Abels Shipbuilders

Abels Shipbuilders
Company type	Private company
Industry	Shipbuilding,; Boatbuilding
Founded	1980
Defunct	2016
Headquarters	Bristol Harbour, England
Key people	David Abels (founder)
Number of employees	35 (2001)

Last updated April 30, 2024

Abels Shipbuilders Ltd was a ship and boat builder in Bristol, England. In addition to boat building, the company branched out into architectural sculptures, tidal energy and marine restoration, but closed in 2016.^[1]^[3]

Business

The Orkney Ferries vessel MV Eynhallow departing at Tingwall. Built in 1987 by Abels for 11 cars and 95 pax. Eynhallow.jpg — The Orkney Ferries vessel MV *Eynhallow* departing at Tingwall. Built in 1987 by **Abels** for 11 cars and 95 pax.

Founded in 1980 by David Abels, the company took over part of the Albion Dockyard formerly occupied by Charles Hill & Sons who went out of business in 1977. The site includes the large covered dry dock originally built by Hilhouse in 1820, and has a capacity of 350 tonnes.

The company built a wide variety of vessels up to 250gt and 25 m (82 ft) in length in steel and aluminium, typically tugs, passenger and Roll-on/roll-off ferries, survey vessels, launches and work boats. Around 80% of orders were for UK customers although the company also delivered aluminium patrol and ambulance boats to Nigeria.^[4] The company also built Pero's Bridge (the horned foot bridge) which opened in 1999.^[5] Later work included a 180gt, 250-passenger catamaran for Clyde Marine and the rebuild of the Medway Queen for the Medway Queen Preservation Society.

Ferries

The company built ferries from at least 1985, when the 60-passenger Island Princess was delivered to Scottish owners, and she still operates as a whale watching boat off the Isle of Mull. Further ferry orders followed including the 29-metre (95 ft) Roll-on/roll-off ferry Eynhallow for Orkney Ferries in 1987 and the 19-metre (62 ft)Maid of the Forth for the Forth River in 1989.^[6]

In 1989, the Maid of the Islands (LOA15m, 130-person capacity) was built for Harvey's pleasure boats of Poole (the yellow boats of Poole); still in Poole today operating between Sandbanks and Brownsea Island for Brownsea Island Ferries. In 1991, a similar design was commissioned for Harvey's. Named Maid of the Lakelands, it is slightly bigger with a completely covered saloon, bar and open deck. It operates from Poole to Brownsea Island and from Poole Quay to Wareham for Brownsea Island Ferries.

In 1999, Maid of Poole (LOA23.5m 195-person capacity), was commissioned for Brownsea Island Ferries for the Poole Quay-Brownsea island service. In 2001 an exact copy of Maid of Poole (Abel's design) was commissioned by Brownsea Island Ferries to be built by Halmatic in Portsmouth. This vessel was called Maid of The Harbour.

In 2001, Abels secured a contract to build a twin-deck ferry for the Portsmouth Harbour Ferry Company. Shortly afterwards the company was awarded a follow-on contract for a second ferry. The first ship, Spirit of Gosport was delivered successfully, but the second, to be named Spirit of Portsmouth, was only partially constructed when the customer cancelled the order, and the unfinished hull remained at Abel's shipyard for many years. However, in 2016-17, the uncompleted hull was completed as a medical ferry for Vine Trust in South America, under the name Forth Hope .

The last ferry built was the Clyde Clipper for Clyde Marine and delivered in July 2009. She is a 125gt catamaran of 28 m (92 ft) length and 11 m (36 ft) beam and able to carry up to 250 passengers. Powered is supplied by two Doosan diesel engines and the vessel has a speed of around 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph).

Survey Vessels

In the late 1980s, Abels began to construct a series of survey vessels for the UK Environment Agency.^[7]Vigilance was the first of four similar vessels and delivered by Abels in 1990 for work in the Bristol Channel.

The follow-on ships constructed were the Sea Vigil based on the South Coast, Coastal Guardian for the Mersey and Water Guardian, based on the North East Coast, but spending some time in the Bristol Channel while Plymouth University chartered the Vigilance.

