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 ...
of
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 â€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]
See also
*
Alang Ship Breaking Yard
The Alang Ship Breaking Yard is claimed to be the world's largest ship breaking yard, responsible for dismantling a significant number of retired freight and cargo ships salvaged around the world. It is located on the Gulf of Khambhat in the town ...
*
Chittagong Ship Breaking Yard
Chittagong Ship Breaking Yard is located in Faujdarhat, Sitakunda Upazila, Bangladesh along the Sitakunda coastal strip, north-west of Chittagong. Handling about a fifth of the world's total, it was the world's largest ship breaking yard, until ...
*
AliaÄŸa Ship Breaking Yard
AliaÄŸa is a town and a district of Izmir Province in the Aegean Region of Turkey. The town is situated at about north of Izmir. AliaÄŸa has a large port, mainly for oil and bulk cargo. Its economic activity is based on tourism, shipbreaking, ...
*
List of ship breaking yards This is a list of notable ship breaking yards:
See also
* List of dry docks
*List of the largest shipbuilding companies
*List of shipbuilders and shipyards
*Israel Shipyards
*Ship breaking
Ship-breaking (also known as ship recycling, shi ...
References
External links
Borough of Hartlepool
Drydocks
Ship breaking
{{Hartlepool-geo-stub