Royal Mail Steam Packet Company

For the British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, see Cunard Line.
Royal Mail Steam Packet Company
Industry Shipping
Fate Liquidated
Successor Royal Mail Lines Ltd
Founded 1839
Founder James Macqueen
Defunct 1932
Headquarters London, United Kingdom
Key people
 Lord Kylsant
Royal Mail Lines Ltd
Industry Shipping, cruise line
Fate Acquired
Predecessor Royal Mail Steam Packet Company
Successor Furness, Withy & Co.
Founded 1932
Defunct 1965
RMS Asturias in a 1930 poster by Kenneth Shoesmith, who created a number of images advertising Royal Mail Lines ships

The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company was a British shipping company founded in London in 1839 by a Scot, James MacQueen. The line's motto was Per Mare Ubique (everywhere by sea). After good and bad times it became the largest shipping group in the world in 1927 when it took over the White Star Line.[1]

A poster stamp issued by the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company to promote their service from Canada to the British West Indies.

The company was liquidated and its assets taken over by the newly formed Royal Mail Lines in 1932 after financial trouble and scandal; over the years RML declined to no more than the name of a service run by former rival Hamburg-Süd.

History as Royal Mail Steam Packet Company

Queen Victoria granted the initial Royal Charter of Incorporation of "The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company" on 26 September 1839.[2] In 1840 the Admiralty and the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company made a contract in which the latter agreed to provide a fleet of not fewer than 14 steam vessels for the purpose of carrying all Her Majesty's mails, to sail twice every month to Barbados in the West Indies from Southampton or Falmouth. 14 new steam vessels were built for the purpose, being Thames, Medway, Trent and Isis (built at Northfleet); Severn and Avon (built at Bristol); Tweed, Clyde, Teviot, Dee, and Solway (built at Greenock); Tay (built at Dumbarton); Forth (built at Leith); and Medina, (built at Cowes). In reference to their destination, these vessels were known as the West Indies Mail Steamers.[3]

The West Indian Mail Service was established by the sailing of the first Royal Mail Steam Packet, PS Thames from Falmouth on 1 January 1841. A Supplemental Royal Charter was granted on 30 August 1851 extending the sphere of the Company's operations. In 1864, the mail service to the British Honduras was established. A further Supplemental Royal Charter was granted extending the sphere of the Company's operations on 7 March 1882.[2]

In the decade before the First World War the RMSP modernised its fleet, introducing a series of larger liners ranging from 9,588 GRT to 15,551 GRT on its Southampton – Buenos Aires route. Each had a name beginning with the letter "A", so collectively they were called the "A-liners" or the "A-series". The first was RMS Aragon in 1905, followed by sister ships Amazon, Araguaya and Avon in 1906, Asturias in 1908, Arlanza in 1912, Andes and Alcantara in 1913 and Almanzora in 1915. Earlier members of the series, from Aragon to Asturias, had twin screws, each driven by a four-cylinder quadruple-expansion steam engine. The final four members of the series, from Arlanza to Almanzora, had triple screws, with the middle one driven by a low pressure Parsons steam turbine.[4]

After the First World War RMSP faced not only existing foreign competition but a new UK challenger. Lord Vestey's Blue Star Line had joined the South American route and won a large share of the frozen meat trade. Then in 1926–27 Blue Star introduced its new "luxury five" ships Almeda, Andalucia, Arandora, Avelona and Avila to both increase refrigerated cargo capacity and enter the passenger trade. At the same time RMSP introduced a pair of new 22,200 GRT liners, RMS Asturias in 1926 and RMS Alcantara in 1927, which at that stage were the largest motor ships in the World. Although these were the biggest and most luxurious UK ships on the route, RMSP Chairman Lord Kylsant called Blue Star's quintet "very keen competition".[5]

Reconstitution as Royal Mail Lines

The company ran into financial trouble, and the UK Government investigated its affairs in 1930, resulting in the Royal Mail Case. In 1931 Lord Kylsant was jailed for 12 months for misrepresenting the state of the company to shareholders.[1] So much of Britain's shipping industry was involved in RMSPC that arrangements were made to guarantee the continuation of ship operations after it was liquidated. Royal Mail Lines Ltd (RML) was created in 1932 and took over the ships of RMSPC and other companies of the former group.[6] The new company was chaired by Lord Essendon.[7]

The new company's operations were concentrated on the west coast of South America, the West Indies and Caribbean, and the Pacific coast of North America; the Southampton – Lisbon – Brazil – Uruguay – Argentina route was operated from 1850 to 1980. RML was also a leading cruise ship operator.

