The sheltered strait between Barrow and Walney Island was an ideal location for the shipyard. The first ship to be built, the "Jane Roper", was launched in 1852; the first steamship, a 3,000-ton liner named "Duke of Devonshire", in 1873. Shipbuilding activity increased, and on 18 February 1871 the Barrow Shipbuilding Company was incorporated. Barrow's relative isolation from the United Kingdom's industrial heartlands meant that the newly formed company included several capabilities that would usually be subcontracted to other establishments. In particular, a large engineering works was constructed including a foundry and pattern shop, a forge, and an engine shop. In addition, the shipyard had a joiners' shop, a boat-building shed and a sailmaking and rigging loft.