James Brown (1862-1941)
James Brown (1862-1941) C.B.E., Wh.Sc., M.Inst.C.E., M.I.N.A. (Member of Council), M.I.Mech.E., M.I.Mar.E.
Managing Director of Scott's Shipbuilding and Engineering Co., Ltd., Greenock.
Member of Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland
Connected with the construction of the Scott-Still-engined vessel Dolius, built c.1924 and subjected to several years of testing, including about 150,000 miles service.
1941 Obituary [1]
JAMES BROWN, C.B.E., Wh.Sc., was identified with Messrs. Scotts' Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Ltd., of Greenock, for no less than thirty-seven years, and at the time of his death, which occurred on 13th January 1941, he was deputy chairman and managing director. During this long period he was actively concerned with several notable developments in marine propulsion, including the building of the Laurenti submarine, the building of the Scott-Still engines for the Dolius, of the Holt Line, and the application of Diesel-electric drive to ships.
He was born in Kirkcudbright in 1862, and during 1877 and 1878 he studied engineering subjects at the University of Glasgow. In 1881 he commenced a five years' apprenticeship at the Provanside works of Messrs. A. and P. Stevens, and in 1886 he obtained a Whitworth Scholarship. In the same year he entered the drawing office of Messrs. J. and G. Thomson, of Clydebank (afterwards Messrs. John Brown and Company), and in 1889 he went to Spain as assistant manager to Messrs. Astilleros de Nervion, Bilbao.
Subsequently he was made engineering manager, and in 1900 he returned to England and joined Messrs. Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company, of Jarrow on Tyne, as works manager. His association with Messrs. Scotts dated from 1903, when he was appointed engineering manager. In 1905 he was made a director, and in 1914 he became managing director and deputy chairman. He was awarded the C.B.E. in 1918.
He was a keen supporter and valued member of several technical institutions. He joined the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1920, and rendered valuable services in connection with the Marine Oil-Engines Trials Committee, and was joint author of a monograph on torsional oscillation which was appended to the Sixth Report. He was elected a Member of Council in 1925 and served until 1938. In addition he was a vice-president of the Institution of Naval Architects, and a Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers. He also served as a member of the Committee of Management of Lloyd's Register of Shipping, and was a governor of the Royal Technical College, Glasgow.
1941 Obituary [2]
James Brown, Managing Director and Deputy Chairman of Messrs. Scotts' Shipbuilding and Engineering Co., Ltd., Greenock, died at his home on January 14, 1941.
Brown was born in Kirkcudbright in 1862 and was educated at the Grammar School there and at Glasgow University.
In 1881 he was apprenticed to Messrs. A. and P. Steven, Glasgow, where he served five years while taking evening classes at the Glasgow College of Arts and Science. He was awarded a Whitworth Scholarship in 1886 and joined Messrs. J. and G. Thomson, Clydebank, the same year.
In 1889 Brown went to Spain to take up an appointment with Messrs. Astilleros del Nervion, Bilbao.
He stayed here eleven years and returned to England in 1900 as works manager of Messrs. Palmer's Shipbuilding and Iron Co., Ltd., Jarrow.
Three years later he joined Messrs. Scotts' as engineering manager, was made a director in 1905, and eventually became managing director and deputy chairman. After his appointment to Messrs. Scotts', Brown began to take a leading part in the development of mercantile and naval engineering. The subsequent growth of the firm was largely due to his abilities, and he was responsible for much valuable work on marine engines and for the design and construction of all types of naval and merchant vessels. Brown was a member of many shipbuilding and engineering institutions and contributed much time and service to their activities.
He was elected a member of the Institute of Metals in 1910.
1941 Obituary [3]