RMS's largest vessel was the 25,895 GRT turbine steamship RMS Andes. She was designed as an ocean liner but when launched in 1939 was immediately fitted out as a troopship. She finally entered civilian liner service in 1948, was converted to full-time cruising in 1960 and was scrapped in 1971.[8]

RMSP and RML lost a number of ships in their long history. One of the last was the 17,547 GRT turbine steamship RMS Magdalena, which was launched in 1948 and grounded and sank off Brazil on her maiden voyage in 1949.[9]

In 1965 RML was bought by Furness, Withy & Co.,[1] and rapidly lost its identity. In the 1970s parts of the Furness Withy Group, including RML, were sold on to Hong Kong shipowner C.Y. Tung, and later sold on to former River Plate rival Hamburg Süd; by the 1990s Royal Mail Lines was no more than the name of a Hamburg-Süd refrigerated cargo service from South America to Europe.

List of RMSP Company vessels

This transport-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
[10]

For conciseness smaller ships such as schooners and lighters are omitted.

Ship Date Commissioned Gross Tonnage Propulsion Material
Clyde 18411,841 paddle wood
Tweed 18411,800 paddle wood
Thames 18411,889 paddle wood
Forth 18411,900 paddle wood
Solway 18411,700 paddle wood
Tay 18411,858 paddle wood
Medina 18411,800 paddle wood
Medway 18411,895 paddle wood
Dee 18411,849 paddle wood
RMS Trent 18411,856 paddle wood
Teviot 18411,744 paddle wood
Isis 18411,900 paddle wood
City of Glasgow 18411,700 paddle wood
Avon 18412,069 paddle wood
Severn 18411,886 paddle wood
Great Western 18471,775 paddle wood
RMS Amazon 18512,256 paddle wood
Oronico 18512,901 paddle wood
Parana18523,070 paddle wood
Magdalena18522,943 paddle wood
Demerara 18512,318 paddle wood
La Plata18522,826 paddle wood
RMS Atrato18533,184 paddle iron
Solent 18531,804 paddle composite
Tamar18541,850 paddle wood
Tyne18541,603 paddle iron
Oneida18582,285 paddle iron
RMS Paramatta18593,439 paddle iron
Mersey18591,039 paddle iron
Shannon18593,609 paddle iron
Tasmanian18582,956 screw iron
Seine18603,440 paddle iron
Eider18641,569 paddle iron
RMS Douro18652,824 screw iron
Arno18651,038 screw iron
RMS Rhone18652,738 screw iron
Danube18652,000 screw iron
Corsica18671,134 screw iron
Neva18683,025 screw iron
Nile18693,039 screw iron
Elbe18703,063 screw iron
Tiber18711,591 screw iron
Ebro18711,509 screw iron
Liffey18711,504 screw iron
Moselle18713,298 screw iron
Belize18711,038 screw iron
Tagus18713,299 screw iron
Boyne18713,318 screw iron
Essequibo18731,831 screw iron
Larne18731,670 screw iron
Severn18731,736 screw iron
Minho18742,540 screw iron
Mondego18742,564 screw iron
Dee18751,864 screw iron
Guadiana18752,504 screw iron
Para18754,028 screw iron
Don18754,028 screw iron
Medway18773,687 screw iron
Solent18781,915 screw iron
Tamar18782,923 screw iron
Trent18782,912 screw iron
Derwent18792,466 screw iron
Humber18802,371 screw iron
Avon18802,162 screw iron
La Plata18823,240 screw iron
Eden18822,145 screw iron
Esk18822,145 screw iron
Dart18832,641 screw iron
Orinoco18864,572 screw steel
RMS Atrato18885,347 screw steel
RMS Magdalena18895,373 screw steel
Thames18895,261 screw steel
Clyde18905,618 screw steel
Nile18935,855 screw steel
Danube18935,891 screw steel
La Plata18963,445 screw steel
Minho18963,445 screw steel
Ebro18963,445 screw steel
Severn18983,760 screw steel
