Appledore Shipbuilders
{{Short description|Shipbuilder company in England}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Appledore Shipbuilders
(H&W Appledore)
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| type = Private limited company
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| foundation = {{start date and age|1855}}
| defunct =
| founder =
| location_city = Appledore, Devon, England
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| industry = {{ublist|Shipbuilding|Ship repair|Civil Engineering|Marine Engineering|Offshore construction}}
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| parent = InfraStrata
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| homepage = [http://www.harland-wolff.com/ www.harland-wolff.com]
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}}
Appledore Shipbuilders is a shipbuilder in Appledore, North Devon, England.
History
File:Appledore shipyard 800.jpg
File:Bulbous Bow of HMS Queen Elizabeth MOD 45157100.jpg at Appledore in March 2010]]
The Appledore Yard was founded in 1855 on the estuary of the River Torridge.{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/3147146.stm | title=Receivers to take over yard | website=BBC News |date=29 September 2003}} The Richmond Dry Dock was built in 1856 by William Yeo and named after Richmond Bay on the north coast of Prince Edward Island in Canada, where the Yeo family's shipping fleet was based.{{cite web|url=http://www.appledoredrydock.org.uk/dockhistory.html |title=The story of the Dry Dock |publisher=Celebrating Appledore's Shipping Heritage |access-date=15 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080908064004/http://www.appledoredrydock.org.uk/dockhistory.html |archive-date=8 September 2008 }}
The business was led by Philip Kelly Harris{{Cite web |url=http://genuki.cs.ncl.ac.uk/DEV/Northam/AppledoreMarriages/ParishChurch22.html |title=Appledore Parish Church Register of Marriages |access-date=19 April 2009 |archive-date=31 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090331094530/http://genuki.cs.ncl.ac.uk/DEV/Northam/AppledoreMarriages/ParishChurch22.html |url-status=dead }} during the early part of the 20th century and known as P.K. Harris & Sons until 1963, when it became Appledore Shipbuilders.[http://www.naval-history.net/WW1NavyBritish-Shipbuild02.htm Tribute to British Shipbuilding and Repair Industries 1914–18, Part 2 of 3]
During World War II, P.K. Harris & Sons built a variety of small vessels for the Royal Navy, primarily coastal craft. These included Fairmile B motor launches ML 128, ML 152, ML 184, ML 233, ML 263, ML 279, ML 304 and ML 451; Fairmile D motor gun boats (later re-classed as motor torpedo boats) MGB 618, MGB 627, MGB 642, MTB 665, MTB 687, MTB 702, MTB 723, MTB 757, MTB 788 and MTB 5021; and (armed) motor fishing vessels MFV 794 and MFV 795.
In 1964 the company was acquired by Court Line, a shipping and airline business.[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-james-venus-1548891.html James Venus: Obituary] The Independent, 2 September 1992 A new shipyard was built on a greenfield site in Appledore at a cost of about £4m, opening for business in 1970. Court Line collapsed in 1974 and Appledore Shipbuilders was nationalised, subsequently being subsumed into British Shipbuilders. By the late 1980s the only yards still held in state ownership were the smaller Appledore and Ferguson yards.[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/britain-misses-the-boat-after-years-in-the-doldrums-there-are-new-opportunities-for-the-shipbuilding-industry-worldwide-but-the-oncegreat-yards-of-britain-may-now-be-too-weak-to-take-advantage-says-david-bowen-1446668.html Britain misses the boat after years in the doldrums] The Independent, 4 September 1994 In 1989, Appledore Shipbuilders was sold to Langham Industries.{{cite news|title=Specialisation is the Key|url=http://www.motorship.com/news101/industry-news/specialisation-is-the-key|access-date=7 January 2018|work=The Motor Ship|publisher=Mercatormedia|date=1 October 1998}}
In the late 1990s the two square-rigged sail training ships of the Tall Ships Youth Trust, the Prince William and the {{ship||Stavros S Niarchos|ship|2}}, were completed at Appledore, by performing substantial modifications to two bare hulls begun in Germany.{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QgMRudqoLGQC&q=Appledore+Prince+William&pg=PA159 | title=Chapman Great Sailing Ships of the World |author=Otmar Schäuffelen | year=2005 |page=159 | publisher=Hearst Books |isbn=1588163849 }}
Appledore built two Róisín-class patrol boats for the Irish Naval Service: {{ship|LÉ|Róisín|P51|6}} was completed in 1999 and {{ship|LÉ|Niamh|P52|6}} in 2001.
