Charles Connell and Company explained

Charles Connell and Company
Type:	Private
Fate:	Closed
Successor:	Scotstoun Marine Ltd (1972–1980)
Foundation:	1861
Defunct:	1980
Location:	Scotstoun, Glasgow, Scotland
Industry:	Shipbuilding
Parent:	Upper Clyde Shipbuilders (1968–1971) Govan Shipbuilders (1972–1980)

Charles Connell and Company was a Scottish shipbuilding company based in Scotstoun in Glasgow on the River Clyde.

History

The company was founded by Charles Connell (1822–1894), who had served an apprenticeship with Robert Steele & Company before becoming manager of Alexander Stephen and Sons' Kelvinhaugh yard. He started shipbuilding on his own account at Scotstoun in 1861, initially concentrating on sailing ships.^[1]

From 1918 the Company became well known for high quality passenger and cargo ships. The yard closed from 1930 to 1937 due to the Great Depression, before rearmament efforts stimulated demand.

In 1968 the yard passed from Connell family ownership after 107 years and became part of Upper Clyde Shipbuilders.^[2] The Scotstoun yard continued to be operated by Upper Clyde Shipbuilders until 1971, when the company collapsed,^[3] and from 1972 to 1980 by Scotstoun Marine Ltd, a subsidiary of Govan Shipbuilders.

The Connell shipyard was closed in 1980 after 119 years of shipbuilding. The site was cleared of cranes although some evidence of the building berths remained visible until about 2004. Part of the yard's covered facilities are used by steel stockholders GKN whilst the riverside berth has been used by Motherwell Bridge Engineering^[4] for heavy fabrication work.

Ships built

Connells built over 510 ships at Scotstoun.^[5] They include:

Wild Deer (1863) – composite clipper ship
Michael Angelo (clipper) (1865) – sailing clipper^[6]
(1865) — sailing clipper
Spindrift (1867) – composite clipper ship
(1873) — sailing ship
SS City of Agra (1879) – cargo steamer
(1886) — iron-hulled sailing ship, preserved at the San Francisco Maritime Museum
(1894) — iron-hulled sailing ship
Knight Errant (1897) – cargo ship
Saturnia (1910) – passenger steamship^[7]
sloops and
s, and
s and
SS Clan Skene (1919)^[8]
SS Diplomat (1921)^[9]
SS Traveller (1922)^[10]
SS Auditor (1924)^[11]
SS Benvenue (1927)^[12]
SS Benmohr (1928)^[13]
SS Benwyvis (1929)^[14]
SS Traprain Law (1930)^[15]
SS Rothermere (1938)^[16]
SS Narwik (1942) — Polish Empire B class cargo steamship^[17]
(1943) — MoWT cargo steamship
(1947) – passenger-cargo ship

External links

The Clyde-built ships data base – lists over 22,000 ships built on the Clyde

Notes and References

http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/68386/details/glasgow+903+south+street+scotstoun+shipbuilding+yard/ Royal Commission on Ancient & Historical Monuments of Scotland
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/uk_confidential/1717110.stm Government's shipbuilding crisis
https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1971/jun/14/upper-clyde-shipbuilders Parliamentary debates
http://motherwellbridge.com/ Motherwell Bridge Engineering
Web site: Charles Connell & Company . Scottish Built Ships . Caledonian Maritime Research Trust . 20 July 2024 . live.
Web site: Michael Angelo . Scottish Built Ships . Caledonian Maritime Research Trust . 21 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240721001516/https://clydeships.co.uk/view.php?ref=4526 . 21 July 2024 . live.
Web site: Saturnia . Clydeships . 7 November 2019.
Web site: uboat.net. Clan Skene. 28 March 2022.
Web site: uboat.net. Diplomat. 21 March 2021.
Web site: uboat.net. Traveller. 16 November 2021.
Web site: uboat.net. Auditor. 27 June 2021.
Web site: uboat.net. Benvenue. 29 May 2021.
Web site: uboat.net. Benmohr. 5 January 2022.
Web site: uboat.net. Benwyvis. 3 May 2021.
Web site: uboat.net. Esmond. 27 May 2021.
Web site: uboat.net. Rothermere. 2 June 2021.
Book: Jerzy . Miciński . Bohdan . Huras . Marek . Twardowski . 1999 . Księga statków polskich 1918–1945. Tom 3 . A book of Polish ships 1918–1945. Vol. 3. Polnord Wydawnictwo Oskar . Gdańsk . Polish . 83-86181-45-1. 317.