Tagus18995,545 screw steel
Trent18995,525 screw steel
Tyne19002,902 screw steel
Eider19001,236 screw steel
La Plata19014,464 screw steel
Dee19021,871 screw steel
Tamar19023,207 screw steel
Teviot19023,271 screw steel
Parana19044,515 screw steel
Caroni19042,628 screw steel
Conway19042,650 screw steel
Pardo19044,464 screw steel
Catalina19044,464 screw steel
Potaro19044,464 screw steel
RMS Aragon19059,588 screw steel
Oruba19065,737 screw steel
Orotava19065,851 screw steel
Oroya19066,297 screw steel
Arcadian19067,945 screw steel
Marima19062,742 screw steel
Manau19062,745 screw steel
RMS Amazon190610,037 screw steel
Segura19064,756 screw steel
Sabor19064,758 screw steel
RMS Araguaya190610,537 screw steel
RMS Avon190611,073 screw steel
Monmouthshire19075,091 screw steel
Denbighshire19073,844 screw steel
Flintshire19073,815 screw steel
RMS Asturias190812,015 screw steel
Arzila19082,722 screw steel
Agadir19082,722 screw steel
Berbice19092,379 screw steel
Balantia19092,379 screw steel
Deseado191111,475 screw steel
RMS Arlanza191215,044 screw steel
Demerara191111,484 screw steel
Desna191211,484 screw steel
Alcala191310,660 screw steel
RMS Andes191315,620 screw steel
Radnorshire19134,302 screw steel
Caribbean19135,824 screw steel
Merionethshire19134,308 screw steel
Cardiganshire19139,426 screw steel
Cobequid19134,738 screw steel
Caraquet19134,917 screw steel
RMS Alcantara191315,831 screw steel
Carnarvonshire19139,406 screw steel
Drina191311,483 screw steel
RMS Almanzora191415,551 screw steel
Essequibo19148,489 screw steel
RMS Ebro19148,480 screw steel
Carmarthenshire19157,823 screw steel
Pembrokeshire19157,821 screw steel
Larne19163,808 screw steel
Brecknockshire19168,422 screw steel
Darro191611,493 screw steel
Navasota19178,795 screw steel
Sambre19195,260 screw steel
Glamorganshire19198,192 screw steel
Nagara19198,803 screw steel
Segura19195,295 screw steel
Somme19195,265 screw steel
Severn19195,246 screw steel
Radnorshire19196,723 screw steel
Silarus19195,101 screw steel
Siris19195,242 screw steel
Narenta19198,266 screw steel
Nictheroy19208,265 screw steel
Orcana19207,814 screw steel
Oruba19207,818 screw steel
Natia19208,723 screw steel
Nariva19208,723 screw steel
Nebraska19208,261 screw steel
Sarthe19205,371 screw steel
Sabor19205,212 screw steel
Montgomeryshire19216,650 screw steel
Lochkatrine19219,419 screw steel
Lochgoil19229,462 screw steel
Culebra19233,044 screw steel
Orca192316,063 screw steel
Orduña192315,499 screw steel
Orbita192315,486 screw steel
Ohio192318,940 screw steel
Lochmonar19239,412 screw steel
RMS Asturias192522,048 screw steel
RMS Alcantara192622,209 screw steel

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Royal Mail Steam Packet Company". Shipping Lines. Plimsoll.org. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  2. ↑ Dodd, George (1867). Railways steamers and telegraphs: a glance at their recent progress and present state. London: W&R Chambers. pp. 159–161.
  3. ↑ Nicol 2001b, p. 101.
  4. ↑ Nicol 2001a, p. 130.
  5. ↑ Nicol, Stuart. "The Royal Mail Story". Users.on.net. Archived from the original on December 8, 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  6. ↑ Nicol 2001b, p. 138.
  7. ↑ Nicol 2001b, pp. 162–186.
  8. ↑ Nicol 2001b, pp. 186–193.
  9. ↑ Nicol 2001a, pp. 222–241.

Sources

External links

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