Ranging from 42 to 71gt and 15.8 to 16.5 m (52 to 54 ft) in length, they are 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) ships operated by the Agency's National Marine Service. Their complement includes scientists and each are fitted for survey activities such as taking seabed samples, trawling and water sampling as methods to monitor the area's coastline, including use of Meteorological sea surface temperature equipment on a tow fish when required.^[8]

Vessels built by Abels Shipbuilders

Vessels built by Abels Shipbuilders in Bristol include:

Maria McLoughlin (1981). 500 hp (370 kW) steel tug.
Sarah McLoughlin (1981). 500 hp (370 kW) steel tug.
Island Princess (1985). 50 ft (15 m) 60 seat passenger ferry.
MV Eynhallow (1987). 104gt Ro-Ro vehicle and passenger ferry.
Surta (1988). 42 ft (13 m) steam passenger vessel.
Vigilance (1989). 42gt environmental survey vessel.
Maid of the Forth (1989). 70gt 225-seat passenger ferry.
Maid of the Islands (1989). 130-seat passenger ferry.
Sea Vigil (1991). 55gt survey vessel.
Avon Monarch (1991). 75-seat passenger vessel.
Maid of the Lakeland’s (1991). 130-seat passenger ferry
Coastal Guardian (1992). 74gt survey vessel.
Water Guardian (1992). 51gt survey vessel.
Sir William Pulteney (1993). 85-seat passenger ferry.
Impulse (1994). 52gt steel pusher tug.
Georgina (1995). 80.1 ft (24.4 m) motor boat.
The Georgian (1995). 93.5 ft (28.5 m) motor boat.
Lenie (1997). 121gt multi-purpose tug.
PAD.42 to PAD.51 (1999). 7.62 m (25.0 ft), 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph) aluminium-hulled Nigerian police launches.
Maid of Poole (1999). 195-seat Passenger Ferry.
Spirit of Gosport (2001). 300gt passenger ferry.
Beauchamp (2001). 80 ft (24 m) floating classroom vessel.
Spirit of Portsmouth (2002). 300gt passenger ferry (unfinished), renamed Forth Hope (finished), (2017). 320 gt medical ferry.
Faoilean (2002). 58gt fish farming vessel.
Corrine Marin (2004). Floating café and restaurant for Arbi'n'Tap. Due to a contractual dispute Dave Abel ceased trading after going into receivership following the build of this ship.
Leanne McLoughlin (2005). Line running vessel.
Noleen McLoughlin (2005). Line running vessel.
Clay Barge No 8 (2005). 39.5 ft (12.0 m) motor barge.
Clyde Clipper (2009). 125gt catamaran ferry.
Seagreen (2010). 304 gt Work vessel for the French transport & utility company Veolia.
Medway Queen (2010). Rebuild of the 180 ft (55 m) iron paddle steamer.
West Country Schooner (2011). 60 t topsail schooner

Related Research Articles

A ferry is a watercraft that carries passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water taxi or water bus.

Poole Harbour is a large natural harbour in Dorset, southern England, with the town of Poole on its shores. The harbour is a drowned valley (ria) formed at the end of the last ice age and is the estuary of several rivers, the largest being the Frome. The harbour has a long history of human settlement stretching to pre-Roman times. The harbour is extremely shallow, with one main dredged channel through the harbour, from the mouth to Holes Bay.

Bristol Harbour is the harbour in the city of Bristol, England. The harbour covers an area of 70 acres. It is the former natural tidal river Avon through the city but was made into its current form in 1809 when the tide was prevented from going out permanently. A tidal by-pass was dug for 2 miles through the fields of Bedminster for the river, known as the "River Avon New Cut", "New Cut", or simply "The Cut". It is often called the Floating Harbour as the water level remains constant and it is not affected by the state of the tide on the river in the Avon Gorge, The New Cut or the natural river southeast of Temple Meads to its source.

Red Funnel, the trading name of the Southampton Isle of Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Company Limited, is a ferry company that carries passengers, vehicles and freight on routes between the English mainland and the Isle of Wight. High-speed foot passenger catamarans, known as Red Jets, run between Southampton and Cowes, while vehicle ferries run between Southampton and East Cowes.

The PS Medway Queen is a paddle driven steamship, the only mobile estuary paddle steamer left in the United Kingdom. She was one of the "little ships of Dunkirk", making a record seven trips and rescuing 7,000 men in the evacuation of Dunkirk.

Incat Tasmania is an Australian manufacturer of high-speed craft (HSC) catamaran ferries. Its greatest success has been with large, sea going passenger and vehicle ferries, but it has also built military transports and since 2015 it has built smaller river and bay ferries. Based in Derwent Park, a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, it was founded by Bob Clifford.

