The New Flyer for Vol II, Leith Shipyards

Well they do say that a picture is worth a thousand words!

New website - theloftsman

As promised a brand new website to include some of the original and now some of the new.

Check it out at theloftsman.com

https://www.theloftsman.com/

 

For all things ships and shipbuilding at Leith. 

You can now also contact me at

Ron@theloftsman.com

Please use this email to send comments and stories about the Leith Shipyards, along with any photographs you may wish to see on the website or perhaps even in one of my books in the Leith-Built Ships series.

The website and this Blog now have some wonderful goods from Amazon the worlds largest market place for all your goods, trusted and complete with guarantees, goods that you may well find very useful such as this 3 in 1 Document Camera from Amazon. 

OKIOCAM T Plus: The Unique 3-In-1 Document Camera

Book Launch at Leith

Official book launch at Leith

Very pleased to annonce that their will be an official book launch for the new book about the shipyards of Leith.

Leith-Built Ships Vol I will be featured at a signing event at the Leith Theatre this 31st Jan 2020

HAPPY & PROSPEROUS 2020 TO ALL

A busy scene at the Leith Shipyards of Robb Caledon sometime around 1976

Well 2020 it is then, bloody miracle if you ask me, puts me in mind of an old Jager & Evens song “In the year 2525, if man is still alive”

Perhaps someone will change the year around to show 2020 but I digress, I have been asked a few questions many times about plans for 2020

I shall endeavour to answer below, always a wee bit reluctant to make plans set in stone as we all know what happens to plans (Ask around in any shipyard and you will find out, but we will not mention anything about what has really happened with the two Cal-Mac ferries being built or not built at Ferguson’s yard on the Clyde)

Will there be a new website in 2020 – Most definitely, although it will take a slightly different format as this website will also feature the many books that I have on the go right now both Non-Fiction such as the recently published Leith-Built Ships Vol. I

I have Fiction books starting with a trilogy about two young shipwrights from Leith, full of madcap adventures. Set around actual ships built at Leith in the late 18^th century, that I am writing with the first two books finished but as yet unpublished.

The new website will also in time feature a very large library of ships photographs.

Will Volume II of Leith-Built Ships be published in 2020 – Most definitely although still to be confirmed with the publishers, but this book is 99% complete and almost ready to go, with Volume III well on as well it could be an exciting year on the publishing front to feature more on the almost forgotten shipbuilding and maritime heritage of the old port.

There is a lot more in the pipeline but as ever I don’t count my chickens before they are hatched.

Remember the first book is now out and can be purchased from most good bookshops, for anyone overseas the publishers can post to anywhere.

http://www.whittlespublishing.com/They_Once_Were_Shipbuilders

or it can be purchased from Amazon at the following link

https://www.amazon.co.uk/They-Once-Were-Shipbuilders-Leith-Built/dp/1849954437/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1AGCT5P1NE6DX&keywords=leith+built+ships&qid=1577884811&sprefix=Leith+Built+S%2Caps%2C233&sr=8-1

So for now it is on to 2020 may it be a good one for all.

New Book - they Once Were Shipbuilders. I

SS Sirius was the Leith Built Ship that crossed the mighty Atlantic being the very first such vessel to cross under steam power alone.

Many more Leith "Firsts" can be found in the new book on an almost forgotten maritime past.

Leith-Built Ships Vol. I 

They Once Were Shipbuilders

Make it a xmas gift but dont just take my word for it, have a look at some of the first reviews as shown below.

https://julianstockwin.com/2019/12/11/yuletide-selection-ii/

https://www.thenational.scot/news/18098553.leith-built-history-rival-ships-clyde/

https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usreviews/books/whittlesleithbuilt.html

https://glostransporthistory.visit-gloucestershire.co.uk/book-review-they-once-were-shipbuilders-by-r-o-neish/

Available from most good book stores or direct from the publishers.

http://www.whittlespublishing.com/They_Once_Were_Shipbuilders

The book is also available on Amazon and can be delivered anywhere around the world.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/They-Once-Were-Shipbuilders-Leith-Built/dp/1849954437/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Once+Were+Shipbuilders&qid=1576318172&sr=8-1

Goodbye 2018

Goodbye to 2018 & Hello to 2019

As we consign another year to history we will be bringing you right up to date in the New Year of 2019.

Lots to look forward to including news on the new book about shipbuilding at Leith with Volume One due to be published.

