
ABOUT THIS BOOK
PUBLISHER: Whittles Publishing
ISBN: 9781849955782
RRP: £18.99
PAGES: 192
PUBLICATION DATE:
April 30, 2024
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Robb Caledon [Leith Division] 1965-1984: 4
R O Neish
Volume 4 of the acclaimed Leith-built Ships series follows Ship Nos 495 to 535 built from 1965 until the eventual closure of the shipyard in 1984 by a government that was hell-bent on destroying British industry and breaking the powerful unions.
Great ships such as Lloydsman Ship no 509 and SA Wolraad Woltemade, Ship no 516, the two most powerful ocean-going salvage tugs, were built by Robb Caledon and Leith-built ships also played their part in the Falklands War. A great many working ships took their crews safely around the globe, and although tragedy befell some, most survived.
The author features them all, from the huge tug Lloydsman, fighting in the Icelandic ‘cod wars’ with her crew using tomato sauce bottles for ammunition, to hospital ship HMS Herald which took part in the Falklands War along with another four ships built at Leith. There were also ferries that captured the imagination of the Scottish Islanders who relied on them for transport, one of which was converted to carry out much-needed rescue work in West Africa.
Robb-built ships were anything but slab-sided vessels, with most being one-off specialised ships that were complex to build, requiring much skill which the Leith shipbuilders had in abundance.
This volume concludes the series on commercial ships built at the yard and is complemented with many first-hand accounts from the men and women who sailed or served on the ships.
R O Neish
Ron Neish is a proud shipbuilder who is actively involved in the shipbuilding industry on a design and consultancy basis. He has worked on numerous vessels of all shapes and sizes including new builds, conversions and repairs for a variety of agencies. He has contributed articles to maritime magazines worldwide and this book is the culmination of many years research and a lifetime building ships.