Leyland Line

Leyland Line
Industry	Shipping
Founded	1873
Defunct	1935
Area served	North Atlantic

The Leyland Line was a British shipping transport line founded in 1873 by Frederick Richards Leyland after his apprenticeship in the firm of John Bibby, Sons & Co. After Frederick Leyland's death, the company was taken over by Sir John Ellerman in 1892. The Company was liquidated in 1935.

History[]

Early History[]

As the Company was established in 1873, 21 of the Bibby Line ships were transferred to the new company's maritime traffic of cargo ships before it added its passenger service on the Boston to Liverpool route.^[1] in 1888, Leyland retired from his active business leaving his son, Frederick Dawson Leyland, in charge of the line.^[2]

Under John Ellermann[]

With the death of Frederick Leyland in 1892, John Ellermann, Christopher Furness and Henry Withy took over the Leyland Line.^[2] Ellermann became managing director of the company and, in 1893, also took over the chairmanship of Frederick Leyland & Co. In 1896, Leyland set up a passenger service in co-operation with Furness Withy, from Liverpool to New York and the Canadian ports. In 1896, the Wilson Line was added and the joint service was called Wilson, Furness & Leyland Line.^[2]

Decline and Fate[]

In 1902, the company was under the control of the International Mercantile Marine Company and, in the same year, a rationalisation of services followed and Leyland withdrew their ships from service and transferred to the Ellerman Lines. By the First World War and the 1920s, many ships of the Leyland Line transferred to other companies. With The Great Depression, many more ships were sold to other companies or scrapped and, in 1935, Leyland Line's last ship was sold and the company was ceased in the same year.^[2]^[1]

Ships of the Leyland Line[]

The list of Leyland Line ship when they enter service for the company.

Name	Shipyard	GRT	Length [m]	Passengers	Launch date	Notes
SS Armenian	Harland and Wolff	8,825	156	-	25 July 1895	Torpedoed and sunk by U-24 on 28 June 1915.
SS European	Harland and Wolff	8,249	145	60 passengers	9 July 1896	Scrapped at Genoa in 1933.
SS American	Harland and Wolff	8,249	145	60 passengers	8 August 1895	Scrapped at Genoa in 1932.
Louisianian^[3]	Barclay Curle	3,643	113	-	1891	Broken up in 1924.
SS Asian^[4]	Caird & Company	5,613	128	-	August 4, 1898	Ran aground and broke up.
SS Antillian^[5]	Caird & Company	5,613	128	-	September 20, 1898	Scrapped in 1930.
SS Winifredian	Harland and Wolff	10,435	173	-	1899	Broken up in Italy, 1929.
SS Devonian	Harland and Wolff	10,405	170	-	1900	Torpedoed and sunk in 1917.
Bohemian^[6]	Alexander Stephen and Sons	8,548	156	-	June 28, 1900	Ran aground in 1920.
SS Californian	Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company	6,223	136	47 passengers	26 November 1901	Best known for its inaction during the sinking of the RMS Titanic despite being the closest ship in the area. Sunk by German U-boats, 9 November 1915.
SS Hanoverian	R & W Hawthorn	13,507	177	1,550 passengers	25 February 1902	First sold to the Dominion Line, then sold to the White Star Line, before returning to the Leyland Line as Devonian and being chartered to Red Star Line. Scrapped in 1929.
SS Cornishman	Harland and Wolff	5,749	140	-	1891	Scrapped in 1926.
SS Colonian	Harland and Wolff	6,583	143	40 passengers	1891	Scrapped in 1926.
SS Regina	Harland & Wolff	16,314	175.4	2,300 passengers	19 April 1917	became Troop transport during First World War. Scrapped in 1947.
SS Pennland	Harland & Wolff	16,322	175.4	2,100 passengers	11 November 1920	Sunk 25 April 1941.