 

The new website will also begin to take shape so look out for that as well.

All that remains is to wish all the very best for 2019

many thanks for all the support over the years.

Even Sherlock Holmes is Celebrating

Nothing to do with ships but everything to do with where the ships used to be built.

A little bit of History was created at the weekend with Hibernian Football Club persevering for over 114 years to break the curse that has hung over the club, by winning the Scottish Cup and there were some famous supporters celebrating including the top detective Sherlock Holmes (Who just may need to investigate the claims made by the beaten side) as seen below sporting the colours of the original "Greens"

 

Sherlock Holmes was given the job of finding someone in Edinburgh/Leith who did not think that Hibernian deserved to win the Scottish Cup, and despite the great sleuths best efforts he is still looking.

 

Sherlock began his searching in Edinburgh (BBC photograph)

 

His search took him up and down Leith Walk

Sherlock Holmes even enlisted the help of the local constabulary and there horses but still no luck in finding anyone with half a brain who thinks that Hibernian did not deserve fully to win the Scottish Cup 2016 

His full day search took him from the High Street in Edinburgh down to Princes Street (BBC photograph below)

 This was perhaps going to be the only case in the famous detectives whole career that he was unable to solve, he even tried asking the people down at Leith Links (The original home of Golf)

 If you think you can help Sherlock please do, the great man is almost at a loss to explain the lack of people who think that Hibernian do not deserve to be the new proud owners of the Scottish Cup (The oldest original cup in Association Football)

So who was the beaten opponents of the Hibernian Football Club, well I am afraid that we cannot really answer this question as the team in question seem to continually change there name, all we can say for certain is that they where/are a team from Glasgow.

We Persevered

Sunshine on Leith

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36361133

Tribute to a "Real Leither"

His association with ships was in the fact that he used to land aircraft onto them and more than anyone else for that matter.

One of the most famous British pilots, Capt Eric "Winkle" Brown, has died at the age of 97.

He was the Royal Navy's most decorated pilot and held the world record for flying the greatest number of different types of aircraft, 487.
During the Second World War Capt Brown flew fighter aircraft and witnessed the liberation of Bergen Belsen concentration camp.


"Eric was the most decorated pilot of the Fleet Air Arm in which service he was universally known as 'Winkle' on account of his diminutive stature.
"He also held three absolute Guinness World Records, including for the number of aircraft carrier deck landings and types of aeroplane flown."
Born in Leith on 21 January 1919, he was educated at Fettes College and the University of Edinburgh, where he learned to fly.

More on the story from the BBC website

Last Surviving Building from Leith Shipyards to Re-Open

We are pleased to be able to tell you that the only remaining building from the Leith Shipbuilding era is to be re-opened as an art studio for budding artists to present there work.

This is the only remaining building that Forth Ports at the time never managed to knock down, which was no surprise as it was originally built to sustain attack from German Bombers during the dark days of World War Two.

The last remaining building of hundreds of years of shipbuilding at Leith

Built at the request of the Admiralty to help protect all the many ship plans and drawings that were required to build all the many warships at the Leith Shipyards of Henry Robb Ltd, such as Corvettes and Frigates for the Royal Navy during the six years of War.
They required a secure facility from the threat of fire from incendiary bombs dropped by German aircraft.

Hell what chance had Forth Ports of knocking it down when the German bombers could not do it.


The building was constructed the same as a traditional riveted ship's superstructure complete with riveted seams and ships portholes.

Also used as a first aid station and latterly as a chemical/paint store it is just good to report that some use has been found for the building.

The building is now some 150m away from where it was originally in what may be the only "Listed" building in Scotland to have been physically moved from its original place. (Read more on the website)

There are also plans to turn some of the building into a small museum space to show some shipbuilding items from this long almost lost history of hundreds of years of the art of shipbuilding at Leith, Scotland.

You will also see more of what the art group intend to do here at http://www.dokartistspace.org/

Best in Britain

Someone sent me this link to an article in today's Edinburgh Evening News and I just could not resist the temptation to have a wee playful dig at the rest of Britain.

Edinburgh Castle

This of course is not news if you are from this area of the country!

The best looking and best evolved people in Britain live in Edinburgh, Leith and the south-east of Scotland. Outrageous! How can you possibly say that! Biased? Not at all. Just a statement of fact – and a story that goes back 10,000 years.

