G.K. Stothert & Co


G.K. Stothert & Co was a British engineering company primarily known for shipbuilding and repair founded in 1852 in Bristol, England.

History

The Bristol offshoot of the Bath-based company which later became Stothert & Pitt had been set up in St Phillips in 1837 by Henry Stothert with the hope of gaining orders from the Great Western Railway. Edward Slaughter became a partner in 1840, resulting in the company being renamed Stothert, Slaughter & Co. By 1843 they had diversified into shipbuilding, producing two 105 ton iron screw steamers named Avon and Severn which were built for running between Newport and Bristol. The shipbuilding part of the company moved to Hotwells in 1852. It was officially known as the Clifton Marine Engineering and Iron Shipbuilding Works. Under the control of George Kelson Stothert it separated from the parent company in 1854, and partnerships were formed with Ernest Theophilus Fripp, Frederick James Dickinson, and George Priestly Marten ; after that, G. K. Stothert held sole control until 1899. When he died in 1908, the business was established as a limited company carrying his name. The business remained in operation under his name until 1933, although shipbuilding stopped in 1904. The railway works part of the company eventually became Avonside Engine Company.
A fire occurred at the yard in 1893; later correspondence states that this destroyed the company's records to that date.
After G. K. Stothert died, the obituary written by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers noted that he "...was one of the pioneers of iron shipbuilding in this country".

Location

In 1852, the company started leasing an existing shipyard adjacent to the Cumberland Basin that was owned by the Society of Merchant Venturers. The premises had been used by George Lunnell between 1834 and 1851. The site consisted of slipways, Hotwells Dry Dock and Merchant's Dock.
In 1897, part of the site was sold by the Merchant Venturers to the Great Western Railway to allow a line to be built to Canon's Marsh; these works restricted access to the shipyard from Hotwell Road and reduced the size of Merchant's Dock.
The company opened an Avonmouth repair branch shortly after the completion of the Royal Edward Dock, which was in operation until at least 1920. This was housed in a building to the north of the Dry Dock.

