London Power Company
Encyclopedia
The London Power Company was an electricity generating and supply company in London
, England. The LPC was formed in 1925 by the merger of 10 smaller electricity companies. In 1948 Britain's electricity supply industry was nationalised under the Electricity Act 1947 and the LPC was absorbed into the British Electricity Authority
.
Construction of Deptford Power Station for the LPC started in 1925 and was completed in 1929. Construction of Battersea A Power Station
was started in 1929 and was completed in 1934. The Second World War
delayed the start of construction of Battersea B Power Station until 1945 and it was not completed until the early 1950s, several years after nationalisation.
colliers to deliver coal to its power stations. Several were flatiron
ships, built with low-profile superstructures and fold-down funnel and masts to pass under bridges upriver from Tower Bridge
on the River Thames to reach Battersea. Those ships that were built for the LPC were each named after a person, several of whom were very prominent in the history of electrical engineering.
The company's ships had brown upper works above hull level. The funnel was red emblazoned with the initials "LPC" in white, and had a black top. The house flag was red with the initials "L.P.C." in white capitals.
of Fife
, Scotland. She was named after the electrical engineer Sir Alexander Kennedy
(1847–1928), who held a consultancy contract with the LPC. On 22 February 1945 she was in convoy BTC-76 en route from Barry in South Wales to London when the Type VIIC/41 U-boat U-1004 torpedoed and sank her southeast of Falmouth
. 1 crew member was killed but 18 survived.
SS Tyndall was a 1,314 GRT
flatiron launched in July 1932 by S.P. Austin & Co.
of Sunderland. She passed to the British Electricity Authority in 1949, Central Electricity Authority in 1954 and CEGB in 1957. In 1958 she was broken up at Delfzijl
in the Netherlands
.
SS John Hopkinson was a 1,314 GRT flatiron and Tyndalls sister ship
, launched in October 1932 by S.P. Austin & Co. She was named after the physicist and electrical engineer John Hopkinson
FRS (1849–98), who invented the three-phase
system of distributing electricity.
SS Ferranti was a 1,315 GRT
flatiron and Alexander Kennedys sister ship, launched in October 1932 at Burntisland. She was named after Sebastian de Ferranti
(1864–1930), who designed Deptford East Power Station in 1887 for the London Electricity Supply Corporation. On 8th June 1955 she was involved in a collision with the 7,602 GRT Victory Ship
SS American Jurist off Greenhithe
in the North Sea. She was beached to prevent her sinking, and she was broken up at Grays
, Essex in March 1956.
SS Colonel Crompton was a 1,495 GRT collier launched in July 1933 by S.P. Austin & Co. She was named after the electrical engineer R. E. B. Crompton
(1845–1940), who was a pioneer of electric lighting.
SS Francis Fladgate was a 2,268 GRT collier launched at Burntisland in September 1933. She was larger than Alexander Kennedy and Ferranti and not a flatiron, so she could not serve Battersea but could carry larger loads to Deptford. In October 1942 Francis Fladgate was a member of an FN-series coastal convoy that had assembled in the North Sea off Southend to sail for Grangemouth
. At about 0155 hrs on 8th October, 5.2 miles (8.4 km) off Cromer
in the North Sea she struck SS Varøy, a Norwegian coaster in the same convoy. Varøy was holed and sank but her crew of at least 23 men were all rescued. In 1958 Francis Fladgate was sold to new owners in Piraeus
, Greece who renamed her Anthippi Michalos. In 1962 she was sold again to owners in Genoa
, Italy who renamed her Brick Sesto. In May 1971 she was broken up at Vado Ligure
, Italy.
SS Charles Parsons was a 1,569 GRT collier launched by S.P. Austin & Co. in July 1936. She was named after the engineer Sir Charles Parsons
(1854–1931), whose invention of the steam turbine
and improvement of dynamo
design greatly improved electricity generation.
SS George Balfour was a 1,568 GRT collier and Charles Parsons sister ship, launched by S.P. Austin & Co. in April 1937. She was named after the mechanical and electrical engineer George Balfour (1872–1941), who co-founded Balfour Beatty
.
