Alexander Stephen and Sons Limited, often referred to simply as Alex Stephens or just Stephens, was a Scottish shipbuilding company based in Linthouse, Glasgow, on the River Clyde and, initially, on the east coast of Scotland.

History

The company's roots can be found in Alexander Stephen (1722–1793) who began shipbuilding at Burghead on the Moray Firth in 1750.^[1]

In 1793 William Stephen (1759–1838), a descendant of his, established a firm of shipbuilders at Footdee in Aberdeen.^[2]

In 1813 another member of the family, again called William (1789–1829), commenced shipbuilding at Arbroath.^[2]

Alexander Stephen (1795–1875), a member of the third generation of the family, merged the Aberdeen and Arbroath businesses in 1828^[1] and then, after closing the Aberdeen yard in 1829, moved production to the Panmure yard in Dundee in 1842.^[1] In 1850 Alexander Stephen arranged a lease of the Kelvinhaugh yard in Glasgow from Robert Black for twenty years from May, 1851. The site of the Kelvinhaugh yard is now Yorkhill Quay.^[1] The Arbroath yard finally closed in 1857. Due to the restrictions in size of the Kelvinhaugh yard, as well as the impending expiry of the lease, in 1870 the Glasgow business moved to a new site at Linthouse.^[1] The Dundee shipyard was sold to the Dundee Shipbuilders Company in 1893.^[3]

In a tragic disaster in 1883, the Daphne, a steamer, capsized after its launch from the Linthouse yard, and 124 workers lost their lives.^[4][5][6]

In 1968, Stephens was incorporated into Upper Clyde Shipbuilders^[7] and was closed after the latter organisation collapsed in 1971.^[8] The engineering and ship repair elements of Alexander Stephen & Sons were not part of the UCS merger and continued until 1976, with the Company eventually wound up in 1982, when the shareholders were repaid.

The ship repair business was based at the Govan Graving Docks [de], which had been purchased from the Clyde Port Authority in 1967.

There is no knowledge of the earliest ships built, but the last 153 which were built on the East Coast are recorded. On the Clyde the firm built 697 ships, 147 at the Kelvinhaugh shipyard and the remainder at Linthouse.

It was at Stephens shipyard that Billy Connolly served his apprenticeship as a boilermaker. In 1992, he returned to the site of the now-demolished shipyard he worked at 35 years earlier. "What an extraordinary feeling. I spent a great deal of my life in here. From age 16 to... well, I started at 15. I started my apprenticeship at 16 and finished when I was 21. Stayed till I was 22, and moved along. I finished welding when I was 24. When I came here, as an apprentice, there was six ships being built, right where I'm standing. It was an extraordinary place. A hive of activity. Welders, caulkers, platers, burners, joiners, engineers, electricians. I learned how men talked to one another, and how merciless Glasgow humour can be. It has made an indelible mark on me."^[9] His foreman was Sammy Boyd, but the two biggest influences on him, according to the book written by his wife Pamela, were Jimmy Lucas and Bobby Dalgleish. Jimmy was one of Billy's trainers in the yard who helped him to hone his skills as a welder and a comedian.^[10]

Part of the site is now occupied by a Thales Optronics facility, with the former main office building converted into lettable office space by Govan Workspace. The A-listed former Engine Shop was salvaged by the Scottish Maritime Museum in 1991 and rebuilt at its site in Irvine.

Ships built by Alexander Stephen and Sons

University of Glasgow Archives hold a number of separately catalogued records collections for various Clyde shipbuilding firms associated with the name Alexander Stephen. For ship's plans, two of the larger holdings are "Collection of miscellaneous ship plans built on the river Clyde, Glasgow, Scotland" (gb 248 GB 248 UGD 130/5) and "Records of Upper Clyde Shipbuilders Ltd, Linthouse Division, shipbuilders Glasgow, Scotland" (gb 248 GB 248 UGD 349). However the cataloging does not list names of individual vessels. Cataloguing is accessed via a link from the GLA home page, directly from the GLA search page.

The table below provides basic details of vessels from 1940, and it will be expanded to include other vessels. Further lists of vessels built by the firm can be found at the "Maritime History Virtual Archives": Arbroath yard list 1830-1843, Dundee yard list 1844-1893, Linthouse yard-list 1870-1893.

