John Peach

Shipbuilder.

Born: June 19, 1929

Died: December 19, 2014

JOHN L Peach, who has died aged 85, was a young naval architect from the Isle of Wight who came to build boats in Scotland and ended up in charge of what is today the last commercial shipyard on the lower Clyde.

His lifelong passion for the sea - and in particular the vessels which sail on it - helped him to steer the Port Glasgow-based Ferguson Shipbuilders on a steadfast course for 20 years until his retirement in 1989. His was more than a safe pair of hands upon the tiller.

During his time as managing director, the yard, like the rest of the industry, faced nationalisation and was subsumed into British Shipbuilders in 1977. He was in charge when in 1980 it amalgamated with the Ailsa yard in Troon (forming Ferguson-Ailsa). He was also at the helm when six years later the two de-merged and Ferguson then joined forces with the Devon-based Appledore Shipbuilders.

It was a difficult period for shipbuilding on the Clyde but Mr Peach's gentle, courteous manner coupled with his professionalism and managerial skills left him well placed to meet the challenges the shipyard faced. An innate ability to relate to the people he dealt with, be they shop stewards, managers or senior politicians, helped to ensure Ferguson emerged relatively unscathed from state ownership. With de-nationalisation in 1989 the firm was acquired by Greenock-based engineering firm Clark Kincaid and started trading once again as Ferguson Shipbuilders. That same year Mr Peach, by then aged 60, retired after more than 30 years with the company.

John Lindsay Peach was born in Newport, Isle of Wight, the second of three children to Frank and Victoria Peach. His father was a headmaster and lay preacher in the Methodist Church.

John was educated at the local primary, Havenstreet School, and then Newport Grammar School. Growing up on the Solent, sailing was in his blood and by the age of 14 he was determined that his future career would lie in the design of yachts. In 1944, at the age of 16, he gained an apprenticeship at White's Shipyard in East Cowes, working on the construction of timber-based boats and learning his trade as a shipwright. Exposure to the yard's steel ship drawing office strengthened his resolve to pursue shipbuilding and to that end he went on to study for further qualifications in technical subjects at night school.

In 1949 he gained a place at King's College Durham, graduating in 1952 with a BSc in naval architecture. Given his passion for sailing and the sea it was no great surprise that he spent his three years of national service as a lieutenant in the Royal Navy.

After demob in 1955 Mr Peach went to work for the Admiralty in Bath as a ship surveyor for two years. It was during this time that he was introduced to the great powerhouse of British shipbuilding on the Clyde with a visit to Scotts Shipyard in Greenock. Impressed by what he saw he later answered an advert for a naval architect's post at Ferguson Brothers in Port Glasgow. He joined the company in 1957.

Skilful, diligent and highly respected, Mr Peach rose through the management ranks until he was appointed managing director in 1969. By then Ferguson's had been taken over by neighbouring shipyard Lithgows but it remained a separate entity within the group until nationalisation in 1977.

Ferguson's may not have been the biggest shipyard on the Clyde but under John Peach's stewardship it maintained a full order book and became a highly-specialised operation constructing cutting edge and often complex vessels including dredgers, deep sea trawlers and supply and handling tugs for the oil industry. The yard also provided a steady supply of ferries to suit the often difficult conditions of Scotland's island harbours. The last Caledonian MacBrayne ferry to be built under his watch, the Lord of the Isles, was launched in March 1989, shortly before Mr Peach's retirement.

One prime example of the yard's imaginative approach was the Traquair gas carrier for New Zealand. Built in 1982 and too big to be constructed in one yard, the fore section was assembled at Ferguson's in Port Glasgow and the aft at Ailsa in Troon. Both halves were launched on the same day and joined in a dry dock at Greenock.

Ferguson's was also one of the first commercial shipyards to invest in computer-aided design, one of the reasons why the yard is still building in the open air. Most of the units are constructed inside and then joined together on the slip.

As managing director Mr Peach was keen to chase overseas markets, selling ships to places such as Gambia, Kenya, Trinidad and Canada. He forged strong personal relationships with owners and their agents who bought from the man as much as from the yard.

After his retirement John Peach gained a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Open University and indulged his passion for reading and music. He was also a member of the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights and a board member of both the National Historic Ships Register and the Scottish Maritime Museum. His love of sailing which started on the Solent was life long and he was a member of the Royal Gourock Yacht Club. Indeed, it was there, as a young man recently arrived on the Clyde, that he first met his wife, Anne.

His death at Ardgowan Hospice in Greenock came on the day that work began on a new order for his old yard saved from closure last year.

He is survived by his wife, his children Anne, identical twins Alan and David, and Jennifer and seven grandchildren.