Guion Line

The Guion Line was a British shipping company based in Liverpool which kept up a regular scheduled service to New York City.

History

There were two companies that were known as " Guion Line" and both of the American Stephen Barker Guion (1820-1885) were conducted.

The first company existed only from 1862 bis 1863. It had the steamers, Carolina, Georgia ( stranded before 1863 Sable Iceland ), Louisiana and Virginia, which were adopted in 1863 by the National Line.

In 1866 he founded the Liverpool & Great Western Steamship Company, although registered in the UK, the majority of the shareholders - such as Guion itself - Americans. Guion had come the early 1860s to Liverpool in order to better organize the emigration business for a U.S. shipping company. Guion worked here for the Cunard Line and the National Line. 1866 Guion decided with their own steamers in the emigration business to enter. The ships of the company were all named after U.S. states.

The shipping company ordered within a short time eight ships of 3,000-4,000 tons. With a capacity of 800 steerage passengers at only 72 first - class passengers they were intended solely for transporting emigrants. 1870 Guion planned with two blue - ribbon racers to improve its market position. But the sister ships Montana and Dakota had significant technical problems and never reached the required speed, they were for Guion to total disaster and the " biggest loser Atlantic " in the history of the Blue Riband.

But Guion did not give up, and in 1879 captured the brand new Arizona the Blue Riband with more than 16 nodes. But the ship had only a capacity of 1,000 steerage passengers, what a day at the enormous coal consumption of 135 tons, no large profits promised. 1881 went with the Alaska the next record ship under way, with the same problem as its predecessor, the coal consumption grew even daily to 250 tons.

1883 took the Oregon service on and immediately took the Blue Riband, but the shipping was now plunged into a deep financial crisis. The Oregon had to be returned to the shipyard because Guion could no longer make the payments. Cunard bought out the Oregon and had after 20 years a blue - banded Courser. Guion died in 1885, the Board had no choice but to convert the shipping company into a stock corporation. But the decline was unstoppable, and in 1894 heard the Guion Line to exist.

Ships of the Guion Line 1866-1894

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