Maritime History of Newport
By Peter Brown
© Peter Brown 2024
Shipbuilding
Many people from Newport can remember the days of shipbreaking by Cashmore’s and repairs carried out at the Tredegar Dry Dock in Pill; the long history of shipbuilding, from the 15th century (at least) to the early 20th century, is less well-known. This chapter provides an overview of the shipbuilding at Newport and a provisional list of the ships built.
Although shipbuilding and repair have a long history in Newport, we have little documentary evidence to confirm this before the later 18th century. We know that a carvel ship was built in Newport around 1454 for Morgan ap Jenkyn ap Philip and William Kemyes, requiring a shipwright to be brought over from Bristol. This ship was probably built for the Duke of Buckingham and may have been the Trinity of Newport.[1]
In 1674-5, a consortium of local merchants commissioned the first ship of any size to be built in the town, the Tredegar of Newport. It cost £605, with the principal shareholder, John Morgan of Tredegar, contributing £453. The ship traded with Barbados but appears to have operated mainly out of Bristol.[2]
The records tell us that Timothy Sparkes owned a shipyard at Newport in the early 18th century, and later by Messrs. R. Griffiths and Son.[3] More evidence of shipbuilding appeared in the 18th century before large-scale work began in the early 19th century. The Nancy of Bideford was built at Newport in 1776, and the Moderator of Newport in 1778.
Shipbuilding increased after 1800, with the Carlion in 1803, the John and Mary in 1814, the Sarah in 1818, the Usk in 1819, and the Sisters in 1822. The shipbuilders then were Matthew and John Johns, Daniel Tudor, David Tudor, David Morton, Pride and Williams, and Robert Johnson.[4] The 1820s saw an increase in recorded ships built, with the first steamer – the St Pierre – built by Pride and Williams in 1825.
The 1830s saw steady output from the Newport shipyards, and in 1834, the following comments were published in the Monmouthshire Merlin regarding an unnamed schooner of 300 tons that was launched from the building yard of Mr John Young:[5]
The vessel is considered by competent judges to be one of the most perfect pieces of workmanship that ever was launched in the bosom of the three channels. She has been purchased by Messrs. Crisps, of London, and is intended for the Smyrna (Turkish) trade.
The launching of ships was a matter of great local pride, as illustrated by this record from the Monmouthshire Merlin on 6 January 1838:[6]
On Saturday morning the 30th of December a schooner of 150 tons burthen was launched from the yard of Mr John Young in this town. The morning was remarkably fine and hundreds of persons lined the banks of the river and the wharves to witness the interesting sight. At the appointed time the blocks were struck, when she moved slowly and gracefully along the ways, and as she plunged into her future element she received the name of 'The Queen Victoria'. She belongs to Waterford and is intended for the trade between that port and London. We understand that this vessel was completed in the remarkably short period of nine weeks, and is the fifth which has been launched from the same yard in the course of the last eleven months.
In 1847, the shipbuilders recorded by Scott were: Nicholas and Cokke, near the bridge; Willmett and Hall; and Young and Cook on the east bank near the Lliswerry Pill.[7]
The record for tonnage was held by the Endymion (270 tons) in 1826, the Florist (443 tons) in 1838, the Anjer (466 tons) in 1843, the William Frederick (578 tons) in 1850, the Isca (587 tons) in 1851, Cinderella (820 tons) in 1855, and the Iron King (871 tons) in 1867.[8]
The shipbuilding yard and dry docks of Mordey and Carney at Jack’s Pill, around 1905
The boom years for Newport shipbuilding were 1866 (10 vessels and 2868 tons) and 1867 (11 vessels and 2004 tons). Ship construction began to decline in 1870 but revived in 1884 when Messers. Mordey and Carney built the steam screw schooners Carmel and Delabole, and the Usk Shipbuilding Co. Ltd built the Llanthony.[9] The 60’ long, 55-ton pilot cutter Mascotte[10] was built in 1904 and is still used today as a reminder of the many pilot cutters that once crossed the Bristol Channel.[11]
Vivian Joliffe, a tug built in 1897.
Shipbuilding effectively ceased in 1908 after some hopper barges and tugs were constructed. The long and prestigious Newport shipbuilding industry had ended, and by 1911, part of the Mordey and Carney works at Jack’s Pill had become the Cashmore’s breakers yard.