Don’t believe me then read on in this article from the Edinburgh Evening News.

http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/health/why-edinburgh-residents-are-likely-to-be-blue-eyed-1-3577755


One of the most striking inherited traits is massively present in Edinburgh and the south-east where a staggering 57 per cent of all people have blue eyes. That is the highest in Britain where the average is 48 per cent.


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But here is the other side of the coin so to speak!

The same might be true for the other dominant trait in Edinburgh and the south-east. Red hair. Nobody needs a DNA test to tell if they have red hair, just a mirror. But what is hidden is what causes children to inherit the glorious spectrum of tints from strawberry blonde to deep auburn. And that is the recessive gene variant, what both parents must carry if they are to have children with red hair.
In Edinburgh, the Lothians and the Borders, 40 per cent of all people carry it. It is the highest proportion in Britain, which itself has the highest number of carriers in the world per capita.

New York hotel deals Perhaps migration provides an answer. The Northern Isles, the Hebrides and the Atlantic 
coastlands saw significant Viking incursions and settlement after circa 800AD, and in the south-east of Britain, the Anglo-Saxons settled in numbers after circa 400AD. These in-migrations may have significantly diluted the red-hair variants present in the indigenous populations before those dates. And if that’s correct, then one of the most persistent bits of folk DNA about Vikings being redheaded will turn out to be wrong. And it may be significant that south-east Scotland appears to have had little Viking in-migration with comparatively few Norse place names and comparatively little ancestral DNA from Scandinavia.

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QUEEN ELIZABETH Floats

HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH was floated out from her building dock last week and pleased to say she floats.

While the dock was flooded she was carefully monitored by the guy’s from the “Dim Squad” (Dimensional Control) although just what this fine body of men were going to do if she began to heel over is left to the imagination, I just cannot see them being able to run around placing side shores to prop her up.

Not quite as spectacular as a traditional slipway launch but an important event in the life of the ship all the same, she will now be berthed at the quayside in the large basin at Rosyth Dockyard and all her outfitting will continue for another two or three years before she begins commissioning trials so more work for the men for some time to come, which is all good news as far as the workers are concerned.

The second ship of the class HMS PRINCE OF WALES is due to begin assembly in the same dry dock in a couple of months.

 

The new Aircraft Carrier HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH floats out from her assembly dock at Rosyth

 

It would be interesting to know how level in the water she sits just to know if her ballast calculations were correct as she was floated out, this was always a very nervous time for a shipyard and the Naval Architects responsible for the ships calculations at the time of launch, more importantly if she was being launched down a slipway than a simple float out a real squeaky bum time to put things mildly.

Queen Victoria Cruise Liner (The Loftsmans collection)


Just for a size comparison the new Aircraft Carrier QUEEN ELIZABETH is slightly longer than the Cunard Cruise ship QUEEN VICTORIA shown above during a visit to the Firth of Forth

 

As Time Goes by: the Changing Face of Leith’s Shoreline

We feature another article from our guest feature writer Jenni Buxton and while we agree with a lot of what she writes we don't necessarily endorse or agree with all of it.
All things must pass after all be it for the better or the worse, change has to happen.

Old Leith from the ediburghs-war.ed.ac.uk website



 

As Time Goes by: the Changing Face of Leith’s Shoreline

 

Although the shipbuilding traditions of Leith Docks generally resides in the shadow of the traditions of the Clyde, the East Coast shipyard has just as proud a history that is as much a backdrop to north Edinburgh’s present as it ever has been in the past. Initially a hub of the British Empire’s wine trade, secondly a world power in steamship construction and now, as Leith rises out of the more home-grown shadow cast by the so-called ‘trainspotting generation’ of the 90s, the shipyard’s image is once again being reimagined as an important, iconic reminder of Leith’s history and a symbol of Scottish growth and prosperity.

 

Leith Shipyard’s Proudest Moment

Perhaps the proudest moment in the history of the shipyard's of Leith at the old Menzies yard on the Water of Leith was the construction of the legendary steam boat, Sirius. Built at Leith in 1837, the Sirius was intended to run the London to Cork route for the Saint George Steam Packet Company. However, proving itself early on to be a masterpiece of craftsmanship, the Sirius was chartered to cross the Atlantic by the British and American Steam Navigation Company. By arriving in New York a day ahead of the Great Western, a ship designed by none other than the great industrialist Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the Sirius became the first steamship to make the Atlantic crossing. Legend has it that in the last two days of the 18 day crossing, the Sirius ran out of coal and had to be powered by timber and resin. [1]

Nearly 200 years on, the achievements of the Leithers that built the Sirius are still talked about in the pubs on the Walk and the stands of Easter Road to this day, highlighting the reverberation of spirit and community that the shipyard inspires.

