Samuda Brothers
Encyclopedia
Samuda Brothers was an engineering
and ship building firm at Cubitt Town
on the Isle of Dogs
in London
, founded by Jacob
and Joseph d'Aguilar Samuda
. The site is now occupied by Samuda Estate
.
Samuda Brothers began work at Orchard Place, Leamouth
, London
in 1843, by the mouth of Bow Creek
. The firm moved to Cubitt Town in 1852, having outgrown a site that was hemmed in by other industrial premises. By this time the company was run by Joseph, Jacob having been killed in the trial of the Gipsy Queen. The Cubitt Town yard specialised in iron and steel warships and steam packets and by 1863 was said to be producing double the output of the other London shipyards combined. Orders from Germany, Russia and Japan enabled the firm to survive the 1866 financial crisis
which affected many other London yards.
In 1877 Togo Heihachiro
, later a prominent Japan
ese admiral
, came for work experience
with the Samuda Brothers after completing his training at Naval Preparatory School in Portsmouth
, and the Royal Naval College
at Greenwich
. He supervised the construction of the Fusō before returning to Japan. He went to be heralded as the "Nelson
of the East" after he led the Imperial Japanese navy to victory in the Russo-Japanese War
, establishing Japan as a Great Power
.
Following the death of Joseph in 1885 attempts were made to sell the firm as a going concern
. This was unsuccessful, resulting in closure in the 1890s, leaving Yarrows
and Thames Ironworks
as the last significant London shipbuilders.
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
and ship building firm at Cubitt Town
Cubitt Town
Cubitt Town is an area on the Isle of Dogs in Tower Hamlets in London, England. It is on the east of the Isle, facing Greenwich across the River Thames. To the west is Millwall, to the northwest Canary Wharf and to the north, across the Blue Bridge, Blackwall...
on the Isle of Dogs
Isle of Dogs
The Isle of Dogs is a former island in the East End of London that is bounded on three sides by one of the largest meanders in the River Thames.-Etymology:...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, founded by Jacob
Jacob Samuda
Jacob Samuda was a Jewish English civil engineer born in London. He is described as "the first Jewish engineer" on his tombstone, in the Sephardic cemetery, Mile End, London. He was the elder son of Abraham Samuda, an East and West India merchant of London, and Joy, daughter of H. d'Aguilar of...
and Joseph d'Aguilar Samuda
Joseph d'Aguilar Samuda
Joseph d'Aguilar Samuda was an English civil engineer and politician. He was born in London the younger son of Abraham Samuda, and brother of Jacob Samuda...
. The site is now occupied by Samuda Estate
Samuda Estate
The Samuda Estate is on the east side of Manchester Road, in Cubitt Town on the Isle of Dogs. With 505 dwellings it is home to about 1,500 people and covers .-Historical background:...
.
Samuda Brothers began work at Orchard Place, Leamouth
Leamouth
Leamouth is the area to the west of the mouth of the River Lea at the River Thames at . The northern part of the area lies within a meander of the Lea; the southern part is bounded in the west by the former East India Docks, on two sides by the Lea and by the River Thames to the south...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1843, by the mouth of Bow Creek
Bow Creek
Bow Creek is a long tidal estuary of the River Lea and is part of the Bow Back Rivers. Below Bow Locks the creek forms the boundary between the London Boroughs of Newham and Tower Hamlets, in east London....
. The firm moved to Cubitt Town in 1852, having outgrown a site that was hemmed in by other industrial premises. By this time the company was run by Joseph, Jacob having been killed in the trial of the Gipsy Queen. The Cubitt Town yard specialised in iron and steel warships and steam packets and by 1863 was said to be producing double the output of the other London shipyards combined. Orders from Germany, Russia and Japan enabled the firm to survive the 1866 financial crisis
Overend, Gurney and Company
Overend, Gurney & Company was a London wholesale discount bank, known as "the bankers' bank", which collapsed in 1866 owing about 11 million pounds, equivalent to £981 million at 2008 prices.-Early years:...
which affected many other London yards.
Togo Heihachiro
Fleet Admiral Marquis was a Fleet Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy and one of Japan's greatest naval heroes. He was termed by Western journalists as "the Nelson of the East".-Early life:...
, later a prominent Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
, came for work experience
Work experience
Work experience is the experience that a person has been working, or worked in a specific field or occupation.- Volunteer work and internships :...
with the Samuda Brothers after completing his training at Naval Preparatory School in Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, and the Royal Naval College
Old Royal Naval College
The Old Royal Naval College is the architectural centrepiece of Maritime Greenwich, a World Heritage Site in Greenwich, London, described by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation as being of “outstanding universal value” and reckoned to be the “finest and most...
at Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
. He supervised the construction of the Fusō before returning to Japan. He went to be heralded as the "Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...
of the East" after he led the Imperial Japanese navy to victory in the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
, establishing Japan as a Great Power
Great power
A great power is a nation or state that has the ability to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength and diplomatic and cultural influence which may cause small powers to consider the opinions of great powers before taking actions...
