Stephenson Clarke Shipping Limited, established in 1730 is Great Britain's oldest shipping company.[1] The company specializes in short sea bulk cargo such as aggregates, alumina, grain, coal, fertilizers and steel.[1][3]
During their career at sea, they began to buy shares in ships, gradually making the transition from captain to owner.[3] The company that would become Stephenson Clarke was formed when the brothers bought shares in a 300-ton sailing vessel.[3] Thus the business was established in 1730, in the early years of the reign of King George II.[3]
Stephenson Clarke managed other owners' ships as well as its own. For several decades it managed the collier fleets of the Gas Light and Coke Company and other gas and electricity utility companies.
SS Pulborough was a 960 GRT coaster launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1933.[4] On 29 July 1940 she was caught in an air raid off the Kent coast in the Straits of Dover.[6][7] A bomb exploded close to her in the sea, opening up several plates in her hull.[7] Her crew managed to launch a lifeboat and abandon ship as she sank.[8]
SS Petworth was a 972 GRT coaster launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1934.[4] She was sold to new owners in 1957 who renamed her Belvedere.[4] She was broken up in 1960.[4]
SS Woodcote was a 1,527 GRT flatiron coastal collier launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1924 for the Wandsworth, Wimbledon, Epsom and District Gas Company.[4] Stephenson Clarke bought her in 1934 and renamed her Cerne.[4] She was broken up at Dunston-on-Tyne in 1955.[4]
SS Horsted was a 1,670 GRT coaster launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1936.[4] On 4 December 1939 she was in an east coast convoy in the North Sea when she suffered an explosion caused by either a torpedo or a mine.[9] She sank with the loss of five of her crew.[9]
SS Burstow was a 927 GRT coaster launched by John Lewis & Co of Aberdeen in 1927.[11] She was sold in 1931 to new owners who named her Nephrite.[11] Stephenson Clarke bought her in 1946 and renamed her Portslade to replace the vessel sunk in 1940.[11] In 1954 Stephenson Clarke sold her to new owners who renamed her Rosefleet. She foundered in a gale at Mardyck in northern France in 1956.[11]
MV Minster was a 3,194 GRT coaster launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in March 1950.[4] She was lengthened from 335 feet (102m) to 375 feet (114m) in 1964, which increased her to 3,647 GRT. She was sold to Cypriot owners in 1971 who renamed her Elandi.[4] She was renamed three more times in the next five years and was still trading in 1976.[4]
MV Emsworth was a 1,784 GRT coaster launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in September 1950.[4] She was sold to Cypriot owners in 1971 who renamed her Andora.[4] She was broken up in 1976.[4]
MVArdingly was a 1,436 GRT coaster launched by SP Austin & Son Ltd of Southwick, Sunderland in 1951.[12] She was sold to new owners in 1971 who renamed her Ballyrobert.[13] She was sold again in 1977 to Cypriot owners who renamed her Lucky Trader.[13] She was scrapped in 1982.[13]
MV Storrington was a 3,809 GRT coaster launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1959.[4] She was sold to Cypriot owners in 1978 who renamed her Milos II.[4]
MV Gilsland was a 7,242 GRT cargo ship launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1961.[4] She was sold to Argentinian owners in 1968 who renamed her Mardulce.[4] She was sold again in 1975 to Bangladeshi owners who renamed her Banglar Joy.[4]
Recent fleet developments
MV Cowdray at Belfast
In 2008, the Stephenson Clarke fleet consisted of 10 bulk carriers with a combined capacity of 68,238tonnes deadweight (DWT).[2] The ships have an average age of 21 years.[2] The ships are small minibulkers having between one and four holds apiece and shallow draft for accessing more ports.[2] They range in size from the Ardent with a capacity of only 1,180DWT to the Dallington of 12,138DWT.[2]
All ships are single deck bulk carriers with open hatches and open holds.[3] Several are small self load/unloading vessels of between 1,180DWT to 9,000DWT.[3] These vessels often have self-unloading gears and equipped with small tractors.[3]
1 2 3 Landymore, B.E.; Gibbs, Ken (Summer 2010). "And then, Ardingly gave its name to...". Old Ardinian. Old Ardinians Society (30): 6.
Related Research Articles
Cory is a recycling and waste management company based in London. Originally founded as William Cory & Son in 1896, the company has operated vessels on the River Thames for more than 125 years, transporting a range of commodities and materials including coal, oil, aggregates and waste. Ships from Cory's fleet supported Britain's war efforts in both world wars, with 30 ships being lost during the conflicts. From the 1980s onwards, the business has become increasingly focused on waste management.
The Gas Light and Coke Company, was a company that made and supplied coal gas and coke. The headquarters of the company were located on Horseferry Road in Westminster, London. It is identified as the original company from which British Gas plc is descended.
A CHANT was a type of prefabricated coastal tanker which was built in the United Kingdom during the Second World War due to a perceived need for coastal tankers after the invasion of France. Some CHANTs were adapted to carry dry cargos. These were known as the Empire F type coasters.
MV Ardingly was a coaster built in 1951 as a collier for Stephenson Clarke Shipping. She carried coal from North East England to ports in Southern England until this trade declined early in the 1960s. Stephenson Clarke then transferred her to carrying bulk cargoes including limestone and grain.
The Burntisland Shipbuilding Company was a shipbuilder and repairer in Burntisland, Fife, Scotland that was founded in 1918. In 1969 it was taken over by Robb-Caledon Shipbuilders, which in turn was nationalised in 1977 as part of British Shipbuilders.
The London Power Company was an electricity generating and bulk supply company in London, England, formed in 1925 by the merger of ten small electricity companies. In 1948 Britain's electricity supply industry was nationalised under the Electricity Act 1947 and the company was absorbed into the British Electricity Authority.
The Wandsworth and District Gas Company was a maker and distributor of coal gas in southwest London from 1834 until 1949.
SS Wandle was a British coastal collier owned and operated by the proprietors of Wandsworth gas works in south-west London. She was a flatiron, meaning that she had a low-profile superstructure, hinged funnel, hinged or telescopic mast and folding wheelhouse to enable her to pass under low bridges on the tidal River Thames upriver from the Pool of London. She was in service from 1932 to 1959 and survived a number of enemy attacks in the Second World War.
A flatiron, or flattie, is a type of coastal trading vessel designed to pass under bridges that have limited clearance. Her mast(s) are hinged or telescopic, her funnel may be hinged, and her wheelhouse may also fold flat.
Stephenson Clarke Shipping Limited (2006). "About Us". Stephenson Clarke Shipping. Archived from the original on 17 September 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2008.
Stephenson Clarke Shipping Limited (2006). "Home Page". Stephenson Clarke Shipping. Archived from the original on 17 April 2008. Retrieved 30 April 2008.
Stephenson Clarke Shipping Limited (2006). "Contact Us". Stephenson Clarke Shipping. Archived from the original on 22 April 2008. Retrieved 30 April 2008.
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