Stephenson Clarke Shipping Limited, established in 1730 is Great Britain's oldest shipping company. The company specializes in short sea bulk cargo such as aggregates, alumina, grain, coal, fertilizers and steel.

History

Reverend Ralph Clarke, a vicar of Long Benton, Tyneside had two sons, Ralph and Robert Clarke.Stephenson Clarke 2006, ''About Us''. The boys went to sea, working their way up to being master mariners. During their career at sea, they began to buy shares in ships, gradually making the transition from captain to owner. The company that would become Stephenson Clarke was formed when the brothers bought shares in a 300-ton sailing vessel. Thus the business was established in 1730, in the early years of the reign of King George II. Stephenson Clarke had managed other owners' ships as well as its own. For several decades it managed the collier fleets of the Gas Light and Coke Company and other gas and electricity utility companies.

Notable former ships

SS ''Wandle'' was a 932 GRT flatiron coastal collier launched by the

Burntisland Shipbuilding Company The Burntisland Shipbuilding Company was a shipbuilder and repairer in Burntisland, Fife, Scotland that was founded in 1918. In 1969 it was taken over by Robb-Caledon Shipbuilders, which in turn was nationalised in 1977 as part of British Ship ...

Burntisland Burntisland ( , sco, also Bruntisland) is a former royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland, on the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. According to the 2011 census, the town has a population of 6,269. It was previously known as Wester Kingho ...

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

, Scotland in 1924 for the Wandsworth, Wimbledon, Epsom and District Gas Company. Stephenson Clarke bought her in 1932 and renamed her ''Pitwines''. On 11 January 1940 she survived being bombed and machine-gunned by enemy aircraft in the North Sea about off

Flamborough Head Flamborough Head () is a promontory, long on the Yorkshire coast of England, between the Filey and Bridlington bays of the North Sea. It is a chalk headland, with sheer white cliffs. The cliff top has two standing lighthouse towers, the olde ...

. On 11 November 1941 she survived an attack by enemy aircraft off

Yarmouth Yarmouth may refer to: Places Canada *Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia **Yarmouth, Nova Scotia **Municipality of the District of Yarmouth **Yarmouth (provincial electoral district) **Yarmouth (electoral district) * Yarmouth Township, Ontario *New ...

. On 19 November 1941 she was involved in a collision off West Hartlepool with the 744 GRT coaster SS ''Gateshead'' and sank about northeast of Heugh. SS ''Pulborough'' was a 960 GRT coaster launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1933. On 29 July 1940 she was caught in an air raid off the Kent coast in the

Straits of Dover The Strait of Dover or Dover Strait (french: Pas de Calais - ''Strait of Calais''), is the strait at the narrowest part of the English Channel, marking the boundary between the Channel and the North Sea, separating Great Britain from continent ...

.Central Office of Information, 1947, page 50 A bomb exploded close to her in the sea, opening up several plates in her hull. Her crew managed to launch a lifeboat and abandon ship as she sank.Central Office of Information, 1947, pages 50–51 SS ''Petworth'' was a 972 GRT coaster launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1934. She was sold to new owners in 1957 who renamed her ''Belvedere''. She was broken up in 1960. SS ''Woodcote'' was a 1,527 GRT flatiron coastal collier launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1924 for the Wandsworth, Wimbledon, Epsom and District Gas Company. Stephenson Clarke bought her in 1934 and renamed her ''Cerne''. She was broken up at

Dunston-on-Tyne Dunston is a western area of the town of Gateshead on the south bank of the River Tyne, in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, North East England (into which it was absorbed in 1974). Dunston had a population of 18,326 at the 2011 Census. ...

in 1955. SS ''Horsted'' was a 1,670 GRT coaster launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1936. On 4 December 1939 she was in an east coast convoy in the North Sea when she suffered an explosion caused by either a torpedo or a mine. She sank with the loss of five of her crew. SS ''Portslade'' was a GRT coaster built by William Pickersgill & Sons Ltd of

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

in 1936. On 25 July 1940 while sailing in a convoy in the English Channel she was bombed by enemy aircraft and sunk east of Dungeness. SS ''Burstow'' was a 927 GRT coaster launched by John Lewis & Co of Aberdeen in 1927. She was sold in 1931 to new owners who named her ''Nephrite''. Stephenson Clarke bought her in 1946 and renamed her ''Portslade'' to replace the vessel sunk in 1940. In 1954 Stephenson Clarke sold her to new owners who renamed her ''Rosefleet''. She foundered in a gale at

Mardyck Mardyck ( Dutch: ''Mardijk'', vls, Mardyk) is a former commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is an associated commune with Dunkirk since it joined the latter in January 1980.SP Austin & Son Ltd of Southwick, Sunderland in 1951. She was sold to new owners in 1971 who renamed her ''Ballyrobert''. She was sold again in 1977 to Cypriot owners who renamed her ''Lucky Trader''. She was scrapped in 1982. MV ''Storrington'' was a 3,809 GRT coaster launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1959. She was sold to Cypriot owners in 1978 who renamed her ''Milos II''. MV ''Gilsland'' was a 7,242 GRT

cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...

launched by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. in 1961. She was sold to Argentinian owners in 1968 who renamed her ''Mardulce''. She was sold again in 1975 to Bangladeshi owners who renamed her ''Banglar Joy''.

Recent fleet developments

As of 2008, the Stephenson Clarke fleet consisted of 10 bulk carriers with a combined capacity of . The ships have an average age of 21 years. The ships are small minibulkers having between one and four holds apiece and shallow draft for accessing more ports. They range in size from the ''Ardent'' with a capacity of only to the ''Dallington'' of . All ships are single deck bulk carriers with open hatches and open holds. Several are small self load/unloading vessels of between to . These vessels often have self-unloading gears and equipped with small tractors. While the fleet is capable of worldwide operations, it is focused on operations in

Northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe Northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other g ...

, including the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, West Africa, Macaronesia, Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea. The company states that keeping the ships in this area increases operational flexibility and efficiency.

Notes

References

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External links

Company Profile at Det Norske Veritas
at Flags of the World

at shipphotos.co.uk
Stephenson Clarke
at the National Archives {{Authority control Shipping companies of England Dry bulk shipping companies Companies based in Newcastle upon Tyne Manufacturing companies established in 1730 Manufacturing companies disestablished in 2012