55°51′50.6″N4°19′8.9″W / 55.864056°N 4.319139°W /55.864056; -4.319139
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| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Shipbuilding |
| Predecessor | Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering |
| Founded | September 1972 |
| Defunct | 1988 |
| Fate | Acquired |
| Successor | Kvaerner Govan |
| Headquarters | Govan, Scotland,UK |
Key people | Lord Strathalmond (Chairman) Eric Mackie OBE (Managing Director) |
Number of employees | 6000 (1978) |
| Parent | British Shipbuilders (1977-1988) |
| Subsidiaries | Scotstoun Marine Ltd (1973-1980) |
Govan Shipbuilders Ltd (GSL) was a Britishshipbuilding company based on theRiver Clyde atGlasgow inScotland. It operated the formerFairfield Shipyard and took its name from theGovan area in which it was located.
The company was formed in 1972 by way of a purchase of the formerFairfield Shipyard in Govan from Sir Robert Smith, Liquidator ofUpper Clyde Shipbuilders (UCS), itself a product of the amalgamation of several Clydeside yards;Fairfields,Alex Stephens,Charles Connell and Company,Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd. andJohn Browns.[1]
Between 1972 and 1980Scotstoun Marine Ltd, a subsidiary ofGovan Shipbuilders, also operated the formerConnell shipyard in Scotstoun.
In 1977 the company was nationalised by theLabour government ofJames Callaghan under theAircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act 1977 (c. 3) and subsumed intoBritish Shipbuilders.[2]
Between 1973 and 1988, a total of 53 ships were built byGovan Shipbuilders at the Govan (formerFairfield) shipyard. Investment in plant equipment at the yard during this period included expansion of the steel fabrication facilities and the installation of four 80 ton travelling ropeluffing cranes in 1975 byClarke Chapman, servicing the yard's threeslipways, in order to increase the size of units that could be prefabricated. An additional three 80 ton berth cranes fromScotstoun Marine Ltd were dismantled and transferred to Govan after the Scotstoun yard closed in 1980 along with two 40 ton cranes from the fitting-out quay; they remained distinctive due to their blue paintwork, with the original Govan cranes being painted red.
In 1988 theGovan Shipbuilders was sold to the Norwegian groupKvaerner Industries and was renamedKvaerner Govan.[3]
Shipyards of theClyde | |
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