Leading the way since 1860

For the past 150 years, we have been famous for naval shipbuilding and creating innovative and practical engineering solutions. This year we celebrate our engineering heritage and our evolution into a pure support services company.

Our engineering pedigree

VT Group’s roots stem from two Victorian shipbuilders. John I Thornycroft started building boats in his father’s studio in London in the 1850s, whilst Herbert Vosper founded his boatyard a few years later in 1871. When Thornycroft launched his first boat on the river Thames at Chiswick in 1862, he was applying the same principles of engineering and complex problem-solving that we apply to this day. Performance was just as much a priority for him too; his first craft, Nautilus, was the first steam-powered launch to keep pace with the crews of the Oxford and Cambridge boat race.

Building on firm foundations

Although best known for the 7000 ships it has produced throughout its history, VT has always done more than shipbuilding. In the early 19th century, Thornycroft was renowned for its land transport, including lorries, buses and, during the war years, military vehicles. Support services has also played a key role, providing logistic support and training to our customers around the world.

Strengthening the team

Over the past 20 years, VT has progressively increased its activities in the services market. We have welcomed new employees from different sectors; either transferred in with new contracts, or through ten years of successful acquisitions. These people have brought valuable new skills and experience to the company, whilst adopting VT’s friendly, practical approach to solving our customers problems.

Looking to the future

With the exit from shipbuilding, VT is now a pure services company. However much of our current and future activities will be engineering-based. By combining the knowledge of 12,000 staff across a range of market sectors, with the engineering mindset that has lasted 150 years, we believe VT will continue to lead the way.