Steel, Ships and Men : Cammell Laird and Company 1824-1993

In its heyday, Cammell Laird of Birkenhead was one of a small group of British firms with operations spanning steelmaking, engineering ordnance, armour manufacture, and both merchant and naval shipbuilding, for which the company became best known.

This is an account of its shipbuilding history, from its beginning to what was effectively its end with the construction of a submarine in 1993.While the growth and change of Cammell Laird's business can be seen in the light of the progress of the British economy generally, and of technological advance and change, the book analyzes the multiplicity of other factors that led to industrial success and then - much later - to failure.Given the company's long (170-year) history, some of its experiences can be seen as throwing light on the origin and nature of Britain's modern economic problems.

On the other hand, it is essential to recognize that its development was shaded by innumerable particularities of circumstance, of decisions and their consequences.

These diverse experiences were the outcome of the labours of generations of men in Sheffield, Penistone, Workington, Coventry and elsewhere, as well as in Birkenhead.

While some of these were distinguished chairmen or dynamic managers, most were unknown steelworkers, forgemen, shipwrights, engineers and unskilled labourers.In tracing the fortunes of what was once one of the most prominent and distinguished British companies, the author has used an array of sources, from the trade press to company archives.