Graythorp was a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

and now a

trading estate An industrial park (also known as industrial estate, trading estate) is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more "heavyweight" version of a business park or office park, ...

within the borough of Hartlepool and the

ceremonial county The counties and areas for the purposes of the lieutenancies, also referred to as the lieutenancy areas of England and informally known as ceremonial counties, are areas of England to which lords-lieutenant are appointed. Legally, the areas i ...

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It is located on the A178 Tees Road about 1 mile south of

Hartlepool Hartlepool () is a seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Borough of Hartlepool. With an estimated population of 90,123, it is the second-largest settlement in County ...

. The village was constructed by shipbuilder William Gray and Company to house workers at his Graythorp shipyard on Greatham Creek/Seaton Channel on the

River Tees The River Tees (), in Northern England, rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines and flows eastwards for to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar near Middlesbrough. The modern day history of the river has be ...

. Graythorp today is an industrial estate historically associated with a shipyard basin currently operated by Able UK as a marine recycling facility.

Graythorp shipyard and dock

In 1913 the Hartlepool shipbuilders

William Gray & Company William Gray & Company Ltd. was a British shipbuilding company located in West Hartlepool, County Durham, in North East England. Founded in 1863 by John Denton and William Gray as a partnership, it became a private and then a public limited com ...

leased land to construct a shipyard off Greatham Creek near the mouth of the Tees capable of building ships of 20,000 tons in weight. Due to the First World War the yard was not completed until 1924 and became known as Graythorp Shipyard, Gray constructed ships there from 1924 until the company closed in 1963. In 1969 after liquidation the yard was purchased by Laing Offshore. In 1970 Laing added dock gates to create a dry dock, at the time the largest in the world, and with it constructed offshore oil and gas platforms, and jackets (platform legs) from 1970 to 1990. In 1996 Able UK Ltd purchased the yard and used it to do dismantling work for several petrochemical companies, while allowing the tenant construction of other marine structures. In 2003 Able UK signed an £11m deal with the

US Marine Administration The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

to dismantle 13 US warships; subsequently the process was opposed by some local residents and environmental groups due to the presence of

asbestos Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...

and other toxins on the ships. The French aircraft carrier ''Clemenceau'' was also contracted to be recycled on the site. Recycling of the ships was completed in 2011.See Able UK § History

References

External links

Borough of Hartlepool Drydocks Ship breaking {{Hartlepool-geo-stub

Graythorp shipyard and dock

See also

References

External links