Clyde Built and Reborn

For centuries now, some of the greatest ships ever to be built – engineering miracles of steel – have broken the water for the first time on the famous river that runs gently through Glasgow. In 2008, over 40 years after she was launched, one of the Clyde's greatest triumphs paid a final visit to the river before settling into retirement Dubai. The Queen Elizabeth II may no longer rule the waves, and the shipbuilding industry which birthed her may no longer be the world power it once was, but the river which supported both of them is still very much alive and kicking.

Forty-odd years ago the construction of the QEII was a national concern, so much so that a special Government Committee was set up to look into the question. The Committee recommended that the liner that replaced both the Queen Mary and the first Queen Elizabeth should be a 'traditional steamship' (ie: no atomic power) that could accommodate up to 2,270 passengers. It was estimated that such a vessel would weigh in at around 75,000 gross tonnes and would cost in the region of 30 million – close to 500 million in today's money! Four years later, in 1964, invitations to tender were issued to five UK shipbuilders. The lowest bid came from John Brown and Co in Clydebank; one of Scotland's most famous shipbuilders.

Competition was fierce but John Brown and Co. were well placed to build Britain's new national liner – just ten years before, in 1953, they had completed work on the Royal Yacht HMS Britannia; a ship that was to have an active service life for the next forty-five years. Famously Queen Elizabeth – normally impassive at most public ceremonies – shed a tear as she disembarked from the Royal Yacht for the last time. The Royal Yacht is now moored at Leith Docks in Edinburgh, as part of the Leith Harbour regeneration programme.

However, not all of the great ships built on the Clyde have had such a peaceful ending. The Delta Queen, built at Dumbarton in 1926, is one of last great river steamships in the world; her huge stern paddle wheel, multiple decks and twin smoke stacks making her one of the most instantly recognisable icons of the American south. Designated a National Historic Landmark in the US the Queen has cruised the Mississippi for the last 60 years but her licence was withdrawn in 2007 due to health and safety reasons and fans of the historic ship feared it would be scrapped the following year.

Members of the Scottish Parliament called for the preservation of the Delta Queen. 'I would want the American authorities to make sure people can continue to enjoy Scottish engineering at its finest,' former MSP Jackie Baillie said in 2007, echoing the sentiments of many who feared generations of fine craftsmanship would soon be lost forever.

In 2009 the Queen Delta ceased to operate and the ship became a boutique hotel, moored permanently in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The Clyde Room in Glasgow's Museum of Transport has long been dedicated to feats of Scottish engineering. The museum's collection contains models of some 250 ships, from the 1812 Comet paddle steamer through to ocean-going titans like the Queen Mary, HMS Hood and Lusitania, all proud, Clyde-built ships. Now the city's world-renowned contribution to shipbuilding is to be showcased in a new venue in 2011, the Riverside Museum on the banks of the Clyde: a landmark museum which will, for the first time, provide a purpose-built structure in which to celebrate Glasgow's incredible maritime history.

But today's Clydeside is not about looking back. New business and tourism ventures are continually being launched along its banks. Glasgow joined the ranks of elite cities like Sydney, Seattle and Vancouver with the launch of a seaplane service flying from the heart of the city centre. The service, flies passengers from its terminal at the Glasgow Science Centre to Oban in the west highlands, bridging the gap between the city and the country and reducing a long drive to a 45-minute flight!

Former leader of Glasgow City Council Steven Purcell, said 'we are witnessing massive regeneration all along the River Clyde and the return of the classic seaplane is another indication of the diverse ways in which we can develop tourism and commerce along our river.'

Another famous Clyde landmark has also been redeveloped for the twenty first century. For over a hundred years the eight hundred tonne Titan Crane on the river's Clydebank shore has been one of the great river landmarks. For most of the twentieth century the crane played a key role in the fitting out of many of the great liners and warships built on the Clyde - HMS Hood, the Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth among them.

The Titan's shipbuilding days are now long behind it, but it has been re-launched as a visitor centre where - along with getting a glimpse of Glasgow's glorious maritime past - tourists are able to get a bird's-eye-view of the city's present from a glass walkway built into the crane's jib and suspended a hundred and fifty feet above the Clyde.

As development on the banks of the Clyde continues with the recent opening of a major restaurant and casino complex, digital media quarter comprising BBC Scotland’s headquarters, and the business district it is clear that the Clyde will continue to be a major contributor to Glasgow's economy for many years to come.

The river's vital contribution to Glasgow's culture and economy is celebrated annually with the Glasgow River Festival, as thousands of visitors enjoy activities and entertainment all along the banks of the Clyde.
So today, even if it is a case of restaurants, banking and seaplanes rather than rivets, pig iron and welding, business is definitely booming along the banks of one of the world's most famous rivers!