The story
History
Origin
In 1782 Francis Calense Amos, who had trained as a shipwright in London, founded a shipyard in Gosport, leasing the land from the Royal Naval Dockyard. Initially he built and repaired small boats for local fishermen.
In 1809 he took on his great-nephew, William Camper as his apprentice, and in 1824 William took over running the business, inheriting it when Amos died in March 1824.
Camper and Nicholson
Benjamin Nicholson joined the company as an apprentice in 1842 and by 1855 had taken over much of the design work. The company was renamed to Camper and Nicholson to reflect his contribution. Benjamin's son, Charles Ernest Nicholson, followed in his father's footsteps as a yacht designer. In 1875 the business was registered as a limited company, under the name 'Camper and Nicholsons', reflecting the roles of Benjamin's sons Ben Jr and Charles as directors.
In December 1910 there was a major fire at the Gosport Shipyard, depicted in a painting by William Lionel Wyllie and held in the collection of the National Maritime Museum. This destroyed the offices, including almost all the existing records, and spread to, and destroyed the joiners shop on Quay Lane. Recovery from the fire took until around 1912.
Purchase of J.G. Fay & Co. and Southampton yard
In December 1912 Camper and Nicholson acquired J.G. Fay & Co., a yacht building and maintenance firm with a shipyard at Northam in Southampton. The larger slipway and other facilities allowed larger boats to be built. Some time after the launch of Shamrock IV in 1914, when the firm was still called 'Camper and Nicholson', the firm was renamed to Camper and Nicholsons, to reflect Ben's sons joining the firm.
World War I
At the outbreak of the war there was need for conversion of civilian vessels for wartime use, for example converting the 493 ton steam yacht Grianaig, belonging to Lord Dunraven, into a hospital ship, which the 76 year old peer commanded himself, evacuating wounded from France and Gallipoli.
The yard made small naval craft for the Admiralty.
They also built Flying Boats for the Gosport Aircraft Company, hulls being built at Gosport and towed to Northam. Yard numbers 234-238 were F 2 A Flying Boat Hulls,249-264 were F3 Flying Boat Hulls
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World War II
At the start of the war most of the larger Camper and Nicholson built boats were requisitioned by the Admiralty, and served in a variety of roles, generally being refitted at the Northam Yard before entering active service. Despite both yards being bombed several times they continued to build, refit and repair throughout the war.
In 1941 the 'Bounty Class' Motor Yachts Bounty and Llanthony were part of the Dunkirk Evacuation.
Camper and Nicholson were building Motor Gun Boats for Turkey but these were taken over for British use as MGB 502 to MGB 509 in 1941 Five were converted to blockade runners to bring ball bearings out of neutral Sweden. MGB 506 became Gay Viking, and MGB 507 Gay Corsair,.
They also built Motor torpedo boats This included MTB numbers 28 to 30 under subcontract to Vospers.
They converted the passenger steamers PS Southsea and PS Ryde, which had operated at Southern Railway ferries, into minesweepers in February 1940,
As part of the preparation for the Normandy landings the firm designed and built 24 SLUG (Surf Landing Under Girder) boats, for use in the Mulberry harbour. These deployed a 'Kite Anchor' at one side of the floating bridge, and then passed under it (hence the name) to deploy another anchor on the far side. All 24 had Yard Number 678. They also built 10 'Compressor Boats' (Yard Number 680).
They also built large quantities of various types of Landing Craft. They built 96 Landing Craft Assault which were used in the 1943 Allied Landings in North Africa and Europe, and 36 Landing Craft Support (Medium).
Postwar activities
The firm resumed civilian boat building, and yacht maintenance, while continuing to build Minesweepers and other small Naval craft.
The centre of yachting activity was moving to the Mediterranean, and in 1961 Camper & Nicholsons formed a subsidiary - Camper and Nicholsons International to have a presence in the area.
The shipyard started to build yachts with GRP hulls, with the first Nicholson 36 being built in 1961.
Camper and Nicholsons International
Formed as a subsidiary in 1961 under the guidance of George Nicholson this remains a Yacht brokerage, charter and management company.
In 1989 Crest Nicholson sold Camper & Nicholsons International to new management, and in 1991 it merged with George Nicholson's company Solidmark.
Sinking of superyacht Bayesian
On 19 August 2024 the superyacht Bayesian sank in the Mediterranean. Camper and Nicholsons International were the service providers managing the vessel.
Acquisition by Crest Securities
In August 1972 Crest Securities, which had started as Crest Homes and was diversifying, merged with Camper and Nicholsons to form Crest Nicholson.
Although the quantity of boats, particularly GRP models, was increasing the margins were tight.
The Southampton shipyard closed in 1979, as access to the shipyard had been impacted by construction of the Itchen Bridge.
Management buyout
Crest Nicholson wished to refocus on the housing business and in April 1981 there was a management buyout and the company became Camper & Nicholsons Yachts Ltd. The firm, now only operating from the Gosport shipyard, and with the workforce cut from 250 to 65, moved from production building to building custom yachts.
Acquisition by Nautor's Swan
In July 2001 the Nautor's Swan group bought the Gosport yard, bringing it into the Nautor Group.
In 2005 the Gosport Yard was closed, bringing an end to shipbuilding on the site.
Archive material about the firm is preserved in a number of places, including the National Maritime Museum and, even though not a Scottish Company, the Scottish Yachting Archives.
Founders and first generation
Francis Calense Amos (1748-1824)
Born in Stepney, and trained as a shipwright. One of his sisters, Mary, married William Camper (1746-1809), and they had a son, William Camper (1768-1827), who named his son William Camper (1794-1863). Although Francis Amos married, it was his great nephew, William who ended up inheriting the business,
William Camper (1794-1863)
Apprenticed, aged 16, in 1809, to his great uncle, he took over the business when Francis died. He married Mary Murray (1795-18510), and they had two sons and three daughters, but both sons died in infancy. In 1863 William, wishing to ensure continuity of the firm, and the family name, created a document stating that his foreman, Ben Nicholson, would take over management of the firm, provided it be named 'Camper and Nicholson' and would make payments to the retiring William Camper from the profits.
Benjamin Nicholson (1828-1906)
Apprenticed to William Camper, aged 14, in 1842, he married Sarah Ann Watson in 1852. They had five boys and five girls, but one of the boys died in childhood. Three of the boys went on to run the firm after Ben's death. The eldest daughter, Rhoda, married Alfred Starling Blake, future Mayor of Portsmouth, and founder of the Solicitors firm Blake Lapthorn. Two other daughters married sons of Edwin Lapthorn (1834-1918), who ran Lapthorn sailmakers.
From Wikipedia’s article on Camper and Nicholsons, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3