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31-515: Ramsden Dock is one of the four docks which make up the Port of Barrow in Barrow-in-Furness , England. It was constructed between 1872 and 1879 covering 162,000 square metres (1,740,000 sq ft) and named in honour of Sir James Ramsden ; a founder of Barrow. Ramsden Dock splits into two parts in the south, the anchor basin and dock basin. Since the infilling of a section of Devonshire Dock in

62-501: A blast furnace where the iron compounds in the ore give up excess oxygen and become liquid iron. At intervals of a few hours, the accumulated liquid iron is tapped from the blast furnace and either cast into pig iron or directed to other vessels for further steel making operations. Historically the Bessemer process was a major advancement in the production of economical steel, but it has now been entirely replaced by other processes such as

93-709: A rolling mill . Originally the minimill was adapted to production of bar products only, such as concrete reinforcing bar , flats, angles, channels, pipe, and light rails. Since the late 1980s, successful introduction of the direct strip casting process has made minimill production of strip feasible. Often a minimill will be constructed in an area with no other steel production, to take advantage of local markets, resources, or lower-cost labour. Minimill plants may specialize, for example, in making coils of rod for wire-drawing use, or pipe, or in special sections for transportation and agriculture. Capacities of minimills vary: some plants may make as much as 3,000,000 tons per year,

124-613: A continuous production campaign of several years duration. Even during periods of low steel demand, it may not be feasible to let the blast furnace grow cold, though some adjustment of the production rate is possible. Integrated mills are large facilities that are typically only economical to build in 2,000,000-ton per year annual capacity and up. Final products made by an integrated plant are usually large structural sections, heavy plate, strip, wire rod, railway rails , and occasionally long products such as bars and pipe . A major environmental hazard associated with integrated steel mills

155-477: A deep water harbour near Roa Island . The docks built between 1867 and 1881 in the more sheltered channel between the mainland and Barrow Island replaced the port at Roa Island. The increasing quantities of iron ore mined in Furness were then brought to Barrow to be transported by sea. The sheltered strait between Barrow and Walney Island was an ideal location for the shipyard. The first ship to be built, Jane Roper ,

186-615: A large engineering works was constructed, including a foundry and pattern shop, a forge, and an engine shop. In addition, the shipyard had a joiners' shop, a boat-building shed and a sailmaking and rigging loft. The Barrow Shipbuilding Company was taken over by the Sheffield steel firm of Vickers in 1897, by which time the shipyard had surpassed the railway and steelworks as the largest employer and landowner in Barrow. The company constructed Vickerstown , modelled on George Cadbury's Bournville , on

217-457: A typical size is in the range 200,000 to 400,000 tons per year, and some old or specialty plants may make as little as 50,000 tons per year of finished product. Nucor Corporation , for example, annually produces around 9,100,000 tons of sheet steel from its four sheet mills, 6,700,000 tons of bar steel from its 10 bar mills and 2,100,000 tons of plate steel from its two plate mills. Since the electric arc furnace can be easily started and stopped on

248-504: Is also becoming increasingly popular as a port of call for cruise liners visiting the town and the Lake District . James Fisher & Sons are the main company to operate out of the port. Barrow has a long and complex history of shipbuilding and maritime trade. In the late 19th century, the town had the largest steelworks on Earth, and the Port of Barrow was the main route used to transport

279-534: Is exported. The PNTL vessel Pacific Heron is based at the port of Barrow, and is used to transport nuclear material between nearby Sellafield and Japan . The port also played an important role in the construction of the Barrow Offshore Wind Farm , which was completed in 2006. Resources and materials were stored at the dock before being shipped to the wind farm site on Morecambe Bay . The turbines and energy produced are still strongly associated with

310-595: Is located adjacent to Ramsden Dock. Powerboat racing often takes place in Ramsden Dock, while a proposed redevelopment scheme of the area incorporates a watersports centre within the dock. Historically, Ramsden Dock was a major transportation hub with a dedicated railway station connected to a branch of the Furness Railway and a terminus of the Barrow-in-Furness Tramway . A passenger ferry terminal at