Yard number Type of vessel Name Launched 42 Passenger cargo vessel / Commerce raider CSS Shenandoah 1863 83 composite barque Fusi Yama[11] 1865 56 Barquentine-rigged steam cutter Bear 1874 215 Iron barque Mabel Young[11] 1877 Iron Barque "South Esk" 250 Steamer/cargo ship Alverton 1880[12] 303 4 mast iron barque Bracadale 1887 394 Passenger cargo liner SS Burutu 1902 509 Tug Forceful 1925 519 Passenger liner RMS Viceroy of India 1929 529 Passenger Liner Kenya 1930 527 Yacht Rover[13] 1930 540 Passenger Cargo Vessel MV Manoora 1935 543 Passenger Cargo Vessel SS Taroona 1934 571 Hunt Class destroyer HMS Tynedale 1940 572 Hunt Class destroyer HMS Whaddon 1941 573 Fleet destroyer HMS Matchless 1942 574 Fleet destroyer HMS Meteor 1942 575 Refrigerated cargo ship MV Gloucester 1941 576 Refrigerated cargo ship MV Nottingham 1941 577 Hunt Class destroyer HMS Croome 1941 578 Hunt Class destroyer HMS Dulverton 1941 579 Hunt Class destroyer HMS Blackmore 1942 580 Hunt Class destroyer HMS Bramham 1942 581 Bangor class minesweeper HMS Poole 1941 582 Bangor class minesweeper HMS Lyme Regis 1942 583–586 4 Landing Craft Mechanised 1940 587–588 2 Tank Landing Craft 1940 589 Hunt Class destroyer HMS Holcombe 1942 590 Hunt Class destroyer HMS Limbourne 1942 591 Fast minelayer HMS Ariadne 1943 592 Refrigerated cargo ship SS Papanui 1943 593 Refrigerated cargo ship SS Paparoa 1943 594 Sloop HMS Amethyst 1943 595 Sloop HMS Hart 1943 596 Cruiser unnamed cancelled 597 Refrigerated cargo ship SS Pipiriki 1944 598 Light Aircraft Carrier HMS Ocean 1945 599 Fleet destroyer HMS Chevron 1945 600 Fleet destroyer HMS Cheviot 1945 601 Fleet destroyer HMS Consort 1946 602 Refrigerated cargo ship SS Devon 1946 603 Fleet destroyer HMS Dunkirk 1946 604 Fleet destroyer HMS Jutland 1947 605 Fleet destroyer HMS St Lucia cancelled 606 Landing Ship Tank HMS LST 3028 1945 607 Landing Ship Tank HMS LST 3029 1945 608 Cargo Vessel SS Somerset 1946 609 Fleet destroyer HMS Defender 1950 610 Passenger Refrigerated Cargo Vessel SS Matina 1946 611 Passenger Cargo Vessel TSS Kampala 1947 612 Cargo Vessel MV Huntingdon 1947 613 Cargo Vessel MV Komata 1946 614 Cargo Vessel MV Cumberland 1948 615 Cargo Vessel MV Koromiko 1947 616 Passenger Cargo Vessel SS Karanja 1948 617 Cargo Vessel SS Kaitoke 1948 618 Passenger Cargo Vessel TSS Golfito 1949 619 Refrigerated Cargo Vessel MV Fort Richepanse 1948 620 Passenger Cargo Vessel MV Fort Dauphin 1949 621 Refrigerated Cargo Liner TS Dorset 1949 622 Cargo Vessel MV Rio Bermejo 1950 623 Cargo Vessel TS Dunedin Star 1950 624 Cargo Vessel MV Kawaroa 1950 625 Cargo Vessel SS City of Bedford 1950 626 Cargo Vessel TSS City of Singapore 1950 627 Cargo Vessel MV Cornwall 1951 629 Passenger Vessel MV Aureol 1951 630 Cargo Vessel MV Surrey 1951 631 Cargo Vessel MV Middlesex 1952 632 Cargo Vessel MV Kurutai 1952 633 Cargo Vessel MV Enton 1952 634 Cargo Vessel MV Kowhai 1952 635 Cargo Vessel MV Waimea 1953 636 Passenger Vessel SS Olympia 1953 637 Cargo Vessel TSS Patonga 1953 638 Frigate HMS Murray 1952 639 Frigate HMS Palliser 1956 640 Refrigerated Cargo Vessel MV Whakatane 1954 641 Cargo Vessel SS Ballarat 1954 642 Cargo Vessel SS Bendigo 1954 643 Passenger Vessel MV Irma 1954 644 Passenger Vessel MV Fernvalley 1954 645 Passenger Cargo Vessel SS Castilian 1955 646 Passenger Vessel MV Princess of Vancouver 1955 648 Cargo Vessel MV Kaimiro 1956 649 Passenger Cargo Vessel TSS Camito 1956 650 Cargo Vessel MV City of Melbourne 1959 651 Cargo Vessel MV City of Newcastle 1955 652 Passenger Cargo Vessel MV Crux 1956 653 Cargo Vessel MV Kaituna 1956 654 Cargo Vessel MV Koranui 1956 655 Frigate INS Kirpan 1958 656 Cargo Vessel MV Donegal 1956 657 Passenger Refrigerated Cargo Vessel TSS Changuinola 1957 658 Passenger Refrigerated Cargo Vessel TSS Chirripo 1957 659 Passenger Refrigerated Cargo Vessel TSS Chicanoa 1957 660 Cargo Vessel MV Koraki 1957 661 Cargo Vessel MV Katea 1958 662 Passenger Cargo Vessel MV Chatham 1959 663 Passenger Cargo Vessel MV Risdon 1959 664 Tanker MV British Fulmar 1958 665 Cargo Vessel MV Waikare 1958 666 Frigate HMS Lowestoft 1959 667 Tanker ST Mobil Acme 1959 668 Tanker ST Mobil Apex 1960 669 Frigate SAS President Steyn 1961 671 Cargo Vessel MV Iberic 1960 672 Tanker TSS British Bombardier 1962 673 Cargo Vessel MV Antrim 1962 674 Frigate HMS Zulu 1962 675 Passenger Refrigerated Cargo Vessel TSS Chuscal 1960 676 Refrigerated Cargo Vessel MV Piako 1961 677 Passenger Cargo Vessel MV Dumurra 1961 678 Passenger Cargo Vessel MV Markhor 1962 679 Passenger Cargo Vessel MV Mahout 1963 680 Passenger Vessel TSS Avalon 1963 681 Frigate HMS Phoebe 1964 682 Dredger se Skitter Ness 1963 683 Dredger Bangka 1 1965 684 Passenger Cargo Vessel MV Zealandic 1964 685 Cargo Vessel MV Melbrook 1964 686 Dredger de Severodvinski 1965 687 Dredger de Onezhskiy 1965 688 Dredger de Arabatski 1966 689 Dredger Nassau Bay 1966 690 Royal Fleet Auxiliary Logistics Vessel RFA Sir Galahad 1966 691 Royal Fleet Auxiliary Logistics Vessel RFA Sir Geraint 1967 692 Dredger Nikarshaka 1967 693 Sewait 1967 694 Sahayak 1967 695 Refrigerated Cargo Vessel MV Majestic 1966 696 Refrigerated Cargo Vessel MV Brittanic 1967 697 Frigate HMS Hermione 1967 698 Dredger Ribbok 1967 700 Refrigerated Cargo Vessel MV Port Chalmers 1967 701 Refrigerated Cargo Vessel MV Port Caroline 1968

