Alexander Stephen and Sons Limited, often referred to simply as Alex Stephens or just Stephens, was a Scottish shipbuilding company based in Linthouse, Glasgow, on the River Clyde and, initially, on the east coast of Scotland.

History

The company's roots can be found in Alexander Stephen (1722–1793) who began shipbuilding at Burghead on the Moray Firth in 1750.Records of Alexander Stephen & Sons Ltd, shipbuilders and engineers, Linthouse, Govan, Glasgow, Scotland University of Glasgow Archives

In 1793 William Stephen (1759–1838), a descendant of his, established a firm of shipbuilders at Footdee in Aberdeen.A Shipbuilding History 1750–1932 (Alexander Stephen and Sons) Chapter 1 Grace's Guide

In 1813 another member of the family, again called William (1789–1829), commenced shipbuilding at Arbroath.

Alexander Stephen (1795–1875), a member of the third generation of the family, merged the Aberdeen and Arbroath businesses in 1828 and then, after closing the Aberdeen yard in 1829, moved production to the Panmure yard in Dundee in 1842. In 1850 Alexander Stephen arranged a lease of the Kelvinhaugh yard in Glasgow from Robert Black for twenty years from May, 1851. The site of the Kelvinhaugh yard is now Yorkhill Quay. The Arbroath yard finally closed in 1857. Due to the restrictions in size of the Kelvinhaugh yard, as well as the impending expiry of the lease, in 1870 the Glasgow business moved to a new site at Linthouse. The Dundee shipyard was sold to the Dundee Shipbuilders Company in 1893.A Shipbuilding History 1750–1932 (Alexander Stephen and Sons) Chapter 4 Grace's Guide

In a tragic disaster in 1883, , a steamship, capsized after its launch from the Linthouse yard, and 124 workers lost their lives.A Stephen (1833–1899), shipbuilder at Kelvinhaugh & Linthouse, The Glasgow StoryThe Daphne Disaster, Lost Glasgow, 3 July 2020SS 'Daphne' Memorial, Art UK

In 1968, Stephens was incorporated into Upper Clyde ShipbuildersGovernment's shipbuilding crisis BBC News, 1 January 2002 and was closed after the latter organisation collapsed in 1971.Parliamentary debates Hansard, 4 June 1971 The engineering and ship repair elements of Alexander Stephen & Sons were not part of the UCS merger and continued until 1976, with the Company eventually wound up in 1982, when the shareholders were repaid.

The ship repair business was based at the , which had been purchased from the Clyde Port Authority in 1967.

There is no knowledge of the earliest ships built, but the last 153 which were built on the East Coast are recorded. On the Clyde the firm built 697 ships, 147 at the Kelvinhaugh shipyard and the remainder at Linthouse.

It was at Stephens shipyard that Billy Connolly served his apprenticeship as a boilermaker. In 1992, he returned to the site of the now-demolished shipyard he worked at 35 years earlier. "What an extraordinary feeling. I spent a great deal of my life in here. From age 16 to... well, I started at 15. I started my apprenticeship at 16 and finished when I was 21. Stayed till I was 22, and moved along. I finished welding when I was 24. When I came here, as an apprentice, there was six ships being built, right where I'm standing. It was an extraordinary place. A hive of activity. Welders, caulkers, platers, burners, joiners, engineers, electricians. I learned how men talked to one another, and how merciless Glasgow humour can be. It has made an indelible mark on me." His foreman was Sammy Boyd, but the two biggest influences on him, according to the book written by his wife Pamela, were Jimmy Lucas and Bobby Dalgleish. Jimmy was one of Billy's trainers in the yard who helped him to hone his skills as a welder and a comedian.

Part of the site is now occupied by a Thales Optronics facility, with the former main office building converted into lettable office space by Govan Workspace, called Alexander Stephen House. The A-listed former Engine Shop was salvaged by the Scottish Maritime Museum in 1991 and rebuilt at its site in Irvine.

Ships built by Alexander Stephen and Sons University of Glasgow Archives hold a number of separately catalogued records collections for various Clyde shipbuilding firms associated with the name Alexander Stephen. For ship's plans, two of the larger holdings are "Collection of miscellaneous ship plans built on the river Clyde, Glasgow, Scotland" (gb 248 GB 248 UGD 130/5) and "Records of Upper Clyde Shipbuilders Ltd, Linthouse Division, shipbuilders Glasgow, Scotland" (gb 248 GB 248 UGD 349). However the cataloging does not list names of individual ships. Cataloguing is accessed via a link from the GLA home page, directly from the GLA search page.

The table below provides basic details of ships from 1940, and it will be expanded to include other ships. Further lists of ships built by the firm can be found at the "Maritime History Virtual Archives": Arbroath yard list 1830-1843, Dundee yard list 1844-1893 , Linthouse yard-list 1870-1893.

