In the 19th and 20th centuries, over 30,000 ships - 20% of the world’s shipping - were built along the River Clyde, making Glasgow the shipbuilding capital of the world - so much so that the term ‘Clydebuilt’ was synonymous with high quality craft across the globe.
In honour of Glasgow’s 850th anniversary, we’re looking back at some of the biggest and best ships built on the Clyde that made the biggest impact on the world.
As Glaswegians, we’re proud of our shipbuilding heritage - there’s not a soul born in Glasgow without some kind of connection to the shipyards, whether that be in riveters, welders, labourers, foreman, or any other trade that kept big steel ships pouring out of the River Clyde.
At it’s peak, tens of thousands of people were employed by the shipyards of the Clyde, from Govan to Clydebank, the River Clyde was flanked end-to-end by massive dry docks, towering cranes, and the skeletons of massive steel monoliths sparked together by the people of Glasgow.
Glasgow built the biggest and best ships in the world for most of the 20th century - constructing around a fifth of all ships launched in the early 1900s.
The Clyde’s largest shipyards include John Brown’s shipyard in Clydebank, which constructed some of the largest and most impressive cruise liners of the 20th century in the small humble town, and Fairfield Shipyard in Govan - which many Glaswegians can trace heritage to, given the massive scale of the shipyard.
The end of the Second World War signalled the beginning of the end for the Clyde shipyards. While they remained open for decades afterwards, it would be slow decline as Glasgow was unable to compete with emerging industries elsewhere in the world.
While today there are two major shipyards on the Clyde, it’s estimated that more than 300 firms have engaged in shipbuilding on Clydeside in total, with around 30 to 40 firms operating at any given time during the peak of production.
Back before the days of package holidays, it was the main route Glaswegians used to holiday - mostly during the Glasgow Fair Fortnight. For generations Glaswegians would travel down the Clyde on paddle steamers to destinations like Ayr, Troon, and Rothesay on the Isle of Bute. Before that Glaswegian ships allowed for migration to America, Canada and Australia - transporting millions on their way to new lives.
1. Queen Mary
The RMS Queen Mary was constructed for Cunard-White Star Line by shipbuilding firm John Brown at Clydebank. Her maiden voyage was in May of 1936, and in August of that year she would go on to win the Blue Riband — an accolade for transatlantic passenger liners with the highest average speeds. The Queen Mary features some of the grandest interior designs ever seen aboard an ocean liner. Influenced by the Art Deco movement of the 1920s and 30s, the distinctive design includes strong curves and geometric forms. With the onset of World War II resulting in the ship’s conversion to troopship for Allied soldiers. Following the war, the Queen Mary once again began shuttling passengers back-and-forth across the Atlantic ocean. The late 1950s saw the arrival of the jet age, resulting in the decrease of demand for sea travel and inevitably leading to the retirement of the Queen Mary in the late 1960s. During her service, the Queen Mary transported over 2 million passengers, and approximately 810,000 members of the military during World War II. The Queen Mary was purchased by the City of Long Beach in 1967, who then worked to transform the vessel into a hotel, museum and event space. The ship has hosted a dazzling array of famous faces over the decades, including Elizabeth Taylor, Clark Gable, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, The Queen Mother, Winston Churchill, Audrey Hepburn and Greta Garbo. | Contributed
2. Queen Elizabeth
Launched on September 27, 1938 - the Queen Elizabeth was the largest cruise liner in the world when it was constructed in Clydebank. She provided a weekly transatlantic service between Southampton and New York City, becoming one of the most famous ships in the world. In 1972, whilst she was undergoing refurbishment in Hong Kong harbour, a fire broke out aboard, and the vessel was capsized by the water used to fight the fire. The upturned ship featured in Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun. | Wikipedia
3. Queen Elizabeth II
The Queen Elizabeth II was built by John Brown's shipyard in Clydebank in 1965, then operated by Cunard as both a transatlantic liner and a cruise ship from 1969 to 2008. The designers included artwork in the public rooms of the ship, as well as maritime artefacts drawn from Cunard's history of operating merchant vessels. The ship is now a floating hotel in Dubai. Photo: Gordon Rule
4. RMS Aquitania
The RMS Aquitania was an ocean liner from the Cunard Line which served between 1914 and 1950. Designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown & Company in Clydebank, she was first launched on April 21 1913. Her maiden voyage took place from Liverpool to New York the year following on May 30. In her 36 years, the vessel served military duty in both world wars and returned to passenger service after both. She was nicknamed The Ship Beautiful for her interior and Old Reliable for her war service. Photo: via Picryl