In 1921 the final Dutch name became: 'Wilton's Dok- en Werf Maatschappij NV', the equivalent of 'Wilton Engineering and Slipway Company'.

While there, his old father was living in humble circumstances near the country house of the merchant and regent Abram van Rijckevorsel (1790-1864).

Van Rijckevorsel and his friend the shipping magnate Willem Ruys (1837-1901) got an idea to help the old Wilton, who could no longer support himself.

They gave Bartel Wilton a loan, so he would return to Rotterdam, and could take over a stove smithy to support himself and his father.

[2] On 7 January 1854 Bartel Wilton started his business as a house and stove smith at the south side of the Baan in Rotterdam.

[8] In 1876 Wilton got a thirty year lease on a piece of land behind the parade ground of the militia on the Westzeedijk.

Wilton was one of several companies that started to construct steam engines and boilers in the 1870s: On 16 September 1876 shipyard van der Kuijl in Slikkerveer launched the iron screw tugboat Hendrika Wilhelmina for A. Bos in Alblasserdam.

[11] On 20 December 1877 the shipyard Wed. C. Boele en Zonen launched the screw tugboat Vooruitgang for Johan van der Graaf at Kralingen, the machine was made by Wilton.

[12] On 26 January 1878 M. van der Kuyl in Slikkerveer laid down an iron passenger screw steam boat for Wijnands & Co in Groningen.

[15] In 1893 Wilton got orders for a 180 hp engine for the William Egan & Co III built by M. van der Kuil in Slikkerveer.

[17] In 1896 a Wilton company built the engine and boilers for the fishing sloop Koningin Wilhelmina.

This terrain was the Ruigeplaat, a shoal in front of Delshaven, that had been dug through to directly connect Delfshaven to the Meuse again.

[26] On 3 September 1898, a few weeks before he died, the Bartel Wilton Sr. laid the first stone for a big new factory to build boilers.

[1] The jewel in the crown was a new floating dry dock launched in 1907 by Swan Hunter and Wighan Richardson.

In 1911 an agreement with the Nederlandsche Fabriek van Werktuigen en spoorwegmaterieel, later named Werkspoor, resulted in a license to produce Diesel engines for ships.

It was launched in 1915 by the NSM from a special slipway in Schellingwoude just outside the Oranje Locks, because it was too broad for the North Sea Canal.

The company could make a strategic choice for shipbuilding, advocated by younger brother Ir.

The latter was supported by the Holland America Line, which foresaw that it would employ very big ships in the near future, and was looking for a docking facility.

[36] In 1917 construction of a harbor on the terrain started, but the company did not move to the new grounds till after the war.

[38] From July till April 1921 Wilton worked on completing this floating drydock, spending another 400,000 guilders.

much easier, and it led to a significant reduction in the cost of moving men and building materials vertically.

A new public company called Wilton's Dok- en Werf Maatschappij N.V. was founded.

In ship repair the excellent location, facilities, reputation and skill of her employees put the company ahead of foreign competition and led to good margins.

In October 1925 a newspaper wrote that in a practical sense the yard at Schiedam was not yet in use, and called it a monument for the foolish investments by war profiteers.

[43] Indeed in 1924 Wilton had received a first significant order from the navy department for HNLMS Soemba, and in 1925 four ships had been laid down for the KPM, but this was way below the capacity of the location.

[44] The act of finishing the Statendam kind of completed the transformation of the company, that began to look very much like her competitor Fijenoord.

[51] In early January 1887 the tugboat Paul broke through the ice blocking the inland waterways Amstel, Hollandse IJssel from Rotterdam to Amsterdam.

In February 1891 the line waited till a group of companies came up with enough money to pay for her ice-breaking services.

[55] In March 1894 the public company Rotterdamsche Sleepdienst (Rotterdam Tug services) was founded.

The company took 42 shares, and paid for them by bringing in six tugboats; the Paul, Henry, Hugo, Max, James III and Willem.