The following is a timeline of the history of shipbuilding on the River Tyne in Tyne and Wear, England.
13th century 1290s 1294 A galley for King Edward I was built at the mouth of Lort Burn, Newcastle upon Tyne, one of twenty ordered by the King from different ports 1295 September: Galley for Edward I was completed
15th century 1400s 1400s The Newcastle Guild of Shipwrights had been a recognised trade since the 1400s
16th century 1500s 1508 A 'rowbarge' was constructed for Newcastle upon Tyne
17th century 1600s 1604 The Newcastle Guild of Shipwrights (along with 14 other lesser craft trades) finally achieved full Guild status 1604–1616 Newcastle Guild of Shipwrights members built ten ships 'fit for service', ie able to act at naval auxiliaries in time of war
18th century 1720s 1720s Robert Wallis opened the first shipbuilding yard in South Shields
1740s 1740 Only four ships, of an estimated 800 tons, were registered to South Shields
1750s 1750 Russell was launched by Headlam's yard (Gateshead), the largest vessel built on the Tyne up to that time, able to carry 30 keels of coal 1756 William Rowe began building ships on the Tyne (St Peter's yard, Newcastle upon Tyne)
1760s 1763 , a frigate of 28 guns, was launched by Thomas Airey & Co of Newcastle upon Tyne, attracting a 'great concourse of spectators'
1770s 1772 Lockwood Broderick began building ships at South Shields
19th century 1800s 1800 Newcastle upon Tyne was the third largest shipbuilding port in England behind London and Liverpool 1809 500 ships, totalling over 100,000 tons, were registered to South Shields, which hosted 12 shipbuilding yards and an even larger number of docks
1810s 1810 William Rowe was bought out by Thomas and William Smith, who continued shipbuilding at St Peter's yard, Newcastle upon Tyne Thomas and William Smith acquired Laing's Dock at North Shields as an additional repairing establishment
1820s 1820 Robert and William Hawthorn opened an engine works at Forth Banks, Newcastle upon Tyne, building three pairs of engines for steam packets in he first year 1828 , of 417 tons burthen, launched by Thomas and William Smith 1829 26 December: launched by Thomas and William Smith
1830s 1830 Thomas Dunn Marshall began building ships in part of the old yard of Robert Wallis in South Shields 1834 6 May: The last of the River Tyne state (or Mayoral) barges was launched by Messrs John Oliver at South Shields 1839 Thomas Dunn Marshall built the Tyne's first iron steamer, a small passenger ship named Star
1840s 1840 Charles Coutts established a shipbuilding yard at Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne 1841 Thomas Dunn Marshall completed an iron twin-screw ferry named Bedlington 1842 The first Tyne-built iron-hulled steamer, Prince Albert, was launched at Coutts shipyard in Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne 1842-1852 The shipyard of Thomas Dunn Marshall in South Shields built 10 wooden ships and 99 iron vessels 1847 WG Armstong & Co founded at Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, on a 5.5 acre site, to build the hydraulic machinery Armstrong had invented
1850s 1851 Charles Palmer and his brother George, opened a shipyard at Jarrow on the site of an earlier yard which had built wooden warships for the Royal Navy 1852 April: Northumberland, an iron paddle tug, was launched, the first vessel constructed by Palmers 30 June: Iron-built steam collier was launched, the second vessel built by Palmers Andrew Leslie established a shipbuilding yard at Hebburn 1853 Charles Mitchell established a shipyard at Low Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne 1856 24 April: HMS Terror, battleship, launched by Palmers The shipbuilding yard of Charles Coutts in Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne was closed 1857 Blast furnaces for the production of pig-iron were established at Palmers Jarrow shipyard 1858 Palmers built ships Hudson and Weser for Norddeutscher Lloyd 1859 Palmers took over a shipyard at Willington Quay, Howdon
1860s 1860 John Wigham Richardson opened the Neptune shipbuilding yard at Low Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne, taking over the former Charles Coutts yard March: Port Musgrave launched by Palmers at their Howdon yard 11 April: , a Royal Mail paddle steamer, was launched by Palmers July: The first ship was launched by John Wigham Richardson, a paddle steamer Victoria 1 September: , a Royal Mail paddle steamer, was launched by Palmers 1861 Ambrose completed at the Neptune yard of John Wigham Richardson launched at Palmer Bros yard in Jarrow 1863 15 August: Palmers launched four vessels simultaneously, Europa and Latana from the Jarrow yard and John McIntyre and No.1 from the Howdon yard 1866 , troopship, launched by Palmers 1868 A gunboat for the Admiralty built to WG Armstrong's order by CW Mitchell's shipyard at Walker
1870s 1872 R and W Hawthorn opened a marine engine building works at St Peter's in the east end of Newcastle HMS Cerberus and , coastal defence ships, were completed by Palmers 1873 Charles Mitchell established a shipyard at Wallsend 1874 Charles Mitchell appointed Charles Sheridan Swan as manager and the business became known as CS Swan & Company 1875 HMS Sabrina and HMS Spey, river gunboats, were completed by Palmers 1876 HMS Medina, a gunboat, was launched by Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company at Jarrow HMS Tees, HMS Esk and HMS Tweed, river gunboats, were delivered by Palmers 1877 Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company had the highest output of ships in Britain 1878 John Readhead & Sons began building their first ship for the Hain Line The flat-iron colliers, Roystone and Vauxhall were launched by Palmers 1879 Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company had the highest output of ships in Britain
