Davie Shipbuilding
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| Industry | Shipbuilding |
|---|---|
| Successor | MIL-Davie Shipbuilding |
| Founded | 1825 - as Davie shipyard 1850 - George T. Davie & Sons 1914 - Davie Shipbuilding & Repairing 1985 - Versatile Davie Incorporated 1986 - MIL Davie Shipbuilding 2000 - Industries Davie, Limited 2006 - Davie Yards Incorporated 2011 - Chantier Davie Canada Inc. |
| Headquarters | Lauzon, Quebec, Canada |
| Products | Ferries, Naval vessels, Icebreakers, Offshore |
| Owner | Chantier Davie Canada Incorporated |
| Parent | Inocea Group - former Zafiro Marine Industries Incorporated |
Davie Shipbuilding is a historic shipbuilding company located in Lauzon, Quebec, Canada. The facility is now operating as Chantier Davie Canada Inc.. Davie is Canada's largest and highest capacity shipyard and one of the largest shipbuilders in North America.
The Davie shipyard in Lauzon has a complex ownership history.
The Davie shipyard was founded in 1825 by Allison Davie (May 4, 1796-June 1836), an English ship captain, however the construction record only dates to 1897. The company was established on the south shore of the St Lawrence River across from Quebec City in the community of Lauzon, Quebec (now part of the city of Levis, Quebec). Davie's father in-law, George Taylor, had begun a shipbuilding business in 1811 and Davie apparently purchased those assets as well. Following Allison Davie's death, the company was headed by his wife Elizabeth Davie until 1850, when his son George Taylor Davie (1828-1907) as "George T. Davie & Sons".
It changed its name in 1914 to "Davie Shipbuilding & Repairing." The Davie family sold the shipyard to Canada Steamship Lines (CSL) in 1929, however, they also started another "George T. Davie shipyard" immediately next door to the larger Lauzon facility. The second shipyard was managed by sons Allison Cufaude Davie and George Duncan Davie, with the former taking full control following the death of the latter in 1937.
Davie's Brothers Limited remained in family ownership until 1951 and was owned by Logistec Corporation (1971) and finally Équimer (1987) before the yard closed for good in 1989.
The company built a wide range of vessels in the 1800s and first half of the 20th century, ranging from wooden sailing vessels and steamers to modern steel ships, both cargo and passenger carriers. During World War II, Davie built 35 warships (mine sweepers, corvettes and destroyers).
On October 27, 1955, the Davie yard was almost destroyed by a massive fire which started in the foundry. It lasted eight hours, and although no one was injured many employees were left unemployed for several months.
By the 1970s, Canada Steamship Lines was owned by Power Corporation and in a 1976 restructuring, it sold the Davie yard to Societé de Construction Navale (Soconav) which was established by former employees of Marine Industries Ltd with financial backing of the Quebec provincial government's Societé Générale de Financement. In 1981 the Davie shipyard was sold to Dome Petroleum and in 1985 it was sold to Versatile Corporation which changed the name of the shipyard to "Versatile Davie Incorporated".
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Wikipedia