New book published today

Very pleased to be able to say that the latest book in the series of ships built at Leith has now been published.

Magnificent Steam Yachts of Leith, 1870–1928 (Volume 5) sails straight into the golden era of luxury at sea. Leith’s shipyards produced some of the finest steam yachts ever built—elegant, extravagant, and far ahead of their time. This book uncovers their remarkable stories through rare archival material and storytelling, a look back at a world long vanished.

Sunshine on?

 Time to try and guess where this photograph was taken from, and for you to try and guess where the photograph was taken from (Location, Location, Location)

Look out for future news on the launch of the new book Steam yachts built at Leith, Vol-5.

Such a special place when the sun is shinning, sunshine on Leith right enough.

Xmas-2020

 As we near the end of a very strange year we would like to think that things will get better in 2021

It's an old image but a good image, helps to remind that some have a real tough time of things at this time of year, we need to look after them.

The Mountbatten Award for Best Book

 

Very happy to be able to tell you that my 1^st book, Leith-Built Ships Vol., I They Once Were Shipbuilders was nominated for an award a while ago. The nomination category is for best book-maritime. Happy to say that the book is still on the list along with some very stiff competition, it is good to see the efforts to highlight the great maritime heritage of the old Port of Leith, is being recognised.

 

The Mountbatten Award for Best Book

https://www.maritimefoundation.uk/awards/nominations/

 

Leith Shipyards Vol II, 1918 to 1939

 

Very pleased to be able to tell you that the book is now being worked on by the publishers and is now available at a special pre-publication price.

This book continues the series on Leith-Built Ships, and will make a great Christmas present even if it may be available a couple of weeks after Xmas, it’s a fine way to start the New Year.

 

https://www.whittlespublishing.com/Leith-Built_Ships

 

Just quote the following promotional code at checkout, and you can purchase the book at the special price of £14.99 (plus p&p). WPLEITH2.

 

 

 

Look out for more information on the book soon.

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.

Leith Shipyards

The new book on Leith Shipbuilding is now on sale

Leith-Built Ships is a testimony to the skill of the men who built the ships and to the many men and women who may have sailed or served on them. This history is brought together in vol. I of a three-volume series about the almost-forgotten part that Leith played in our great maritime heritage.

Avalible at most good book stores or through the publisher at 

www.whittlespublishing.com

You will also find it on Amazon making a great gift for Xmas

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/They-Once-Were-Shipbuilders-Leith-Built/dp/1849954437/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1MV8ZZO6E2T9L&keywords=leith+built+ships&qid=1575206527&s=books&sprefix=Leith+Built%2Caps%2C625&sr=1-1

Christmas Lights for Mercator

Mercator

Xmas lights

The volunteer crew of the last sailing ship built at Leith have been busy setting out some Christmas lights to present the recently refitted ship at her best for this Christmas and New Year of 2017.

  

 

Mercator's mast's being prepared for Xmas Lights as seen above.

This fine and well preserved example of shipbuilding excellence is well worth a visit at her berth in Ostend on the Belgian Coast.

The Sail Training Ship/Museum Mercator seen at her berth in the harbour at Ostend.

Some of Mercators Volenteer Crew sort through the Christmas Lights before climbing the masts to put them up in time for Xmas.

Up the rigging with full safety gear on to get the lights rigged.

Top of the mast on Mercator the last sailing ship built at Leith launched from the Ramage & Ferguson Shipyard as Ship No 268 in December 1931.

Look out for the new website

Happy to report that their will be a brand new up to date revamped website about all the ships built in Leith coming to the internet near you. The new website will be up and running within the next six months or so.

There have been numerous problems with the existing website along with some challenges with regard to the comment pages, with some being published while some have just notgot through to the website. Dont let that put you off sending in your comments.

The new website will feature so much new material that has not been shown on the present website so something to look out for along with the exiting news on some books published by The Loftsman.

2018 will be a busy year and we hope you will continue to support and join with us in keeping the heritage of Leith Shipbuilding going. (After all we just cannot rely on Edinburgh Council doing anything about our fine shipbuilding past)

You can still visit the website of course until the new one comes online.

On the Beach at 47 years old

As with the vast majority of ships built they all eventually end up at the breakers yard (some may be lucky and get restored or preserved for the future generations to wander around and wonder at the workmanship) and is the case with the MV SPEEDWAY Ship No 507

With the name of
AHMAD N. (IMO 7011462) she was beached at plot 29 Alang 5th February 2017

Almost 47 years to the day she was launched from the Leith Shipyards at that time going under the name of Robb Caledon she was launched on 18th Feb 1970 and run onto the beach to be broken up after a very long working life.

I wonder just how many Chinese built ships of today will still be around in another 47 years time, not very many would be a resonable answer if any. 

