Editing Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering

{{Short description|British shipbuilding company}}
{{EngvarB|date=April 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2016}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Vickers Shipbuilding & Engineering Limited (VSEL)
| logo = VSEL.png
| logo_size = 200px
| type = [[Limited company]]
| fate=Acquired
| successor= [[BAE Systems Submarine Solutions]]<br />[[BAE Systems Land & Armaments]]
| genre = 
| foundation = 1871
| founder =
| defunct = 2007 
| location_city = [[Barrow-in-Furness]]
| location_country = England
| location =
| origins = 
| key_people = 
| area_served = 
| industry = [[Shipbuilding]]<br />Marine Engineering
| products = 
| services =
| revenue = 
| operating_income = 
| net_income = 
| num_employees = 
| parent = [[British Shipbuilders]] (1977–1986)<br />[[General Electric Company|GEC]] (1995–1999)<br />[[BAE Systems]] (1999–present)
| divisions =
| subsid = 
| company_slogan = 
| homepage =
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}}

'''Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Limited''' ('''VSEL''') was a [[shipbuilding]] company based at [[Barrow-in-Furness]], England that built warships, civilian ships, submarines and armaments. The company was historically the Naval Construction Works of [[Vickers Armstrongs]] and has a heritage of building large naval warships and armaments. Through a complicated history the company's shipbuilding division is now [[BAE Systems Submarine Solutions]] and the armaments division is now part of [[BAE Systems Land & Armaments]].

==History==
[[File:Vickers Advertisement Janes 1914.jpg|thumb|A Vickers advert from 1914]]
The company was founded in 1871 by [[James Ramsden (industrialist)|James Ramsden]] as the '''Iron Shipbuilding Company''', but its name was soon changed to '''Barrow Shipbuilding Company'''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/nationonfilm/topics/ship-building/background.shtml|title=The history of Shipbuilding in the North East|publisher=[[BBC]]|access-date=4 May 2013}}</ref>

In 1897, Vickers & Sons bought the Barrow Shipbuilding Company and its subsidiary the [[Maxim Nordenfelt Guns and Ammunition Company]], becoming Vickers, Sons and Maxim Limited.<ref>[http://www.ingenious.org.uk/See/?target=SeeMedium&ObjectID=%7B27BF2E66-AA38-5C8C-49C5-002D9D635D27%7D&source=Search&viewby=images 'Armour Plate Planing Shop', 1902] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213194251/http://www.ingenious.org.uk/See/?target=SeeMedium&ObjectID=%7B27BF2E66-AA38-5C8C-49C5-002D9D635D27%7D&source=Search&viewby=images |date=13 February 2012 }} Ingenious</ref> The shipyard at Barrow became the Naval Construction & Armaments Company. In 1911 the company was renamed Vickers Limited, and in 1927 became [[Vickers-Armstrongs|Vickers Armstrongs Limited]] after a merger with [[Armstrong Whitworth]], whose shipyard at [[Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne|High Walker]] on the [[River Tyne]] became the "Naval Yard".

In 1955 the name of the shipbuilding division changed to Vickers Armstrongs Shipbuilders, Ltd and changed again in 1968 to Vickers Limited Shipbuilding Group.<ref name=history>[http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM37FC_Vickers_BAE_Sytems_Barrow_in_Furness_Cumbria_UK Waymarks: BAe Systems Barrow]</ref>

The shipbuilding group was [[nationalised]] under the [[Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act 1977|Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act]] in 1977 and subsumed into [[British Shipbuilders]].<ref name=history/>

The ex-Vickers yard at Barrow was the first shipyard of the British Shipbuilders group to return to the private sector. It was sold in March 1986 to an employee-led company, VSEL Consortium, which also included its [[Birkenhead]]-based subsidiary, [[Cammell Laird]]. The company was floated on the [[London Stock Exchange]] in December 1986.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ftse.com/Research_and_Publications/Archive/FTSE_UK_Index_Series_1986.pdf |title=Actuaries Index 1987 |access-date=3 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100211143844/http://ftse.com/Research_and_Publications/Archive/FTSE_UK_Index_Series_1986.pdf|website=FTSE|archive-date=11 February 2010 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
{{Location map|Cumbria
|label      =
|lat        = 54.11
|long       = -3.23
|caption    = <small>Map showing the location of VSEL within [[Cumbria]]</small>
|float      = right
|background = white
|width      = 200
}}

