"HMS Greenock" 1849

On 30 May 1849 a large crowd gathered at John Scott’s shipbuilding yard (then at the north end of Westburn Street) to watch the launch of HMS Greenock,  the first ever steam-frigate launched on the Clyde.  Some of the ship's machinery was by Scott, Sinclair & Co of Greenock.  Some sources state that her figurehead was a bust of John Scott.

The 565-horsepower ship was 213 feet in length and 37 feet 4 inches in breadth with a depth of 23 feet.  The Greenock was armed with 10 guns.  Philip Thornton, naval architect of Portsmouth Dockyard was the overseer on the project.

Unfortunately, while the ship was lying at the Tail of the Bank, a small boat taking men out to the ship was caught in a squall when just alongside.  The small boat overturned and sixteen men were thrown into the Clyde.  The Captain, James Brown, hearing their shouts, “leaped, undressed, through a port in his cabin, into a boat the sailors were in the act of lowering, and by his energy, all hands were rescued from a watery grave, he himself having with his own hands pulled five men into the boat”.

In 1852 the ship was taken over by the Australian Royal Mail Steam Navigation Company and renamed Melbourne.  In 1854 the ship was sold again and converted to a sailing ship.

Westburn War Plaques

Westburn Parish Church in Greenock contains many plaques listing those who gave their lives in World Wars I and II.

You can download a full list of those names and details of the plaques here.  The document also gives a short history of Westburn Parish Church, previously known as St Luke's Church.

Over the years Westburn has joined with other Greenock churches.  Their memorial plaques are also included in the document.