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Industrialisation - Development of Shipbuilding and The Port - Coggle…
Industrialisation - Development of Shipbuilding and The Port
Issues with Belfast when it came to shipbuilding
The shipyards were located 12 miles from the sea
The river was narrower than the River Thames
Coal and Steel had to be imported from Britain
Timber had to be imported from Canada and Norway
Early shipbuilding
William Ritchie set up the first shipyard on the banks of the River Lagan in 1791 and then another member of the family set up a second yard at the end of the 18th century
By 1912 ships of up to 400 tonnes were being built in Belfast
The first steamboat was made and launched in 1820 built by Coates and Young, they also built the first iron steamboat the 'Countless of Caledon'
A 750 ton paddle steamer was launched in 1838 called the 'Aurora' by Connell and Sons
Switch from wooden to iron hulls was crucial, this industry was the one to dominate the second half of the 19th century
Between 1824 and 1854, 50 vessels were constructed in the towns' shipyards
Belfast Harbour Commissioners
This was established in 1847 under the Belfast Harbour Act
The entrance of the river was deep and wide due to the Pool of Garmoyle there was great mudflats and sandbanks meaning only small ships could enter and leave the harbour at high tide
Engineer William Dargan oversaw the activities to make a navigable channel into Belfast
The process involved removing sediment from the River Lagan ensuring appropriate depth for all vessels
It was renamed the Victoria Channel and opened in 1849
They supported relocation of industry to the newly formed Queen's Island (seen with the building of the Linen Hall)
New shipbuilding
In the 1850s Thompson and Kirwan established a shipyard on the Queen's Island
An ironworks was also established on the island for £25,000 but it was cheaper to import iron from England
Robert Hickson took over the works in 1853
To help the ironworks it was decided to allow more land and between 1854 and 1859, Hickson built 8 vessels there
1854 Hickson appointed a new manager Edward Harland (very you but experienced)
1861 Harland entered a partnership with Gustav Wolff, Harland and Wolff was well established by the mid 60s
Queen's Island was perfect for shipbuilding with long, clear frontage with ample space
By the 1880s Belfast it had surpassed Dublin and became the largest port in Ireland
Between 1908-11 Harland and Wolff built the Titanic for the White Star Line Company which was the largest ship in the world at the time
Reasons for the successful development of Ulster
Led to some people to identify the correlation between Ulster's success and the Protestant work ethic
Rents and unskilled labour were cheap in Belfast and ship building required semi-skilled labour and it wasn't difficult to train up men
Although coal, iron and steel had to be imported, the cost of ocean freight for bulk goods was not prohibitive
Belfast had close links with coal mines and steel/ iron makers in Northern England and also has access to large markets
Their development was linked to the concentration of heavy engineering in northern Britain
The entrepreneurs had flair and technical ability to capitalise on Ulster's opportunities
Horizontal intergration
Manufacturers, engineers, ironmaking and shipbuilders all benefitted from each other's presence
The number of engineering and foundry works in the city increased from four to twelve between 1825 and 1851
Many engineers were moving to Belfast from England and Scotland bringing new skills
Due to the demand for steam engines by the linen industry, Belfast became principle centre for the manufacture of steam engines in Ireland (Coates and Young were best engine makers in the country)
Construction of the rail network created demand for the work of engineers and iron founders
External economy