The Fairfield-Doxford diesel engine on the test bed at Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co, c 1945. The Fairfield-Doxford engine was developed in conjunction with the Sunderland firm of William Doxford & Sons.
Marine engineering was always an important component of operations at Fairfield. Until the 1920s, most ships were fitted with engines conforming to the traditional pattern, with Scotch boilers and geared turbines. Then Fairfield acquired licenses to manufacture Sulzer and Doxford diesel engines. Fairfield's first motor ship was the passenger liner Aorangi, 1924, built for the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand, followed by several cargo liners for the Bibbly line, all with Fairfield-Sulzer engines.
The Fairfield-Doxford engine took longer to make an appearance. The first ships fitted with this engine were the Circassia and Cicilia, passenger liners launched in 1937 for the Anchor Line. They both served as armed merchant cruisers in the Second World War. After the war, they provided passenger services to India.
Reference: Mitchell Library, G 623.809 FAI
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
Anchor Line, Aorangi, Bibby Line, cargo ships, Cicilia, Circassia, diesel engines, Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co, Fairfield-Doxford engine, Fairfield-Sulzer engines, liners, marine engineering, marine engineers, passenger ships, test beds, Union Steamship Company of New Zealand, William Doxford & Sons
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