TYNE BUILT SHIPS
A history of Tyne shipbuilders and the ships that they built

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Above: Select the required shipbuilder by using initial letter of the surname eg: Armstrong, Palmer or Readhead.
KEY BELOW: D / H / P (D means basic dimensions are shown; H means a history is given; P means one or more photographs are available)


Shipbuilder: Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Co Ltd, Wallsend (1894 - 1957)

Shipbuilder: Parsons Marine Turbine Co Ltd, Wallsend (1957 - 1964)

The Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Co Ltd was set up in 1897 by Charles Parsons who developed the steam turbine and demonstrated it so successfully with the TURBINIA at the 1897 Navy Review. The company not only manufactured turbines but also condensers and eventually gearing, thereby providing the design and or manufacture of complete steam turbine installations. Parsons also became the prime contractor for a number of Admiralty destroyers, where they provided the turbine installation and the rest of the hull was subcontracted to mainsteam shipbuilders such as Hawthorn Leslie or William Denny.

The Admiralty used two types of steam turbines for their ships, Parsons and Brown-Curtis. John Brown at Clydebank was already a licencee of Parsons when in 1908 they took out a licence to build the American Curtis impuse turbine and engineered it into the Brown-Curtis type. The Admiralty was keen to have an alternative turbine design to Parsons and the Curtis turbine was lighter, more compact and more economical at lower cruising powers. However due to various legal contracts, Parsons recieved royalties on the turbine installation no matter which design was chosen.

Yd No Year Ship Name Hull Sub-contracted to D / H / P
1 1894 Turbinia Brown & Hood, Wallsend D / H / P
366 1900 Viper Hawthorn Leslie & Co Ltd, Hebburn D / H / P
383 1903 Velox Hawthorn Leslie & Co Ltd, Hebburn D / H / P
386 1904 Eden Hawthorn Leslie & Co Ltd, Hebburn D / H / P
933 1912 Badger William Denny & Bros, Dumbarton
934 1912 Beaver William Denny & Bros, Dumbarton
786 1913 Garland Cammell Laird & Co Ltd, Birkenhead
832 1914 Leonidas Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Jarrow D / H / P
833 1914 Lucifer Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Jarrow D / H / P
1083 1931 Acheron JI Thornycroft & Co, Woolston
691 1935 Fame Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd, Barrow
692 1935 Firedrake Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd, Barrow
8 1938 Eskimo Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd, High Walker D / H / P
9 1939 Mashona Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd, High Walker D / H / P
619 1940 Legion Hawthorn Leslie & Co Ltd, Hebburn D / H / P
620 1941 Lightning Hawthorn Leslie & Co Ltd, Hebburn D / H / P
18 1941 Marne Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd, High Walker D / H / P
19 1942 Martin Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd, High Walker D / H / P
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