341-416: Is sometimes used with scrap, to help maintain desired chemistry of the steel, though usually DRI is too expensive to use as the primary raw steelmaking material. A typical mini-mill will have an electric arc furnace for scrap melting, a ladle furnace or vacuum furnace for precision control of chemistry, a strip or billet continuous caster for converting molten steel to solid form, a reheat furnace and

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372-766: Is the only deep water port between the Mersey and the Clyde . Barrow shipyard is one of the largest in the United Kingdom (it has built well over 800 vessels in its history), rivalled only by those in Belfast , Birkenhead and Govan . It is also home to the country's only submarine production facility. The port is heavily involved with the transportation of natural gases and other forms of energy from local sites such as Sellafield , Barrow Offshore Windfarm , Ormonde Wind Farm , Rampside Gas Terminal and Roosecote Power Station . Barrow

403-640: Is the pollution produced in the manufacture of coke , which is an essential intermediate product in the reduction of iron ore in a blast furnace. Integrated mills may also adopt some of the processes used in mini-mills, such as arc furnaces and direct casting, to reduce production costs. A minimill is traditionally a secondary steel producer; however, Nucor (one of the world's largest steel producers) and Commercial Metals Company (CMC) use minimills exclusively. Usually it obtains most of its iron from scrap steel, recycled from used automobiles and equipment or byproducts of manufacturing. Direct reduced iron (DRI)

434-556: The Dock Museum ), but it is quite close to the Lake District , and has been nicknamed "The Gateway to the Lakes". Barrow is the principal port serving Cumbria and the Lake District, and has been a port of call for several cruise ships in recent years. A new purpose-built cruise ship terminal alongside Walney Channel was proposed as part of the multi-million pound waterfront development (see

465-434: The basic oxygen furnace . Molten steel is cast into large blocks called blooms . During the casting process various methods are used, such as addition of aluminum , so that impurities in the steel float to the surface where they can be cut off the finished bloom. Because of the energy cost and structural stress associated with heating and cooling a blast furnace, typically these primary steel making vessels will operate on

496-408: The 'Future' heading). This was subsequently removed from the plans. Steelworks Since the invention of the Bessemer process , steel mills have replaced ironworks , based on puddling or fining methods. New ways to produce steel appeared later: from scrap melted in an electric arc furnace and, more recently, from direct reduced iron processes. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries

527-466: The 1980s, Ramsden Dock has been the only point of entry to Barrow's now enclosed port. Managed by Associated British Ports , Ramsden Dock is by far the busiest of the four dock in terms of cargo tonnage, handling shipments of limestone, sand, aggregates and granite. Ramsden Dock and the Port of Barrow as a whole are highly involved in the energy sector and the nearby Rampside Gas Terminal , Sellafield nuclear facility and offshore windfarms. The port office

558-553: The UK had the most advanced submarine fleet in the world, with 94% of it constructed by Vickers. Well-known ships built in Barrow include Mikasa , the Japanese flagship during the 1905 Russo-Japanese War , the liner Oriana and the aircraft carriers HMS  Invincible and HMAS  Melbourne . During World War II, Barrow was a target for the German Air Force looking to disable

589-567: The UK's first nuclear-powered submarine, HMS  Dreadnought was constructed in 1960. HMS  Resolution , the Swiftsure , Trafalgar and Vanguard -class submarines all followed. The end of the Cold War in 1991 marked a reduction in the demand for military ships and submarines, and the town continued its decline. The shipyard's dependency on military contracts at the expense of civilian and commercial engineering and shipbuilding meant it

620-521: The adjacent Walney Island in the early 20th century to house its employees. It also commissioned Sir Edwin Lutyens to design Abbey House as a guest house and residence for its managing director, Commander Craven. By the 1890s the shipyard was heavily engaged in the construction of warships for the Royal Navy and also for export. The Royal Navy's first submarine, Holland 1 , was built in 1901, and by 1914

651-516: The dock was utilised by the Isle of Man Steam Packet and Barrow Steam Navigation Company offering steamer services to the likes of Belfast and Douglas, Isle of Man . A rail line along the eastern perimeter of Ramsden Dock remains in use to this day with freight services to and from the dock. 54°06′08″N 3°12′51″W  /  54.1021°N 3.2142°W  / 54.1021; -3.2142 Port of Barrow The Port of Barrow refers to

