Collection of material relating to Firth of Clyde Dry Dock Co Ltd, dry dock operators, Greenock, Inverclyde, Scotland

• Notes on company history and contracts, 20th century
• Photographs and slides, mid 20th century
• Notes on company services and facilities, mid-20th century
• Fairplay shipping journal including article on company, mid-20th century

The Firth of Clyde Dry Dock Co Ltd , Inchbank, Greenock, Inverclyde, Scotland, was incorporated as a limited liability company in 1958  to build a 1000 foot dry dock, capable of holding ships of 150.000 dwt. The company was financed by government loan, banks and insyurance companies, and also by the Clyde shipbuilding firms of John Brown & Co (Clydebank) Ltd , Charles Connell & Co Ltd , John Kincaid, Scotts of Greekock, and G & J Weir. Representatives from these formed the board .

The business opened in 1964  , and operated as dry dock owners and ship repairers. The larger contracts carried out by the company included the dry docking of the British India liner Devonia, the first 100,000 ton tanker built in Europe and Cunard Line's Queen Elizabeth II.

The company was underfunded from the start and in 1966 requested financial help from the government that was ignored. None of the financing companies stepped forward to help publicly and the company was forced into liquidation in 1967. The firm was then purchased by Scotts' Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd , Greenock, and Lithgows Ltd , Port Glasgow, on a 50/50 shareholding basis. The company name was changed to Scott Lithgow Drydocks Ltd in the same year.

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

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

Open

Gift : Mr Gifford : July 1987 : ACCN 0187

Catalogued as part of the Gifford Collection, GB 248 UGD 239

Digital file level list available in searchroom

Manual file level list available at the National Registers of Archives in Edinburgh (NRA(S)3049) and London (NRA15348, 15409, and 21083)

No known copies

Applications for permission to quote should be sent to the University Archivist

Reproduction subject to usual conditions: educational use & condition of documents

This material has been appraised in line with standard GB 248 procedures

Donated by Mr Gifford, former works manager of Firth of Clyde Cry Dock Co Ltd and D & W Henderson Ltd. The collection is catalogued and forms part of the Gifford Collection along with the material relating to D & W Henderson Ltd .

None expected

GB 248 UGD 239/1 Collection of material relating to D & W Henderson Ltd

GB 248 GD 232/22 Records of Scott Lithgow Drydocks Ltd

Material in other repositories: no material associated by provenance

No known publications using this material

This material is original

No alterations made to date