Awe the very best for 2017

Let's wish for a fair wind and calm waters ahead for all our many readers in 2017

"Happy New Year"

Classic Ships - SOUTHERN CROSS

we continue with the series on "Classic Ships" and you can see many more of these photographs at the www.leithshipyards.com

We start off her with one of the many fine ships built in the Dundee Caledon shipyard a yard which was to join with the Henry Robb Shipyard for a while and the company was renamed as Robb Caledon Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd, before the Caledon Shipyard was closed down in 1982 and the Leith yard reverted back to the Henry Robb name, before it too was closed down in 1984

The SS BAROSSA was launched in 1938 built at the Caledon yard of Dundee, Scotland

The picture below is a ship that was built and launched in a shipyard that was almost directly opposite the Leith Shipyard of henry Robb, The Burntisland Shipyard also built many fine ships over the years, they had the capacity to build larger vessels than the Leith Shipyard, and during World War II they did indeed build many Escort Aircraft Carriers.

The WARRINGA was built at the Burntisland shipyards, Scotland in 1955

Last but by no means least the old Liner SOUTHER CROSS which was built by Harland & Wolff in Belfast Northern Ireland

 The SOUTHERN CROSS was launched in 1954 and completed in 1955

Model of the BRITISH COAST finished

After some 2 years of painstaking work and no little amounts of skill and patience we are pleased to tell you that the scale model of a ship designed and built at the Leith Shipyards of Henry Robb Ltd as Ship No 198 and originally launched in 1933 has now been completed.
The model has been built by Steve a Brit who is now ensconced in the middle of Canada many miles away from any sea.
Such is the detail in this model right down to her ropes and wires that we feel the model could well be shown in a museum and not look out of place.

You can see much more of this fine model and her build process on the main website at

www.leithshipyards.com

Hibernian Supporters Limited (HSL)

This group we feel is going in the right direction so we are happy to let our readers know about the efforts to turn this great old club around. (We have removed the other group)
 The shipyards of Leith (All of them) have long had a connection to Hibernian Football Club (Hibs)
and as such the Blog at Leith Built Ships are happy to do a little bit to publicise an intended Supporters Buy Out to return the Football club to the supporters of the team.
The organisation has been set up and a website is now on-line for any pledges of support to return this fine club to it's rightful place in Scottish Football, innovators since 1875 so who knows this may well help return the Glory Days to Easter Road Stadium.

The following is from the official website:-

Hibernian SupportersLimited (HSL) has been established with simple and clear objectives:

·      To raise funds to purchase shares in Hibernian Football Club, and

·      To hold those shares for the benefit of all supporters and the community.

There is strength in solidarity and the more funds we can raise the more shares we can buy.  We have a legally binding agreement with the Club that enables us to buy shares with the funds we raise.  This agreement is open ended and is not limited by the closing date like the option supporters have if they elect to buy direct.

We have the opportunity to own our Club and it is up to us all to take that opportunity and I would encourage you to visit our donation page and either make a lump sum contribution or sign up to a direct debit and pay monthly.  Either way you can be safe in the knowledge that the money contributed will go a long way to securing the future of our Club.

This is the start of the journey to something we as supporters have been calling for - FAN ownership.

www.hiberniansupporters.co.uk/

Update on ST HELEN

The ferry ST HELEN Ship No 535 turning on her own length as she had Fore and Aft props
seen in this photograph  by Tim Webb and shown on shipsnostalgia website first)

The final ship built and launched at the Leith Shipyards of Henry Robb in September 1983 and handed over 6 months later just before the shipyard was to close its gates for the last time, is about to reach the end of her career working in the South of England as we here that she is to be retired in a couple of weeks time bringing an end to a working life as a ferry used by many on her trips across the Solent.

At the time of writing we don’t know what her eventual fate will be, will she be scrapped or can a buyer be found for her just as her sister ship the ST CATHERINE has found a new lease of life working in the sunshine as a ferry out of Corsica/Sardinia.

Should further news about the ST HELEN be known we hope to bring you the news here first on the Blog and you can of course find out more about the last ship built in Leith on the website? 

Best wishes for 2015

To all our readers we wish the best for 2015 and thank you all for your support and interest, look out for much more news in the year to come with lots of interesting articles on this Blog and on the website at www.leithshipyards.com

The Thames Tug GENERAL IV

GENERAL IV Ship No 222 built at the Leith Shipyards of Henry Robb Ltd and launched in 1936

 

Last heard/seen at Bowling Harbour half sunk just a hull sitting in water now wasting away a bit similar to the state of the SCOT II BEFORE SHE WAS MOVED TO THE Caledonian Canal  (Whatever happened to the rescue attempts to restore the SCOT II)
 

Seems like the same story with the old GENERAL IV very similar lines to the SCOT II as well and looks like there is no one around to attempt a restoration project on this fine old Steam Tug.