1880s 1880–1883 Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company had the highest output of ships in Britain 1880 George Burton Hunter was appointed as manager of CS Swan & Company and the company became known as CS Swan & Hunter Cornelia, a steam yacht for the Marquess of Londonderry, was completed by Palmers 1881 The oil tanker Massis was completed at Armstong Mitchells shipyard in Low Walker 1882 WG Armstrongs merged with Charles Mitchell's shipyard at Low Walker to become Armstrong Mitchells 1884 January: Albatross, the first steel ship built by Palmers, was launched Shipyard devoted exclusively to warship construction opened by WG Armstrong at Elswick 1885 HMS Surprise and HMS Alacrity, naval despatch vessels, were delivered by Palmers 1886 R and W Hawthorn merged with A. Leslie and Company shipbuilders in Hebburn to become R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company launched at Armstong Mitchells for German owners, regarded as a prototype of the modern day oil tanker , cruiser, launched by Palmers 1887 22 January: Era, an oil tanker, was launched by Palmers 1888 John Wigham Richardson's Neptune shipyard delivered the passenger liner and troopship Alfonso XII Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company had the highest output of ships in Britain 1889 Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company had the highest output of ships in Britain
1890s 1890 John Wigham Richardson's Neptune shipyard completed Hornby Grange at the Neptune yard for the Houlder Line, one of the world's first refrigerated cargo ships Citta di Venezia completed at the John Wigham Richardson Neptune yard 1891 HMS Rainbow, cruiser, was launched by Palmers 1892 28 May: , battleship, launched by Palmers 1893 , battleship, completed by Palmers 1894 , the first steam turbine powered ship, launched for Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company, which had been founded in that year by Charles Parsons Blanco Encalada launched by Armstrong Mitchell at Elswick, a cruiser for the Chilean Navy 1895 CS Swan & Hunter became a limited company 1896 , destroyer, launched by Palmers 1897 and , cruisers, and , a destroyer, were launched by Palmers Armstrong Mitchells merged with the Manchester armaments works of Whitworths to become Armstrong Whitworth Palmers output of shipping for the year was 40,319 tons, comprising 13 vessels launched from the Jarrow and Howdon yards 1898 August: launched at Swan Hunter's Wallsend yard for the Cunard Line The icebreaker was launched at Low Walker yard of Armstrong Whitworth for the Russian government completed by John Wigham Richardson 1899 September: launched by Swan Hunter at Wallsend for the Cunard Line Veria built by Armstrong Whitworth at Low Walker for the Cunard Line
20th century 1900s 1900 10 September: Keel of was laid by CS Swan & Hunter at their Wallsend yard Canadian delivered by Hawthorn Leslie at Hebburn for the Leyland Line Caria built by the Tyne Iron Shipbuilding Company for the Cunard Line Consuelo built by Swan Hunter for Thomas Wilson Sons & Co. , a Japanese cruiser, was launched at the Elswick shipyard of Armstrong Whitworth and , coastal defence ships for Norway, were launched at the Elswick shipyard of Armstrong Whitworth WG Armstrong died, at which point his engineering works stretched over 230 acres and employed 25,000 men 1901 Kingstonian delivered by Hawthorn Leslie at Hebburn for the Leyland Line , battleship, was launched by Palmers 1902 February: Hanoverian launched by Hawthorn Leslie at Hebburn for the Leyland Line 6 August: RMS Carpathia launched by CS Swan & Hunter at their Wallsend yard for the Cunard Line John Wigham Richardson's Neptune shipyard delivered Colonia, its first cableship, then the largest cable ship in the world Flavia built by Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company for the Cunard Line The tanker was launched at Low Walker shipyard of Armstrong Whitworth 1903 RMS Carpathia completed by CS Swan & Hunter at their Wallsend yard for the Cunard Line John Wigham Richardson's shipbuilding company merged with Swan Hunter in Wallsend to become Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson 1904 Hawthorn Leslie's St Peters works began building Parsons turbine engines for ships Turbine powered steam yacht, Albion completed at the Swan Hunter Wallsend yard Keel of was laid at Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson's Wallsend yard , cruiser, launched by Palmers 1905 7 March: SS Viking launched at Armstrong Whitworths Walker yard for the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company 1906 4 September: , a battleship for the Royal Navy, was launched by Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company 20 September: RMS Mauretania was launched by the Dowager Duchess of Roxburghe at Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson's Wallsend yard for the Cunard Line, and was the largest passenger ship completed on the Tyne Swan Hunter held the world record for gross tonnage of shipping constructed in the year The first of two electric cableway crane networks was installed at Palmers Jarrow yard 1907 13 April: The battlecruiser was launched at the Elswick shipyard of Armstrong Whitworth watched by over 12,000 people Swan Hunter's output of ships was 15% of the world's total tonnage built that year, when the Neptune and Wallsend yards were building 11 vessels in the year Ocean Prince completed at the Swan Hunter Wallsend yard for the Prince Line 1908 completed at the Swan Hunter Wallsend yard 1909 Ausonia built by Swan Hunter for the Cunard Line Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company yard at Jarrow stretched nearly three quarters of a mile along the southern bank of the Tyne
1910s 1910 23 July: launched by Swan Hunter for the Cunard Line , battleship, launched by Palmers , destroyer, delivered by Palmers 1911 July: launched by Swan Hunter for the Cunard Line August: City of Birmingham, cargo liner, launched at Palmers Hebburn yard Palmers leased the former Robert Stephenson shipyard at Hebburn Acujutla completed at the Swan Hunter Neptune yard for the Salvador Railway Company Asconia built by Swan Hunter for the Cunard Line 1912 20 March: , battlecruiser, launched by Palmers 26 September: , a steam ocean liner, launched by Swan Hunter for the Compañía Transatlántica Española