After a long break of nearly 50 years, shipbuilding was recommenced in Newport by the Bailey family, who took over an abandoned shipbuilding yard near the North Dock in Newport in 1953: this was known as Bailey’s Dry Dock and led to the formation of the Atlantic Shipbuilding Co.[12] The yard quickly received orders from Canadian companies for three Great Lakes traders,[13] leading to further orders for coasters for the Cuban Government. The yard built and repaired ships, employing 250 people by 1961, and in 1962, built the motor yacht Khalidia, a 44-metre luxury steel vessel fitted with twin Baudouin engines to give a top speed of 14 knots.[14]
Between 1963 and 1966, the company requested Government assistance in obtaining skilled labour[15] but then got into financial difficulties and was restructured under new owners as the Newport Shipbuilding and Engineering Company. The company built trawlers for British and Ghanaian companies in the later 1960s and the research/survey vessel Fugro Mercator,[16] but shipbuilding ceased in 1970 due to competition from larger firms and foreign companies. The dry dock remained barely used and closed altogether in 2004.[17]
This incomplete list is a provisional record of ships known to have been built in Newport:[18]
| c1454 | Carvel ship, probably the Trinity of Newport |
Built for Morgan ap Jenkyn ap Philip and William Kemyes, requiring a shipwright to be brought over from Bristol. This ship was probably built for the Duke of Buckingham. |
1674-5 |
Tredegar |
Built for a consortium of local businessmen. |
1776 |
Nancy |
Registered in 1776 at Bideford (Devon), with John Heard as Master. She was a single-decker with a mainmast; her dimensions were 45’ 8” in length and 15’ 8” in breadth. |
1778 |
Moderator |
(53¼ tons) Owned by Mr G. Gething. |
1787 |
Tredegar |
(64 tons) Sloop with standing bowsprit owned by Thomas Powell and William George. |
1803 |
Carlion |
(73 tons) Smack owned by John and William Jenkins. |
1804 |
Tredegar |
Lost 1829. |
1814 |
John and Mary |
(73 tons) |
1818 |
Sarah |
(88 tons) |
1819 |
Usk |
(224 tons) Registered in Bristol. |
1822 |
Sisters |
(74 tons) |
1824 |
? |
Four vessels were completed. |
1825 |
Joseph and Fanny |
(122 tons) Built by M. and J. Johns. |
1826 |
Harmony |
(99 tons) |
1834 |
? |
A schooner of 300 tons was launched from Mr John Young's building yard. |
1836 |
James Hunt |
(166 tons) Brig. |
1837 |
John Panter |
(254 tons) Barque. Built by Wm. Perkins. |
1837 |
Amelia |
A barque named Amelia, about 400 tons burthen, was launched from the building yard of the active and enterprising Mr John Young. She is intended for the Liverpool and West India trade. “Mr Young has two other vessels of 200 tons each on the stocks.”[19] |
1838 |
Florist |
(443 tons old, 530 new) Barque. Built by Wm. Perkins. |
1838 |
The Queen Victoria |
(150 tons) Schooner. Built by Mr John Young. |
1843 |
Anjer |
(466 tons) Barque. Built by Willmett and Hall. |
1844-45 |
Silurian |
(300 tons) |
1850 |
John Henry |
(556 tons) Barque. Built by Wm. Willmett. |
1851 |
Isca |
(587 tons) |
1855 |
Cinderella |
(820/877 tons) Built by Henry Bachelor. In Australia 1861. |
1859 |
Usk |
(338 tons) A 3-masted vessel, barque-rigged and carvel-built, with a full female figure at the bow. |
? |
Starlight |
(710 tons) |
1861 |
George Ruxton |
(352 tons) Wooden sailing vessel, barque, built by Willmett. |
1865 |
Iron Queen |
(234 tons) Barque, Built by John Huddart. |
1866 |
Crawshay Bailey |
(682 tons) A 3-masted sailing ship built by Newport Ship Building Co. and owned by the Newport Dry Dock and Iron Shipbuilding and Ship Repairing Company, Ltd. |
1867 |
Iron King |
(871 tons) Built of extra heavy metal plating. Wrecked in Australia 1873. |