Aircraft carrier HMS Ocean Cruisers CSS Shenandoah Launched as Sea King 1863 Extreme Tea Clipper, Renamed CSS Shenandoah 1864 as a Confederate Cruiser Commerce Raider. HMS Ceylon HMS Hermione HMS Kenya Destroyers HMS Noble HMS Nizam HMS Nomad HMS Nonpareil HMS Prince HMS Pylades HMS Sturgeon HMS Sceptre HMS Tormentor HMS Tornado HMS Vesper HMS Vidette HMS Voyager HMS Sabre HMS Saladin HMS Sardonyx HMS Saturn - cancelled HMS Sycamore - cancelled HMS Gallant HMS Grenade HMS Zulu HMS Sikh HMS Matchless HMS Meteor HMS Chevron HMS Cheviot HMS Consort HMS Dunkirk HMS Jutland HMS St Lucia - cancelled and broken up on slipway. HMS Defender Hunt Class Destroyers HMS Tynedale HMS Whaddon HMS Croome HMS Dulverton HMS Blackmore HMS Bramham HMS Holcombe HMS Limbourne Frigates HMS Hermione HMS Zulu

Minelayers HMS Manxman HMS Ariadne Sloops HMS Amethyst HMS Hart Auxiliaries RFA Abadol RFA Sir Galahad Yachts Medea Rover Liners MV Aureol SS California SS Mulbera RMS Port Kingston (1904), renamed RMS Tahiti MS Regal Empress SS Hollandia 1909, later renamed Hammonia RMS Viceroy of India SS Tubantia SS Wardha SS Pisa Barque Fusi Yama Bear Bracadale Mabel Young