In 1988, a mistake by senior management and changing shipbuilding methods meant that the Vickers shipyard in [[Barrow-in-Furness]] accidentally welded part of {{HMS|Triumph|S93|6}} (a [[nuclear submarine]]) in an upside-down position.<ref>{{cite news |first=Michael |last=West |work=[[Associated Press]]|date=8 April 1988 |title=Upside-down submarine section embarrassing |url=https://apnews.com/article/2695d37f681032d5e3bc388493b0c9f0 |access-date=29 May 2023 |archive-date=29 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529135644/https://apnews.com/article/2695d37f681032d5e3bc388493b0c9f0 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>

In 1994 VSEL was subject to two takeover proposals, one from [[General Electric Company|GEC]]<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/gec-makes-rival-bid-for-vsel-1445530.html GEC makes rival bid for VSEL] ''[[The Independent]]'' 29 October 1994</ref> and another from [[British Aerospace]] (BAe).<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/cashin-ahead-at-vsel-cambridge-don-stands-to-gain-nearly-pounds-1m-from-bid-for-shipyard-1440469.html Cash-in ahead at VSEL: Cambridge don stands to gain nearly £1m from bid for shipyard] ''The Independent'' 2 October 1994</ref> VSEL was willing to participate in a merger with a larger company to reduce its exposure to cycles in warship production, particularly following the [[Options for Change]] defence review after the end of the [[Cold War]]. Both bids were referred to the [[Monopolies & Mergers Commission]] (MMC) which issued its conclusions and advice to government in May 1995.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/bae-fuels-vsel-hopes-in-cash-call-for-vsel-hopes-deckys-1613599.html BAe fuels VSEL hopes in cash call for VSEL] ''The Independent'' 31 March 1995</ref> BAe's bid was approved, while the MMC concluded (with two of six members dissenting) that GEC's bid was likely to "operate against the public interest".<ref>[https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1995/may/23/vsel Parliamentary debates] Hansard, 23 May 1995</ref> However it was GEC's bid that was approved and accepted by VSEL, since Secretary of State [[Michael Heseltine]] did not accept the MMC's recommendation and allowed the bid to proceed.<ref>[http://www.janes.com/articles/Janes-Navy-International-95/GEC-S-KNOCKOUT-BID-WINS-FIGHT-FOR-VSEL.html GEC's knockout bid wins fight for VSEL] [[Janes Information Services]] 1995</ref>

Following GEC's purchase VSEL became Marconi Marine (VSEL), part of the company's [[GEC-Marconi]] division. With the merger of British Aerospace and GEC's defence business – [[Marconi Electronic Systems]] – VSEL passed to the resulting company, BAE Systems as part of [[BAE Systems Marine]]. In 2003 it became an independent division known as [[BAE Systems Submarines]] after BAE systems split its ship and submarine building operations. This was renamed BAE Systems Submarine Solutions in January 2007.<ref>[http://www.baesystems.com/Businesses/SubmarineSolutions/index.htm BAe Systems Submarine Solutions] [[BAE Systems]]</ref>

==Ships built by VSEL==
{{Main|List of ships and submarines built in Barrow-in-Furness}}

==See also==
*[[Royal Port of Barrow]]
*[[Vickerstown]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{British shipbuilders evolution}}
{{Barrow-in-Furness}}
{{General Electric Company}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Vickers| ]]
[[Category:Barrow-in-Furness port and shipyard| ]]
[[Category:Companies established in 1871]]
[[Category:Defence companies of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Defunct shipbuilding companies of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:General Electric Company]]
[[Category:History of Barrow-in-Furness]]
[[Category:Science and technology in Cumbria]]
[[Category:British Shipbuilders]]