.
Following the death of Joseph in 1885 attempts were made to sell the firm as a going concern
Going concern
A going concern is a business that functions without the threat of liquidation for the foreseeable future, usually regarded as at least within 12 months.-Definition of the 'going concern' concept:...
. This was unsuccessful, resulting in closure in the 1890s, leaving Yarrows
Yarrow Shipbuilders
Yarrow Limited , often styled as simply Yarrows, was a major shipbuilding firm based in the Scotstoun district of Glasgow on the River Clyde...
and Thames Ironworks
Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company
The Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company, Limited was a shipyard and iron works straddling the mouth of Bow Creek at its confluence with the River Thames, at Leamouth Wharf on the west side and at Canning Town on the east side...
as the last significant London shipbuilders.
Ships built by the Samuda Brothers
- SS CarnaticSS CarnaticThe SS Carnatic was a British steamship built by Samuda Brothers at Cubitt Town on the Isle of Dogs, London in 1862 for the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company....
, P&OPeninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation CompanyThe Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, which is usually known as P&O, is a British shipping and logistics company which dated from the early 19th century. Following its sale in March 2006 to Dubai Ports World for £3.9 billion, it became a subsidiary of DP World; however, the P&O...
, 1862 - HMS TamarHMS Tamar (1863)HMS Tamar was a Royal Navy troopship built by the Samuda Brothers at Cubitt Town, London, and launched in Britain in 1863. She served as a supply ship from 1897 to 1941, and gave her name to the HMS Tamar shore station in Hong Kong ....
, Royal NavyRoyal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, 1863 - El Horria, Khedive of EgyptIsma'il PashaIsma'il Pasha , known as Ismail the Magnificent , was the Khedive of Egypt and Sudan from 1863 to 1879, when he was removed at the behest of the United Kingdom...
, 1865 - Bordein, Khedive of Egypt, Nile steamer c 1865
- SMS KronprinzSMS Kronprinz (1867)SMS Kronprinz was a unique German ironclad warship built for the Prussian Navy in 1866–1867. Kronprinz was laid down in 1866 at the Samuda Brothers shipyard at Cubitt Town in London. She was launched in May 1867 and commissioned into the Prussian Navy that September...
, Prussian Navy, 1867 - SMS Deutschland, German Navy 1875
- Fusō , Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese NavyThe Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
, 1877 - HMS BelleisleHMS Belleisle (1876)HMS Belleisle was one of the four ships currently under construction for foreign navies in British shipyards which were purchased by the British government for the Royal Navy in 1878, at the time of the Russian war scare....
, Royal Navy 1876 (originally to be Bourdjou-Zaffer for Ottoman Empire) - HMS OrionHMS Orion (1879)HMS Orion was a of the Victorian Royal Navy. Originally constructed for the Ottoman Empire, and called Bourdjou-Zaffer, she was purchased by the British Government before completion....
, Royal Navy 1879 (originally to be Peik-i-Sheref for Turkish Navy) - ARA Almirante BrownARA Almirante Brown (1880)ARA Almirante Brown was a warship of the Argentine Navy built in 1880 and serving until 1932.Built in London by Samuda Brothers, the Almirante Brown displaced 4200 tons, could call upon a total of , and had a nominal speed of fourteen knots. The ship was protected by a belt of nine-inch steel-faced...
, Argentine Navy, 1880 - RiachueloBrazilian battleship Riachuelo (1883)Riachuelo was a Brazilian ironclad battleship completed in 1883. She was named in honour of the Battle of Riachuelo in 1865.-Design:Riachuelo was built after the Brazilian Minister of the Navy, Admiral Jose Rodrigues de Lima Duarte, presented a report to the national legislature on the importance...
, Brazilian Navy, 1883 - HMS SapphoHMS Sappho (1891)HMS Sappho was an Apollo class cruiser of the British Royal Navy which served from 1892 to 1918 in various colonial posts, including service during the Second Boer War in 1901. During the First World War, Sappho and her sisters saw service off the British Isles as hastily converted minelayers...
, Royal Navy, 1891
See also
- South Devon Railway engine housesSouth Devon Railway engine housesThe South Devon Railway engine houses were built in Devon, England, to power the atmospheric trains on the South Devon Railway between Exeter St Davids and Plymouth Millbay railway stations. They contained boilers that provided the power to pumps that created the vacuum to move the trains...
- Atmospheric railwayAtmospheric railwayAn atmospheric railway uses air pressure to provide power for propulsion. In one plan a pneumatic tube is laid between the rails, with a piston running in it suspended from the train through a sealable slot in the top of the tube. Alternatively, the whole tunnel may be the pneumatic tube with the...