SS Leonard Pearce (I) was a 1,571 GRT collier launched by S.P. Austin & Co. in June 1938. She was named after Sir (Standen) Leonard Pearce (1873–1947), who was engineer-in-chief of the LPC from 1926 and designed both Deptford B and Battersea power stations. On 11th January 1940 in the Bristol Channel
she crossed the path of MV Queen Adelaide and failed to give way. Queen Adelaide struck Leonard Pearce and sank her about nine miles off Bull Point
.
SS Sir Joseph Swan (I) was a 1,571 GRT collier and Leonard Pearces sister ship, launched by S.P. Austin & Co. in July 1938. She was named after the physicist Sir Joseph Swan
(1828–1914), who invented the incandescent light bulb
. On 4th September 1940 the German S-boat attacked and sank her in the North Sea off Hemsby
, killing 18 of her crew.
SS New Lambton was a 2,709 GRT collier that the LPC bought in 1940. S.P. Austin & Co had built her in 1924 for W.B. Nisbet and the Tanfield Steamship Company of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, who named her after the village of New Lambton, County Durham
. She was a larger coaster, not a flatiron, so she could not reach Battersea but could take larger loads to Deptford. New Lambton was torpedoed and sunk on the same day and in the same part of the North Sea as Sir Joseph Swan (see above).
SS Ambrose Fleming was a 1,222 GRT flatiron launched at Burntisland in February 1941 and completed in April. She was named after the electrical engineer Sir John Ambrose Fleming
(1849–1945), who invented the thermionic valve. Ambrose Fleming had a very short life, for on 28 April 1941 a German S-boat torpedoed and sank her off Cromer. 11 crew members were lost and 11 were rescued.
SS Sir Leonard Pearce (II) was a 1,580 GRT flatiron launched at Burntisland in August 1941. She took the name of the previous Leonard Pearce lost in 1940. She was broken up in Sunderland in June 1960.
SS William Pearman was a 1,552 GRT flatiron launched at Burntisland in February 1942. She was broken up in Sunderland in June 1960.
SS Sir Joseph Swan (II) was a 1,554 GRT flatiron launched at Burntisland in September 1945. She took the name of the earlier Sir Joseph Swan sunk in 1940. She was broken up in May 1961 at Zelzate
, Belgium.
SS Oliver Bury was a 2,904 GRT collier launched at Burntisland in November 1945. She was a larger coaster, not a flatiron, so she could not reach Battersea but could take larger loads to Deptford. In 1970 she was sold to new owners in Nicosia
, Cyprus who renamed her Alycia. She was broken up in March 1973 in La Spezia
, Italy.
SS Sir Alexander Kennedy (II) was a 1,714 GRT collier launched by S.P. Austin & Co. in April 1946. She took the name of the earlier Sir Alexander Kennedy torpedoed in 1945.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England. The LPC was formed in 1925 by the merger of 10 smaller electricity companies. In 1948 Britain's electricity supply industry was nationalised under the Electricity Act 1947 and the LPC was absorbed into the British Electricity Authority
British Electricity Authority
The British Electricity Authority was established in 1948 with the nationalisation of the Great Britain's electricity supply industry. It was created by means of the Electricity Act 1947...
.
Power Stations
The LPCs 10 predecessor companies had many different power stations generating electricity with different voltages and frequencies. The new company adopted a plan to standardise supply voltage and to concentrate generating capacity at a small number of large new power stations.Construction of Deptford Power Station for the LPC started in 1925 and was completed in 1929. Construction of Battersea A Power Station
Battersea Power Station
Battersea Power Station is a decommissioned coal-fired power station located on the south bank of the River Thames, in Battersea, South London. The station comprises two individual power stations, built in two stages in the form of a single building. Battersea A Power Station was built first in the...
was started in 1929 and was completed in 1934. The Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
delayed the start of construction of Battersea B Power Station until 1945 and it was not completed until the early 1950s, several years after nationalisation.
Colliers
The LPC had its own fleet of coastalCoastal trading vessel
Coastal trading vessels, also known as coasters, are shallow-hulled ships used for trade between locations on the same island or continent. Their shallow hulls mean that they can get through reefs where deeper-hulled sea-going ships usually cannot....
colliers to deliver coal to its power stations. Several were flatiron
Flatiron (ship)
A flatiron is a type of coastal trading vessel designed to pass under bridges that have limited clearance. Her mast are hinged or telescopic, her funnel may be hinged, and her wheelhouse may also fold flat....
ships, built with low-profile superstructures and fold-down funnel and masts to pass under bridges upriver from Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, England, over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, from which it takes its name...
on the River Thames to reach Battersea. Those ships that were built for the LPC were each named after a person, several of whom were very prominent in the history of electrical engineering.
