Paull: Ship building in the national interest – ancient and modern!
| May 3, 2012 | Filled under Business, Green Port Hull, History, Paull |
THE 11th May is the 200th anniversary of the launch of the Royal Navy gunship HMS Anson from a shipyard in Paull.
Potted history of HMS Anson: Launched 1812. Docked in Portsmouth and used for Harbour Service. In 1831 HMS Anson was used as a quarantine ship in Leith, Scotland and then again later at Standgate Creek in 1842. In 1843 Anson was used to transport male convicts to Tasmania and arrived in Hobart on 4th February 1844, with 499 male convicts on board, plus a crew of 326. This was the greatest number of convicts to ever leave England on one ship. In 1843 Anson was re-fitted and used as female prison ship in Hobart. The ship was finally broken up in 1851.
The construction of HMS Anson took place at a time when it was deemed to be in the national interest to 
produce such naval vessels because of the threat of invasion and war. It was actually used for very different purposes.
Now, 200 years later, another Paull shipyard, Hepworths, is to build ships that are once again considered to be necessary in the national interest – and our own local Humber interest.
In the current economic environment, it’s not warships that are needed, but the construction of three state-of-the-art workboats to service offshore wind farms. At a cost of £5.1 million – the construction of these vessels is seen as being in the country’s interest as it strives to build its renewables industry.
Find out more about HMS Anson via an article by Jim Uney on the Paull Village Hall website: Historic Paull Shipyard.
Posted from England, United Kingdom.
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