Yard number Type of ship Name Launched42 Passenger cargo ship / Commerce raider186356Barquentine-rigged steam cutterBear187483composite barqueFusi Yama1865215Iron barque1877 Iron Barque "South Esk"250 Cargo steamship Alverton 1880303Four-masted iron barqueBracadale1887394Passenger cargo liner1902397Steam yacht1902401Passenger cargo shipMiltiades1903402Passenger cargo shipMarathon1904408Steam yacht1904509Tug1925519Passenger liner1929529Passenger linerKenya1930527Steam yachtFrom 1932 Southern Cross. Built for James Mackay, 1st Earl of Inchcape, 1932 bought by Howard Hughes, 1937 bought by Axel Wenner-Gren, 1942 bought by Mexican Navy1930540Passenger cargo ship1935543Passenger cargo ship1934571Hunt Class destroyer1940572Hunt Class destroyer1941573Fleet destroyer1942574Fleet destroyer1942575Refrigerated cargo ship1941576Refrigerated cargo ship1941577Hunt Class destroyer1941578Hunt Class destroyer1941579Hunt Class destroyer1942580Hunt Class destroyer1942581Bangor class minesweeper1941582Bangor class minesweeper1942583–5864 Landing Craft Mechanised1940587–5882 Tank Landing Craft1940589Hunt Class destroyer1942590Hunt Class destroyer1942591Fast minelayer1943592Refrigerated cargo ship1943593Refrigerated cargo ship1943594Sloop1943595Sloop1943596Cruiserunnamedcancelled597Refrigerated cargo ship1944598Light aircraft carrier1945599Fleet destroyer1945600Fleet destroyer1945601Fleet destroyer1946602Refrigerated cargo ship1946 603 Fleet destroyer 1946 604 Fleet destroyer 1947 605 Fleet destroyer cancelled 606 Landing Ship Tank 1945 607 Landing Ship Tank 1945 608 Cargo ship 1946 609 Fleet destroyer 1950 610 Passenger refrigerated cargo ship 1946 611 Passenger cargo ship 1947 612 Cargo ship 1947 613 Cargo ship 1946 614 Cargo ship 1948 615 Cargo ship 1947 616 Passenger cargo ship 1948 617 Cargo ship 1948 618 Passenger cargo ship 1949 619 Refrigerated cargo ship 1948 620 Passenger cargo ship 1949 621 Refrigerated cargo liner 1949 622 Cargo ship 1950 623 Cargo ship 1950 624 Cargo ship 1950 625 Cargo ship 1950 626 Cargo ship 1950 627 Cargo ship 1951 629 Passenger ship 1951 630 Cargo ship 1951 631 Cargo ship 1952 632 Cargo ship 1952 633 Cargo ship 1952 634 Cargo ship 1952 635 Cargo ship 1953 636 Passenger ship 1953 637 Cargo ship 1953 638 Frigate 1952 639 Frigate 1956 640 Refrigerated cargo ship 1954 641 Cargo ship 1954 642 Cargo ship 1954 643 Passenger ship 1954 644 Passenger ship 1954 645 Passenger cargo ship 1955 646 Passenger ship 1955 648 Cargo ship 1956 649 Passenger cargo ship 1956 650 Cargo ship 1959 651 Cargo ship 1955 652 Passenger cargo ship 1956 653 Cargo ship 1956 654 Cargo ship 1956 655 Frigate 1958 656 Cargo ship 1956 657 Passenger refrigerated cargo ship 1957 658 Passenger refrigerated cargo ship 1957 659 Passenger refrigerated cargo ship 1957 660 Cargo ship 1957 661 Cargo ship 1958 662 Passenger cargo ship 1959 663 Passenger cargo ship 1959 664 Tanker 1958 665 Cargo ship 1958 666 Frigate 1959 667 Tanker 1959 668 Tanker 1960 669 Frigate 1961 671 Cargo ship 1960 672 Tanker 1962 673 Cargo ship 1962 674 Frigate 1962 675 Passenger refrigerated cargo ship 1960 676 Refrigerated cargo ship 1961 677 Passenger cargo ship 1961 678 Passenger cargo ship 1962 679 Passenger Cargo ship 1963 680 Passenger ship 1963 681 Frigate 1964 682 Dredger 1963 683 Dredger 1965 684 Passenger cargo ship 1964 685 Cargo ship 1964 686 Dredger 1965 687 Dredger 1965 688 Dredger 1966 689 Dredger 1966690Royal Fleet Auxiliary logistics ship1966691Royal Fleet Auxiliary logistics ship1967692Dredger196769319676941967695Refrigerated cargo ship1966696Refrigerated cargo ship1967697Frigate1967698Dredger1967700Refrigerated cargo ship1967701Refrigerated cargo ship1968 Aircraft carrier

Cruisers Launched as Sea King 1863 Extreme Tea Clipper, Renamed CSS Shenandoah 1864 as a Confederate Cruiser Commerce Raider.

Destroyers

– cancelled – cancelled

– cancelled and broken up on slipway.

Hunt-class destroyers

Frigates Minelayers

Sloops

Auxiliaries

Yachts

Liners

RMS Port Kingston (1904), renamed

1909, later renamed Hammonia

Barques Fusi Yama Bear Bracadale

References

External links

William Stephen, Arbroath. Clyde Built Ships, yard list Alexander Stephen & Sons, Dundee. Clyde Built Ships, yard list Alexander Stephen & Sons, Kelvinhaugh. Clyde Built Ships, yard list Alexander Stephen & Sons, Govan. Clyde Built Ships, yard list