The company's ships had brown upper works above hull level. The funnel was red emblazoned with the initials "LPC" in white, and had a black top. The house flag was red with the initials "L.P.C." in white capitals.
Fleet
SS Alexander Kennedy (I) was a 1,315 GRT flatiron launched in June 1932 by the Burntisland Shipbuilding CompanyBurntisland Shipbuilding Company
The Burntisland Shipbuilding Company was a shibuilder and repairer in Burntisland, Fife, Scotland that traded from 1918 until 1969.-Founding and early years:...
of Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, Scotland. She was named after the electrical engineer Sir Alexander Kennedy
Alexander Kennedy
Sir Alexander Blackie William Kennedy, LLD, FRS, FRGS , better known as Alexander Kennedy, was a leading British civil and electrical engineer and academic...
(1847–1928), who held a consultancy contract with the LPC. On 22 February 1945 she was in convoy BTC-76 en route from Barry in South Wales to London when the Type VIIC/41 U-boat U-1004 torpedoed and sank her southeast of Falmouth
Falmouth, Cornwall
Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,635.Falmouth is the terminus of the A39, which begins some 200 miles away in Bath, Somerset....
. 1 crew member was killed but 18 survived.
SS Tyndall was a 1,314 GRT
Gross Register Tonnage
Gross register tonnage a ship's total internal volume expressed in "register tons", one of which equals to a volume of . It is calculated from the total permanently enclosed capacity of the vessel. The ship's net register tonnage is obtained by reducing the volume of non-revenue-earning spaces i.e...
flatiron launched in July 1932 by S.P. Austin & Co.
A&P Group
A&P Group Ltd is the largest ship repair and conversion company in the UK, with three shipyards located in Hebburn, Middlesbrough and Falmouth. The Company undertakes a wide variety of maintenance and repair work on commercial and military ships with projects ranging from a two day alongside repair...
of Sunderland. She passed to the British Electricity Authority in 1949, Central Electricity Authority in 1954 and CEGB in 1957. In 1958 she was broken up at Delfzijl
Delfzijl
Delfzijl is a municipality and city in the northeast of the Netherlands. It is situated on the left bank of the river Ems estuary, which forms the border with Germany.-Population centres:...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
SS John Hopkinson was a 1,314 GRT flatiron and Tyndalls sister ship
Sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
, launched in October 1932 by S.P. Austin & Co. She was named after the physicist and electrical engineer John Hopkinson
John Hopkinson
John Hopkinson, FRS, was a British physicist, electrical engineer, Fellow of the Royal Society and President of the IEE twice in 1890 and 1896. He invented the three-wire system for the distribution of electrical power, for which he was granted a patent in 1882...
FRS (1849–98), who invented the three-phase
Three-phase
In electrical engineering, three-phase electric power systems have at least three conductors carrying voltage waveforms that are radians offset in time...
system of distributing electricity.
SS Ferranti was a 1,315 GRT
Gross Register Tonnage
Gross register tonnage a ship's total internal volume expressed in "register tons", one of which equals to a volume of . It is calculated from the total permanently enclosed capacity of the vessel. The ship's net register tonnage is obtained by reducing the volume of non-revenue-earning spaces i.e...
flatiron and Alexander Kennedys sister ship, launched in October 1932 at Burntisland. She was named after Sebastian de Ferranti
Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti
Sebastian Pietro Innocenzo Adhemar Ziani de Ferranti was an electrical engineer and inventor.-Personal life:...
(1864–1930), who designed Deptford East Power Station in 1887 for the London Electricity Supply Corporation. On 8th June 1955 she was involved in a collision with the 7,602 GRT Victory Ship
Victory ship
The Victory ship was a type of cargo ship produced in large numbers by North American shipyards during World War II to replace shipping losses caused by German submarines...
