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Dictionary of Sydney

The Dictionary of Sydney
Subjects
Economy
Secondary industry
Ship building

The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.

Ship building

Subject

Cockatoo Island

King's Dockyard

Mort Bay

Associated Steamships

Atlas Engineering Company

Australian Steam Navigation Company

George Russell & Co

Lars Halvorsen Sons Pty Ltd

Macarthur & Company

Mort's Dock and Engineering Company

Neptune Engineering & Slipway Company

Stannard Bros Slipway and Engineering Company

Sydney Dry Dock Company

WL Holmes & Company

Waterview Dry Dock Company

Allingham, John

Bass, Henry Tompson

Brown, Keith

Burne, WP

Chapman, William Henry

Charlton, Matthew

Cossar, William

Dunn, William

Fisher, Bill

Ford, John

Franki, James Peter

Gordon, Bob

Green, George

Halvorsen, Lars

Holmes, Reginald

Holmes, William

Korff, Johann

Lee, Edward

Lexcen, Ben

Mayoh, Arthur

Mayoh, Joseph

Mildwater, JJ

Mort, Thomas Sutcliffe

Nicholson, John

Nielsen, Christian

Paine, Daniel

Reid, Robinson

Rowntree, Thomas Stephenson

Russell, George

Stewart, John

Summerbell, Andrew

Thompson, George

Underwood, James

Windybank, Edward

Halvorsen boatshed

Kidman & Mayoh's shipyard

Underwood's shipyard

WM Ford's boatyard

Woodley's boatyard

Captain Cook Dock

Fitzroy Dry Dock

King's Dockyard

Mort's Dock

Sutherland Dock

Titan

Advertisement in the Sydney Gazette for Underwood's Yard 4 September 1803

Captain Cook Dry Dock 1951

Cockatoo Docks 1951

Cockatoo Island 2009

Darling Island - A.S.N Australian Steam Navigation Works, Pyrmont c1875

Dock workers and the Titan crane c1947

Dockyard, Cockatoo Island c1910

Dry dock, Balmain 1856

Excavating and building the dry dock at Waterview Bay near Sydney, finished 1856

Launch of HMAS Warrego II at Cockatoo Island Dockyard Feburary 1940

Mort's Dock, Balmain 1870s

Mort's Dockyard, Balmain 1911

Panorama of Darling Island and Harbour, looking towards the city December 1903

Patent slip belonging to the Australian Steam Navigation Co c1855

Sutherland Dock, Cockatoo Island

Sydney Port Jackson, New South Wales, taken from the Rocks on the western side of the Cove, c1803

The Fitzroy Dock, Cockatoo Island c1875

The mouth of the Tank Stream in Sydney Cove c1803

Woolwich Dock c2005-9

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Ship building

Cockatoo Island

Cockatoo Island has changed dramatically from the uninhabited rocky island it was when Europeans arrived. Reshaped, levelled, cleared and used for a range of social and industrial purposes, the island is now a historic landmark, administered by the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, and open to the public.

King's Dockyard

Built on the western shore of Circular Quay, King's Dockyard was the centre of the boom in boatbuilding between 1803 and 1807 and played its part in the use of native timbers in English naval yards. Its demise after 36 years reflected the end of the era of wooden ships.

Mort Bay

First called Grose Bay, the area became known as Waterview Bay after a house built there in 1830. With the building of a dry dock in the bay in 1855, industry took over, and for a century Mort's Dock dominated the bay. When the dock closed in 1958, it passed through a number of hands, but was eventually redeveloped as housing and parkland.

Associated Steamships

Shipbuilding company formed out of a merger between Adelaide Steamship Company and McIlwraith McEacharn Ltd. It stopped its connection with shipowning and building in 1973.

full record »

Atlas Engineering Company

Engineering company at Pyrmont which built ships and railway rolling stock from 1878.

full record »

Australian Steam Navigation Company

Shipbuilding company which built the first Australian iron-hulled vessel, the Ballarat, which was launched from the company's works at Pyrmont in 1860.

full record »

George Russell & Co

Marine engineering business which operated from the Sussex Street wharves in the 1840s and 1850s.

full record »

Lars Halvorsen Sons Pty Ltd

Boatbuilding company formed by the sons of boat builder Lars Halvorsen originally based at Neutral Bay but which relocated to Putney in 1938.

full record »

Macarthur & Company

Company formed by TS Mort and Thomas Macarthur to operate Mort's dry dock in Balmain. Superseded by Mort's Dock & Engineering Company in 1872.

full record »

Mort's Dock and Engineering Company

Engineering company formed by Thomas Mort in 1872 but managed by James Franki for over 50 years until his retirement in 1922. It had grown out of his ownership of Mort's Dock at Balmain and the company he had formed with Captain Thomas Routree in 1854. The company owned a second dry dock at Woolwich.

