Scotch Boiler

The boiler which Rankin & Blackmore built for WAVERLEY was another classic design - the ubiquitous Double Ended Scotch Boiler - thousands of which were produced for all types of ships from the river steamers to the largest Atlantic liners. By the nature of their work boilers do not last as long as steam engines so the Rankin & Blackmore boiler had to be replaced by a modern version installed by Babcock of Renfrew in 1981. However, the old Eagle Foundry boiler is still in existence and can be seen at the Scottish Maritime Museum in Irvine.

Sadly, like Inglis the shipbuilder, Rankin & Blackmore the enginebuilder succumbed to the terrible decline in British shipbuilding after the Second World War and the Eagle Foundry finally closed its doors for ever in 1964. Apart from marine products the Foundry also cast ‘street furniture’ and a notable piece of this can be seen from the decks of WAVERLEY. Passengers disembarking at Greenock Customhouse Quay will notice the ornate, if redundant, clock tower in front of the Custom House. Closer inspection of its base will reveal the legend ‘Rankin & Blackmore Ltd, Eagle Foundry, Greenock’.

The firms of A & J Inglis and Rankin & Blackmore played a significant role in the epic story of the Clyde with a combined total of 217 years of engineering and shipbuilding and WAVERLEY survives as a fitting testament to their skills and enterprise

View of the furnaces of a Scotch Boiler under construction in the 1940s.