A
SHIPBUILDING GENIUS
WILLIAM
Pile was born in the same year as James Laing--1823. Their homes were in shipyards, their fathers
were shipbuilders, their families from yeoman stock. These men were the dominating personalities
of nineteenth century shipbuilding in Sunderland, and their lives in many other
ways ran parallel.
There
is one point of difference, however. Whereas the firm of Laing carried on in the forefront of shipbuilding
after the death of the principal, the Pile yard ended with the death of William
Pile.
This
man, often referred to as a genius, was descended from a Rothbury farmer who
came to Wearside about the year 1770, to become the first of the shipbuilding
Piles.
First
of the family in shipbuilding was the grandfather of William Pile, who, after
serving six years' apprenticeship, was appointed manager of a yard. He taught many budding shipbuilders during
the next 50 years, and it was from his grandfather that William Pile received
his early training. The father of Pile,
too, was a clever man, and noted for his well-modelled ships, but it was left
to his son, William, to perpetuate the name in shipowning circles, and this he
did in no uncertain manner.
William
Pile was born at the White House, Low Southwick, a building that was pulled
down 70 years ago to make way for the erection of George Clark's engine
works. For many years the land
surrounding the White House was the shipyard on J. Mills, but at the time of
Pile's birth his grandfather was superintending the construction there of wood
ships for a small company.
William
and his elder brother, John, soon became intensely interested in ships, and
when the family moved to Monkwearmouth, the boys occupied much of the time
making models. It is said that as he
grew older, William Pile walked the banks of the Wear from the first shipyard
to the last, night after night, never growing tired of seeing ships in the
various stages of construction.
He
received little education, and his only study was the shipyard, consequently he
went to work at an early age. But
instead of being allowed to follow his bent, the boy was sent to John Hay's
ropery. An interesting point here is
that Hay's son in later years went into partnership with William Pile for a
short time.
After a brief period of rope making, Pile ran away from Hay's, and very
shortly after that the family moved out of the town. They soon returned, however, and at last
William's dreams came true when he was sent to work in a shipyard. First he went to Thomas and John Lightfoot,
in Hylton Dene, then to a builder named Wang, whose premises were situated on
the site of a part of Laings present yard.
So
quick was his advancement that he was appointed foreman and draughtsman at the
age of 18. For a few years he remained
at Deptford, then joined his father and brother who were building at Southwick
on the site of Scott's bottleworks. It
was here that the first improvements in modelling took place. The old-fashioned counter was abolished, and
all the planking turned up at the archboard. The old-style stern-frame was done away with and the vessels framed all
round. Here the first clipper stem ever
seen on the Wear was produced. That was
in 1845.
The
following year the Piles went down to the North Sands, Monkwearmouth, where
William was to remain in business until his death. The family continued together until 1848,
when William took over part of the yard and commenced building on his own
account. Five years later John went to
Hartlepool to commence in partnership with Spence, and William took over the
whole of the establishment.
Pile
built wood ships until 1860, but meantime had converted his yard for the
introduction of iron. He launched his
first iron ship on July 9, 1861.
In
1863 he purchased the Bridge Graving Dock, which was then uncompleted, and
enlarged it to make one of the finest dry docks on the river. After that Pile contracted for the altering
and lengthening of a large number of ships. His
business was tremendous. The yard, then
the biggest on the river, was equipped with eight building slips and employed
2,000 men and boys.
When
the conversion to iron took place, Pile was joined by Richard Hay, and together
they extended the yard. Hay retired six
years later, at a time when his partner was formulating new plans. Pile commenced to build marine engines
himself, further ground being added to the yard for the purpose of building
boilers.
More than a hundred wood ships were built by Pile, and a similar number in
iron, but although many of the latter were steamers, it was his sailing ships
that brought renown to his name. He
built for Greens' famous Blackwall fleet--crack ships of their day--also for R.
Kelso, a noted North Shields owner, who placed offers exclusively with Pile for
25 years. Many of these ships are now
famous in shipping history. Kelso, Maitland, Undine -- these
and several others were built specially for the China tea trade, where speed
meant everything. Many of the tea
clippers are credited with amazing runs. Their beauty of design and handsome appearance make them remembered
to-day as the perfection of the shipbuilder's art. Pile maintained that a good beam and a clean
run were essential in a crack tea ship, and he proved himself right in every
one he built.
William
Pile was always more practical than theoretical, disregarding theories and
trusting to his shipyard training and wonderful judgment rather than to rule or
plan.
He
died in 1873--at the age of 50--and left only a good name. It is said of him that he was the greatest
ship designer of his age, but no business man. Costs mattered little to Pile; his only thought was to produce a good
ship regardless of profit to himself. That is why he left no fortune, and the stock had to be sold off to meet
his creditors. The yard closed down, the
ships on the stocks were completed by others, the site of the shipyard--once
the greatest in Sunderland--was absorbed by other firms, and is to-day included
in the premises of Joseph L. Thompson and Sons.
So
ended a family connection with Wearside shipbuilding which had lasted for
almost a century. Only the ships lived
on, those lovely ships that carried the tea, and the colonial clippers which
made their name in the "Roaring Forties" and carried the wool cargoes
back to England. Pile lived to see the
peak of perfection in sailing ship design. He had contributed in a great measure towards the establishment of
Sunderland as the largest shipbuilding town in the world, and one can only
imagine the heights he would have reached had he been given another 20 years in
ship designing.