full record »

Neptune Engineering & Slipway Company

Boatbuilding and engineering company established on McMahons Point.

full record »

Stannard Bros Slipway and Engineering Company

Early shipbuilding company with a slipway at Berrys Bay.

full record »

Sydney Dry Dock Company

Company established in 1853 to construct dry docks at Sirius Cove, Mosman.

full record »

WL Holmes & Company

Boat building company which had various yards on McMahons Point.

full record »

Waterview Dry Dock Company

Dry dock company established at Balmain by Thomas Rowntree, TS Mort, and JS Mitchell in 1853.

full record »

Allingham, John

Shipwright at Greenwich.

full record »

Bass, Henry Tompson

Successful shipbuilder who established shipyard on north eastern shores of Darling Harbour in the early 1830s, as well as a smaller one at Bradley's Head on the northern shore of Sydney Harbour. He developed land at Balmain and on the Hawkesbury, also building a new punt at Wiseman's Ferry.

full record »

Brown, Keith

Boatbuilder and sailmaker in Putney.

full record »

Burne, WP

Shipwright at Greenwich.

full record »

Chapman, William Henry

Early shipbuilder at Greenwich.

full record »

Charlton, Matthew

Early landholder and boat builder in the Berowra area.

full record »

Cossar, William

Master ship builder at King's Dockyard from 1812 and later landowner on northern beaches.

full record »

Dunn, William

Boatbuilder at Lavender Bay, and from 1877 at Berrys Bay.

full record »

Fisher, Bill

Boatbuilder at Putney.

full record »

Ford, John

Shipwright at Greenwich.

full record »

Franki, James Peter

Engineer and ship builder who oversaw the spectacular development of shipbuilding at Mort's Dock for over 50 years.

full record »

Gordon, Bob

Last boatbuilder at McMahons Point.

full record »

Green, George

Ship builder whose financial success prior to 1844 enabled large land purchases along the Lane Cove River and in New Zealand.

full record »

Halvorsen, Lars

Norwegian-born boatbuilder who established a business in Neutral Bay.

full record »

Holmes, Reginald

Businessman who owned a boatbuilding business at McMahons Point and whose criminal activities came to light during investigation of the Shark Arm murder in 1935.

full record »

Holmes, William

Owner of boatbuilding yards at McMahons Point.

full record »

Korff, Johann

Shipbuilder who built coastal steamers and established ferry services to Balmain and Manly.

full record »

Lee, Edward

Shipwright at Greenwich.

full record »

Lexcen, Ben

Yachtsman and marine architect who designed some of Australia's most successful boats.

full record »

Mayoh, Arthur

British engineer who worked on Sydney's underground railway and in partnership with his brother Joseph and Sidney Kidman at the Kidman and Mayoh shipyard at Putney.

full record »

Mayoh, Joseph

British engineer who worked on Sydney's underground railway and in partnership with his brother Arthur and Sidney Kidman at the Kidman and Mayoh shipyard at Putney.

full record »

Mildwater, JJ

Ship builder at Shipwrights Bay on the Georges River, Blakehurst.

full record »

Mort, Thomas Sutcliffe

full record »

Auctioneer, wool merchant and industrialist who invested in a wide range of industries and technology including refrigerated transport and marine engineering, and became a rich man held in high esteem.

Nicholson, John

Ship builder who oversaw the closing of King's Dockyard.

full record »

Nielsen, Christian

Boatbuilder at Putney Point in the early twentieth century.

full record »

Paine, Daniel

Sydney's first master boatbuilder, appointed by John Hunter.

full record »

Reid, Robinson

Carpenter and ship builder who arrived with the First Fleet on HMS Supply.

full record »

Rowntree, Thomas Stephenson

Master mariner and shipbuilder, partner with TS Mort and JS Mitchell in the Waterview Dry Dock Company, established 1855. He left the company in 1861.

full record »

Russell, George

Engineer who managed the marine engineering section of the family business on the Sussex street wharves.

full record »

Stewart, John

Shipwright at Greenwich.

full record »

Summerbell, Andrew

Shipwright of Greenwich.

full record »

Thompson, George

Shipbuilder at Tom Uglys Point, Blakehurst

full record »

Underwood, James

Former convict who diversified from shipbuilding to also become a successful merchant, sealer and distiller.

full record »

Windybank, Edward

Boat builder who was the first white resident on Cowan Creek when he moved into a cave in the late 1880s.

full record »

Halvorsen boatshed

Boatshed where Halvorsen launches, cruisers and yachts were built at Putney for most of the twentieth century.

