Caird & Company

The company was established in 1828 by John Caird when he received an order to re-engine Clyde paddle-tugs.

[1] John's relative James Tennant Caird joined the company in 1831, and after leaving to work for Randolph, Elder & Co in Glasgow, rejoined the family business for good in 1838.

Also in 1828 Caird & Co re-engined the paddle steamer Industry (built in 1814 by William Fyfe of Fairlie), replacing the original single cylinder engine rated at 10 hp with a Caird single cylinder engine rated at 14 hp.

In 1845 details and drawings of Caird engines fitted in four West India Mail-Packets were published,[3] these being the "Clyde", "Tay", "Tweed" and "Teviot".

Collated records of ships built on the Clyde[4] suggest that Caird contracted out the building of the wooden hulls for these mail packets.

Part of Caird & Co's yard in 1913, with SS Berrima under construction
Drawing of Caird Engine fitted to 1841 steam packets
Drawing of Caird Engine fitted to 1841 steam packets
Painting of SS Atrato by William Frederick Mitchell
SS Austria , launched on 23 June 1857
SS Bokhara in the 1880s
The barque Inchgreen
Picture postcard of RMS Arabia
Picture postcard of SS Persia at Aden in about 1910
RMS Moldavia