57°08′37″N 2°04′27″W / 57.1436°N 2.0743°W / 57.1436; -2.0743
Alexander Hall and Sons was a shipbuilder that operated in Aberdeen from 1797 to 1957.[1] They designed the pointed and sharply raked Aberdeen bow" first used on the Scottish Maid and which became a characteristic of the "extreme clippers".
Alexander Hall (1760–1849) was born in Auchterless, moved to Aberdeen in 1783[2] and took over his father-in-law’s shipbuilding business Cochar and Gibbon in 1790 to found Alexander Hall and Company. The first ships he built were wooden sailing vessels. A schooner built in 1839, The Scottish Maid, was the first to use the "Aberdeen bow", which was designed to improve speed and performance.
When he died in 1849, Alexander Hall left the shipyard to his sons James and William. William took charge of ship design and James ran the business. They built many famous clippers, including Torrington in 1845 and Stornoway in 1850, used on the opium and tea routes.[3][4]
One ship later developed was the Ihoshu Maru, a barque-rigged steamship, built in the 1860s for the Imperial Japanese Navy. This vessel carried a belt of iron armour plating at the waterline together with eight 64 pounder and two 100 pounder guns. James suffered a fatal heart attack when a fire broke out in the yard during the ship's construction.
The firm built steamships as well as sailing ships. It built its first marine steam engine in 1887, and installed it in the launch Petrel.[citation needed] It built its first trawler, Maggie Walker, in 1888,[5] followed by more trawlers, coasters, tugs and dredgers. In World War II Hall built 26 steam tugs, a large number being supplied to the Admiralty.
The firm became deeply involved with the welfare of its employees, starting a medical fund in 1846 which took care of sick pay, medical attention and medication, and met funeral expenses.
La falta de modernización y adaptación después de la guerra provocó un declive en la fortuna de Hall y en 1957 Hall, Russell & Company se hizo cargo de la empresa. Hall, Russell pasó a formar parte de British Shipbuilders en 1977. En los últimos años, el astillero se centró en trabajos de reparación de barcos. [6]
A&P Appledore compró el antiguo astillero de Alexander Hall. Cerró en 1992 y fue reemplazado por River Dee Ship Repairers. [7] Hoy en día, el sitio es parte de Telford Dock y ahora cuenta con un moderno dique seco que pertenece a Dales Marine Services Limited (fundada en 1987), una instalación de mantenimiento y reparación de barcos.