full record »

Kidman & Mayoh's shipyard

Shipyard established on part of the Cleves estate at Kissing Point by pastoralist Sidney Kidman and engineering brothers Arthur and Joseph Mayoh to take advantage of the government's program of shipbuilding at the end of World War I. The two ships they attempted to build were unseaworthy and caused years of litigation.

full record »

Underwood's shipyard

full record »

Successful early shipyard at the mouth of the Tank Stream in Sydney Cove which was run by James Underwood, a former convict who later diversified from shipbuilding to become a successful merchant, sealer and distiller. The land grant ran from George Street through to the stream. Underwood extended the land by reclaiming part of the estuary for the yard prior to 1807. He built a ‘commodious and comfortable’ flat-roofed Regency house facing the street, and warehouses. The house had a turret, and walk on the roof looking towards Sydney Cove.

WM Ford's boatyard

Early shipbuilding yard at Berrys Bay.

full record »

Woodley's boatyard

Early shipbuilding yard at Berrys Bay.

full record »

Captain Cook Dock

Dry, or graving, dock on Garden Island named in honour of Captain James Cook.

full record »

Fitzroy Dry Dock

Naval dry dock on Cockatoo Island constructed by convict labour and named for Governor Sir Charles FitzRoy.

full record »

King's Dockyard

Shipyard where the first ships were built for the new colony.

full record »

Mort's Dock

The first dry dock in Australia, opened in 1855 to repair the new commercial steamers, and later becoming a large engineering facility.

full record »

Sutherland Dock

Dry dock constructed on Cockatoo Island between 1882 and 1890 under the supervision of the engineer Louis Samuel and named for John Sutherland, Minister of Works in the Parkes government.

full record »

Titan

Floating crane fabricated in England before assembly at Cockatoo Island where it was used in the construction and refitting of vessels between 1919 and 1991. It was removed in 1992.

full record »

Advertisement in the Sydney Gazette for Underwood's Yard 4 September 1803

full record »

Contributed By

National Library of Australia

[Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser, 4 September 1803, p1 via Trove]

Captain Cook Dry Dock 1951

full record »

Contributed By

City of Sydney Archives

[044\044444]

(Len Stone / Vic Solomons Collection: 456)

Cockatoo Docks 1951

full record »

By

Contributed By

National Library of Australia

[nla.pic-an23139983]

Cockatoo Island 2009

full record »

Image courtesy of

[0901-2937-34]

Darling Island - A.S.N Australian Steam Navigation Works, Pyrmont c1875

full record »

Contributed By

State Archives & Records New South Wales

[15344_a044_000019.jpg]

Dock workers and the Titan crane c1947

full record »

By

Contributed By

Australian National Maritime Museum on The Commons

[Object number 00030758]

Dockyard, Cockatoo Island c1910

full record »

By

John Henry Harvey

Image courtesy of the

State Library of Victoria

[H2009.100/216]

Dry dock, Balmain 1856

full record »

By

Samuel Thomas Gill

Contributed By

National Library of Australia

[nla.pic-an7537523.]

Excavating and building the dry dock at Waterview Bay near Sydney, finished 1856

full record »

By

Contributed By

National Library of Australia

[nla.pic-an8021238]

Launch of HMAS Warrego II at Cockatoo Island Dockyard Feburary 1940

full record »

By

Contributed By

Australian National Maritime Museum on The Commons

Mort's Dock, Balmain 1870s

full record »

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[a089939 / SPF/939]

Mort's Dockyard, Balmain 1911

full record »

Contributed By

Leichhardt Council

Panorama of Darling Island and Harbour, looking towards the city December 1903

full record »

By

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[a113003 / DL Pg 26]

(Dixson Library)

Patent slip belonging to the Australian Steam Navigation Co c1855

full record »

By

Frederick Garling

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[a353001 / DGD 3,1]

(Dixson Galleries)

Sutherland Dock, Cockatoo Island

full record »

Contributed By

State Archives & Records New South Wales

[4481_a026_000733]

Sydney Port Jackson, New South Wales, taken from the Rocks on the western side of the Cove, c1803

full record »

By

John William Lancashire

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[a928474 / DG SV1/60]

(Dixson Galleries)

The Fitzroy Dock, Cockatoo Island c1875

full record »

By

John Lane Mullins

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[a1939028 / PXA 420, 13a]

(Mitchell Library)

The mouth of the Tank Stream in Sydney Cove c1803

full record »

By

George William Evans (attributed)

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

(Detail of [Sydney from the western side of the Cove, ca1803], Mitchell Library)

Woolwich Dock c2005-9

full record »

By

Courtesy of

Sydney Harbour Federation Trust

Secondary industry