At Easter Road they Play Since 1875 Hibernian Football Club has been an integral part of sporting life in the City of Edinburgh and Port of Leith; its early history up to 1946 has been brilliantly documented in The Making of Hibernian trilogy by Alan Lugton. John Campbell's At Easter Road they Play is the first part of a new trilogy that brings the history up to date, picking up the story from 1946 and covering what was the most successful part of the club's history when Hibernian won three Championship titles and became the first British club to play in the European Cup, reaching the semi-final. Packed with anecdotal tales of the times, it gives a fascinating insight into life at the club when the Famous Five were in their heyday right through to the mid-sixties when a young lad by the name of Joe Baker burst onto the scene. A game-bygame, goal-by-goal account of the many highs and numerous lows, At Easter Road they Play takes the reader on a fantastic journey back to the days when massive crowds flocked to Easter Road to see Hibernian play. For any Hibs fan that lived through those heady days this book will bring back to life a host of happy memories whilst at the same time allowing those fans who were perhaps too young or not even born at the time to see just how different football was back then when compared to the modern day game.

Leith Docks and the Wine Trade

Long before paddle steamers, the port at Leith was one of the UK’s great trading ports, and though many of the later problems that were associated with the ‘trainspotting generation’ came from alcohol, the alcohol trade was a key factor for the areas early growth. As early as the twelfth century, all the wine for the Stuart kings that resided at Holyrood palace was brought in through Leith Docks and in the days of Mary Queen of Scots, the famous French wines that she became fond of during her time there were imported through Leith. This trade increased over the next 200 years and Sherry from Spain and Port from Portugal were added to the haul.

Leith became one of the biggest importers of the finest qualities of wine in the whole of the United Kingdom. The mass storage of wine in Leith was even noted by Sir Walter Scott who talks of coopering (the art of barrelling alcohol for storage) at Leith’s docks:

“Peter Puncheon that was cooper to the queen’s stores at the Timmer Burse (or Timber Bush) at Leith.”

By the Time of Bonnie Prince Charlie in the early 17^th century, the list of wines coming into Leith included claret, burgundy, champagne, sherry, port and even some wines from as far afield as Australia. [2] With the export of whisky and the import of wine you could well say that Leith’s was built on alcohol, and though that might have been a proud thing to say a couple of hundred years ago, it could well be a source of shame given the recent stereotype of the area that came out of the 90s.

Ecstasy Lloyd from Leith has a transfiguring passion for the unhappily married Heather. Together they explore the true nature of house music and chemical romance. Will their ardour fizzle and die or will it ignite and blaze like a thousand suns? Ecstasy follows them and others through the backstreets of Edinburgh, stifling suburban sitting rooms and the bright lights of London. Exhilarating and dazzling, this is Welsh at his very best.

The More Recent History of the Leith Shipyard

The shipyards recent image was summed up in the Proclaimer’s music video for ‘Letter from America’ in 1987, lamenting the closure of industry across Scotland and the migration of once proud industrial workers to America and Canada in search of work. In the video, Henry Robb’s Shipyard, once a bustling hive of activity, looms over Leith, rendered desolate by mass unemployment and the destruction of industry. Though still a symbol of community pride, that pride was slipping as alcoholism and drug abuse began to tarnish the reputation of the region leading to the stain of the character of the ‘trainspotting generation’ of the 90s. The young heroin addicts that Irvine Welsh’s bestselling novel is based on were the sons and daughters of proud shipbuilders at the Henry Robb yards, the unemployment of the closure of industry, coupled with Leith’s history of importing opiates led to this near epidemic. Aida Edemariam and Kirsty Scott recently pointed out that this generation, though now in their forties, are still dying younger than their peers from other parts of the UK. [3]

Released in 1993, the harrowing story of Trainspotting drew attention to the drug and alcohol problems that were rampant in Edinburgh [4], and in particular Leith at this time and the derelict Shipyards became a depressing symbol of this social degredation.

