Scotland’s Shipyards -
As we travel up from the firth of Forth, the next shipbuilding centre was based in the River Tay. The City of Dundee had a number of significant shipyards with the Caledon yard being the most well known. Another fine yard in Dundee was the Gourlay Brothers & Co yard although beginning in 1854 they closed down in 1908.
Just along the road was the better known Dundee Shipbuilding Co. Ltd, they had the Panmure yard which used to be the Alexander Stephen & Sons yard. They built many great four-masted barques, during the late 1800’s.
Perhaps the most famous of the ships built was one that can still be seen today, based in Dundee this is the Antarctic Exploration Ship Discovery, launched in 1901.
The yard built many ships during World War One but as with so many they folded in the great shipbuilding slump of the early 1920’s. The yard closed down in 1923.
Discovery is now berthed at Dundee as a museum ship.