SS American Jurist off Greenhithe
Greenhithe
Greenhithe is a town in Dartford District of Kent, England. It forms part of the civil parish of Swanscombe and Greenhithe.Greenhithe, as it is spelled today, is located where it was possible to build wharves for transshipping corn, wood and other commodities; its largest cargoes were of chalk and...
in the North Sea. She was beached to prevent her sinking, and she was broken up at Grays
Grays
Grays is the largest town in the borough and unitary authority of Thurrock in Essex and one of the Thurrock's traditional parishes...
, Essex in March 1956.
SS Colonel Crompton was a 1,495 GRT collier launched in July 1933 by S.P. Austin & Co. She was named after the electrical engineer R. E. B. Crompton
R. E. B. Crompton
Rookes Evelyn Bell Crompton FRS was a British electrical engineer, industrialist and inventor. He was a pioneer of electric lighting and public electricity supply systems. The company he formed, Crompton & Co., was one of the world's first large-scale manufactures of electrical equipment...
(1845–1940), who was a pioneer of electric lighting.
SS Francis Fladgate was a 2,268 GRT collier launched at Burntisland in September 1933. She was larger than Alexander Kennedy and Ferranti and not a flatiron, so she could not serve Battersea but could carry larger loads to Deptford. In October 1942 Francis Fladgate was a member of an FN-series coastal convoy that had assembled in the North Sea off Southend to sail for Grangemouth
Grangemouth
Grangemouth is a town and former burgh in the council area of Falkirk, Scotland. The town lies in the Forth Valley, on the banks of the Firth of Forth, east of Falkirk, west of Bo'ness and south-east of Stirling. Grangemouth had a resident population of 17,906 according to the 2001...
. At about 0155 hrs on 8th October, 5.2 miles (8.4 km) off Cromer
Cromer
Cromer is a coastal town and civil parish in north Norfolk, England. The local government authority is North Norfolk District Council, whose headquarters is in Holt Road in the town. The town is situated 23 miles north of the county town, Norwich, and is 4 miles east of Sheringham...
in the North Sea she struck SS Varøy, a Norwegian coaster in the same convoy. Varøy was holed and sank but her crew of at least 23 men were all rescued. In 1958 Francis Fladgate was sold to new owners in Piraeus
Piraeus
Piraeus is a city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens Urban Area, 12 km southwest from its city center , and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf....
, Greece who renamed her Anthippi Michalos. In 1962 she was sold again to owners in Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, Italy who renamed her Brick Sesto. In May 1971 she was broken up at Vado Ligure
Vado Ligure
Vado Ligure, in antiquity Vado Sabatia, is a town and comune in the province of Savona, Liguria, in northern Italy.- Economy :Vado has a large industrial and commercial port....
, Italy.
SS Charles Parsons was a 1,569 GRT collier launched by S.P. Austin & Co. in July 1936. She was named after the engineer Sir Charles Parsons
Charles Algernon Parsons
Sir Charles Algernon Parsons OM KCB FRS was an Anglo-Irish engineer, best known for his invention of the steam turbine. He worked as an engineer on dynamo and turbine design, and power generation, with great influence on the naval and electrical engineering fields...
(1854–1931), whose invention of the steam turbine
Steam turbine
A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into rotary motion. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884....
and improvement of dynamo
Dynamo
- Engineering :* Dynamo, a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator* Dynamo theory, a theory relating to magnetic fields of celestial bodies* Solar dynamo, the physical process that generates the Sun's magnetic field- Software :...
design greatly improved electricity generation.
SS George Balfour was a 1,568 GRT collier and Charles Parsons sister ship, launched by S.P. Austin & Co. in April 1937. She was named after the mechanical and electrical engineer George Balfour (1872–1941), who co-founded Balfour Beatty
Balfour Beatty
Balfour Beatty plc is a British construction, engineering, military housing, rail and investment services company. It is one of the largest construction companies in the UK, and the 15th largest in the world...
.
SS Leonard Pearce (I) was a 1,571 GRT collier launched by S.P. Austin & Co. in June 1938. She was named after Sir (Standen) Leonard Pearce (1873–1947), who was engineer-in-chief of the LPC from 1926 and designed both Deptford B and Battersea power stations. On 11th January 1940 in the Bristol Channel
Bristol Channel
The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Severn to the North Atlantic Ocean...
she crossed the path of MV Queen Adelaide and failed to give way. Queen Adelaide struck Leonard Pearce and sank her about nine miles off Bull Point
Bull Point Lighthouse
Bull Point Lighthouse is a lighthouse on Bull Point, about one mile north of the village of Mortehoe, on the northern coast of Devon, England. The original lighthouse was constructed in 1879 after a group of local "clergy, ship-owners, merchants and landowners" appealed to Trinity House for one...
