Ailsa Shipbuilding Company

Ailsa Shipbuilding Company was a Scottish shipbuilding company based in Troon and Ayr, Ayrshire.

History

The company was founded in 1885 by the 3rd Marquess of Ailsa along with Peter James Wallace and Alexander McCredie.

In 1902 the Ailsa yard fitted out the polar exploration ship Template:Ship for the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition of 1902-04. The Scotia sailed from Troon for the South Atlantic on 2 November 1902.<ref></ref>

The company built paddle steamers for various companies around the UK, including the New Medway Shipping Company's PS Medway Queen, the only estuary paddle steamer left in the UK.

During the First World War, the shipyard built the Royal Navy's first paddle minesweeper of the Bird class.<ref>"HM Ships As extracted from Jane's Fighting Ships for 1919". Retrieved 28 March 2009.</ref>

During the Second World War, Ailsa built vessels for the Navy, including several Bangor class minesweepers.

In 1977 Ailsa was nationalised and subsumed into the British Shipbuilders Corporation. In 1981, the assets of Ailsa and those of Ferguson Brothers were merged to form Ferguson-Ailsa, Limited. This grouping was split and privatised in 1986, the Ailsa yard being acquired by Perth Corporation as Ailsa & Perth, Limited.

Ailsa stopped large-scale shipbuilding in 1988 and finally closed as a shipbuilder in 2000.<ref>Ayrshire shipyard closing BBC News, 18 August 2000</ref> The yard has recently been used for ship repair work and the fabrication of large concrete sections for a pier improvement programme in Grimsay, Western Isles.<ref>"Huge concrete box due for harbour". BBC News. 21 August 2007. Retrieved 28 March 2009.</ref>

Ships built by Ailsa Shipbuilding Company

Yard No	Name	Type	Launch	Notes
334	Template:HMS	Minesweeper	29 April 1918
335	Template:HMS	Minesweeper	11 June 1918
336	Template:HMS	Minesweeper	21 November 1918
338	Template:HMS	Minesweeper	17 January 1919
294	Template:HMS	Gunboat	15 September 1915
345	Template:HMS	Minesweeper	15 August 1919
297	Template:HMS	Minesweeper	26 January 1916
298	Template:HMS	Minesweeper	4 April 1916
396	SS Sillonian	Passenger vessel	17 November 1925
473	Template:HMS	Minesweeper	16 February 1953
474	Template:HMS	Minesweeper	4 December 1953
481	MV Bute	Ferry	28 September 1954
508	MV Cerdic Ferry	Ferry	16 February 1961
299	Template:HMS	Minesweeper	14 June 1916
439	Template:HMS	Minesweeper	19 December 1941
571	Template:Ship	Research Vessel	1988
480	MV Cowal	Ferry	20 January 1954
509	MV Doric Ferry	Ferry	27 October 1961
483	Template:HMS	Minesweeper	25 May 1955
484	Template:HMS	Minesweeper	9 December 1957
496	MV Glen Sannox	Ferry	30 April 1957
529	MV Glenachulish	Ferry	1969
	MV Graemsay<ref>"MV Graemsay". FerryPhotos. Retrieved 5 October 2009.</ref>	Ferry	1996
70	Template:SS	Passenger ship	24 March 1898
437	Template:HMS	Minesweeper	4 September 1941
530	MV Iona	Ferry	22 January 1970	renamed Pentalina-B
551	MV Isle of Cumbrae	Ferry	23 December 1976
78	Katoomba	Patrol ship	28 December 1898	renamed USS Emeline
4	Template:SS	Cargo ship	4 January 1888	renamed Belgian Prince
547	Template:MS	Ferry	4 December 1975	renamed Panagia Soumela
554	MV Lochmor	Ferry	11 June 1979
592	MV Lochnevis	Ferry	8 May 2000<ref>"History - Lochnevis". Ships of Calmac. Retrieved 17 July 2010.</ref>
452	Template:HMS<ref>"HMS Loch Tarbert". Naval-History.Net. Retrieved 5 October 2009.</ref>	Frigate	19 October 1944
453	Template:HMS<ref>"HMS Loch Veyatie". Naval-History.Net. Retrieved 5 October 2009.</ref>	Frigate	8 October 1945
388	Template:Ship	Paddle Steamer	23 April 1924
533	Template:Ship	Diesel Ferry	22 December 1971
487	Template:HMS	Minesweeper	12 May 1959
488	Template:HMS	Minesweeper	22 January 1958
	Template:HMS	Patrol & Training vessel	January 1988
432	Template:HMS	Minesweeper	19 August 1940
552	MV Saturn	Ferry	30 June 1977
507	MV St. Clair	Passenger	29 April 1960
	Tobruk	gunboat Italian Navy	Built 1897 as yacht Evona - since 1912 RN Tobruk
	Template:HMS	Patrol & Training vessel	January 1998
	Triton	Motor Yacht	1902	now Madiz
	Template:HMS	Yacht	4 February 1904
Sources: Miramar<ref name="miramar1015">"Shipyard search results for "1015"". Miramar. Retrieved 5 October 2009.</ref>

Archives

The Ailsa Shipbuilding Company archives are maintained by the University of Glasgow Archives Services.<ref>"Records of Ailsa Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Troon, East Ayrshire, Scotland". from Glasgow University Archive Catalogue. Retrieved 28 March 2009.</ref>