Lobnitz & Company was a Scottish shipbuilding company located at Renfrew on the River Clyde, west of the Renfrew Ferry crossing and east of the confluence with the River Cart. The Lobnitz family lived at Chapeltoun House in East Ayrshire. The company built dredgers, floating docks, fishing boats, tugs and workboats.

Allied Shipbuilders Ltd is a privately held shipbuilding and ship repairing company established in Canada in 1948.

The HSC Champion Jet 2 is an 86 m (282 ft) fast catamaran ferry owned by Greek ferry firm Seajets. Between 1997 and early 2015, she was operated by Condor Ferries and ran between the UK and the Channel Islands as Condor Express.

The Caledonian MacBrayne fleet is the largest fleet of car and passenger ferries in the United Kingdom, with 34 ferries in operation, 2 on charter and another 6 on order. The company provides lifeline services to 23 islands off the west coast of Scotland, as well as operating routes in the Firth of Clyde.

MV Spirit of Portsmouth is a vessel owned by the Gosport Ferry Company Ltd and built by VT Halmatic Ltd of Portchester.

MV Spirit of Gosport is a vessel owned by the Gosport Ferry Company Ltd and built by Abels Shipbuilders in Bristol.

Cruiser is a passenger vessel owned by Clyde Marine Services Ltd operating in the River Clyde as part of the company's charter cruise fleet. Her former names are Southsea Queen, Hythe Hotspur and Poole Scene.

British Channel Island Ferries (BCIF) was a ferry operator who ran services between the United Kingdom and the Channel Islands.

Austal Limited is an Australian-based global ship building company and defence prime contractor that specialises in the design, construction and support of defence and commercial vessels. Austal's product range includes naval vessels, high-speed ferries, and supply or crew transfer vessels for offshore windfarms and oil and gas platforms.

MV Clyde Clipper is a cruise boat, a purpose built catamaran with a capacity of around 250 passengers and facilities for weddings, functions and corporate hospitality, including bar and catering facilities. She was built by Abels Shipbuilders of Bristol in 2009.

HMS Medway is a Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessel for the Royal Navy. Named after the River Medway in Kent, she was the second Batch 2 River-class vessel to be commissioned and is assigned long-term as Royal Navy guardship in the Caribbean.

The MV Forth Hope is a medical ferry operated by the Vine Trust as part of the charity's Amazon Hope project. The ship operates on the Amazon River from a base in Iquitos in Peru. The Forth Hope is 35 metres (115 ft) in length and has a beam of 10 metres (33 ft). In her medical missionary role, she is equipped with consultation rooms, an operating theatre, laboratory, pharmacy, and dental surgery. The vessel flys a Cayman Islands flag. It has a draught of 1.9 metres, is 35 metres long and 10 metres in breadth, and has a maximum speed of 7.1 knots.

Water Witch was an early British wood-hulled paddle steamer, built in 1835 at Harwich, England for steam packet services from Dover to London and to Boulogne. A successful fast ship, she was later operated on services on the South Coast of England and in the Bristol Channel

References

1 2 "Abels Shipbuilders: Final large Bristol shipbuilder closes". BBC. 29 September 2016. Archived from the original on 14 November 2017.
↑ "Irish Sea News Bulletin: December 2001". Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
↑ "David Abels Boat Builders". Archived from the original on 8 September 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
↑ "Abels Shipbuilders". Grace's Guide. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
↑ MacVeigh, James (2016). Secret Bristol. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 9781445650104.
↑ "Maid of the Forth: Vessel Specifications". Archived from the original on 4 June 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
↑ "Channel Images: WSS Swansea Features". Archived from the original on 26 October 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
↑ "Inter-Agency Committee on Marine Science and Technology: Water Guardian". Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2010.

51°26′54″N2°36′35″W / 51.4484°N 2.6098°W / 51.4484; -2.6098

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[defunct2016-1] 1 2 "Abels Shipbuilders: Final large Bristol shipbuilder closes". BBC. 29 September 2016. Archived from the original on 14 November 2017.

[2] "Irish Sea News Bulletin: December 2001". Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

[3] "David Abels Boat Builders". Archived from the original on 8 September 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2012.

[4] "Abels Shipbuilders". Grace's Guide. Retrieved 15 August 2018.

[5] MacVeigh, James (2016). Secret Bristol. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 9781445650104.

[6] "Maid of the Forth: Vessel Specifications". Archived from the original on 4 June 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2010.

[7] "Channel Images: WSS Swansea Features". Archived from the original on 26 October 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2010.

[8] "Inter-Agency Committee on Marine Science and Technology: Water Guardian". Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2010.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]