Vessels

Several large vessels were built within the first few years of operation, including the Scamander, Meander and Araxes, ranging between 780 and 1156 tons and being built in 1854 and 1855 for the Moss Line of Liverpool. Scamander and Meander were chartered by the French Government for service during the Crimean War, and G.K. Stothert also went to Crimea during 1855.
The company became known for producing river and canal tugs. They built thirteen used by or on behalf of the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal Company and it successors. This commenced with an initial order for three for their haulage contractor in 1860 and ended with a final order for two for the Severn & Canal Carrying Company in 1904 which are believed to be the final vessels launched by G.K. Stothert. In addition to the thirteen, the Danks, Venn and Sanders tug Pioneer was used by its owners on the Canal from 1858 onwards and may have passed into the hands of the Canal Company at a later date.
The yard numbers the company used seem to have covered all works undertaken, rather than just vessels; Mayflower's'' current boiler is yard No. 303.
YearNameYard No.ONGRTTypePropulsionClient
1843AVON3944105PassengerScrewBristol New Steam Packet Company
1844SEVERN3947104PassengerScrewBristol New Steam Packet Company
1844MITAU20TugPaddleStrows & Co.
1845CRETE134ScrewMiles
1850WAVEPassengerScrewStothert & Slaughter
1850JENNY LINDPassengerScrew
1851JENNY JONES/BALMORAL3953166Passenger / CargoScrewCardiff Steam Navigation Co
1852QUEEN3950342PassengerPaddleHayle Brilliant Steam Navigation Company
1853JUNO/DAKOTAH3818298CargoSteamT. Fyson, Bristol
1854SCAMANDER25998CargoSteamWilliam M. Moss & others, Liverpool
1855ARAXES105501156CargoScrewWilliam M. Moss & others, Liverpool
1856MEANDER83907985CargoScrewRoss & Co., Liverpool
1856THOMAS POWELL26800401CargoScrewThomas Powell & others, Newport
1856TAFF14351148PassengerPaddleBristol General Steam Navigation Company
1856PROSPERO13331308SailC.T. Bowring & Co.
1857ARTIZAN20481454CargoScrewG. K. Stothert, Bristol
1857CLIFTON/CAMILLA18580446CargoScrewJ. Edwards & Co.
1857BEATRICE16227322CargoScrewRobinson
<1858PIONEERTugScrewDanks, Venn and Sanders
1858TRINCULO21493310SailC.T. Bowring & Co.
1860ENTERPRIZE2921397CoasterScrewStephen Steed & William Osborn, Bristol
1860MOSS ROSEN/A33TugScrewT. Hadley, Purton
1860EDMUND IRONSIDES2787694CargoScrewJohn Markham
1861AJAX29215124CargoScrewBristol General Steam Navigation Company
1861DOLPHIN4411032TugScrewBristol General Steam Navigation Company
1861MAYFLOWER10541232TugScrewT. Hadley, Purton
1861PIONEERScrewWeaver Navigation Trustees
1862ALARM4410921TugScrewBristol General Steam Navigation Company
1862VIOLETN/ATugScrewT. Hadley, Purton
1862SEVERN4425798TugPaddleBristol Channel Steam Towing Co., Cardiff
1863YachtScrewWeaver Navigation Trustees
1864RELIEF50266104TugPaddleThe New Steam Tug Co. Ltd., Liverpool
<1865EDWARD MORGAN
<1865RAINBOW
<1865FOUNTAIN
<1865FAIRY
<1865VOLUNTEERPossibly Bristol Steam Towing Company
1865RESOLUTE51410271TugPaddleNew Steam Tug Company Ltd., Liverpool
1865ORION52779777Passenger / CargoPaddleGeneral Steam Navigation Co. Ltd., London
1865MAHA LUKSHMI299301141CargoSail
1866NIGER53182128TugPaddleAnthony Hutton, Bristol
1867MYRTLE10541432TugScrewT. Hadley, Purton
1868PRINCESS OF WALES/ GIPSY KING4153195104TugPaddleG. K. Stothert & Co.
1868NEWPORT53191153CargoScrewJohn Stothert, Bristol
1869STAR6339479TugPaddleJoseph Hazell & others, Cardiff
1869ALERT10625731TugScrewC. J. King & Sons, Bristol
1871IXIA4965302227CoasterScrewTurner, Edwards and Co., Bristol
1871WELSH PRINCE5065304154CoasterScrewRichard Charles Ring, Bristol
1871HAZEL18487132TugScrewT. Hadley, Purton
1875VOLUNTEER8582024TugScrewC. J. King & Sons, Bristol
1875SEA KING9105145TugScrewC. J. King & Sons, Bristol
1876SPEEDWELL10541340TugScrewSharpness New Docks and Gloucester & Birmingham Navigation Company
1876REBECCA MARY7486196CargoSailing VesselGeorge Farren, Caernarvon
1876WORCESTERn/aTugScrewSharpness New Docks and Gloucester & Birmingham Navigation Company
1876BIRMINGHAMn/aTugScrewSharpness New Docks and Gloucester & Birmingham Navigation Company
1877GLOUCESTERn/aTugScrewSharpness New Docks and Gloucester & Birmingham Navigation Company
1878NETHAM78453113CoasterScrewRichard C. Ring, Bristol
1879DOURO5178459430CargoScrewG. K. Stothert & Co.
1880SEA QUEEN9105253TugScrewC. J. King & Sons, Bristol
1881LORD TREDEGAR/ WILLIAM PARFITT106255179DredgerScrewAlexandra (Newport) Dock Company
1882GALLOPER848649367TugScrewYoung & Christie, Cardiff
1883CLIFTON GROVE8985810249CoasterScrewWilliam Butler & Co. Ltd., Bristol
1883TEL-EL-KEBIR9089165163CoasterScrewL. J. Bowen, Cardiff
1884ATALANTA9285813143BargeScrewSevern & Canal Carrying Co
1885SEA PRINCE1149105397TugScrewC. J. King & Sons, Bristol
1888CONHAM9106977BargeScrewHenry R. Brown
1889PENMON9722297
1890FLAGSTAFF97233113CoasterScrewWilliam E. Davies, London
1892TREDEGAR/STOKE LEIGH16798828115CoasterScrewWilliam Galbraith, Bristol
1892CARBON17098829126BargeScrewAlfred J. Smith Ltd., Bristol
1893MERTHYR184102483143CoasterScrew
1897RESOLUTE10541562TugScrewSevern & Canal Carrying Co
1897RELIANCE11771662TugScrewSevern & Canal Carrying Co
1901RECRUIT11285059TugScrewWilliam Cory and Son Ltd., London
1901MAESTEG243111318156BargeScrewBristol Lighterage Co. Ltd.
1901GARTH244114861156BargeScrewBristol Lighterage Co. Ltd.
1903SALAMANDER16386747Fire FloatScrewBristol Fire Brigade
1904VICTOR/SEVERN VICTOR27814738544TugScrewSevern & Canal Carrying Co
1904ACTIVE/SEVERN ACTIVE28014738153TugScrewSevern & Canal Carrying Co