Tyneside Tug Builders in alphabetical order of Surname

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Hepple & Company, South Shields



1852 - 1861 Hepple & Landells, North Shields & Low Walker
1862 - 1872 T Hepple & Son, Low Walker
1881 - 1893 Hepple & Company, North Shields
1894 - 1919 Hepple & Company Ltd., South Shields
1919 - 1924 Hepples (1919) Ltd., South Shields


Thomas Hepple had a millwright’s business at Mitford, Northumberland and came to Coble Dene, North Shields, where he set up in partnership with Richard Landells in the early 1850s. They devoted much of their attention to the building of tug boat engines and then to tug boats themselves.

In 1857 they established another shipbuilding & engineering yard at Low Walker, again focusing on tug and tug engine production. The partnership split up in 1861 and the two shipbuilders went their separate ways. Landells kept the North Shields yard and Hepple the Low Walker yard. Thomas’ son William then became the manager of the Low Walker facility.

After the death of Thomas Hepple in 1872 the Low Walker yard was sold to Wigham Richardson & Co and William Hepple moved to Wapping Street, South Shields, where he continued to build tug boat engines.

Some ten years later he purchased Fawcus’ slipway at North Shields to provide extra capacity and this continued for a further eight years, again almost exclusively tug boat output.

The Hepple company was one of the first to construct tugs as ocean going vessels and gained many orders from the Crown Agents for the Colonies.

In 1893, during a trade depression, when orders became almost non-existent, he gave up the North Shields yard to Edwards Bros and concentrated on engine building and repair work at South Shields.

After a while trade improved and Hepple recognised the growing market for steam trawlers. He purchased land known as Stainton’s Foundry at South Shields and then concentrated on building up a reputation as a steam trawler builder as well as the tugs.

William and his son Thomas turned the business into a Limited Liability company called Messrs Hepple & Co and they became joint Managing Directors.

William Hepple died quite suddenly at the age of 63. He had been working at the shipyard as usual, but caught a chill which resulted in further complications and then death within a few days.

After 1920, during yet another trade depression, the yard, with two berths of 100ft and 150ft in length, concentrated on ship repairing. The yard closed in 1923 and was sold to neighbours Brigham & Cowan in 1924.

Overall, the Hepple legacy was tugs, of which they built over 220 vessels, but also steam trawlers and small craft of shallow draft.

The following is a list of tugs built by the Hepple companies:

Hepple & Landells, North Shields

YdNo Year Name
1851 Britannia
1852 Britannia
1855 Carrs
1855 Maid of Orleans
1856 Powerful
1856 Ursa Major
1857 Britannia (P)
1857 Expert
1857 Gem
1857 Heather Bell * (P)
1857 Restless (P)
1857 Water Lily
1858 Champion
1858 Pleiades
1858 Vanguard
1859 Gem
1859 John Usher
1859 Pioneer
1859 Tweed * (P)
1859 Victoria
1860 Blue Jacket
1860 Wave of Life (P)
1861 Heather Bell *
1861 Mariner
1861 Northern Light
1861 Pioneer
1861 Tartar


Hepple & Landells, Low Walker

YdNo Year Name
1857 Rob Roy
1858 Bon Accord (P)
1858 Gleaner
1858 Sir Colin Campbell
1858 Venture
1859 Cowen
1859 Pilots
1859 Rosamond
1859 Spring Flower
1860 Derwent (P)
1860 Gratitude (P)
1860 Hecla
1860 Sea Flower
1860 Wearmouth
1861 Belmont (P)
1861 Briton
1861 Diamond
1861 Moselle *
1861 Norfolk Hero
1861 North Star (P)
1861 Prince of Wales *
1861 Rover (P)


