Records of Blythswood Shipbuilding Co Ltd, shipbuilders, Scotstoun, Glasgow, Scotland

• Plans 1922-1964
• Production records 1922-1964
• Staff records 1930-1963
• Photographs 1944-1963

The Blytheswood Shipbuilding Co Ltd was founded and incorporated as a limited liability company on 6 October 1919  by Hugh H Macmillan, formerly a director of Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd , Glasgow, Scotland, and Donald Bremner of Dunlop Bremner & Co Ltd, shipbuilders, Glasgow. The company's premises were at Blythswood Shipyard, Scotstoun, Glasgow, a purpose built shipyard on a previously vacant site designed largely for the construction of diesel propelled oil tankers. The first ship built by the company, an oil tanker of about 11,000 tons called the British Architect, was delivered to her owners, British Tanker Co Ltd, London, in 1922  . The company experienced difficulties during the early years because of the inter-war slump. In 1931-1932  , the shipyard was empty for a period due to lack of orders and, in 1941  , part of the yard was destroyed by German bombing raids, nevertheless the company continued trading. After the Second World War the company continued to develop, modifying its berths to allow ships of a larger tonnage to be built. In addition to building and repairing oil tankers, they also produced tugs, cargo vessels and medium-sized cargo-passenger liners up to 600 feet. The company built 141 vessels, the last one being a research and survey vessel, Hecla, for Yarrow & Co Ltd, shipbuilders, Glasgow, in c1962  . The company ceased trading in 1964  and the yard was acquired by Yarrow & Co Ltd in 1965  .

Source: Ritchie, L A (ed),The Shipbuilding Industry: A Guide to Historical Records(Manchester, 1992)

The arrangement of this material reflects the original order in which it was received

Open

Deposit : former general manager : Dumbarton : 1978

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Acquired directly from the former general manager

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GB 248 UGD 266 Records of Yarrow & Co Ltd

See source list on Shipping and Shipbuilding Industry available via Glasgow Universy Archive Services homepage at http://www.archives.gla.ac.uk

GB 243 UCS 2 & TD 232/71-97 Records of Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd 19th and 20th centuries (Glasgow City Archives)

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This material is original

Updated by Jenny Cooknell , Assistant Archivist, 12 November 1999

Updated by David Powell, Hub Project Archivist, 25 April 2002