Glenlee was built in 1896 in Anderson Rodger's Bay Yard in Port Glasgow. Glenlee was the twenty-sixth of 120 vessels built by Rodger between 1891 and 1909, and by the end of the nineteenth century, it was almost a production line method.
Glenlee was made of steel manufactured or rolled locally in Lanarkshire. It took about six months to complete the ship using the skills of many different tradesmen, who were masters in the building of a wind-driven cargo ship. Glenlee was built to carry large loads, cheaply over long distances. During the build, the ship was known as Hull 324.
The Launch of Glenlee - 3 December 1896 at the Bay Yard, Port Glasgow
To build a ship such as Glenlee required a host of trades: draughtsmen, platers, riveters, blacksmiths, shipwrights, carpenters, riggers, painters and labourers all had their parts to play. To find out more about how steel ships (particularly rivetted sailing ships) were made, read the book "Glenlee: How a riveted sailing ship is built" by Ian Ramsay. Ian was a former Trustee of The Clyde Maritime Trust and started his time in the Pointhouse Shipyard of A & J Inglis Limited (Where Riverside Museum is today). This book explains all about how these vessels were built. Copies are available in the Shop.