 

Back on track

Though this generation changed the image of the shipyard throughout the 90s to one of decay, in the last decade it has managed to brush its self off and rise like a phoenix from the flames again. With world class drug and alcohol rehabilitation centres and community groups [5] helping more and more people with problems of addiction back to their feet the problem is beginning to show signs of decline. [6] Alcohol abuse, though still a problem across all Scotland, is under some degree of control and the Leith shoreline is home to modern gastro-pubs, restaurants and wine bars that are using alcohol to restore a pride to the shipyards more reminiscent of the booming times of the alcohol trade in the 17^th century.

The Rise and Fall of British Shipbuilding This is the story of how, from modest beginnings, Britain rose throughout the 19th century to become the greatest shipbuilding nation in the world. It begins with the age of sail, then moves on to the days of iron-hulled steamers. It shows how conflicts arose between the traditional shipwrights and the new men who came from the metal industries, leading to the infamous demarcation disputes. It is also the story of men like Brunel and Armstrong, geniuses who were always looking for change and development. It is also the story of decline in the 20th century, when yards were no longer as innovative as their foreign competitors and the British merchant fleet shrank from being the biggest in the world at the start of the century to ranking number 38 at the end of it. It is a story of great achievements and tragic collapse.

Looking to the future of Leith Docks

With new industries in computer software design and a solid reputation as an area for the burgeoning industry of game design, employment is beginning to creep back into the area. As well as the government building at Victoria Quay, [7] Leith Docks are also managing to keep the proud maritime traditions going by earning a strong reputation as a supporting dock for offshore development and acting as an important destination for the northern European cruise industry. [8] After a difficult few decades, the shipyards at Leith are once again becoming a modern icon of regeneration and pride.

1. "Sirius." Encyclopaedia Britannica, accessed on 20/07/2014, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/546617/Sirius
2. "The Story of Leith," Electric Scotland, accessed on 20/07/2014, http://www.electricscotland.com/history/leith/32.htm
3. Aida Edemariam and Kirsty Scott, "What Happened to the Trainspotting Generation?" The Guardian online, August 15 2009, accessed 20/07/2014, http://www.theguardian.com/society/2009/aug/15/scotland-trainspotting-generation-dying-fact
4. "Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse," Helpguide Scotland, Accessed on 20/07/2014, http://www.helpguide.org/mental/alcohol_abuse_alcoholism_signs_effects_treatment.htm
5. "Turning Point Leith," Turning Point, accessed on 20/07/2014, http://www.turningpointscotland.com/what-we-do/substance-misuse/turning-point-leith/
6. "Treatment Programs for Alcohol Abuse," Treatment4Addiction, accessed on 20/07/2014, http://www.treatment4addiction.com/treatment/alcohol/
7. "Victoria Quay," The Scottish Government, accessed on 20/07/2014, http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/Locations/victoria-quay
8. "Port of Leith," Forth Ports, accessed on 20/07/2014, http://www.forthports.co.uk/leith-edinburgh/

This more modern photograph is from 2011 and not so much has changed really as far as the architectural look of the Shore anyway.

Find all the books you will ever need at the E-Library Ships and the Sea

Council buys Custom House for Leith "Maritime" Museum

Well at last as someone who is amongst the first to slag off the Edinburgh Council, credit where it's due as they have at last done something positive and purchased the old Custom House in Leith and although they do not mention "Maritime Museum" with any luck and some vision the majority of the building will be set aside to celebrate the rich and very long maritime history of the Port of Leith.

The old Custom House in Leith, Scotland shown her in this Edinburgh Evening News Photograph

This classic old building just lends itself to being the home of a Maritime Museum

Perhaps now a lot of the hidden from public sight memorabilia and material will at last be shown along with much of the material hidden away in private collections.

Book with confidence thanks to the Best Price Guarantee from Expedia.com I do not for a minute understand why some people with the knowledge and information they have gathered over time would not wish to show material in such a magnificent setting, with the proviso that the "Edgits" are kept well away from the running and setting up such a worthwhile project.
While the council are to be congratulated with this one they do not have a very good track record of success now do they?


The following is From the Edinburgh Evening News

THE bid to establish a dedicated Leith Museum has taken a giant leap forward after the city sealed a deal to buy the Custom House from the National Museums Scotland.

