Scott & Linton

Scott & Linton was a shipbuilding firm of Dumbarton, Scotland, on the River Leven near its junction with the River Clyde, formed in May 1868 by the designer Hercules Linton and William Dundas Scott. Linton managed design and shipbuilding while Scott ran the counting house and engineering, and about half of the 1,200 pounds of starting capital came from Scott's father. The yard rented part of the Woodyard, earlier used by Denny, and its first order was the small iron steamship Camel. It is best known for the tea clipper Cutty Sark, contracted by John Willis on 1 February 1869 at 17 pounds a ton, with penalty clauses for delay. Cash flow problems, a delay over Lloyd's strengthening demands and a lack of business experience halted all work in September 1869, and the creditors had the ships finished with William Denny and Brothers. Cutty Sark was launched on 22 November 1869, almost five months late.