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682-607: The enclosed dock system within the town of Barrow-in-Furness , England . Morecambe Bay is to the east of the port and the Irish Sea surrounds it to the south and west. The port is currently owned and operated by Associated British Ports Holdings , but some land is shared with BAE Systems Submarine Solutions . Currently consisting of four large docks, the Port of Barrow is one of North West England 's most important ports. The docks are as follows: Buccleuch Dock , Cavendish Dock , Devonshire Dock and Ramsden Dock . The port of Barrow

713-528: The offshore renewable energy sector. The port of Barrow has seen a big decrease in trade since steel production in the town halted; but many local businesses rely heavily on the port to import and export goods. Some 41,000 tonnes of wood pulp per year are now imported here from Flushing, Netherlands , and transported to the larger Kimberly-Clark plant in Ormsgill . The port of Barrow also exports locally quarried limestone to parts of Scandinavia to be used in

744-468: The paper industry and in the production of industrial gases. There is also a well-established rail link which was originally built as part of the Furness Line . The port plays a major role in the region's energy production. British Gas Hydrocarbon Resources Limited operates a condensate-storage site in Ramsden Dock, through which the liquid by-product of gas production at the nearby Rampside Gas Terminal

775-598: The port. There are 20 hectares (49 acres) of storage space within the port, owned by Associated British Ports. They also own a multi-purpose vessel, Furness Abbey , which is available for hire. There are many cranes in Barrow's dockland. The majority are owned by BAE, and ABP only operates one 120-tonne quayside crane. The maximum dimensions of vessels that can dock in Barrow are 200 m (656 ft) length by 35 m (115 ft) beam and 10 m (33 ft) draught . Barrow itself has relatively few nearby tourist spots ( Furness Abbey , South Lakes Safari Zoo and

806-532: The steel produced in the town. Historically, the Port of Barrow and BAE cover a large area, so that Barrow is one of the country's largest shipbuilding centres. Hundreds of warships , aircraft carriers , cruise liners , ferries and submarines have been constructed in Barrow, which remains the only operational submarine production facility in the UK. A 1936 LMS advert said that their 300 acres (120 ha) of water and 400 acres (160 ha) of quays handled 375,000 tons of cargo per year. The port's busiest year

837-418: The town's shipbuilding capabilities (see Barrow Blitz ). Barrow's industry continued to supply the war effort. Winston Churchill once visited the town to launch the aircraft carrier HMS  Indomitable . After a rapid decline in the town's steel industry, shipbuilding quickly became Barrow's largest and most important industry. From the 1960s onwards it concentrated its efforts in submarine manufacture, and

868-550: The world's largest steel mill was the Barrow Hematite Steel Company steelworks located in Barrow-in-Furness , United Kingdom . Today, the world's largest steel mill is in Gwangyang , South Korea . An integrated steel mill has all the functions for primary steel production: The principal raw materials for an integrated mill are iron ore, limestone, and coal (or coke). These materials are charged in batches into

899-494: Was launched in 1852; the first steamship, a 3,000-ton liner named Duke of Devonshire , in 1873. Shipbuilding activity increased, and on 18 February 1871 the Barrow Shipbuilding Company was incorporated. Barrow's relative isolation from the United Kingdom's industrial heartlands meant that the newly-formed company included several capabilities that would usually be subcontracted to other establishments. In particular,

930-433: Was 1956, when 1,155,076 tonnes of iron ore alone were exported. In 1839 Henry Schneider arrived at Barrow-in-Furness as a young speculator and dealer in iron, and in 1850 he discovered large deposits of haematite . He and other investors founded the Furness Railway , the first section of which opened in 1846 to transport the ore from the slate quarries at Kirkby-in-Furness and haematite mines at Lindal-in-Furness to

961-513: Was particularly hard hit as government defence spending was reduced dramatically. The workforce shrank from 14,500 in 1990 to 5,800 in February 1995. The rejection by the VSEL management of detailed plans for Barrow's industrial renewal in the mid-to-late 1980s remains controversial. This has led to interest in the possibilities of converting military-industrial production in declining shipbuilding areas to

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