J. Samuel White & Co. Shipbuilders

J. Samuel White & Company was the oldest firm on the Admiralty List and built 252 ships for the Royal Navy alone. The yard’s closure in 1966 ended 300 years of shipbuilding during which time the company had gained acclaim from mercantile and naval customers alike. Famed early on for fast Revenue cutters and naval brigs, in its final years Royal Navy destroyers earned it great distinction. Highly innovative, it developed and patented many pioneering products while other innovations included semi-diesel engines, heat exchangers, air conditioners, and compressors, besides a range of marine thruster units. Not only did the company build ships and boats but it also constructed a range of marine aircraft. During the WWI, White’s production accounted for 100 ships, including twenty-seven destroyers, and 201 seaplanes. Production during the Second World War added up to 317 ships, among them twenty-six destroyers and a large minelayer. Illustrated with photographs of these and many of the company’s other products, this book tells the story of J. Samuel White and its subsidiary concerns, a business built on a reputation of quality which earned it the slogan: “White’s-built—well-built!”.

David L. Williams has a background in professional photography and technical publications. For over 10 years he was responsible for the entire aircraft and hovercraft in-service support operation of Westland Aerospace, later GKN Aerospace, providing a support service for vehicles worldwide. He has written over 30 books on shipping and related subjects and lives in the Isle of Wight. Richard de Kerbrech served his marine apprenticeship at sea with Shaw Saville & Albion and ashore at Cammell Laird shipyard. He went on to lecture in mechanical and production engineering. Now a professional writer, he has written 14 books on maritime history.