A shipbuilding consultancy is born: The birth,growth and subsequent takeovers of A&P Appledore (International) Limited,and the A&P Group,1971–2017

Abstract

There is a distinct lacuna in the historiography of British shipbuilding in that the role of independent consultants within it is largely unknown. This article attempts to rectify this gap by analysing the birth, growth and subsequent denouement of the industry’s most important consulting firm, A&P Appledore (International) Ltd (APA), and setting it in its domestic and international context. Sadly, through its various incarnations, the business records of APA have been lost. However, this article draws upon the recollections and retained correspondence of two senior directors of APA, John Craggs and Roger Vaughan, and other APA consultants. As such, it sheds new light on an under-researched aspect of British and international shipbuilding history.