Catalogue description William Dobson and Co.

This collection consists, largely of photographs. Items DS/DB/1/2-91 are photographs that were found loose at DS/DB1/1; items DS/DB/1/278-311, include general views of the shipyard and interior views of Shortlands, the Dobson Family home. Numbers appearing before the names of vessels are the yard numbers.

DS/DB/1/1-311 Photographs 1890-1928

(2 volumes; 281 photographs and 21 negatives; 2 papers)

DS/DB/2 List of men attending yard Christmas dinner, 1921

(1 paper)

DS/DB/3 Letter from Miss V. Dobson to her nephew, 1978

(3 papers)

DS/DB/4 Cutting from The Journal regarding the sale of shipbuilding plant, 1935

(1 paper)

DS/DB/5 Cuttings reporting death of W.G. Dobson, 1941

(1 file)

DS/DB/6 Copy of probate of William Dobson's will, 1907

(1 file)

William Dobson and Co., 1883-1928

Armstrong-Whitworth Group

Accession 1571

• Shipbuilding
• Industry

William Dobson had previously worked at the shipyards on the river Tay before coming to work as shipyard manager at Mitchells yard at Low Walker. In 1882, Mitchells became part of Armstrongs, an so in 1883 William Dobson established his own shipbuilding company, alongside his former place of work at Low Walker (then known as Wincomblee).

Dobsons was a family business which specialised in building cargo steamers and tankers and was possibly one of the first companies to produce a pre-fabricated ship. Dobsons was eventually acquired by the Armstrong-Whitworth group in 1928. The last ship built by Dobsons was the Penrose, of that year.

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