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Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company

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Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company Limited, often referred to simply as "Palmers", was a British shipbuilding company. The company was based in Jarrow, County Durham, in north-eastern England, and had operations in Hebburn and Willington Quay on the River Tyne.

Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company
Company typePublic
IndustryShipbuilding
Founded1852
FateCollapsed 1933
SuccessorArmstrong Whitworth
HeadquartersJarrow, UK

History

Early history and growth

 
A Reed water tube boiler built by Palmers, as used in their torpedo boat destroyers
 
A triple expansion steam engine built in Palmers' engine works, as used in their torpedo boat destroyers

The company was established in 1852 by Charles Mark Palmer as Palmer Brothers & Co. in Jarrow. Later that year it launched the John Bowes, the first iron screw collier. By 1900, the business was known as Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company. At that time, besides building ships, it manufactured and processed its own steel and other metals, and its products included Reed water tube boilers and marine steam engines.

By 1902, Palmers' base at Jarrow occupied about 100 acres (41 hectares) and included 0.75 miles (1.2 kilometres) of the southern bank of the River Tyne, and employed about 10,000 men and boys. In 1910, Sir Charles Palmer's interest in the business was acquired by Lord Furness who, as Chairman, expanded the business by acquiring a lease over a new graving dock at Hebburn from Robert Stephenson and Company. In 1919, Palmers laid down the SS Gairsoppa, which was sunk by a German U-boat in 1941, causing the loss of 84 lives and 200 long tons (203 tonnes) of silver.

Depression and collapse

The Great Depression began in 1929, all but destroying the shipbuilding industry, which did not rebound until the Second World War. In 1931, Palmers posted a loss of £88,867, equivalent to £7,627,000 in 2023. The company received a moratorium from its creditors in order to extend repayment. In January 1933, the majority of the company's unsecured creditors met in London and agreed to extend the moratorium a further six months.

Palmers was unable to survive and collapsed by the end of 1933. The company's blast furnaces and steel works—which covered 37 acres—were put up for auction. The Jarrow yard was sold to National Shipbuilders Securities, which closed it down in order to sell it, causing much unemployment and leading to the Jarrow March. After the shipyard closed, following support from the industrialist, Sir John Jarvis, the site was used the engine shop as a steel foundry for another 18 months.

The company retained the yard at Hebburn and was acquired by Armstrong Whitworth, becoming Palmers Hebburn Company. In 1973, Vickers-Armstrongs, successor to Armstrong Whitworth, sold the Palmers Dock at Hebburn to Swan Hunter and developed it as the Hebburn Shipbuilding Dock. This facility was acquired from the receivers of Swan Hunter by Tyne Tees Dockyard in 1994. They sold it to Cammell Laird in 1995. When Cammell Laird entered receivership in 2001, the dock was acquired by A&P Group. The yard remains in use as a ship repair and refurbishment facility.

Ships built by Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company

Ships built by Palmers included:

Naval

Battlecruisers

Battleships

 
Battleship HMS Defence of 1861, as she appeared from 1866
 
Battleship HMS Resolution of 1915, as seen in the 1930s

Cruisers

 
Cruiser HMS Orlando of 1886, as seen in the 1890s

Destroyers

 
Torpedo boat destroyer HMS Spiteful, built by Palmers and launched in 1899, became the first warship to be powered only using fuel oil in 1904.
 
Destroyer HMS Diana of 1932, as seen in 1933

Monitors

 
Monitor HMS Marshal Ney in 1915

River gunboats

 
River gunboat HMS Spey of 1876
  • HMS Dee   Royal Navy (1877)
  • HMS Don   Royal Navy (1877)
  • HMS Esk   Royal Navy (1877)
  • HMS Medina   Royal Navy (1876)
  • HMS Medway   Royal Navy (1876)
  • SMS Planet   Austro-Hungarian Navy (1889)
  • HMS Sabrina   Royal Navy (1876)
  • HMS Slaney   Royal Navy (1877)
  • HMS Spey   Royal Navy (1876)
  • HMS Tay   Royal Navy (1876)
  • HMS Tees   Royal Navy (1876)
  • HMS Trent   Royal Navy (1877)
  • HMS Tweed   Royal Navy (1877)

Merchant and leisure

 
SS John Bowes of 1852, the first iron screw collier
 
SS Meriones of 1922

Cable ships

Cargo ships

Oil tankers

  • British Ardour   British Tanker Company (1928)
  • British Aviator   British Tanker Company (1924)
  • British Captain   British Tanker Company (1923)
  • British Chemist   British Tanker Company (1925)
  • British Chivalry   British Tanker Company (1929)
  • British Corporal   British Tanker Company (1922)
  • British Freedom   British Tanker Company (1928)
  • British General   British Tanker Company (1922)
  • British Honour   British Tanker Company (1928)
  • British Industry   British Tanker Company (1927)
  • British Inventor   British Tanker Company (1926)
  • British Justice   British Tanker Company (1928)
  • British Light   British Tanker Company (1917)
  • British Loyalty   British Tanker Company (1928)
  • British Mariner   British Tanker Company (1922)
  • British Officer   British Tanker Company (1922)
  • British Premier   British Tanker Company (1922)
  • British Science   British Tanker Company (1931)
  • British Sergeant   British Tanker Company (1922)
  • British Splendour   British Tanker Company (1931)
  • British Strength   British Tanker Company (1931)
  • British Yeoman   British Tanker Company (1923)

Passenger ships

Steam yachts

Tugs

  • PT Northumberland   G. Wascoe, Shields, 1852 Yard number 1

Cargo vessels

See also

Notes

Explanatory footnotes

Citations

General and cited references

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company.
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