1867 |
Maid of Glanwern |
(263 tons) Wooden sailing vessel, brigantine, built by James Willmott, Newport. |
1869 |
Lady Gwendolen |
(345 tons) Barque, built by Nelson Harmston (?). |
1883 |
Olivia |
(232 tons) A small, steel-hulled steamship or coaster built by Mordey and Carney. Captured by a German submarine on 11 February 1917 and scuttled off Bardsey Island. |
1884 |
Carmel |
(182 tons) steam screw schooner by Mordey and Carney. |
1885 |
Queen of the Usk |
(90 tons) Iron screw tug built by Mordey and Carney. |
1891 |
Belle of the Usk |
A tug built by Mordey and Carney. |
1894 |
John Lawrence |
Steam tug built by Mordey and Carney for Newport Harbour Commissioners. |
1897 |
Vivian Jolliffe |
(163 tons) Steel ship built by Mordey and Carney. |
1900 |
Appollo |
A tug built by Mordey and Carney. |
1901 |
No. 1 and No. 2 hopper barges |
(235 tons) and (242 tons). |
1904 |
Mascotte |
(55 tons) 60’ pilot cutter. |
1905 |
Hopper barge |
Built by Mordey and Carney for the Alexandra (Newport) Docks and Railway Co. |
1908 |
“ |
“ |
1908 |
Tug |
Built by Mordey and Carney for R. Arthur & Sons of Coomassie Street. |
1954 |
Baie Comeau + 2 other Great Lakes traders for Canada |
Atlantic Shipbuilding Co. |
1953-70 |
Coasters for the Cuban Government |
Atlantic Shipbuilding Co. |
1962 |
Khalidia |
Built by the Atlantic Shipbuilding Co. a 44-metre luxury steel vessel fitted with twin Baudouin engines to give a top speed of 14 knots. |
1960s |
Trawlers for the UK |
Built by Newport Shipbuilding. |
1969 |
Fugro Mercator |
(1538 tons) Research/survey vessel built by Newport Shipbuilding. |
1969-70 |
Patuda and Nkwanta |
Trawlers for Ghana Black Star. Built by Newport Shipbuilding. |
References
1 Jones, Evan T. and Stone, Richard (2018) The World of the Newport Medieval Ship: Trade, Politics and Shipping in the Mid-Fifteenth Century, Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 84.
2 Maylan C. N. (1991) Proposed Usk Barrage Initial Archaeological Assessment, GGAT Report No. 91/01, 12.
Online at: https://walesher1974.org/her/app/php/herumd.php?level=2&group=GGAT&docid=301464088&linktable=her_source1_link , citing NLW Tredegar Muniments 761. See Tredegar Estate Records, 1676, papers-relating-to-ship-called-tredegar-of-newport-consisting-of-trading-bills-and-accounts-and-account-of 761-766.
3 Dawson, J. W. (1932) Commerce and Customs: A History of the Ports of Newport and Caerleon, Newport: R. H. Johns, 100.
Online at: https://archive.org/details/commerce-and-customs-newport
4 Dawson, 101.
5 Monmouthshire Merlin, 9th August 1834, https://www.newportpast.com/nfs/y30t39/y1834.htm
6 http://www.newportpast.com/nfs/y30t39/y1838.htm
7 Scott, J. M. (1847) The ancient and modern history of Newport, Monmouthshire, 106, 114.
Online at: https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=6fDBCw31psEC&pg=GBS.PP1&hl=en
8 Dawson, 102.
9 Dawson, 103.
10 https://www.sandemanyachtcompany.co.uk/yacht/76/Bristol-Channel-Pilot-Cutter
11 https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/14488974.the-long-view-the-newport-pilots-ships-which-graced-the-severn/
12 https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Atlantic_Shipbuilding_Co;
13 https://www.niagarathisweek.com/opinion/columnists/unknown-end-for-old-baie-comeau/article_5f108c05-0ada-58a0-8b2f-f822cb7ecc7c.html
14 https://www.superyachttimes.com/yachts/khalidia
15 TNA BD 24/300
16 https://www.shipspotting.com/photos/1004473
17 https://www.flickr.com/photos/oldmanbigkid/14135546731
18 Dawson, 100, plus many other sources.
19 Monmouthshire Merlin, 11th April 1837; https://www.newportpast.com/nfs/y30t39/y1837.htm
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