Mitsubishi and Passenger Shipbuilding in Nagasaki

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Mitsubishi and Passenger Shipbuilding in Nagasaki

In cruise ship history, Mitsubishi and Nagasaki are associated with a shipyard location with a long corporate history marked by multiple name changes. The site is called Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works. What began as a foundry established by the government developed into a shipbuilding and engineering operation.

From foundry to Mitsubishi shipyard

The site’s history begins in 1857, when Dutch engineers started building the Nagasaki Yotetsusho at the request of the Tokugawa government. Mitsubishi describes the facility as Japan’s first repair yard for warships. In 1860, it was renamed Nagasaki Seitetsusho; the ironworks were completed in 1861. In 1868, the Meiji government took over the ironworks and placed them under the administration of Nagasaki Prefecture. A dry dock followed in 1879.

In 1884, the Mitsubishi Company leased the government facility. In 1893, it was named Mitsubishi Shipyard of Mitsubishi Goshi Kaisha. Building berths No. 2 and 3 were completed in 1903, and all eight berths were in place by 1906. In 1917, the shipyard passed to the Mitsubishi Shipbuilding & Engineering Company. In 1934, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding & Engineering Company was renamed Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. When Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was split into three independent companies in 1950, the shipyard became part of West Japan Heavy-Industries. The three companies were reunited as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in 1964, and the site was then called Nagasaki Shipyard & Engine Works. In 1965, two dry docks for 300,000-ton ships were completed, one for new builds and one for repairs. A building dock followed at the Koyagi site in 1972, and a repair dock in 1973.

Cruise ships from Nagasaki

The cruise ship examples belong much later in this chronology. In 1990, the Crystal Harmony was completed as a luxury passenger ship. The site history records the completion of the Diamond Princess and the Sapphire Princess in 2004.

The cruise line, brand, and owner are distinct roles; the article on shipowners and registered owners explains one of these distinctions. The hull, sections, outfitting, and undocking are separate stages, clarified in the overview of ship sections, shipyard construction, and undocking.

For comparing cruise ship sizes, the article on a ship’s length, breadth, and depth explains what each measurement means.