Steeles | clydeshipbuilding

STEELE & CO

The Steele family connection with Greenock shipbuilding began in 1786. James Steele was a Burgess and Guild Brother of the burgh of Ayr. His son Robert, born in 1745, was for some time engaged in building fishing vessels and coasters at Saltcoats, and on the death of his father in 1786 he entered into partnership at Greenock with John Carswell, the firm being known as Steele & Carswell. This partnership was dissolved in 1816, when Mr. Steele assumed his sons Robert and James as partners under the designation of Robert Steele & Co. The firm almost at once began to build steamships, many of the fine vessels of the Burns, Clyde Shipping Company, Dublin Steam Packet Company, and Isle of Man Steam Packet Company fleets coming out of their Yard. The head of the company died in 1830, aged 85, his son James, had predeceased him, and Robert Steele secundus was left to carry on the concern. The business continuing to expand and, in course of time he took into partnership his sons Robert and William and the firm was soon building for the Cunard, Allan, North German Lloyd, Donald Currie & Co., George Smith & Sons, and other great lines. They turned out one of the first of the Cunard fleet. They also built a number of racing yachts that were successful at many of the regattas round the British coast. In the construction of clippers they occupied great the renown of their China clippers being world-wide. After the new co-partnery, the company, took over the works of the Shaws Water Foundry and Engineering Company. About this time also, when iron was coming into vogue for ships' hulls, they opened a new yard in Cartsdyke for the building of iron vessels, keeping the older Yard it the West Burn for wooden ships and Yachts. Robert Steele secundus died in 1870, in his 88th year. He was a notable citizen of his day, public spirited, entering into all movements which, aimed at benefiting the community, and in business a man of singular integrity. It was said at his decease that " to him it was not simply a question of pushing trade and dispatching orders, but the execution of examples of naval architecture that should disarm criticism with respect to material, form, and finish, and that should meet all the demands of commerce with reference to stability, speed, and capacity." Robert Steele tertius and his brother William carried on the business for some years, but on account of financial difficulties entirely unconnected with shipbuilding, and contracted in their father's lifetime, the firm was in 1883, obliged to go into liquidation, and was wound up.

RM Smith

Achilles

Actaeon

Ada

Africa

Agnes

Albion

America

Arab

Arabia

Ariel

Aurora

Avalon

Balclutha

Brisbane

Britannia

Caledonia

Cambria

Canada

Catarina

Cherokee

Chinaman

City of Dehli

City of Manchester

Clydesdale

Columbia

Commodore

Conqueror

Coromandel

Cressida

Cruzeiro do Sul

Dante

Druid

Eagle

Eclipse

Elfin

Eliza Stewart

Ellen Rodger

Elphinstone

Eugenie

Eurydice

Falcon

Glasgow

Guinevere

Gulliver

Hebe

Helen

Henrietta

Hercules

Hibernia

Hound

Iceni

James McInroy

James Stewart

Jean Brown

Juliet

Kate Carnie

Kelvin

Kestrel

La Plata

Lady le Marchant

Lady Octavia

Lahloo

Laira

Larriston

Lavinia

Liverpool

Londonderry

Lotus

Madonna

Mahaica

Majestic

Manchester

Margaret McGowan

Margaretta

Marion Hendry

Marjorie

May (iv)

