Birkenhead-Built: An
Unrivaled Historical Legacy
| The Laird, Son & Co. shipyard that
launched Denbigh in 1860 was already famous for its advances in iron ship
construction. Although other iron-hulled vessels of the day, like Great Eastern,
usually captured the headlines, the Laird yard was well-known for constructing vessels
that were both structurally sound and which often incorporated innovative (and
occasionally unorthodox) technological advances. Under the direction of its founder,
John Laird (right), the shipyard quickly established a name for itself in the building
ships of iron, very much an untried and somewhat mistrsted material in the 1830s and
1840s. This reputation secured a position for the Laird yard and its successor,
Cammell-Laird, at the forefront of the British shipbuilding industry, a position which it
retained well into the 20th century. Between 1829 and 1947, over 1,100 vessels of
all sizes and types slid down the Laird slipways into the Mersey. In addition to Denbigh
and the infamous Confederate raider Alabama, dozens of Birkenhead-built ships
have left their mark on the world's maritime heritage. A handful of these are listed
below: |
 |
| Name |
Date |
Notes |
| Robert F. Stockton |
1838 |
An iron-hulled,
twin-screw steamboat, designed by John Ericsson (later of Monitor fame). Built to
prove the viability of screw (propeller) propulsion, Stockton was a great success. Renamed
New Jersey, she was brought to the United States in 1839 and operated for 30 more
years on the Delaware and Raritan Canal in her namesake state. |
Mary Somers
(also Summers, Sumner) |
1839 |
Iron-hulled sidewheeler
built in prefabricated sections and assembled at Baltimore, 1839. Taken over by U.S.
Quartermaster Dept. in 1846; renamed United States in 1848. Fragmentary
documentation suggests she was operating in the Indianola, Texas area as late as 1860. |
| Nemesis |
1839 |
Iron-hulled paddle
frigate built for the British East India Company and used in India, Southeast Asia and
China. Although Nemesis was over 180 feet (55m) long, she drew only six feet,
making her ideally suited to the sort of coastal and riverine warfare engaged in by the
"Bombay Marine," the naval service of the East India Company. Nemesis’
successful performance in numerous actions encouraged the Royal Navy to give more
consideration to iron construction as a replacement for traditional wooden hulls. |
Guadeloupe
(also Guadlupe) |
1842 |
Iron-hulled paddle
frigate, the largest iron ship built to that time. Built on speculation by Laird with the
anticipation of selling her to the Royal Navy, Guadeloupe was eventually sold to
the Mexican Navy. With British officers and crew, Guadeloupe engaged the Texas
Navy in the Battle of Campeche in May 1843. Guadeloupe played an important role
in convincing the Royal Navy to adopt iron construction in large ships, by demonstrating
the value of watertight bulkheads, improved internal storage capacity and the ability of
iron plating to endure gunfire without being splintered like wood. |
| H.M.S. Birkenhead |
1845 |
The Royal Navy’s
first iron-hulled frigate; converted to a troopship in 1848. On February 26, 1852, struck
a rock and sank off the coast of South Africa. During the sinking, the soldiers of the
74th Highlanders were drawn up on deck in ranks, allowing the women and children aboard to
escape in the handful of boats available. The term "Birkenhead Drill"
became synonymous with 19th century British ideals of discipline and courage. |
| Ma Robert |
1858 |
Steel-hulled steam
launch; first steel-hulled paddlewheel vessel built. Launched in 1858, Ma Robert
was taken to Africa in three prefabricated sections and assembled onthe Zambesi River as
part of Dr. David Livingston's exploration of that waterway. Ma Robert
proved to be badly underpowered, however, and was soon dubbed Asthmatic. |
| H.M.S. Wivern and H.M.S. Scorpion |
1863 |
So-called "Laird
Rams," iron-hulled, armored warships built for the Confederacy but never delivered.
The construction and outfitting of these ships caused a major international dispute, which
was only resolved when they were seized and taken into service by the British Royal Navy.
With twin turrets, telescoping funnels and 3 to 4.5 inches (7.5 to 11.5cm) side armor,
these ships (intended as C.S.S. Mississippi and C.S.S. North Carolina,
respectively) were superior to any in the U.S. Navy at the time. Both remained in service
with the Royal Navy until the 20th century. |
| Wren |
1864 |
Purpose-built,
steel-hulled, sidewheel blockade runner, built for Fraser, Trenholm & Co. Made three
successful round voyages through the blockade between Havana and Galveston. |
| Lark |
1864 |
Purpose-built,
steel-hulled, sidewheel blockade runner, built for Fraser, Trenholm & Co. Made four
successful round voyages through the blockade between Havana and Galveston. On one
occasion, Lark's crew successfully fought off a Federal
boarding party, and almost unheard-of event in blockade running. On the evening of
May 24, 1865, carrying Denbigh’s crew, Lark ran out of Galveston
through the blockade, bound for Havana. In doing so, Lark became the last
blockade runner to clear a Confederate port during the Civil War. |
| Albatross |
1865 |
Purpose-built,
steel-hulled, sidewheel blockade runner, built for Fraser, Trenholm & Co. Unfinished
at war’s end. |
| Penguin |
1865 |
Purpose-built,
steel-hulled, sidewheel blockade runner, built for Fraser, Trenholm & Co. Unfinished
at war’s end. |
| Huascar |
1865 |
Armored, iron-hulled
warship fitted with a revolving turret housing a pair of 300-pounder guns. Ordered by the
Peruvian government for use in its was with Spain, Huascar arrived after
hostilities had ended. In 1879 Huascar was captured by the Chilean navy.
