Clelands Shipbuilding Company: From Founding to Successors

Clelands Shipbuilding Company has a rich history that spans several decades. The company was founded in the late 19th century.

The first recorded shipbuilding activity by Clelands dates back to 1865. This marked the beginning of a long and successful journey for the company.

Clelands' early success was largely due to its innovative approach to shipbuilding, which involved using new materials and techniques.

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Clelands Shipbuilding Company has a rich history that spans over seven decades. The company was initially known as Clelands (Successors) from 1932 to 1956 and was acquired by the Craggs family from Goole, who already owned the Goole Shipbuilding and Repairing Company.

The company started operations again in 1934 with two slipways and a dock for above-water repairs. They initially focused on building small ships, including coastal freighters, lighters, tankers, and ferries, with a maximum length of 50 meters.

In 1939, the company received orders from the British Admiralty to build tugs, and a second dock was built to accommodate this new line of work. A 5-ton crane was added in 1943 to further support the company's growth.

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During World War II, Clelands built 15 Empire ships of various types for the Ministry of War Transport. The company produced two types of coastal motor ships with four units and three types of tugs with 11 units.

After the war, the company continued to thrive, earning a reputation for building high-quality ships. They received numerous orders from the oil industry and produced a large number of lighters, tank lighters, and small coastal tankers.

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Cleland's Shipbuilding Company was founded in 1866 by William Cleland in Willington Quay, Wallsend. He had previously worked as a manager at T. & W. Smith in North Shields.

The company initially focused on repairs and built only a few smaller ships, including frachtschiffe. After William Cleland's death in 1876, his firm continued this business model.

In 1932, Clelands (Successors) took over the company and began to concentrate on new shipbuilding, with a focus on small vessels such as Küstenfrachter, Leichter, and Tanker. The company's portfolio expanded over the years to include Baggerschiffe and Offshore-Versorger, with some ships reaching up to 1600 BRT and 100 meters in length.

Clelands Graving Dock & Slipway was founded in 1866 by William Cleland in Willington Quay, Wallsend.

William Cleland had previously worked as a manager at T. & W. Smith in North Shields before joining the Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company in Willington Quay, where he later became independent after the company was restructured as a limited company in 1865.

The shipyard initially focused on repairs and built only a few small ships, including freighters. This business strategy continued even after William Cleland's death in 1876.

The yard did build some fishing vessels and tugs in the 1890s, but repairs remained the core of the business until the 1930s.

Cleland's (Successors) Ltd was a shipbuilding company located in Willington Quay, Wallsend-on-Tyne.

The company was originally owned by William Cleland, who started business in 1867 and registered William Cleland's Graving Dock in 1872.

During the Depression, the yard was offered for sale and purchased by the Craggs family of the Goole Shipbuilding and Repairing Co in 1932 for £3000.

The company name became Cleland's (Successors) Ltd in 1934.

In the 1940s, the yard built three coasters and 60 barges of 80 feet length for oil companies.

Facilities were expanded in 1954 with a new fabrication hall and later with expansions of the main slipway and a new yard for launching berths, which cost £1m.

The yard mainly built coasters, coastal tankers, tugs, barges, drilling platforms, towing launches, tenders, and yachts.

In 1960, the yard employed around 700 men and production remained steady, with Cleland's also marketing their standard design coaster known as EXCELSHIP 2600.

The yard started to build oil-rig supply ships and anchor handling tugs for the North Sea oilfields in 1981.

The last ship built by the yard was Steyning, launched on 9th August 1983 and completed on 20th October of the same year.

The yard was then closed by British Shipbuilders Corporation, but continues to be used by a number of oil rig building companies.

A private-sector attempt was made to re-open the yard on a smaller scale in 1985.

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