T.B. Seath & Co.
T.B. Seath & Co. was a shipbuilding company in Scotland established in 1856 by Thomas Bollen Seath (1820–1903) at a bend on the south bank of the River Clyde at Shawfield, Rutherglen;[1][2] his previous premises near Partick were taken over by A. & J. Inglis. For a time he operated a service taking passengers downriver to central Glasgow.[3] The company's speciality was small iron-hulled steamboats and yachts including those used in the Clutha ferry service.[4]
The yard produced more than 300 vessels,[2] some of which have survived and are in service into the 21st century. Builds include MY Raven, MY Lady of the Lake, PS Brighton, MV Nelcebee and PS Lune. The Seath business closed in 1902 after a tidal weir was installed on the river east of Albert Bridge, blocking access to the sea from Rutherglen. Other firms continued to use the yard until 1923.[2] Seath is interred in a prominent tomb at the nearby Southern Necropolis.[5]
List of ships built by T.B. Seath & Co[edit]
 |
| Launched | Ship's name at launch |
Tonnage (GRT) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1877 | MY Lady of the Lake | 43 | still in service on the lake of Ullswater in the English Lake District |
| 1882 | SS Mabel | 28 | beached at Loch Maree, 1913 |
| 1883 | PS Brighton | 417 | hulked in 1916 in the Port Stephens estuary in New South Wales, Australia |
| 1883 | MV Nelcebee | on display at South Australian Maritime Museum | |
| 1888 | PS Lucy Ashton | 271.3 | scrapped 1951 |
| 1889 | MY Raven | 63 | still in service on the lake of Ullswater in the English Lake District |
| 1892 | PS Lune | 253 | scrapped 1923/4 |
References[edit]
- ^ Local and family history: Rutherglen - history in the making, South Lanarkshire Council
- ^ a b c Seath’s Shipyard, Rutherglen Heritage Society, 2018
- ^ "Thomas B. Seath". Grace's Guide.
- ^ "Clutha No 5 | Museum of Transport". The Glasgow Story.
- ^ "Thomas Bollen Seath". Southern Necropolis Heritage.
External links[edit]
- Painting of Seath's boatyard, artist unknown, hosted at Art UK (work itself held at Hamilton Low Parks Museum)
- Painting of Seath's boatyard, 1890 by Thomas Grant, hosted at Art UK (work itself held at Hamilton Low Parks Museum)
