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The closure of Poole and Steel's shipyard at Osborne culminated when the plant and the land at the site was sold. The yard had built three ships for the Commonwealth government, and with this contract complete had undertaken work for the South Australian government: two dredgers and several barges for the South Australian Harbors Board as well as hundreds of railway cars and the steel spans for the bridge at Murray Bridge. The ships had been launched between 1921-1923 and were still in servce although under different names. With the recovery of the British shipbuilding industry there appeared to be little chance of the Australian industry continuing without massive subsidies from government.

Poole and Steel were a New South Wales firm established there in 1902. They had manufactured largely dredgers and barges before winning the Commonwealth government contract for South Australia. The closure of the South Australian yard had implication for the firm's business in Sydney but a contract to build seven Bathurst class minesweepers and other vessels for the Royal Australian Navy saved the company which continued strongly in the post war period until it was taken over in 1960 by WA Hodkinson and Company Ltd.

Poole, Arthur Hugh, 1863-1953

State Library of South Australia: Mortlock Wing exhibitions. Wooden Walls and Iron Sides August 2004-