged 76".nechronicle.Retrieved21 March2016.
  25. ^McCusker, Peter (21 September 2016)."Swan Hunter to return to Tyneside under the son of former owner".nechronicle.Retrieved27 July2017.
  26. ^"Swan Hunter issue Letter of Intent to Motive Offshore Group for Basket Carousel Loading Tower".Swan Hunter.12 October 2016.Retrieved27 July2017.
  27. ^"Swan Hunter Grows Installation Equipment Pool with 15Te Tensioner and 450Te Reel Drive System".Swan Hunter.24 October 2016.Retrieved27 July2017.
  28. ^"Swan Hunter announce the completion of new 450Te Reel Drive System".Swan Hunter.5 May 2017.Retrieved27 July2017.
  29. ^"Swan Hunter Mobilisation of Flexlay Spread onto Lewek Constellation".Swan Hunter.30 May 2017.Retrieved27 July2017.
  30. ^"Ariosto".uboat.net.Retrieved31 August2021.
  31. ^"Etrib".uboat.net.Retrieved31 May2022.
  32. ^Lloyds (1931–32)."Lloyd's Register"(PDF).Lloyd's Register (through PlimsollShipData). Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 1 February 2014.Retrieved9 August2013.
  33. ^"City of Oxford".uboat.net.Retrieved31 May2022.
  34. ^"Tuapse".uboat.net.Retrieved30 June2022.
  35. ^"Empire Explorer".uboat.net.Retrieved15 July2022.
  36. ^"Miraflores".uboat.net.Retrieved16 December2021.
  37. ^"Liverpool Packet".uboat.net.Retrieved30 April2022.
  38. ^"Allister".uboat.net.Retrieved28 April2022.
  39. ^"Ranella".uboat.net.Retrieved14 June2021.
  40. ^"St. Clair II".uboat.net.Retrieved30 July2021.
  41. ^"South Africa".uboat.net.Retrieved13 May2022.
  42. ^"Mapleheath".Maritime History of the Great Lakes.Retrieved1 August2010.
  43. ^"Pet Shop Boys play shipyard gig".BBC. 2 May 2006.Retrieved17 April2019.

Further reading[edit]

  • Johnston, Ian; Buxton, Ian (2013).The Battleship Builders - Constructing and Arming British Capital Ships.Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN978-1-59114-027-6.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toSwan Hunter.

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