You will see a photograph of her here from early this year.
Do not know how she has ended up here but there was another far more recent tug that also sank at Bowling Harbour

https://www.flickr.com/photos/37457215@N02/12072114576/

 

We cannot save then all, but still a shame to see such fine plate work rusting away.

what	where
job title, keywords or company	city, state or zip jobs by

Shipwright's

 

 

 

 

 

The Shipwrights

 

It is clear for anyone who knows the Shipwrights Build Ships, they always have done and I don’t care what names they give the trades today it is Shipwrights who build ships.

Yes the Platers have had a large part to play in the process of shipbuilding for the past 100 years or so but the Shipwrights have been around since before recorded time so I thought it well past time to give the Shipwrights of Leith there own page on the website at Leith Shipyards.

For the record while I am at it and controversial it may well be but “Welders” do not build ships they are a relative newcomer to the shipbuilding process and although some are very highly skilled in the trade they are no matter how you look at it in the end just a “Service Trade” only been around for the past 60 years or so in the shipbuilding process, most yards still stuck to tradition and riveted there ships up into the 1960’s as the welded ship had a slight stigma attached deserved or otherwise, the riveted ship had the seams that cannot be replicated today with most welded ships ending up looking like half starved carcasses of a dead horse ribs, depending on how the light hits the shell.

So once more for the sake of clarity the Shipwrights build Ships, Platers mark and shape Plates and all the rest are service trades.

 

Leith Shipwrights


 

 

The Leith Shipyards at the beginning of World War One

As Europe descended into death and destruction once more 100 years ago this month

We take a very quick snapshot back in time when there were three main shipyards all situated next to each other facing into what is now known as the western harbour at Leith Docks.

From West to East we had the smallest of the three shipyards namely the yard of

J. Cran & Co was engaged in the building primarily of Steam Fishing Trawlers and Tugs and they were about to launch the Steam Fishing Trawler ANWORTH while building was going on of a Tug called the VIGOREAUX

The next shipyard in line was the shipyard of Hawthorns & Co who had taken over the old shipyard of S &H Morton two years before.

Hawthorns had a couple of small Cargo Vessels on the stocks at the outbreak of WWI

The shipyard had an order book of Steam Fishing Trawlers to be built as well.

While last but by no means least the Leith Shipyard of Ramage & Ferguson Ltd Shipbuilders had just launched three large steam passenger/cargo ships with the last one launched in the December of 1914 was named as  CHAKDINA the second ship of an order by the BI Line and a ship that would survive WWI only to be involved in tragedy during the Second World War when sinking during an attack in the Mediterranean while full of wounded New Zealand and Allied Soldiers who had been fighting in the fearsome battle for Tobruk.

The shipyards would soon be involved in the repair of many battle scarred vessels from fighting around the British Isles and further a-field if the ship could be brought into Leith at all they could repair her.

Interestingly enough no warships were built at the Leith Shipyards during World War One although many Landing Craft were, unlike the part played by the Leith Shipyard of Henry Robb (the shipyard that over time took over the three shipyards mentioned)

during the Second World War.

http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/remembrance/ww1-centenary

The 4th of August 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the day Britain entered one of the costliest conflicts in history – the First World War – with fighting continuing until the 11th of November 1918, Armistice Day.

The Royal British Legion was founded by British veterans in the aftermath of the First World War and is at the forefront of Centenary commemorations. As we come together in Remembrance of events a century ago, we are reminded of the important welfare work the Legion continues to provide today and will need to provide in the future.

For more on the commemorations of this terrible conflict please visit the British Legion website above.

The Centenary of the First World War

The 4th of August 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the day Britain entered one of the costliest conflicts in its history, the First World War, which ended on Armistice Day, 11th November 1918.

Almost everyone in the UK has an ancestor directly affected by the First World War. The losses were felt across every UK town and village as the lives of nearly one million lives men and women were sacrificed in service of the British Empire.

The Royal British Legion will be joining in the commemoration of all those who served and sacrificed from British, Dominion and Imperial forces from countries including the UK, Republic of Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa.

Remember to buy a Poppy.

Sign of the Times?

Well the time has finally come when I need to set some adverts onto this Blog and in time you will also see them appear on my website as well.

It is an expensive business the upkeep of the website and up to now all the cost has been carried by me.

So perhaps with some little advertising revenue coming in it may help offset some of the cost of keeping the website up to date and enable me to keep it going as there is so much more to go onto the website.

Up to now partly due to time constraints I have only put some small pieces onto the Leith Shipyards website about the 4 previous Shipyards that eventually morphed into the shipyard known as the Henry Robb yard.

So please help to support the website by clicking through on any of the advert that you may find of interest as any little helps.

There are also many more job adverts on the Blog and will be on the website and if we can help to even get one person a job then wouldn’t that be a fine thing.

Your support and interest during this journey is much appreciated.

 

A scene from a once busy Leith Shipyard around the mid 1970's
and the Hibs also had a pretty good team in them days as well 7-0 springs to mind.



The new maritime E-library is now open at Ships and the Sea