Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company

Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company, Limited
Company type	Private
Industry	Shipbuilding, Engineering
Founded	1874
Founder	W.B. Thompson CBE
Defunct	1981
Fate	Merged with Henry Robb to form Robb Caledon Shipbuilding Limited in 1968; ceased operations in 1981
Headquarters	Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom
Products	Ships, barges, launches

The Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company, Limited was a leading Scottish shipyard located in Dundee, Scotland, with a history spanning over 100 years and having constructed upwards of 500 vessels.

History

W.B. Thompson CBE (1837–1923) established the Tay Foundry in 1866, followed by the creation of WB Thompson Shipbuilding in 1874. In 1889, the firm expanded by acquiring the Marine Engineering Works at Lilybank Foundry. The company underwent reorganization in 1896 and adopted the name Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company as a tribute to its founder’s initial client, the Earl of Caledon.

The Lilybank engine works were shut down in 1932. Later, in 1968, Caledon merged with Henry Robb of Leith to form Robb Caledon Shipbuilding Limited. The last ships from the Caledon yard were finished in 1980, and operations ended the following year in 1981.

Throughout its existence, Caledon produced a total of 509 ships, along with 20 barges and 34 launches.

W.B. Thompson CBE and his spouse Hannah Ogilvie (1836–1921) are buried at Western Cemetery in Dundee.

Victoria Drummond, noted as the UK’s pioneering female marine engineer, completed her apprenticeship at Caledon.

Ships built by Caledon

Caledon's construction portfolio encompasses:

Naval

Aircraft carriers

HMS Activity Template:Country data UK Template:Namespace detect showall Royal Navy

Frigates

HMS Loch Lomond Template:Country data UK Template:Namespace detect showall Royal Navy
HMS Loch More Template:Country data UK Template:Namespace detect showall Royal Navy
HMS Loch Arkaig Template:Country data UK Template:Namespace detect showall Royal Navy
HMS Loch Tralaig Template:Country data UK Template:Namespace detect showall Royal Navy
An additional vessel of this class – HMS Loch Seaforth – was cancelled.

Survey ships

HMS Hecla Royal Navy
HMS Herald Royal Navy

Corvettes

Landing ships

HMS Glengyle Template:Country data UK Template:Namespace detect showall Royal Navy

Auxiliaries

Merchant

Yard No	Name	Type	Launch	Owner/Notes
5	Ilala	single screw iron steamship	1874	WB Thompson
7	Scotia	single screw iron steamship	1875	Dundee, Perth & London Shipping Co
8	Glentrum	single screw steamship	1875	James Mitchell
11	Astoria	sailing ship	1876	Joseph Gibson & Co
14	Ugarte No 1	single screw iron steamship	1876	Ugarte Bros
16	Earlshall	iron barque	1876	Robertson Bros
17	Lintrathen	iron sailing barque	1876	Joseph Gibson & Co
18	Tulchan	iron sailing barque	1876	AM Banks & Co
19	Altona	single screw iron steamship	1877	Yorkshire Coal & Steam Shipping Co
20	Kaffrarian	steam paddle tug	1877	Kaffrarian Steam Landing & Shipping Co
21	Rosedale	twin screw iron steamship	1877	Gippsland SN Co
22	Glenisia	single screw iron steamship	1878	James Mitchell
23	Fairport	single screw iron coastal steamship	1877	John Smart Roy
24	Vesper	single screw iron steamship	1878	RA Mudie & sons
25	Marathon	single screw steamship	1878	D Scott & Son

|-

|27|| Otto M'Combie||single screw iron steamship||1879||J M'Combie

|-

|28|| Inchcape||single screw iron steam coaster||1879||JS Roy & David Linsay

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|29|| Vasco da Gama||single screw iron steamship||1879||George MacAndrew

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|30|| Coraki||twin screw shallow draught passenger steamship||1879||Clarence & Richmond SN Co

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|31|| Dundee||single screw iron steamship||1880||RA Mudie & Sons

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|32|| Garry||single screw iron steamship||1880||North Sea Steam Shipping Co

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|33|| Countess of Cromertie||single screw steamship||1880||WB Thomson

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|34|| Kenmore||single screw iron steamship||1880||Albany Shipping Co

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|36|| Diamond||single screw iron steamship||1881||Dundee Gem Line SS Co

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|37|| Opal||single screw iron steamship||1881||Dundee Gem Line SS Co

|-

|38|| John Ray||single screw iron steamship||1881||MA Ray & Son

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|40|| Coxhaven||single screw steamship||1882||Yorkshire Coal & Steam Shipping Co

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|41|| Dundee||iron sailing ship||1882||Charles Barrie

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|42|| Calabria||single screw iron steamship||1883||D Scott & Son

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|43|| Goya||single screw iron steamship||1882||Miguel Saenz

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|44|| Lista||single screw iron steamship||1882||Miguel Saenz

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|43 (duplicate)|| St Thomas||single screw steel steamship||1882||Arbroath & London SS Co

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|47|| Lauderdale||single screw cargo steamship||1882||R Mackill & Co

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|50|| Fushun||single screw steel steamship||1883||WB Thompson

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|53|| Jasper||single screw steel steamship||1883||Dundee Gem Line SS Co

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|56|||four-masted sailing ship|||1884|||AD Bordes et Fils

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|57|||twin screw iron steam tug|||1884|||Retriever Steamship Co

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|58|||four-masted iron sailing ship|||1884|||R Shankland & Co

|-

|-59- |- -Dresden- |- -single screw steel steamship- |- -1884- |- -Yorkshire Coal & Steam Shipping Co- |
|-60- |- -Lanquedoc- |- -iron passenger steamship- |- -1884- |- -SG de Transporte Marte de Vapeur- |
|-62- |- -Firth of Stronsa- |- -barque- |- -1885- |- -J Spencer & Co- |
|-63- |- -Chili- |- -iron barque- |- -1885- |- -AD Bordes et Fils- |
|-64- |- -Firth of Solway- |- -barque- |- -1885- |- -J Spencer & Co- |
|-65- |- -Indra- |- -iron twin screw steam tug- |- -1888- |- -Ganges Steam Towing Co- |
|-68- |- -Avocet- |- -single screw steel steamship- |- -1885- |- -Cork Steamship Co- |
|-71- |- -Tarapaca- |- -four-masted iron sailing ship- |- -1886- |- -AD Boedes et Fils- |
|-73- |- -Eddystone- |- -single screw cargo and passenger steamship- |- -1886- |- -Clyde Shipping Co- |
|-75-|-'Dalhousie'-|'single screw iron steam trawler'|'1886'|'WB Thompson'

|}

Additional

HMS Triad, a yacht that was commandeered by the Royal Navy during the First World War

History

Ships built by Caledon

Naval

Merchant

Additional

Further reading