- For decades, the river Tyne clattered and hummed to the sound of shipbuilding.
- Hundreds of vessels of every kind were built at different yards.
- The town’s Swan Hunter yard was renowned the world over for its ships and came to define shipbuilding on Tyneside.
Founded in 1880, the company united three powerful shipbuilding families – Swan, Hunter and Wigham Richardson, says an article published in ChronicleLive.
The rich history
Aircraft carriers, passenger liners, cargo liners, ferries, ice breakers, destroyers, frigates and submarines were constructed by Swans’ skilled workforce. Its yards at Wallsend and Walker would build more than 1,600 ships, among them some of the most notable vessels in seafaring history.
The last ship to be built and completed at the yard was the Largs Bay in 2007, while in 2010 in a symbolic move, Swan’s cranes were dismantled and sold off to a yard in India.
The newly-completed liner Mauretania sailing down the smoky River Tyne in 1907 can be seen. From later, the Tyne Pride, framed by the terraced streets of Wallsend, is set for launch in 1975. And, in 1978, the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious entering the river from the slipway can be seen.
New technology
The original pictures are all black and white, of course, but now, thanks to the wonders of 21st century technology, it has been possible to ‘colourise’ them using our new free, easy-to-use online archive.
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Source: Chronicle Live