In 2010, Ireland ordered a further two, {{convert|90|m|ftin|adj=on}}, {{convert|23|kn|lk=in|adj=on}} offshore patrol vessels from Babcock with an option for a third, to be built at Appledore. The first {{sclass|Samuel Beckett|offshore patrol vessel|1}}s was commissioned in May 2014. In June 2014, the Irish government took up the option for the third ship to be built at Appledore (delivered in 2016) and ordered a fourth in 2016 (delivered in 2018).{{cite news|url= http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/government-to-purchase-third-new-naval-service-ship-1.1826192 |title= Government to purchase third new Naval Service ship |work=Irish Times | date= 9 June 2014}}
In October 2003, the Appledore shipyard went into receivership,[https://web.archive.org/web/20120612050549/http://articles.janes.com/articles/Janes-Navy-International-2003/NEWS-IN-BRIEF--Appledore-in-receivership.html "Appledore in receivership"], Jane's Navy International, 15 October 2003 and in early 2004 was acquired by DML, the operators of Devonport dockyard.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/news_features/2004/appledore.shtml|title=Appledore Shipyard is saved|work=The BBC|date=13 February 2004|access-date=28 May 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080522090115/http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/news_features/2004/appledore.shtml| archive-date= 22 May 2008 | url-status= live}} The company was reconstituted as Appledore Shipbuilders (2004) Limited and was run by the DML subsidiary DML Appledore. During this period the yard's main activity was the installation of machinery packages and other systems for luxury yachts for Devonport Yachts Ltd.{{cite web| url=http://www.babcock.co.uk/opco/marine/activities.php?pageID=75166| title=Yachts| publisher=Babcock Marine| access-date=28 February 2010| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080731151827/http://www.babcock.co.uk/opco/marine/activities.php?pageID=75166| archive-date = 31 July 2008}}
In June 2007, Babcock International Group acquired DML, including its operations at the Appledore Shipyard, renaming them Babcock Marine Appledore. A Royal Navy contract secured 300 jobs in Appledore until 2015.{{cite news| url=http://www.thisisnorthdevon.co.uk/news/Shipyard-celebrates-fishery-vessels-order/article-2464278-detail/article.html| title=Shipyard celebrates fishery vessels order| work=This Is North Devon| date=29 July 2010| access-date=7 May 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100809160349/http://www.thisisnorthdevon.co.uk/news/Shipyard-celebrates-fishery-vessels-order/article-2464278-detail/article.html| archive-date=9 August 2010| url-status=dead}} The Appledore yard constructed elements of the two {{sclass|Queen Elizabeth|aircraft carrier}}s. Bow sections for {{HMS|Queen Elizabeth|R08|6}} were completed in April 2010 and were barged to Rosyth Dockyard for integration with other modules.{{cite news| url=http://www.thisisnorthdevon.co.uk/news/Aircraft-carrier-bow-sections-leave-Appledore-Shipyard/article-1962758-detail/article.html| title=Aircraft carrier bow sections leave Appledore Shipyard| work=This Is North Devon| date=1 April 2010| access-date=7 May 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100904041037/http://www.thisisnorthdevon.co.uk/news/Aircraft-carrier-bow-sections-leave-Appledore-Shipyard/article-1962758-detail/article.html| archive-date=4 September 2010| url-status=dead}} The yard then built flight deck sponsons and centre blocks for Queen Elizabeth.{{cite news| url=http://www.thisisnorthdevon.co.uk/news/Shipyard-completes-key-stage-aircraft-carrier-project/article-1823207-detail/article.html| title=Shipyard completes key stage in aircraft carrier project| work=This Is North Devon| date=11 February 2010| access-date=7 May 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100217041409/http://www.thisisnorthdevon.co.uk/news/Shipyard-completes-key-stage-aircraft-carrier-project/article-1823207-detail/article.html| archive-date=17 February 2010| url-status=dead}} From 2012, Appledore built similar sections for Queen Elizabeth{{'}}s sister ship {{HMS|Prince of Wales|R09|6}}.
Babcock announced in November 2018 that it had no future for the shipyard, which closed on 15 March 2019. The last vessel to be built at the yard was the {{ship|LÉ|George Bernard Shaw|P64|6}}, an Irish Naval Service vessel.{{cite news |last1=Jolly |first1=Jasper |title=Babcock International to close historic Appledore shipyard |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/nov/01/babcock-international-to-close-historic-appledore-shipyard |access-date=16 March 2019 |work=The Guardian |date=1 November 2018 |location=London}}{{cite news |last1=Gussin |first1=Tony |title='Heart-breaking' farewell as Appledore Shipyard closes for the final time |url=https://www.northdevongazette.co.uk/news/appledore-shipyard-last-day-1-5940077 |access-date=16 March 2019 |work=North Devon Gazette |date=15 March 2019 |location=Barnstaple, Devon}}North Devon Shipbuilding Ends Ships Monthly July 2019 page 8
In August 2020, InfraStrata (owners of Belfast shipyard Harland and Wolff) bought the dormant shipyard for £7 million.{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-53903667 | title=Appledore Shipyard to reopen after £7m InfraStrata deal | website=BBC News | date=25 August 2020}} The deal saw the shipyard renamed H&W Appledore.{{cite web | url=https://afloat.ie/port-news/port-and-shipping-news/item/47423-appledore-shipyard-to-reopen-as-acquisition-of-historic-yard-is-finalised | title= Historic UK Shipyard Appledore Acquired by Owners of Harland & Wolff | date=25 August 2020 | author=Jehan Ashmore | magazine=Afloat}}
In July 2022, the shipyard won a £55 million contract to refit former Royal Navy mine-hunting ship {{HMS|Quorn|M41}} which is expected to be passed to the Lithuanian navy in 2024.{{cite news | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-62180322 | title = Appledore Shipyard lands £55m vessel refit contract | date = 2022-07-15 | website = BBC News Online | access-date = 2022-07-16}}
Ships built at Appledore
The company built more than 350 vessels, including small and medium-sized military craft, bulk carriers, LPG carriers, superyachts, ferries, and oil-industry support vessels. Specific ships include:
{{dynamic list}}
References
{{Reflist|2}}
{{British Shipbuilders evolution}}
Category:Companies based in Devon
Category:Shipbuilding companies of England
Category:Former defence companies of the United Kingdom
Category:1855 establishments in England
Category:2019 disestablishments in England
Category:Industrial archaeological sites in Devon
Category:Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 2019