.
SS Sir Joseph Swan (I) was a 1,571 GRT collier and Leonard Pearces sister ship, launched by S.P. Austin & Co. in July 1938. She was named after the physicist Sir Joseph Swan
Joseph Swan
Sir Joseph Wilson Swan was a British physicist and chemist, most famous for the invention of the incandescent light bulb for which he received the first patent in 1878...
(1828–1914), who invented the incandescent light bulb
Incandescent light bulb
The incandescent light bulb, incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe makes light by heating a metal filament wire to a high temperature until it glows. The hot filament is protected from air by a glass bulb that is filled with inert gas or evacuated. In a halogen lamp, a chemical process...
. On 4th September 1940 the German S-boat attacked and sank her in the North Sea off Hemsby
Hemsby
Hemsby is a village, civil parish and seaside resort in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated some north of the town of Great Yarmouth....
, killing 18 of her crew.
SS New Lambton was a 2,709 GRT collier that the LPC bought in 1940. S.P. Austin & Co had built her in 1924 for W.B. Nisbet and the Tanfield Steamship Company of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, who named her after the village of New Lambton, County Durham
New Lambton, County Durham
New Lambton is a village in County Durham, England, although the postal address is Tyne and Wear. It lies between the villages of Bournmoor and Fencehouses, and about east of Chester-le-Street....
. She was a larger coaster, not a flatiron, so she could not reach Battersea but could take larger loads to Deptford. New Lambton was torpedoed and sunk on the same day and in the same part of the North Sea as Sir Joseph Swan (see above).
SS Ambrose Fleming was a 1,222 GRT flatiron launched at Burntisland in February 1941 and completed in April. She was named after the electrical engineer Sir John Ambrose Fleming
John Ambrose Fleming
Sir John Ambrose Fleming was an English electrical engineer and physicist. He is known for inventing the first thermionic valve or vacuum tube, the diode, then called the kenotron in 1904. He is also famous for the left hand rule...
(1849–1945), who invented the thermionic valve. Ambrose Fleming had a very short life, for on 28 April 1941 a German S-boat torpedoed and sank her off Cromer. 11 crew members were lost and 11 were rescued.
SS Sir Leonard Pearce (II) was a 1,580 GRT flatiron launched at Burntisland in August 1941. She took the name of the previous Leonard Pearce lost in 1940. She was broken up in Sunderland in June 1960.
SS William Pearman was a 1,552 GRT flatiron launched at Burntisland in February 1942. She was broken up in Sunderland in June 1960.
SS Sir Joseph Swan (II) was a 1,554 GRT flatiron launched at Burntisland in September 1945. She took the name of the earlier Sir Joseph Swan sunk in 1940. She was broken up in May 1961 at Zelzate
Zelzate
Zelzate is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality only comprises the town of Zelzate proper. On January 1, 2006 Zelzate had a total population of 12,176. The total area is 13.71 km² which gives a population density of 888 inhabitants per km².Zelzate is...
, Belgium.
SS Oliver Bury was a 2,904 GRT collier launched at Burntisland in November 1945. She was a larger coaster, not a flatiron, so she could not reach Battersea but could take larger loads to Deptford. In 1970 she was sold to new owners in Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
, Cyprus who renamed her Alycia. She was broken up in March 1973 in La Spezia
La Spezia
La Spezia , at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the Liguria region of northern Italy, is the capital city of the province of La Spezia. Located between Genoa and Pisa on the Ligurian Sea, it is one of the main Italian military and commercial harbours and hosts one of Italy's biggest military...
, Italy.
SS Sir Alexander Kennedy (II) was a 1,714 GRT collier launched by S.P. Austin & Co. in April 1946. She took the name of the earlier Sir Alexander Kennedy torpedoed in 1945.
External links
- Photograph of SS Sir Joseph Swan (1945) passing Symon's Wharf on Portcities.com website
- Photograph of SS Oliver Bury (1946) in Galleons Reach on Portcities.com website