Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company
The year 1837 marked the birth of a shipbuilding venture in Deptford. Thomas J. Ditchburn and Charles John Mare founded the Ditchburn and Mare Shipbuilding Company that year. A fire destroyed their initial yard just one year later. The partners relocated to Orchard Place in Blackwall during 1838. They took over premises previously used by William and Benjamin Wallis. Their early work focused on small paddle steamers between 50 and 100 tons. By 1840 they had progressed to building ships exceeding 300 tons. Customers included the Iron Steamboat Company and the Blackwall Railway Company. Several paddle steamers like the Meteor and Prince of Wales operated between Gravesend and Brunswick Wharf. The firm also secured contracts from the Admiralty for iron warships such as HMS Recruit. This brig was among the first iron warships built in the area.
HMS Warrior launched in 1860 became the world's first all-iron warship. When completed in October 1861 it stood as the largest, fastest, most heavily armed and most heavily armoured warship globally. The company expanded its Canning Town site significantly after 1856. By 1891 the yard covered a vast triangular area along Bow Creek. It featured a quay measuring 1,050 feet long. Orders poured in from navies worldwide including Denmark, Greece, Portugal, Russia, Spain and the Ottoman Empire. The Prussian Navy received SMS König Wilhelm in 1868. Portugal acquired the cruiser Afonso de Albuquerque in 1884. Romania received multiple classes of gunboats and torpedo boats. The yard produced 144 warships throughout its lifetime. A contract for Westminster Bridge followed later in 1862. The Mechanics' Magazine described the premises as Leviathan Workshops in 1861.
Arnold Hills joined the board of directors in 1880 at age 23. He became managing director during the 1890s. Hills voluntarily introduced an eight-hour workday for his workers. This practice was rare when ten- or twelve-hour shifts dominated industrial labor. In 1895 he helped establish Thames Ironworks F.C. for employees. The club entered the FA Cup and London League within two years. The committee desired to employ professional players. Thames Ironworks F.C. wound up in June 1900. West Ham United F.C. formed a month later. Hills also petitioned Winston Churchill regarding lack of new orders in 1911. His efforts proved unsuccessful before the yard closed.
Employees at the Thames Ironworks formed a works football team named Thames Ironworks Football Club. The club's emblem features crossed hammers representing riveting tools used in shipbuilding. Supporters refer to their team as The Irons rather than The Hammers. A chant 'Come on you Irons' appears on every match day at West Ham. The shape of the club badge launched after moving to the Olympic Stadium in 2016 represents the cross-section of HMS Warrior's bow. That battleship was built by the Thames Ironworks in 1860. The media commonly calls the club The Hammers while fans prefer The Irons. The transition from factory floor to stadium began when the company shut down operations.
The company produced iron work for Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge over the Tamar during the 1850s. It constructed vessels like SS Himalaya for the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company in 1853. This ship briefly held the title of world's largest passenger vessel. Between 1897 and 1912 the yard made ironwork for Kotri Bridge in Sindh Province, Pakistan. They also built marine engines, cranes, electrical engineering equipment and motor cars. Two British-built battleships formed part of Japan's main battle line in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904, 1905. The launch of HMS Albion in 1898 ended tragically with several observer deaths following a bridge collapse. The last major warship HMS Thunderer weighed 22,500 tons and launched in 1911.
General shipbuilding on the Thames faced pressure due to cost advantages at northern yards. Many yards closed after the 1866 financial crisis. Survivors specialized in warships and liners. Hills petitioned Winston Churchill about lack of new orders in 1911. He failed to secure contracts before the yard shut down in 1912. Within two years the United Kingdom entered war with Germany. The yard's final major ship participated in the Battle of Jutland. The premises were acquired by the Royal Flying Corps in 1915. This organization had been created in 1912 for storing aeroplanes. Part of the Limmo Peninsula site was excavated during Crossrail construction in 2012. The company ceased operations after decades of dominance over global naval engineering.
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Common questions
When was the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company founded?
The year 1837 marked the birth of a shipbuilding venture in Deptford. Thomas J. Ditchburn and Charles John Mare founded the Ditchburn and Mare Shipbuilding Company that year.
What major warship did the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company launch in 1860?
HMS Warrior launched in 1860 became the world's first all-iron warship. When completed in October 1861 it stood as the largest, fastest, most heavily armed and most heavily armoured warship globally.
Who managed the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company during the 1890s?
Arnold Hills joined the board of directors in 1880 at age 23. He became managing director during the 1890s and voluntarily introduced an eight-hour workday for his workers.
Which football club originated from employees at the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company?
Employees at the Thames Ironworks formed a works football team named Thames Ironworks Football Club. The club wound up in June 1900 before West Ham United F.C. formed a month later.
When did the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company cease operations?
The yard shut down in 1912 after failing to secure contracts despite petitions to Winston Churchill regarding lack of new orders in 1911. The premises were acquired by the Royal Flying Corps in 1915.