by fitter » Tue Sep 27, 2022 8:43 pm
When Doxfords (Pallion) old yard was demolished to be replaced by the covered in Building dock, their contracts were built at Laings (Deptford) yard. The first of these would be the Craftsman for T&J Harrison of Liverpool, a long standing customer of Doxfords, Doxford yard number 900. The first ship out of the building dock would be Crestbank in 1976 but the yard numbering sequence then began with 001. The Doxford yard numbering sequence ended at 910 but Laings had continued building ships simultaneously with the Doxford contracts, using their own yard numbers, by then in the 850s.
The yards were called by their original names until Sunderland Shipbuilders was formed when they were referred to their location (Doxford = Pallion, Laings = Deptford and Thompsons = North Sands)