1976 summer evening view, from Queen Alexandra Bridge, to all weather Pallion Yard of Sunderland Shipbuilders, with two ships on stocks, one being the general cargo ship, Cedarbank, launched in May 1976, River Wear, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, UK
William Doxford founded the 'William Doxford and Sons Ltd' shipbuilding company in 1840. From 1870 the company was based at Pallion, on the banks of the River Wear in Sunderland. In 1972 Court Line took over the company and re-named it 'Sunderland Shipbuilders Ltd'. Court Line collapsed, with massive debts, in 1974 and Sunderland Shipbuilders was nationalised in 1975. In 1976 a new, all weather Pallion yard was built. This building, seen here, could house two ships, up to 30,000 tons deadweight, side-by-side. The steel came in one end and the ships were launched from the other. In 1986 the Pallion yard merged with Austin and Pickersgill (to the right of shot, across the river) to form 'North East SHipbuilders'. In 1988 the yards closed, when Government funding was withdrawn, and some 6000 shipyard workers lost their jobs. The nearly completed ship in the shot is the 'Cedarbank', an 11,282 tons general cargo ship, launched 26 May 1976, completed 28 June 1976 and registered in London by the Bankline shipping company. After a number of name changes, the ship was broken up at Alang, India, in 1999. An evening view, taken in the summer of 1976, looking upstream from Sunderland's Queen Alexandra Bridge, towards the all weather Pallion Yard of Sunderland Shipbuilders.
Size: 1622px × 1080px
Location: Sunderland Shipbuilders Pallion yard, from Queen Alexandra Bridge, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, UK
Photo credit: © robert harrison / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1976, building, cargo, cedarbank, cloud, enclosed, evening, historical, history, industrial, industry, metal, pallion, river, ship, shipbuilders, shipbuilding, ships, shipyard, social, sunderland, tyne, uk, view, water, wear, weather, white, works, yard
