Introduction and Early History

In 1975 Sunderland Shipbuilders opened a brand new yard at Pallion in Sunderland, UK. Their publicity booklet stated the following;-

This is the Pallion shipfactory of Sunderland Shipbuilders Ltd., - a shipyard totally unlike any other yet built; a new concept in ship production based on world-wide studies of the most efficient methods and most effective equipment. Pallion has been designed as an essentially compact yard with facilities and resources radiating from the wide assembly dock to improve the flow of materials and the rate of production. But Pallion means also that by having almost the whole operation from plate processing to finished ship under one vast roof, that working conditions are improved, the workforce can operate in conditions which are not only more congenial but which help also to ensure better workmanship, a better ship, better schedules and a better way of life. Pallion has come a long way.

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This website is intended to record the history of the yard for future generations, and to let them know what it was like to work there.

But first - how it all began;-

There can exist a number of reasons why certain towns and rivers became shipbuilding centres; suitable sites, adequate labour and so on. But shipbuilding has always been a labour intensive industry, much more so in the past, and no matter how skilful were the workmen, the work had been inevitably hard and frequently dangerous. Ice and rain presented hazards and only too often was it necessary to send men home. Yet the major part of shipbuilding in Britain was still located in the North of England and in Scotland where weather conditions can be rigorous; cold, gales, mist and fog, snow and ice - these were no strangers to British shipbuilding.

Yet Sunderland became the largest shipbuilding town in the world - a distinction held for more than 130 years. During the Napoleonic War years (1801 – 1818) the number of shipyards on the River Wear grew from 9 to 15, then by the 1860’s there were no less than 58 yards building wooden ships.

By the mid twentieth century, when the town produced more than a quarter of the nation's total tonnage of merchant and naval ships for World War Two, Sunderland was widely regarded as the largest shipbuilding town in the world.

Short Bros. Ltd. was the furthest yard inland and on the south side of the River Wear.

The Corporation Yard was next but on the north side and close to John Priestman's yard.

Doxford's was on the south side in the Pallion area of the town. Pickersgill's yard was opposite in the Southwick area.

Robert Thomson's was on the north side to the east of the Alexandra Bridge. Laing's yard was opposite on the south side.

Austin's yard was located east of the Monkwearmouth Bridge and on the south side. J. L. Thompson's yard was in the Monkwearmouth area on the north side of the river.

Bartram's was unique in that it was right on the coast on the south side of the River Wear and launched their ships directly into the sea.

As recently as 1953 there were eight Sunderland - based steel shipyards but unfortunately many old and respected names have faded into history. The present Pallion yard was built on the site originally operated by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd., who had founded the business in 1840 on another yard on the upper reaches of the River Wear before acquiring in 1857 a site at Pallion for the construction of composite and iron sailing ships and steamers.

An early picture of the old yard

T.B.D. Sylvia, 1897  

Several notable, fast, sailing clippers were built and over the years surrounding land and property was bought and by 1904 six building berths had been constructed, forming the East and West Yards – the basis of the present site. Doxfords survived and grew from the era of the “hungry 1840’s” when almost 30 Wearside shipyards closed and in 1872 they were entrusted with Admiralty orders for three composite auxiliary steam gunboats. This was followed in 1875 by an order for a composite, propeller – driven corvette.

By this time, Doxfords were Sunderland’s biggest yard and as milestones in the yard’s history built;-  

  From about 1880 interest and demand for sailing ships was waning but Doxfords had a long and successive history of building fine barques and full-rigged ships – several of them of iron in the early 1880’s, the later of steel. Possibly nothing built in that era will ever compare with the “Manchester” launched in 1892 when practical interest in sail was fast dwindling and at a time when Doxfords were turning their attention to the newly designed turret – deck steamer. The “ Manchester ”, unlike the earlier fine-lined clipper ships was not built for speed; instead the “ Manchester ” a steel barque, was a broad beamed vessel with deep draught, designed in the conviction that where the time factor was of little consequence, a large deadweight capacity was more economical. But such a theory was not borne out by experience; the “ Manchester ” was Doxfords’ last sailing ship.  

Then came the “Turret Ship” era, a unique design in many respects aiming at a lighter ship, stronger, of greater capacity yet with lower registered tonnage than conventional vessels. There were many advantages to the owner of this class of vessel the principle being lower nett registered tonnage in comparison with deadweight and cubic capacity.  

They were known historically as the Doxford Turrets, and the first to the design was launched in 1893 and named appropriately “Turret” amidst gloomy predictions that even if she managed to survive a second wave broadside, a third would capsize her. In fact, such ships proved to be a commercial success and by the end of the turret ship era, Doxfords had built 176 steamers to this design, totaling more than 1 million tons d.w.But in 1911, revised Board of Trade Tonnage Rules brought to an end the commercial advantage of the Turret design and opened the way for open shelter-deck ships to be built of greater capacities and reduced gross tonnage, this bringing to a close a highly successful and imaginative period of ship development and construction at Pallion.

10,000 ton Special Iron Ore Carrier, 1903

One of the Doxford "Turret" ships  

Progressive development of the Pallion yard had provided facilities to build ships of up to 540 ft and 20,000 tons d.w. from six berths instead of the original five and in the years 1905 and 1907 Doxfords gained the mythical “blue riband” of the shipbuilding world for the highest production of any yard - 87,000 and 92,000 tons. Although 106,000 tons d.w. delivered in 1906 was not classed as an overall lead figure - almost a ship every two weeks – it was an achievement not surpassed for many years ahead.  

Almost every class of ship has been built in the Pallion yard which over almost 100 years has progressed from the building of steam reciprocating engines in its own works to the design, development and production of Doxford diesel engines which powered ships built at Sunderland and in many countries throughout the world.  

The original engine and boiler works were constructed in 1878, the engines first being compound units, next triple-expansion and eventually quadruple-expansion units; later still came steam turbine plant – in fact in 1886 the company built a turbine propelled, 21 knot torpedo boat to its own account.

A fire in 1901 destroyed the engine works which were replaced by a substantially larger and modernized plant within three months and with capacity for the production of 30 sets of marine engines a year.  

H.M.S Opel steaming at 35 knots, April 1916  

Then in 1906 Doxfords embarked on diesel engine design; in 1909 the first of a series of experimental engines was built and tested but it was not until about 1919 that it became possible to put the Doxford opposed-piston oil engine into production.  

Last of the Destroyers built during the War 1915 – 1918  

In 1921, the first Pallion-built ship propelled by a Doxford opposed-piston engine entered service, the “Yngaren” – forerunner of a 9,000 ton d.w. class of ship of 2,600 hp. Following the depression years of the early 1920’s came the remarkably successful Doxford “Economy” ship of 8,000 tons d.w., propelled by a 3-cylinder 1760-bhp engine, followed after the desolate years of the early 1930’s y a later version of 9,000 tons d.w. of 1,800-bhp giving 10 knots on 6.5 tons of fuel a day. Within two and a half years, 23 of these were built until this class was superseded by a 9,500 ton d.w. class with a 2,500 hp engine giving a speed of 12 knots on 9.5 tons of fuel a day. Between 1939 and 1945 no fewer than 76 of these ships were built and a number of these simple, economic and workmanlike vessels were still in service many years later.  

Shipping Controllers' Standard Cargo Vessel

“A” Type, 8300 tons, March 1920

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Stories and photos from employees and their families are needed for this website

  Contact me at;- jbne17514@blueyonder.co.uk