Meteor

Mic Mac

Min

Monarch

Mountaineer

Niagara

Nyanza

Oimara

Othello

Otterburn

Oyapock

Palmyra

Parana

Parejero

Pioneer

Pomona

Prince of Wales

Princess Royal

Princess Victoria

Rochester

Romeo

Romsdal

Rowley

Runnymede

Saltoun

Sappho

Sarah Tennant

Scotia

Sea Horse

Selene

Serica

Sindbad

Stork

Thalestris

Theresina

Tomatin

Unicorn

United Kingdom

un-named

Venture

Virginia

Vrilya

Walter Baine

Wave

Zephyr

Beaver

City of Madras

Plover

City of Quebec

City of Dublin

Mangerton

City of Tanjore

Inca

Dom Affonso

Panther

un-named

Dom Pedro

Scotia

United Kingdom

City of Canton

Palestine

un-named

Canadian

City of Hankow

Saint Georges

un-named

Circe

Sarah

Reverie

E Shun

Silvercraig

King Arthur

Waverley

Peruvian

Yuh Shing

un-named

Barwon

un-named

Taeping

Lady Palmerston

Red Gauntlet

Arundel Castle

Moravian

Knight of Snowdoun

Lord of the Isles

Tantallon Castle

Aglaia

un-named

Ravenscrag

Janet Cowan

Gryfe

City of Athens

Pomona

Fleetwood

un-named

Ardgowan

Cartsburn

Walter Baine

Ralston

Hartfield

Assaye

Parsee

Araby Maid

Lake Superior

Halcione

Scandinavian

Cathcart

Lady Burn

Arethusa

Palatine

Sarmatian

Polynesian

Lake Simcoe

Circassian

un-named

Braunschweig

Nurnberg

Sardinian

Hesperus

Eurydice

Aurora

Orpheus

Niobe

Bannockburn

Lady Ruthven

Bencleuch

Zingara

Cuba

City of Santiago

Deveron

Aline

Brahmin

Harbinger

Corsewall

Portland

Melrose

Ulva

Venice

Lancashire Witch

Wanderer

Ferrara

Routenburn

Asia

Modena

Savona

Cape Clear

Peerless

Wicklow

Seraglio

Glaucus

Lonsdale

Teviotdale

Inversnaid

Nigel

Breslau

Coblenz

un-named

Cremona

Tortona

Aster

Inveruglas

Falcon

Olinda

Elizabeth McLea

Constance

Young Lochinvar

Albert Victor

Helen

Sir Lancelot

Condor

Lion

Titania

Douro

Ferida

Fanquai

Kaisow

Wylo

Lavinia

Hampshire

Garrion

46 - 51

100

105

106

107

108

112

113

114

115

116

117

118

119

120

121

122

123

124

125

126

127

128

129

130

144

145

146

147

156

157

158

159

160

161

162

170

171

172

173

174

175

176

177

27.05.1839

completed 1838

29.04.1861

00.07.1850

completed 1818

completed 1824

11.02.1845

completed 1818

13.05.1847

completed 1820

21.06.1852

29.06.1865

completed 1839

26.12.1878

completed 1832

completed 1850

completed 1855

24.01.1845

23.06.1841

01.08.1844

02.06.1848

completed 1831

completed 1852

24.06.1880

14.06.1854

16.03.1865

21.03.1856

29.04.1854

02.02.1846

11.09.1840

01.06.1837

completed 1840

completed 1843

31.05.1844

22.07.1857

27.11.1851

completed 1841

completed 11.1835

completed 07.1821

completed 1845

completed 1833

29.06.1858

completed 1826

15.11.1854

completed 1853

15.06.1848

completed 1848

completed 1817

01.07.1862

completed 1826

09.06.1856

13.07.1853

completed 1823

04.10.1861

completed 1822

completed 1840

08.09.1842

completed 1840

05.07.1853

completed 1825

08.09.1856

completed 1834

24.03.1855

completed 1827

completed 1850

24.12.1851

21.07.1852

08.03.1853

23.07.1867

completed 1877

04.06.1852

completed 1825

completed 07.1830

completed 08.1841

completed 1830

completed 1833

completed 1837

13.01.1846

completed 1832

07.06.1845

08.11.1858

completed 1850

00.04.1883

04.04.1881

00.08.1862

completed 1849

12.07.1861

completed 1836

completed 1835

28.07.1847

04.06.1867

07.05.1867

completed 1841

09.03.1878

06.06.1857

completed 1839

04.09.1854

00.08.1867

25.04.1846

completed 1819

completed 1841

completed 1835

completed 1819

completed 1838

00.10.1877

completed 1826

completed 1853

19.09.1845

completed 1824

completed 1826

completed 1840

00.02.1840

completed 1827

completed 1828

19.01.1859

08.06.1865

04.08.1863

04.12.1862

completed 1851

completed 1824

06.09.1862

completed 1839

00.05.1836

25.04.1826

completed 1850

completed 1841

04.01.1859

completed 1878

08.03.1851

completed 1834

completed 1879

00.09.1854

00.02.1855

04.04.1855

00.06.1855

31.07.1855

00.08.1855

00.01.1856

06.03.1856

01.08.1856

05.09.1856

00.09.1856

03.10.1856

10.04.1857

13.06.1857

07.08.1857

17.04.1858

00.09.1858

00.11.1858

00.05.1859

00.06.1859

10.12.1859

28.03.1861

09.08.1861

00.05.1861

23.04.1862

00.04.1862

00.06.1862

31.07.1862

11.09.1862

07.11.1862

20.01.1863

21.08.1863

06.03.1863

completed 1863

22.05.1863

00.04.1863

24.12.1863

09.02.1864

24.02.1864

06.09.1864

05.07.1864

18.10.1864

18.11.1864

09.03.1865

00.00.1865

00.10.1865

17.01.1866

00.06.1866

27.09.1866

13.12.1866

08.02.1867

03.04.1867

completed 1865

19.09.1867

27.02.1868

09.04.1868

04.06.1868

10.07.1868

00.08.1868

17.09.1868

29.10.1868

30.12.1868

11.03.1869

08.11.1869

21.10.1869

24.11.1869

22.07.1869

14.06.1870

07.03.1871

12.02.1872

04.07.1871

06.06.1872

completed 1872

01.04.1873

09.09.1873

03.06.1874

20.11.1873

30.07.1874

15.09.1874

06.11.1874

24.12.1874

06.04.1875

03.06.1875

23.07.1875

00.09.1875

00.06.1875

04.11.1875

00.11.1875

15.11.1875

12.06.1876

10.08.1876

07.09.1876

24.10.1876

12.02.1877

05.03.1878

16.04.1878

29.08.1878

12.12.1878

04.08.1880

14.04.1881

31.01.1850

05.05.1881

28.06.1881

30.09.1881

completed 1850

07.01.1882

18.08.1882

03.07.1851

12.07.1882

18.05.1882

04.01.1882

20.10.1882

22.12.1882

20.02.1883

cancelled circa 1883

08.05.1883

27.06.1883

05.06.1883

20.09.1883

06.01.1859

13.08.1859

13.02.1860

03.07.1860

29.08.1863

22.08.1864

00.07.1864

27.07.1865

21.04.1866

19.04.1866

00.11.1866

15.10.1867

06.06.1868

09.09.1868

19.11.1868

14.04.1869

22.05.1869

15.03.1870

08.04.1871