Ship No. 1 was a small collier brig named “Unus”, built to the order of South Shields ship owners, Messrs. Hodge and Williamson. She was a vessel of 183 tons and her dimensions were 99.3 ft by 22.5 ft by 12.6 ft. Completed in October, 1865, she traded to the Baltic, to France and to the Mediterranean under the command of Capt. W. Hodge.
For seven years the partnership prospered during which time 87 small craft were completed, and with the meagre facilities of those early days, it must have been a highly creditable performance to have continued to turn out between 8 and 12 new vessels per annum. Sailing vessels, passenger ship tenders and steam paddle tugs figure predominantly in the records for this period, and the first iron screw cargo steamer with a deadweight of 700 tons was built in the year 1868.
Meanwhile results of another partnership made by the founder were beginning to show themselves – five sons and two daughters had arrived to represent the next generation.
During this period, Ship No. 12, a 370 ton iron sailing barque named “Lizzie Leslie” and built to the order of Messrs. Turpie and Harbutt, North Shields, gained a mark of distinction for being the first ship ever to be classed 100A. I. with Lloyd’s Register. This nomenclature adopted by Lloyd’s meant it was henceforth assumed that an iron or steel ship would be able to remain in the first class for 100 years as against the 12 years thought at that time reasonable for a wooden ship to do likewise. The “Lizzie Leslie”, which apparently traded to the West Indies, had dimensions of 122 ft by 26.4 ft by 17.4 ft. She was completed in October 1866. Ship No. 58, a paddle –tug named “Washington” and completed in 1870 for Messrs. Martin of London, had a long service career that lasted for 82 years before finally being despatched to the breakers. Records also show that in 1872 the steam wherry “Willie”, named after the youngest son of Mr. Readhead, was built ‘for selves’ and remained in service at the West Docks for 44 years before being sold to a freshwater boatman on the river. Today the Company still carries a reputation for longevity of service, the roots of which can be traced back as far as this first historical period. Another early reputation was for the design of screw steamers specially suitable for trading in the Black Sea and Mediterranean regions. The year 1872 saw the trading partnership with Mr. Softley dissolve, Mr. Readhead then laid his hands upon both the oars.