African Steamship Company
Encyclopedia
The African Steamship Company was a British shipping line in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The company was founded in the middle of the 19th century by Macgregor Laird
, the younger son of the shipbuilder William Laird
, and based in Birkenhead
. The main focus of the company at first was trading with the Niger River
area and other west African ports, bringing west-African palm oil back to Britain. The monthly mail steamer to the then Gold Coast
(now Ghana
), appointed by Royal Charter
, came with a subsidy of 30,000 pounds sterling per year from the British government, starting from 1852.
The company proved sufficiently successful that in 1869 a rival company, the British and African Steam Navigation Company, was founded, but both companies later came to an arrangement on sailing times. The business of the African Steamship company was purchased by Elder, Dempster and Company, Limited in 1891, who had bought the British and African Steam Navigation Company two years earlier, although both companies continued operating as distinct organisations.
Further expansion began with a transatlantic route using large cargo vessels, trading from Liverpool
to the St Lawrence River and from Liverpool to the southern ports of the USA. A later route from Bristol
to St Lawrence was also established.
The company also diversified into a number of businesses related to the trade, including a bank, oil-mills for processing the palm oil, a hotel in Grand Canary for tourists, and a fruit brokerage in London
to deal with the banana trade.
Trade with the West Indies began in 1901, with a direct, fortnightly service from Avonmouth
to Jamaica
, subsidised by the Colonial Office
.
As part of Elder Dempster, the company was bought by Sir Owen Philipp's Royal Mail Group in 1909.
The company was founded in the middle of the 19th century by Macgregor Laird
Macgregor Laird
Macgregor Laird was a Scottish merchant pioneer of British trade on the River Niger.Laird was born at Greenock, the younger son of William Laird, founder of the Birkenhead firm of shipbuilders of that name...
, the younger son of the shipbuilder William Laird
William Laird (shipbuilder)
William Laird was a Scottish shipbuilder and developer who was responsible for what later became the Cammell Laird shipyard, and for starting the substantial development of its adjoining town, Birkenhead, on the Wirral in England....
, and based in Birkenhead
Birkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
. The main focus of the company at first was trading with the Niger River
Niger River
The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea...
area and other west African ports, bringing west-African palm oil back to Britain. The monthly mail steamer to the then Gold Coast
Gold Coast (British colony)
The Gold Coast was a British colony on the Gulf of Guinea in west Africa that became the independent nation of Ghana in 1957.-Overview:The first Europeans to arrive at the coast were the Portuguese in 1471. They encountered a variety of African kingdoms, some of which controlled substantial...
(now Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
), appointed by Royal Charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
, came with a subsidy of 30,000 pounds sterling per year from the British government, starting from 1852.
The company proved sufficiently successful that in 1869 a rival company, the British and African Steam Navigation Company, was founded, but both companies later came to an arrangement on sailing times. The business of the African Steamship company was purchased by Elder, Dempster and Company, Limited in 1891, who had bought the British and African Steam Navigation Company two years earlier, although both companies continued operating as distinct organisations.
Further expansion began with a transatlantic route using large cargo vessels, trading from Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
to the St Lawrence River and from Liverpool to the southern ports of the USA. A later route from Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
to St Lawrence was also established.
The company also diversified into a number of businesses related to the trade, including a bank, oil-mills for processing the palm oil, a hotel in Grand Canary for tourists, and a fruit brokerage in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to deal with the banana trade.
Trade with the West Indies began in 1901, with a direct, fortnightly service from Avonmouth
Avonmouth
Avonmouth is a port and suburb of Bristol, England, located on the Severn Estuary, at the mouth of the River Avon.The council ward of Avonmouth also includes Shirehampton and the western end of Lawrence Weston.- Geography :...
to Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, subsidised by the Colonial Office
Colonial Office
Colonial Office is the government agency which serves to oversee and supervise their colony* Colonial Office - The British Government department* Office of Insular Affairs - the American government agency* Reichskolonialamt - the German Colonial Office...
.
As part of Elder Dempster, the company was bought by Sir Owen Philipp's Royal Mail Group in 1909.