Culture chiefs agreed to pay £650,000 for the building after a six-year campaign by residents to save the landmark. to read more



 

Why is there no Leith Built Ships Official Website funded by Edinburgh Council

It says it all in the heading folks, just why is there no official website funded by Edinburgh Council to show off the history of the many fine ships built at Leith, this question I keep asking myself and it was the main reason why I started up this Blog and my website at www.leithshipyards.com
This has all been carried out by myself with lots of input from interested others of course but all the work of putting everything together is by me and the cost of such is borne by myself as well.
It really ticks me off when I see the great job done by Aberdeen Council, funded by no less than the Heritage Lottery fund to showcase the merits of the very fine and many ships built at Aberdeen as well, so why is most of the heritage of the Leith shipyards locked away in the dusty archives of the Archives of Scotland where no one gets to see it, unless you make an appointment of course and pay for the privilege.


Even ex workers are no exception and anyone would think that the Archives actually owned the information, this information should be out there for all to access, yet another reason for my setting up the website.
Is this yet another instance of the ineptitude of the Council in Edinburgh, just because it in fact features ships built at Leith, I repeat Leith not Edinburgh (Leith only joined with Edinburgh in the 1920's under a rigged vote and much duress)
So not much I can do about this situation as it would need someone in Leith or Edinburgh to pick this up and run with the project as I no longer live anywhere near.
For anyone interested take a look at the Aberdeen Shipbuilders website for yourself and see what I am speaking about, it is way past time that some money was spent by the Council of Edinburgh to rectify this situation and let people who are interested see what is hidden away (unless you pay of course)

The Leith "Motto"



Who knows perhaps the director of the national archives for Scotland will see this request and respond as they certainly do not respond to any other requests sent in to them, we require an official good website to show the history of the Leith Shipyards and you should be spending some money on this project.

Rant is now over for the week folks, thank you,

perhaps if you feel strongly about this subject you will also contact the National Archives of Scotland and ask them why no official website (such as the Aberdeen one not the existing archive website) showing this great history of a time we shall never see again in the Port of Leith

 

A little more History II.

In 1924 with no actual access to waterfront all vessels built by Henry Robb had been built in Dry Dock, this along with a natural need to grow the company necessitated the takeover of another Shipbuilder that had access to slipways and of course meant that any vessels could be built on slips and launched directly into the sea.
So in 1924 they acquired the Shipyard of Hawthorn and Co, along with the two berths that had been used to build trawlers and coasters of up to 1500dwt.So they began with 3 shipbuilding berths.
Then at the end of 1926 Henry Robb also took over the neighbouring yard of Cran and Somerville Ltd, a yard that had specialised in the building of tugs. Giving the Shipyard 6 building berths that could launch into the sea.
In 1934 Henry Robb acquired the next neighbouring yard of Ramage and Ferguson, another famous old Shipbuilding yard in Leith, which had built almost 300 Ships up to the time of takeover by Henry Robb. This famous yard built many fine ships including the Sail Training Ship Kobenhavn, and the Mercator.

The Mercator in Ostend.

The following is a little bit of history in tribute to the men of the Ramage and Ferguson yard, as most of those men would have transferred their undoubted skills to the Henry Robb yard they are also part of the story
The barquentine Mercator lies at anchor in Ostend, Belgium She was named after Geradus Mercator.
(1512-1594), Flemish cartographer. She was designed by the Antarctic explorer Adrien de Gerlache
(1866-1934) as a training ship for the Belgian merchant fleet. She was built in Ramage & Ferguson, Leith, Scotland and launched in 1932.
Besides being a training a ship, she was also used, mainly before World War II , for scientific observations, or as ambassador for Belgium on world fairs and in sailing events.

Mercator at Sea.

She participated in several races, winning the Oslo-Ostend race.
During World War II she was commissioned into the Royal Navy as HMS Mercator. Based in Freetown Sierra Leon where she was used as a support ship for submarine forces in the area.
In 1961 she became a floating museum, first in Antwerp,and finally from 1964 in the marina of Ostend, just in front of the city hall.
During all this time, she has become perhaps the best-known ship of Belgium.
So by 1934 Henry Robb Shipyard had a total of nine building berths all launching directly into the sea.

Shipbuilding in Leith.

As mentioned before there have been shipbuilders in and around Leith for more than 660 recorded years, with the first records of a ship kept involved the building of the world’s mightiest warship at the time The Great Michael, built on Leith Sands at Newhaven in the 14th Century.
With Shipbuilding being such a specialised subject that involved countless different trades etc to complete, the industry has its own language which has built up over centuries and of which we hope to bring you a glossary of shipbuilding terms to help those new to the industry and to help refresh the memories of those that may have forgotten.
The following is from the Great database of information that is From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships. 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 commercial and military, are referred to as the "naval sector". The construction of boats is a similar activity called boat building.
The dismantling of ships is called ship breaking.

