Yarrow Shipbuilders
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Yarrow (Shipbuilders), Limited (YSL), often styled as simply Yarrows, was a major shipyard, now part of BAE Systems Naval Ships which also includes the nearby Govan shipyard. The shipyard is located in the Scotstoun district of Glasgow, Scotland on the River Clyde.
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[edit] History
The company was founded by Alfred Yarrow, later Sir Alfred Yarrow, 1st Baronet, in the 1870's as Yarrow & Company, Limited. Originally it was based on the Isle of Dogs in London, where hundreds of steam launches, lake and river vessels, and eventually the Royal Navy's first destroyers were built between 1869 and 1908.
Despite a move of yards, Yarrows outgrew its Poplar site and this and the cost of land and labour in London led to a second move to Scotstoun, Glasgow beginning in 1906. The London yard closed in 1908.
The Yarrow company was one of the world's leading builders of destroyers from its inception until after World War 2, building ships for both the Royal Navy and export customers. For many years until the 1960s Yarrow also built merchant ships, speciallising particularly on vessels for the rivers and lakes of Burma, India, Africa and South America. In total Yarrow built approximately 400 ships on the Clyde - these can be traced in detail in the Clyde-built Ship Database. Yarrow was also a builder of boilers, and a type of water-tube boiler developed by the company was known as the "Yarrow type boiler".
In 1977 the Labour government of James Callaghan passed the Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act 1977 which nationalised the company, by now known as Yarrow (Shipbuilders), Limited, and grouped it with other major British shipyards as British Shipbuilders. The succeeding government of Margaret Thatcher began a privatisation programme and Yarrow was one of British Shipbuilder's early divestitures. It was sold in 1985 to GEC's GEC-Marconi division, becoming Marconi Marine (YSL). In 1999 Marconi Electronic Systems was sold to British Aerospace, creating BAE Systems. Marconi Marine (YSL) became BAE Systems Marine (YSL). As of 2006, YSL is now part of the BAE Systems Surface Fleet Solutions division.
[edit] Ships built by Yarrow
Built in London:
- Japanese torpedo boat Kotaka 1885
- Havock class destroyers
- HMS Havock 1893
- HMS Hornet 1893
- River class destroyers
- HMS Teviot 1903
- HMS Usk 1903
- HMS Ribble 1904
- HMS Welland 1904
- HMS Gala 1905
- HMS Garry 1905
Built after the move to Glasgow:
(There is some confusion as to where the Thyella class were built as they are described as 'laid down 1905' (before the move from London began) and were launched 1907/8 (before the London yard closed)
- Thyella class destroyers (Royal Hellenic Navy) (1906-07)
- Black Swan class sloop
- Tribal class frigate
- Leander class frigate
- Type 21 frigates
- Type 22 frigates
- Type 23 frigates
- Type 45 destroyers
- HMS Daring: Launched 1 February 2006
- Converted Civilian Vessels
- HMCS Tuna originally built as Tarantula
- Clyde-class RNLI lifeboats
- Charles H Barrett (70-001)
- Grace Paterson Ritchie (70-002)
- Royal Malaysian Navy
- KD Hand Tuah (F76) ex-Black Star, ex-HMS Mermaid
- KD Rahmat (F24)
- Lekiu-class frigates
- Jebat (F29)
- Lekiu (F30)
