Editing Blohm+Voss (section)

===Early years===
[[File:Pincerno - Blohm & Voss 1877.jpg|thumb|262px|Blohm & Voss 1877]]
Blohm & Voss was founded on 5 April 1877 by [[Hermann Blohm]] and [[Ernst Voss]] (or Voß) as a general partnership, to build steel-hulled ships. It established a shipyard on the island of [[Kuhwerder]], near the Free and [[Hanseatic League|Hanseatic]] City of [[Hamburg]], covering {{convert|15,000|m2|abbr=on}} with {{convert|250|m|abbr=on}} of water frontage and three building berths, two suitable for ships of up to {{convert|100|m|abbr=on}} length. The company name was shown with the [[ampersand]], as B&V, until 1955.

Shipbuilding was at that time dominated by the British, with even German customers preferring to buy from them. Initial business was confined to ship repairs, although B&V managed to build and later sell the three-masted barque ''National''. Eventually the first new-build order arrived for the small cargo paddle-steamer ''Burg'', and the business took off. By 1882, the company had gained a reputation for quality and punctuality and was prospering.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.motorship.com/news101/ships-and-shipyards/end-of-an-era-for-germanys-most-famous-shipyard |title=End of an era for Germany's most famous shipyard |date=2011-08-31 |website=The Motorship |access-date=2018-05-01}}</ref>

Initially, their products were steel-hulled sailing ships designed for long sea voyages. At that time steamships had a relatively short range, while many of the advantages of steel construction still applied to sailing ships as much as to steam. The company built its first steamship in 1900, while still continuing to build sailing ships until the late 1930s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://innovationsoftheworld.com/blohmvoss-more-than-just-a-shipyard/|title=Blohm+Voss – More Than Just A Shipyard|date=2019-10-03|website=Innovations Of The World|access-date=2020-02-28}}</ref>