The Clyde

The men, the docks, the yards and the ships: photographs, captions and text tell the story of the Clyde in this historical study. This photographic history of Britain's greatest industrial river takes the reader from the relatively humble workshops of the 1840s to the heyday of imperial shipbuilding between 1880 and 1920, when half of all steamships in the world were "Clydebuilt". The beginning of the decline is also charted, as the years of depression took their toll on the once indomitable shipyards. For decades, the Clyde was renowned for the quality and craftsmanship of its vessels, the skill of its men and the entrepreneurial flair of the yard owners. From Govan to Greenock, ships of every type and size were constructed with pride and expertise. As well as the legendary warships and great liners - "HMS Hood", "HMS Tiger", "Lusitania", "Queen Elizabeth" and "Queen Mary" - this book details the steamers and dredgers, merchant ships and ferries which helped forge the economic and military might of the British Empire. Michael Moss is the author of "Clyde Shipbuilding from Old Photographs" and "The Workshop of the British Empire".