In 1854, Captain Thomas Stephenson Rountree and Thomas Sutcliffe Mort acquired an area at the south-western end of Waterview Bay and began excavations to create a dry dock. Mort's Dock opened in March 1855 receiving its first ship for repair. In 1867, Mort's Dock became principally an engineering facility: including the construction of steam locomotives, ship machinery, mining equipment and steel pipe for the Sydney Water Board. The Mort's Dock and Engineering Company was formed as a public company in 1872, but Thomas Mort immediately withdrew from active participation in 1973, and the management devolved to dock manager James Peter Franki. In 1875 the company was incorporated with limited liability. Ship construction and repairs continued at the dry dock and surrounds, and in 1901 the company opened a second dry dock and slipway at Woolwich to cater for commercial vessels and ferries. Mort’s Dock and Engineering Company Ltd finally closed on 12 November 1958 and in 1959 went into liquidation.