Before recorded history eh! Before all the known machines that have been there have been Ships/boats of some form of other.
You could even say that the Shipwright profession is the second oldest profession in the world; we won’t go into the oldest profession here on this blog.

The first Steamship to cross the Atlantic was built in Leith, starting the race for the Blue Riband fought for by the greatest ships of our times and now resting with Sir Richard Branson when he crossed the 3,000 miles of water in a fast boat a few years ago, to record the fastest crossing.
The First Steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean was,
Name: SS Sirius

Operator: St. George Steam Packet Co. Cork, Ireland
Builder: Robert Menzies & Sons, Leith, Scotland
In service: 1837

Fate: Wrecked and sunk off Ballycotton, Ireland on 16 January 1847
General characteristics

Class and type: Steam merchant ship

Tonnage: 703 tons

Displacement: 1,995 tons

Length: 200 ft (60.9 m)

Beam: 25 ft (7.62 m)

47 ft (14.3 m) across wheels

Draught: 15 ft (4.5 m)

Propulsion: Two masts

One funnel

Two side-wheels

1 x 2 cylinder side-lever by Wingate & Co. 600hp

Capacity: 40 passengers

Crew: 36

For more information visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shipbuilding

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The First Ten Ship No's.

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The first 10 Vessele to be built in Henry Robb Shipyard in Leith were as follows.


Yard No  Name  Dimensions         Gross Tons  Owners                      Description         Year Launched

1                         50 x 11 x 4.3 ft     23     Board of Agriculture   Pontoon
2                         55 x 19 x 5 ft        42     Barry Rly & Co          S.P.Pontoon
3                         60 x 27 x 7ft         113    Montagu Higginson     Pontoon
4                         50 x 11 x 4.3 ft     23      Board of Agriculture    Pontoon
5                         50 x 11 x 4.3 ft     23      Board of Agriculture    Pontoon
6                         66 x 16.6 x 6.9     60      Bromports & Co         Dumb Barge
7                         66 x 16.6 x 6.9     60       Bromports & Co        Dumb Barge
8                         120 x 25 x 9ft        227    Argintine Navigation Co ltd   Dumb Barge
9                          32 x 9.6 x 3.6 ft     10     Sandbach Tinne          Pontoon
10                        32 x 9.6 x 3.6 ft     10     Sandbach Tinne         Pontoon
You will of course note that they were in fact all Barges of one type or another and the launch date is missing as this info is unavailable for now.
So there you have it the start of a long and proud Shibuilding Tradition at Henry Robb in Leith.
I will find a better way of presenting the info in time.

A Wee bit of History.

The official Henry Robb Shipyard opened up at the end of World War I around 1918.
The yard was closed down by the then Thatcher Government, in there wisdom and wound up around 1984.
This brought to an end over 660 years of Shipbuilding excellence in Leith.
There seems to be a fair amount of information on most of the other Shipyards around at the time in Scotland but as I said before not to much about Henry Robb in Leith, this is a small attempt to rectify this situation just a little bit, so if some of this is wrong or even made up then you will just have to bear with me until we get it correct.
The Company was founded by Henry Robb, a former yard manager for Ramage & Ferguson in 1918.
The Company then expanded through acquisition buying berths fromHawthorns in 1924, the business of Crane & Somerville in 1926 and the yards of Ramage & Ferguson in 1934. The site became known as Victoria Shipyard.
The Company closed its Arbroath and Clyde operations during the 1920's and focused its activities on Leith.
During World War II, Robbs built a large number of naval warships for the Royal Navy, including preparing the designs and building the prototype of the Basset-class anti-submarine /minesweeping trawler.
On 26 February 1940 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth toured the shipyard.
In 1968, Robbs purchased, and amalgamated with, the Caledon Shipbuilding and Engineering Company of Dundee, forming Robb Caledon Shipbuilding. In 1977, under the provisions of the Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act 1977, Robb Caledon was nationalised as part of British Shipbuilders. The Caledon yard in Dundee closed in 1981; Robb's yard in Leith survived two more years, closing in 1983. The land once occupied by Robb's shipyard is now the Ocean Terminal shopping centre, and home to the Royal Yacht Britannia.

Launch of the M.V.Kiatoa for the Union Steamship Co of New Zealand.

Yard No 443