Both docks are still operational and use hand driven winches and
pulleys. They are separated by the Clarendon Building (1820).
Clarendon Dock was opened in 1851 and is 285ft long and over 30ft
wide, and was built to accommodate two 600 tonne vessels. Flooding
the dock takes about 90 minutes once the sluice gates at the
seaward end of the dock are raised.
Before moving to Belfast, William Ritchie had been in business
in Saltcoats in Ayrshire. His first premises were at the Old Lime
Kiln Dock, now under Albert Square, and his first ship, the 300 ton
'Hibernian', was launched in 1792.
His brother Hugh also built ships on former slob land to the
north at 'Ritchie's dock' (now Clarendon Dock), and when he died in
1807 a third brother, John, took over the business. This firm
became Ritchie and MacLaine and was later inherited by his
son-in-law Alexander McLaine. It was this latter firm which had the
distinction in 1820 of launching the first steamboat built in
Ireland. Appropriately enough she was named 'Belfast'; and was 115
feet long, 20 feet broad, of about 200 tons capacity, and driven by
two engines of 70 horsepower.
William Ritchie's death in 1834 saw the handing over of his
company to Messrs. Connel & Sons who, four years later,
launched what was then Ireland's largest vessel - the 750 tons
'Aurora'.
The firm of Workman Clark built ships to the north of the
Milewater Basin from 1879. This firm was overshadowed by the larger
firm of Harland and Wolff, but had a reputation for quality and
innovation through its concentration on refrigerated vessels for
the chilled meat and fruit trades. AW Hamilton and Company Ltd also
operated from the Clarendon docks as ship repairers.
The largest shipbuilder, Harland and Wolff, was established in
1861 across the river at Queen's Island. Both founders, the
Englishman Edward Harland, and the German Gustav Wolff, had
previously been employed by another Belfast shipbuilder, Robert
Hickson, before buying him out. By the time RMS 'Titanic' was
launched in 1911, H&W was one of the world's leading shipyards
and was central to Belfast's economy. For more on this part of the
story, visit cache
GC154M7. The last ship built in Belfast (number 1,742) was
completed in 2003, and H&W is now limited to engineering and
design work.
The cache - a camoed magnetic micro - is located near the
historic dry docks. The dock is fenced, but take care of children
near the deep water. A muggle-heavy area, so be discreet! BYOP.
Parking round here is difficult: you could try Pilot Street or
Princes Dock Road out of working hours. The dock is a short walk
north of the 'Big Fish' and is on National Cycle Network route
93.
This cache is dedicated to the memory of our great/grandfather
Harry, a yardsman all his life.