Volume Ten - Pre-Victorian to the present day - even more aspects - The Patent for the Penarth Slipway - 1881 . . .

'The history of slipways, like that of all modern mechanical appliances, is one of evolution, and dates back to a period prior to the present era.

Taking advantage of a conveniently sloping gravelly or sandy shore, the method beaching was no doubt practiced in very early times by the ancient Egyptians, in order to effect repairs to their vessels, which even then were constructed of sawn planks, and had sails as well as oars.

Later at ancient Carthage, the war galleys were drawn up a sloping shore on timber ways or slips, and this, the most primitive form of involving the use of any artificial contrivance, has by gradual transition been developed into the modern slipway, with its powerful hydraulic hauling-apparatus capable of dealing with the largest and heaviest vessels.

Without considering the various stages of development, it may be stated that the earliest slipway, of the type proposed to be treated of in this Paper, was introduced in the year 1819 by the late Mr. Morton, of Leith. It consisted of ways, which were generally longitudinal balks of timber, carrying cast-iron rails, laid at any convenient inclination on a foundation of rough stones, of a cradle on rollers with adjustable sliding bilge-blocks, upon which the vessel was placed and drawn up, and of hauling gear, at first actuated by hand, and later by steam or hydraulic power. Since then the improvements introduced have been entirely in the details of the apparatus, which, from being at first merely required to deal with light wooden ships in use at the commencement of the present century (19th century), is now constructed for speedily withdrawing from the water the largest existing iron vessels.

◊ Slipways for Repairing Ships - Plate 5 - Figs. 1 and 2 - A general plan and side elevation of a modern slipway for vessels up to about 300 feet in length, and 2,500 tons gross weight, are shown in Plate 5, Figs. 1 and 2.