The Firth of Clyde Dry Dock Co Ltd , Inchbank, Greenock, Inverclyde, Scotland, was incorporated as a limited liability company in 1958 to build a 1000 foot dry dock, capable of holding ships of 150.000 dwt. The company was financed by government loan, banks and insyurance companies, and also by the Clyde shipbuilding firms of John Brown & Co (Clydebank) Ltd , Charles Connell & Co Ltd , John Kincaid, Scotts of Greekock, and G & J Weir. Representatives from these formed the board .
The business opened in 1964 , and operated as dry dock owners and ship repairers. The larger contracts carried out by the company included the dry docking of the British India liner Devonia, the first 100,000 ton tanker built in Europe and Cunard Line's Queen Elizabeth II.
The company was underfunded from the start and in 1966 requested financial help from the government that was ignored. None of the financing companies stepped forward to help publicly and the company was forced into liquidation in 1967. The firm was then purchased by Scotts' Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd , Greenock, and Lithgows Ltd , Port Glasgow, on a 50/50 shareholding basis. The company name was changed to Scott Lithgow Drydocks Ltd in the same year.
Source: Ritchie, L A (ed) , The Shipbuilding Industry: A Guide to Historical Records , (1992, Manchester)
From the guide to the Collection of material relating to Firth of Clyde Dry Dock Co Ltd, dry dock operators, Greenock, Inverclyde, Scotland, c1958-1967, (Glasgow University Archive Services)
