From Boom to Bust After 1972 there was a decline in the yards fortunes that would lead to it's eventual closure. The Berwick yard remained inactive from August 1972 until May 1973 when it was confirmed that shipbuilding was to start up once more with the promise of 100 jobs. The new owners, Intrepid Marine International, announced ambitious plans including a major investment programme aimed at modernising working conditions on the existing site as well as a second phase of development that, if successful, would see a second yard established at the Carr Rock, Spittal. The proposal to develop the existing site was not universally welcomed and the yard was soon to be involved in a bitter controversy that would culminate in a Public Enquiry. Intrepid Marine planned to construct a large shed that would allow shipbuilding to take place under cover. Opponents claimed that the scale of the new building was out of keeping with the character of the historic Quay Walls area and that this would ruin the view of the town from the south. A site at the Carr Rock on the south side of the river was suggested as a more suitable alternative. Although supported by the Borough Council the planning application was ‘called in’ by the then Environment Minister, Geoffrey Rippon, and a public enquiry was held in the Guildhall, Berwick in December 1973. Supporters of the proposed development organised a ‘Save our Shipyard’ petition that attracted over 5,000 signatures. In May the following year central government finally announced that the proposed shipyard development had been rejected. Despite this setback the yard’s owners confirmed that shipbuilding at Berwick would continue. In August 1974, Intrepid Marine (which by this time had also acquired a yard at Whitby), confounded rumours that they were in difficulty when it was revealed that four fishing vessels were under construction. Fears for the yard’s future however, were realised just a few months later when the company went into receivership. The yard was to gain a reprieve when Caley Fisheries and later Associated Fisheries (parent company of the former), stepped in to pay the workers wages in order that work could continue on the four vessels that they had ordered. With no new orders the launch of the last of these vessels, the 86’ trawler/seiner Lorenzo 1977 in February was regarded by many at the time to be the end of the line for the yard. Yet again, however, the yard refused to die. A new company, Berwick Tweed Shipyard Ltd., took over from Associated Fisheries and work was soon underway on the construction of a ferry, the Grenadines Star, for the West Indies. Within a year optimism would be replaced by more uncertainty when in June 1978 the receiver was called in for the second time in four years. On this occasion there would be no reprieve. The final vessel to be built at Berwick Shipyard, Audela, left the Tweed in August 1979 drawing to a close a small but significant part of Berwick's maritime history. One hundred years earlier wooden-hulled sailing ships of up to 250 tons were built on the Tweed. Ironically, it was a 120' steel-hulled three-masted schooner that would be the last-ever large vessel to be constructed at Berwick Shipyard. A small steel fishing boat for Holy Island, Flowing Tide II (LH153), would later be built on the slipway at the Berwick shipyard site, by the partnership of Grant Renton and Stuart Lough, both former employees of the shipyard. In the early nineties, two more small steel vessels, Hazel Louise (INS70) and Boy James (PD174), were built on the yard site by Coastal Marine Boat Builders. Although boatbuilding on the Tweed would continue, Audela's departure in 1979, followed a few months later by the demolition of the yard's landmark giant crane, signalled the end of the era of post-war shipbuilding at Berwick. What were the critical factors that contributed to the yard’s demise and could shipbuilding at Berwick have had a future? The plans to develop the yard that were rejected after ministerial intervention in 1974 confirmed that the yard was in need of modernisation and investment. Lack of investment and the consequent failure to adopt modern technology had been highlighted as a structural weakness within British shipbuilding by the Geddes Committee (1965-66). This led to the consolidation of the industry into bigger yards which saw a gradual decline in the number of smaller UK yards such as Berwick. British yards also struggled to compete on price with overseas shipbuilders. For a niche yard like Berwick which had built much of its reputation on the construction of vessels for domestic customers, in particular the Scottish fishing industry, this was perhaps a less of a concern although competition from other British shipbuilders in a declining market remained. Taking these factors into account, it would be reasonable to conclude that the demise of the yard can be attributed to a combination of tough trading conditions, lack of investment and commercial concerns. It can be surmised that hese factors meant that shipbilding at Berwick was no longer deemed a viable proposition, The struggles faced by different owners to keep the yard going from 1973 onwards would seem to support this hypothesis. To find out more about Berwick-built ships and the yard explore the drop-down menu at the top of the page.