What's Up Dock?

The Port of Hull was the very first to apply the new and wonderful power of steam amongst its resident Maritime Fleet and this served to reinforce its importance in river, inland coastal and foreign trade.

In terms of geographical location Hull was able to connect with all of the great manufacturing towns of the English Midlands and North mainly through the River Trent corridor and an established network of man made canals. 

There was unobstructed access from the Humber Estuary to the North Sea and global trade. 

Dock operations of any note dated from around 1767 at which time the town was of a modest 18000 population and emerging from more of a military stronghold status than a true economic hub. 

The Humber Dock opened in 1809 followed by Princes Dock within two decades. 

The London Times Newspaper in 1861 remarked on the prolific rate of construction of Steamships in Hull with the activities in particular of Messrs Brownlow, Ramsden and Co, Earles and Samuelsons being responsible for the launch of 124 steamers of up to 3000 tons burden. 

The latter shipbuilders operated as Humber Iron Works with a yard of 9 acres with extensive frontage to both the Humber and the River Hull. It employed around 2000 men. In addition to the heavy industrial plant requirements Samuelsons had two powerful hydraulically powered slipways which could haul the largest of vessels out of the water for the carrying out of repairs. 

The Hull Dock Company had similarly impressive figures for its land holdings with over 42 acres of dock water area, more than 6 acres of tidal basins, two and a half acres of wharfage and 16450 linear feet of quayage for the berth of ships. 

This was being expanded to cope with the year on year increase in tonnage being imported and exported. 

The New Western Dock for which an Act of Parliament was obtained around 1860 was to further add to the capacity. 

As for the amount of goods and freight passing through Hull this had been recorded as 109491 tons in 1775 and with an eleven fold increase having been attained by 1861. 

As well as being a major shipbuilding town the Port itself was served in the mid 1800's by fleets including 65 ocean-going and 25 inland waterway steamers. There was use of the Port by English and Foreign shipping companies with about 140 ships plying a regular or scheduled service. 

It was still a precarious time for seafarers with frequent loss of ships and their crews to storms and navigational hazards. 

In spite of these tragedies there was a strong commitment to expand operations by the Dock Company which was justified by the rapid rate of increase in tonnage of goods and freight through the Gateway to Europe.