Royal Mail Steam Packet Company

The Royal Mail Line Ltd.. (RML ) was a British shipping company with headquarters in London. They ran a very successful line service to South America and the Caribbean.

History

1841, the company was founded as Royal Mail Steam Packet Company to a regular service from London to the West Indies ( Caribbean) to entertain. The ships of the company were easy to spot because they were all named after rivers. 1850 extended the Royal Mail Line to their scheduled service to South America. The line connection was Southampton - Vigo - Lisbon - Las Palmas - Rio de Janeiro / Santos - Montevideo and Buenos Aires. The shipping company rose quickly and became one of the most successful British shipping companies.

After 1880, the Royal Mail Line had to contend with financial difficulties. Over time, the competition on the South American route had become harder and harder. From 1870 onwards, more new companies launched in this service, as the Hamburg Süd shipping companies and the French Compagnie de Chargeuse Réunis and Société Générale de Transport Maritimes, but also the competition from their own country, in the form of the Pacific Steam Navigation Company (est. 1838) or the shipping company Lamport & Holt made the RML to create. The company needed twenty years until they had stabilized again.

In 1906, Sir Owen Philipps, later Lord Kylsant, new Director General of the Royal Mail Line, and with it began an unprecedented rise of the shipping company. In quick succession many British shipping company was bought in 1907 the Shire Line, 1910 the Pacific Steam Navigation Company, 1912, the Union - Castle Line and 1913 the Nelson Line plus they acquired a share of the Elder Dempster Line and the Glen Line. The Royal Mail Group in 1914 was one of the most influential shipping companies in the world.

1920 opened the Royal Mail some new line connections, from 1920, London next to Southampton general Startharbour all overseas connections. Opened in 1921 the Company adopted a trans -Pacific service with the following connection: London / Southampton - West Indies ( Caribbean) - Colombia - Panama - U.S. Pacific ports - Vancouver. 1927 took over the Royal Mail in control of the White Star Line. The company was at the height of its economic development.

1931 had to register in the wake of the global economic crisis of 1929 bankruptcy and Lord Kylsant was imprisoned the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company. After a transition period the company was as Royal Mail Line Ltd.. reorganized and formed the Pacific Steam Navigation Co. a composite (RML / PSNCo Group). From the daughter of shipping companies, the Union - Castle Line, Elder Dempster & Company and the White Star Line became independent again, Shire Line and Glen Line was sold to the Blue Funnel Line ( Alfred Holt & Co.). The ships of the Nelson Line were transferred to the Royal Mail Line, the shipping company and dissolved it. 1935 acquired the Furness, Withy group a 50 - % stake of the RML / PSNCo.

1965 acquired Furness, Withy & Company, the remaining 50 %, the Royal Mail, but could not for the time being largely independent. 1970 were transferred to the Royal Mail Line ships all of PSNCo, but PSNCo remains active as their manager.

1980 Furness, Withy was bought by the Hong Kong Chinese Tung Chao Yung and reorganized during the 1980s. In 1984, with the third Andes, the last new building for the shipping company in service and in 1985 were all ships to the Shaw, Savill & Albion, a shipping company within the Furness, Withy Group transferred. The Royal Mail Line ceased so to exist as an active society.

Since 1990, the naming rights lie at the Royal Mail Line in the German shipping company Hamburg Süd.

Royal Mail Steam Packet Company

History

Ships

Passenger ships

Cargo ships

Container ships