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John Rennie 1842-1918
Extract from the "London and Liverpool journal of commerce" Thursday, 7th October, 1918

Death of a veteran clyde ship designer

The death took place on 20th September, at Leith, where he had gone to visit a sister, of Mr. John Rennie, naval architect, who throughout a long life-time of between 76 and 77 years, was closely associated with ship design and construction--wood, composite, iron, steel and concrete--on the Clyde and at other centres throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland, while for a number of years he occupied the position of Naval Constructor and Instructor for the Chinese Government at Shanghai. Close upon 50 years ago he was chief draughtsman with the firm of Scott and Linton at Dumbarton, whose most notable production was the famous China-clipper, "Cutty Sark", which vessel it is believed is still afloat, and although somewhat changed in appearance is in constant service on the deep waters. Mr. Rennie, though not the actual designer of this celebrated craft, was handed her lines by the late Hercules Linton, and he faired them on the mould-loft floor, and was responsible for all calculations connected with her sail area, stability, etc. Just prior to his death--which came with painful unexpectedness--Mr. Rennie had come to the Clyde district from Poole, Dorsetshire, where he had been engaged advising and superintending the work of building dumb barges of 1000 ton capacity in reinforced concrete to Admiralty orders, one of which--the first of the very large number on hand for the Admiralty in various yards throughout the kingdom--was launched on 31st August. Born at Stranraer, Wigtownshire, in 1842, deceased began business life as a boy-assistant in the iron-working branch of Clyde ship-yards. Before entering upon his regular apprenticeship as a shipwright with Messrs. Robert Napier & Sons, in their "New Yard" at Govan, he had worked for short periods in that firm's "Old Yard", and in the yards of G. & J. Thomson, Govan; A. Stephen & Sons, Kelvinhaugh; and William Simons & Co. (then) of Whiteinch. He began his apprenticeship by working on the s.s. "Vladimir", built on Russian account by Messrs. Napier & Sons. Determined to be something more than an ordinary shipwright all his life-time, he began the study of naval architecture in the evening at home, taking as his text books, H.A. Sommerfeldt's "Ships for Ocean and River Service", with atlas of plates, and J. Grantham's "Iron Shipbuilding". After a lengthened study of these books, and having acquired sufficient knowledge of the geometry of naval architecture, he applied for admission to the mould loft of the firms but without success. Shortly after having a difference with the yard foreman, he left the Napier employment. Wood shipbuilding was at that time still a prosperous business, and joining the wood shipyard of Messrs. Denny & Rankin at Dumbarton, he was employed upon wooden ships up to about 700 tons burthen. Seeing no likelihood of gaining the object he had in view--a start in the "laying off" of ships' lines in the mould loft--in Messrs. Denny & Rankin's, he left the firm and obtained employment with Messrs. William Simons & Co., at Renfrew, with the promise of getting into the mould loft when the first vacancy occurred. This happened shortly afterwards, and eventually the mould loft was under his sole charge and direction. Leaving Messrs. Simons, he took up the position of mould loftsman with the well-known firm of Tod & McGregor, Partick, where work entirely consisted of shipbuilding in iron. During the three years he held this position he not only prosecuted his studies in naval architechture, but taught elementary principles to young shipwrights in the firm's employ. This it should be remembered was in the days before the advent of technical colleges, and when working hours were from 6 in the morning until 6 in the evening; and 60 hours in the week's work. Mr. Rennie's first appointment to drawing-office work proper was with the firm of Aitken & Mansel , Whiteinch. From Mr. Mansel of this firm--who was a recognised master in the geometry and mathematics of his profession--he received such a special training as few draughtsmen ever received from an employer. After some years he re-entered the employment as chief draughtsman, of Messrs. Simons & Co., and after a time was induced to become chief draughtsman of to the new firm of Scott & Linton, Dumbarton, with which, as has already been mentioned, he was associated in the production of the "Cutty Sark". Owing to the suspension of the firm before the actual completion of this vessel, she was taken in hand by Messrs. Wm. Denny & Bros., Mr. Rennie being asked to remain by until this was accomplished. Seeing no prospect of suitable permanent employment in Dumbarton, he offered his services to Messrs. Harland & Wolff of Belfast, which were accepted. At this time the chief draughtsman there was W. J. Pirrie, who is now Lord Pirrie, the head of this great concern and the Controller-General of Mercantile Shipbuilding. Just prior to his death, Mr. Rennie referred with pride to the fact that Lord Pirrie, meeting him in connection with the concrete shipbuilding work at Poole, made most kindly allusion to their old-time acquaintance. Sometime in the early seventies Mr. Rennie was again on the Clyde filling the post of chief draughtsman with his old firm of Aitken & Mansel, when he received the Chinese Government appointment before alluded to. He occupied the position for eight years, completing some wooden ships then on hand at the Arsenal at Shanghai, and afterwards laying out what is now the steel shipbuilding yard of the Kiangnan Dock and Engineering Works, which has recently been requisitioned by the United States Shipping Board for the construction of four cargo steamers of 10,000 tons deadweight capacity each, with the option of building eight further vessels of the same size. Up till the time Mr. Rennie came to deal with the premises the site had mainly been used as a peach orchard. Machinery of the best and most powerful kind had been imported from Britain for the purpose of building ironclads. Money for the building of these costly vessels, however, not being forthcoming, only repair work to the already existing fleet of two frigates and several gunboats, and the building of some small iron gunboats comprised the work done during Mr. Rennie's term of engagement. Upon his return to this country he was once more, for a time, associated with his old friends, Aitken & Mansel in carrying on the Ardrossan Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Co., and afterwards served for short periods with the Naval construction and Armaments Co., Cardiff. Thereafter, for the long period of 19 years he was chief draughtsman to the firm of Messrs. John Fullarton & Co., Paisley, and last year he entered upon the engagement on concrete shipbuilding at Poole, to which reference has already been made. Mr. Rennie was the deviser of several slide-rules which have been used to a considerable extent in connection with ships and other calculations, also a wages calculator which, although over 40 years in existence, is still in use in several of the Clyde shipbuilding and engineering works, and elsewhere. Mr. Rennie's wife--Mary C. Thomlinson of Partick--pre-deceased him a good many years ago. His family of sons are in various parts of the world, one being a civil engineer in the Federated Malay States, another resident engineer in charge of a railway in Bolivia, while others are in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada.
Pretty neat, eh? If you know more about this (say, about 19th century Scottish shipbuilding) or would like to know more, please drop me a line!
You can e-mail me at:
[email protected] or [email protected]
or mail me at
70 Dumbarton St.
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
N1E 3T6

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