Abstract
In this fourth volume in the series Leith-Built Ships, R. O. Neish documents the ships constructed by Robb Caledon shipbuilders up until the closure of the yard in 1984. Robb Caledon was responsible for constructing hundreds of ships for both the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy, which have journeyed and been distributed all over the world. There is certainly an impetus for more studies of shipbuilders and shipbuilding communities, and how changes in shipbuilding have had a broad impact. With the closure or diminution of dockyards and shipbuilding firms during the period concerned, the societal and economic impact can still be felt by many communities, and the importance to the heritage of a place should be acknowledged. Neish has highlighted important connections between politics, industry and labour in writing this history, but I cannot help but think there is still much more to be said. Examples of in-depth works on this topic include The Tide of Democracy by Alistair J. Reid and Shipbuilding in the United Kingdom by Hugh Murphy, but there are of course a number of works by shipbuilders and enthusiasts alike. 1 That being said, Neish has promised no more than a story of the ships built by Robb Caledon in this period, and this is what we do get.
The prior volumes in the series explore the earlier periods from the mid nineteenth century onwards, although the period of the Second World War has not been covered (the author states that there will be a fifth volume to do this). A shipbuilder himself, Neish provides a varied mix of technical detail, service history and personal reflection, using his experience and knowledge to provide a good balance between the factual and the anecdotal. Within a subject that could be quite dry with an overabundance of technical specifications and data, Neish manages an accessible and conversational book while including much of the technical information, which is also given in separate tables in an appendix. The array of images throughout reflects the whole of the time period discussed and adds some further context for readers who may not be as familiar with the different types of shipping. Furthermore, the inclusion of a few images of some of the people associated with each ship gives context and life to the subject.
Neish begins with the S-class cargo ships built in the mid 1960s and explains that the concurrent ‘1960s boom’ (14) for shipbuilding facilitated the amalgamation of Henry Robb and Caledon Shipbuilders of Dundee to form Robb Caledon. The tour through the variety of vessels constructed, ranging from the helicopter support ship RFA Engadine to icebreakers, survey ships, container ships and tugs, pays testament to the diversity and skill of the people working in the sector. The involvement of MT Lloydsman in the Icelandic Cod Wars is an interesting passage, as is the story of HMS Herald, the survey ship constructed for the Royal Navy with a teak deck and jail in the forecastle.
Yet the aforementioned boom gave way to a period of ‘general malaise’ (57) in the mid 1970s, which Neish connects with trade union strife and dwindling orders. The three-day working week also caused consternation while production was roughly one ship per year. Expansion in the North Sea oil industry instigated the order of tugs and firefighting vessels, but declining facilities in the yards and nationalization devalued traditional industries, which Neish claims was a major contributing factor in the demise of the British shipbuilding industry altogether. In the 1980s, the North Sea oil industry provided much-needed contracts. But this was not to last and smaller yards were systematically closed in an effort to streamline the industry – a pattern seen in other industries at the time, notably mining. The tracing of shipbuilding against a backdrop of political upheaval and activism is an important and fascinating topic, which Neish has acknowledged. Although he has concluded honestly that it is difficult to remain objective on the matter – which is understandable, given his first-hand experience of uncertainty and demise, which has corrupted his formative experiences and sentiments from being an apprentice – the scathing criticism of government policy does feel a touch repetitive by the end, even if justified.
As with the other books in the series, Volume 4 suffers from feeling a little disjointed, with each chapter dealing with a ship or the ships built within a time period. The longer passages of personal experience and anecdotes that have been lifted from the author’s website do add colour and a personal element to the book. However, the shorter extracts do not always flow or add anything to the chapters. There might have been some merit to integrating these stories into the narrative of a ship rather than appending them at the end of each chapter. This might also have helped to develop some of the more staccato passages that comprise single-sentence paragraphs. There are a few grammatical and spelling inconsistencies, which do not detract from the readability of the book but are noticeable, such as alternating between ‘S class’ and ‘S Class’ (1–6), as well as ‘unseaworthiness’ and ‘un-seaworthiness’ (36–7), and a typographical error on page 2. While this book is not intended as an academic work, missing image credits – for example, ‘image credit unknown’ on page 39 and ‘image from Wikipedia’ on page 35 – will likely make an academic reader feel a little uncomfortable.
This book is accessible for a wider audience than just those in the shipbuilding industry, and will perhaps attract readers with an interest in local histories of Scotland or maritime enthusiasts more generally. However, a truly invested reader is going to be someone who has worked or is working in shipbuilding trades or who has likely had family members who worked in Leith. It is certainly a volume that one can dip into – explanatory passages and a glossary help with this – but it is likely to appeal predominantly to someone with prior knowledge or who enjoys a memoir on the subject. It will be interesting to see how the period 1939–1945 will be addressed in the proposed fifth volume.