Hepple T & Son, Low Walker

YdNo Year Name
1862 Ajax
1862 Bon Accord (P)
141 1862 Commissioner (P)
1862 Marseille
1862 Montrose
1862 Pearl
1862 Royal Albert
1862 Sailor
1862 Sunbeam
1863 Arabian
1863 Jasper
1863 Petrel
1863 Pilot
1863 Pioneer (P)
1863 Progress (P)
1863 Ruby
1863 Success *
1863 Vivid
1863 Wilberforce
1864 Commodore (P)
1864 Endeavour
  1864 Iron King
1864 Lightning
1864 Mariner (P)
1864 Rambler
1864 Walker
1864 Zealous
1865 Breadalbane
1865 Empress
1865 Her Majesty (P)
  1865 Powerful
1865 Privateer
1865 Prudhoe
1865 Robin Hood
1865 Terrible
1865 Walker
1865 Wanderer
1865 Wilberforce
1866 Achievement
1866 Admiral
1866 Lightning * (P)
1866 Mary Usher
1866 Pearl (P)
1866 Robin Hood
1866 Snowdrop
1866 Wallsend
1867 Achilleus
1867 Emperor
1867 Gem
1867 Integrity
1867 John Bewick
1867 Jumna
1867 Patriot
1867 Sensation
1867 Stork
1867 Usk (P)
1867 Venus
215 1867 Wonder *
1868 Etna (P)
1868 Flying Scud
1868 Hero
1868 Lord Lyons
1868 Rapid
1868 Shields
1869 Start (P)
1869 Cambria
1869 Lizard
1869 Pero Gomez * (P)
1869 Primo
1869 Rescue *
1869 Vanguard (P)
1870 Admiral
1870 Ajax
1870 Garibaldi
1870 Hartland
1870 Hector
1870 Jasper
1870 Lord Derby *
1870 May
1870 Providence (P)
1870 Sanspareil
1870 Tuskar
1870 Wasp
1870 Yorkshire Lass
1871 Anatra
1871 Balmoral
1871 Emu
272 1871 Flying Cloud
1871 Lord Stanley
1871 Providence
273 1871 Socrates
1871 Swiftsure
1872 Boreas (P)
1872 Express *
288 1872 Hotspur
1872 Triumph
294 1872 Wave of Life


Hepple & Co, South Shields

YdNo Year Name
315 1875 May *


Hepple & Co, North Shields

YdNo Year Name
357 1881 Kimberley
1881 Trevose
361 1882 John Paterson
362 1883 Merrimac *
373 1884 Coble Dene *
374 1883 Mathilda Foscolo
379 1883 Buffalo
1883 Dauntless
1883 Pioneer *
376 1884 JC Stevenson *
377 1884 Fearless *
380 1884 John Batey *
381 1884 Jumna *
382 1884 Prince of Wales (P)
383 1884 Pup
384 1884 Unknown
386 1884 Conqueror *
388 1884 Countess of Derby
391 1884 Defiance *
392 1884 Alpha
393 1885 Enterprise *
394 1885 Leonard Brown
395 1885 Blucher *
397 1885 Victor Hugo
398 1885 Condor
401 1885 Andrew Bain
404 1886 Prince of Wales
405 1886 Stephenson
406 1886 Admiral *
407 1886 Neptune
410 1888 City of York
413 1888 Lily *
408 1889 No 408 *
415 1889 William Fallows *
424 1889 Sir Joseph Pease
429 1889 Nora *
430 1889 William Osten
432 1889 Isaac Wilson *
434 1889 Energy
436 1890 Conqueror
438 1890 Lillie
441 1890 Sarah
453 1891 Barton *
477 1892 Dunera *
478 1892 Croisset
482 1893 Pluto


Hepple & Co, South Shields

YdNo Year Name
526 1903 Avonmouth *
530 1902 Empire
532 1902 Commonwealth *
534 1902 Florida *
536 1903 Thomas Nicholson *
538 1904 Houghton *
544 1904 King *
560 1906 Lora
571 1907 Lumley *
579 1907 Loris
583 1908 Elisabeth
590 1909 Espadarte
594 1909 Titan
598 1910 Adur II
599 1910 Sir Joseph Rymer *
601 1910 Mary Blake *
605 1910 Bheestie
606 1910 Voevoda
608 1910 Charioteer *
609 1910 Romano
611 1911 Lydia *
612 1911 Lola
614 1911 Acima
621 1912 Dreadful *
623 1912 Nawab
624 1912 Caxias
627 1913 W S Wright
628 1913 Lady Sybil *
629 1913 Croft *
631 1913 Conqueress *
632 1914 Eppleton Hall *
633 1914 George C Coates *
636 1914 Hullman *
637 1914 Francis Batey *


Hepples (1919), South Shields

YdNo Year Name
654 1920 Unknown

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