清光绪元年(1875),清政府命令李鸿章督办北洋海防,开始筹建北洋水师(即北洋海军),并继上海、福州建筑船坞之后,不久又创办大沽船坞。光绪五年(1879),李鸿章在天津首先设立海军营务处,负责主持筹建海军事宜。在创建海军的过程中,先后从英国、德国购买了破旧军舰25艘,并依靠英国和德国人作为教习,开始训练海军。但是所购舰船需要随时进行修理,才能投入使用。初期,每有损坏,都需要到上海、福州船坞去修理,途程很远,往返需要的时间长,假如遇到战事,很难很快修好,恐怕贻误军需。为了使北洋水师的舰船能够就近修理,李鸿章奏请在华北建造船坞一座,朝廷予以批准。
        光绪六年(1880)正月,李鸿章委命前津海关道郑藻如、道员许钤身,会同天津海关税务司德璀琳督办,在东沽海神庙一带购地110亩,创办船坞,命名为“北洋水师大沽船坞” (今新河船泊修造厂) ; 二月,开始动工; 五月,经李鸿章推荐,清政府正式委任罗丰禄为大沽船坞总办; 并聘请英人葛兰德、安的森、斯德朗分别为船舶、轮机总管及收支委员,使船坞的生产、技术和财政大权,一开始就为英国人所控制。
        大沽船坞创办之初,搭盖席棚3座,只有活动机器8部,马达、锅炉、汽锤各一部,厂房设备非常简陋。不久又从国外购买了机床20部,动力机、抽水机、卧式锅炉各一台。并建筑了相应的厂房、机房、办公房等。到年底,船坞基本工程竣工,有工人600余名,工匠300余名,正式投入生产。
        船坞生产之始,是承修北洋水师的舰船; 光绪九年(1883)又开始兼营造船。主要是制造军用轮船,如“飞鹰” 、“飞艇”等小火轮及挖泥船、驳船等小型船只;有时也从国外购进主要机件,装配制造较大的轮船。

        

·1880年建立的大沽船坞

        从光绪十年(1884)起,并承修大沽海口的海防工程。光绪十一年(1885)船坞增至6座。光绪十六年(1890),开始生产军火,仿造了德国一磅后膛快炮90余尊,解往北京香山武库; 转年在船坞兴建炮场,增添机器,从事生产大炮。甲午战争期间,船坞除承修损坏的舰船外,还赶制军火。并为后来设在船坞内的北洋水师水雷营兼造水雷等。
        大沽船坞不仅是我国北方第一座近代船舶修造厂,而且是中国第一批使用机器生产的近代化军工企业。
        In 1875,the Qing Government ordered Li Hongzhangto supervise Beiyang coast defense and to build BeiyangNavy. Following the construction of docks in Shanghaiand Fuzhou,a new one was built in Dagu of Tianjin. In1879,Li set up the Navy Affairs Department in Tianjinfor preparatory work. To found the Beiyang Navy,hebought 25 warships from UK and Germany and hiredBritish and German officers as instructors of training.For the sake of combat readiness,the warships need tobe repaired at any time. At the beginning,whenever aship went wrong,it had to be sent to Shanghai or Fuzhoufor repair. Due to the remote distance,plenty of timewas wasted on the way. If the war broke out,militarysupplies would be in danger due to the inconvenienceof ship repairs. To repair warships of Beiyang Navyexpediently,Governor-General Li Hongzhang appliedto and got approval from the court to build a dock in thenorthern China.
        In January 1880,Li appointed Zheng Zaoru,ex-director of the Tianjin Customs,Xu Qianshen,a Magistrate,and Dertring,director of TaxationDepartment of Tianjin Customs as supervisors to takecharge of the construction of the dock. They bought110 mu of farmland in the area of Sea-god Temple ofDonggu to build "the Dagu Dock of Beiyang Navy" (nowthe Xingang Dock). In February,the project broke earth.In May,the Qing Government appointed Luo Fengluas director-general of the Dagu Dock project under therecommendation of Li Hongzhang. Three British peoplewere employed in charge of building,technology andfinance separately,so the dock was controlled by theBritish since the beginning of its operation.
        During the construction of the Dagu Dock,thesituation was limited and all the equipments includedonly three sheds,eight machine tools,one motor,oneboiler and one steamed hammer. Later,20 machinetools,a power engine,a pump and a horizontal boilerwere bought from overseas. Workshops,machine roomsand offices were also built. By the end of 1880,theconstruction of the dock had been finished. There were600 workers and 300 technicians when the dock cameinto operation.
        At the beginning,the dock only repaired shipsfrom the Beiyang Navy. In 1863,it began to build ships,especially small ships for military use. What`s more,italso assembled larger ships after importing parts fromabroad.
        From 1884,the dock began to build coastal defensefor the Dagu Emplacement. In 1885,the numberof docks grew to six. In 1890,it began producingammunitions. In 1891,it bought machines to producecannons. During the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895,personnel with the dock helped repair the damagedwarships and produced ammunitions. It also producedtorpedoes for the Torpedo Barrack of the Beiyang Navy.
        The Dagu Dock is not only the first modern shiprepair factory in north China,but also one of the firstmodern factory of military industry which adoptedmachines in China.

        

·1882年大沽船坞从英国进口的大汽锤