Preserved today as a museum ship at Talcahuano, Huascar is the last monitor-type
warships afloat, and represents the rapid advances being made in ship design and armament
in the 1860s. |
| H.M.S. Captain |
1870 |
Designed and built as a
test platform for Captain Cowper Coles’ design for a warship with turrets arranged on
the vessel’s centerline. Captain had an extremely low freeboard – only
6.5 feet (2m) – and was badly over-rigged with 50,000 square feet of sails. After
participating in gunnery trials with the British Mediterranean Squadron in September 1870,
Captain was blown over in a gale and sank with all but eighteen of the 499 men
aboard. |
| H.M.S. Audacious |
1912 |
British dreadnought
battleship of World War I. Struck a mine and sank off the Irish coast, October 26, 1914.
Crew rescued by the liner Olympic, sister to the ill-fated Titanic. |
| H.M.S. Iron Duke |
1912 |
British dreadnought
battleship of World War I. Served as flagship of the commander-in-chief of the Grand
Fleet, 1914-16. Flagship of Vice Admiral Sir David Beatty at Jutland, 1916. Hull built at
Portsmouth Dockyard; boilers and engines built at Laird’s Yard, Birkenhead. |
| Stavangerford |
1917 |
Twin-screw, 13,000 GRT
passenger steamer of the Norwegian-American Line. After launching and installation
of machinery, Stavangerford steamed to the United States to complete her
fitting-out. Operated between New York and Oslo, with occasional summer cruises to
Scandinavia and the North Cape. Survived World War II as a floating barracks for Kriegsmarine
crews in Oslo and, remarkably, was not destroyed in the German retreat from Norway.
Remained in operation until late 1963, when she was retired after 45 years' service on the
North Atlantic. In all, Stavangerford had made 770 Atlantic crossing,
steaming 2,800,000 miles while carrying 500,00 passengers. Scrapped at Hong Kong,
1964. |
| H.M.S. Rodney |
1927 |
British battleship of
World War II. On the morning of May 27, 1941, with H.M.S. King George V
intercepted and engaged the German battleship Bismarck in the North Atlantic,
bringing an end to the German ship’s brief but dramatic sortie. Later provided
support for the Allied invasions of North Africa and Normandy, and served as escort on
convoys to the Soviet port of Murmansk. |
| H.M.S. Achilles |
1933 |
British cruiser of
World War II. With H.M.S. Exeter and H.M.S. Ajax, engaged and damaged
the German "pocket battleship" Admiral Graf Spee on December 13, 1939
in the Battle of the River Plate. (Graf Spee was subsequently scuttled by her own
crew at Montevideo.) In 1941 recommissioned into the new Royal New Zealand Navy. In 1948
was transferred to the Royal Indian Navy as R.I.N. Delhi. |
| H.M.S. Ark Royal |
1938 |
British aircraft
carrier of World War II. In May 1941 Ark Royal’s Swordfish torpedo bombers
caused critical damage to the German battleship Bismarck, allowing the British
fleet to catch and sink her the following day. Torpedoed and sunk by U-81 near
Gibraltar, November 1941. |
| H.M.S. Thetis |
1938 |
British T-class
submarine. Sank during trials on June 1, 1939 with 103 people on board – her own crew
of 53 plus 50 other technicians and other observers. As the result of a trim error, the
submarine plunged bow-first into the sea bottom off the Welsh coast in 165 feet (50m) of
water. Four men managed to get out through an escape hatch, but the 99 others suffocated.
The submarine was eventually raised and put into service during World War II as H.M.S. Thunderbolt.
Sunk March 14, 1943 in the Mediterranean by the Italian corvette Cicogna.
Bizarrely, only a week before Thetis sank, the U.S. submarine Squalus
sank off the New England coast in a similar accident. |
| Mauretania (II) |
1939 |
High-speed ocean liner
for the Cunard-White Star Line, intended to augment the "Queens" (Queen Mary
and Queen Elizabeth) on the North Atlantic run if either was taken out of service
in an emergency. Served as a troop transport beginning in 1940. Returned to
civilian service in 1947, operating as a cruise ship out of New York in the winter months.
Broken up in Scotland, 1965. |
| H.M.S. Prince of
Wales |
1941 |
British battleship of
World War II. In May 1941, while still in her "working up" period, Prince of
Wales and Hood intercepted the German warships Bismarck and Prinz
Eugen. Hood was destroyed minutes into the action, but Prince of Wales
scored three hits on Bismarck before breaking off the action. Later Prince of
Wales brought Prime Minister Winston Churchill to Argentia Bay, Newfoundland, where
he and U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Atlantic Charter which created the
United Nations. Sunk on December 10, 1941 with H.M.S. Repulse in a coordinated
air attack by Japanese bombers and torpedo aircraft. |
| Windsor Castle |
1959 |
Flagship of the Union
Castle fleet, began operating on the Southampton-Cape Town route in 1960. Adaptable
accommodations allowed for a complement of either 241 First Class and 591 Tourist Class
passengers, or 191 First and 691 Tourist. |
Much of the above material is adapted from Lincoln
Paine's outstanding reference work, Ships of the World: An
Historical Encyclopedia, and Stephen R. Wise's history of Civil War blockade
running, Lifeline of the
Confederacy. |
