Robert Miles Sloman
Encyclopedia
Robert Miles Sloman was an English
-German
shipbuilder
and ship owner.
(25 March 1802) Robert Miles went to Antwerp to found a shipbroking-company but as war broke out again he had to return to Hamburg. Napoleon I
then blocked the harbour of Hamburg as part of the Continental System
so Sloman moved his business to Tönning
at the mouth of the river Eider, then a part of Denmark. In 1806 he married Gundalena Brarens, the daughter of pilot inspector and nautical examiner Hinrich Braren
s from Tönning.
Denmark eventually joined the Continental System but the company survived. In 1814 Sloman reopened his shipping business, at first in Cuxhaven English Consul
. When French troops gave up Hamburg, Sloman returned but his last ship sailing under English colours was confiscated by the French and it was not insured properly. Under Hamburg laws as a broker Sloman was forbidden to act as a ship owner so his captains, who part-owned the ships founded ghost-shipping-companies.
The shipping company Rob. M. Sloman & CO. oHG took passengers to and from England but on 17 February 1836 the shipping company opened the first regular transatlantic service from Hamburg to New York with the bark Franklin and two other sailing packets. On 8 May 1841 Sloman and eight other shipowners formed Hanseati Dampfschiffahrts-Compagnie and built in England two paddle steamers, the Hamburg and the Manchester which sailed to and from Kingston upon Hull
and by 1846 the transatlantic fleet had grown to seven. The Sloman Line had a competitor in the Hamburg- Amerikanische Packenfahrt Aktien-Gessellschaft
which was formed in May 1847. When their first sailing packet, Deutschland, left Hamburg on her maiden voyage in October 1848, Sloman responded in 1850 by changing from sail to steam with the British-built,iron-hulled screw steamship, Helena Sloman. This ship was lost on only her third transatlantic voyage. Another iron screw ship was ordered by Sloman in 1853, but then Hamburg- America decided to switch from sail to steam. Sloman immediately offered to run a joint service with his rival’s steamships, but they rejected his proposal. Hamburg-America’s transatlantic steamship service began on the 1st of June 1856, when the Borussia set off for New York with sister-ship Hammonia following a month later. Sloman gave up on steamships and remained a sailing packet line.
, Johann Christian Jauch
, Ernst Merck
and Johann Heinrich Schröder
organised the Internationale Landwirtschaftsaustellung (International Agricultural Exhibition) at Heiligengeistfeld
in 1863 and was a member of its guarantee fund. In 1865 he was a joint founder of Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Rettung Schiffbrüchiger
.
Sloman was a member of the Hamburg Parliament
from 1859 to 1861.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
-German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
shipbuilder
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
and ship owner.
Shipping
Robert Miles Sloman was the son of William Sloman, an English ship's captain who in 1785 settled in Hamburg with his wife and two sons William Palgrave Sloman and Robert Miles Sloman. William Sloman became a Hamburg citizen in 1791 and established his first company in 1798 as a ship broker. On his death in 1800 Robert Miles Sloman, then 17 years old inherited the ship broker business and a few sailing ships. After the Treaty of AmiensTreaty of Amiens
The Treaty of Amiens temporarily ended hostilities between the French Republic and the United Kingdom during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was signed in the city of Amiens on 25 March 1802 , by Joseph Bonaparte and the Marquess Cornwallis as a "Definitive Treaty of Peace"...
(25 March 1802) Robert Miles went to Antwerp to found a shipbroking-company but as war broke out again he had to return to Hamburg. Napoleon I
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
then blocked the harbour of Hamburg as part of the Continental System
Continental System
The Continental System or Continental Blockade was the foreign policy of Napoleon I of France in his struggle against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland during the Napoleonic Wars. It was a large-scale embargo against British trade, which began on November 21, 1806...
so Sloman moved his business to Tönning
Tönning
Tönning is a town in the district of Nordfriesland in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. During the Great Northern War, Tönning was besieged twice.-Geography:...
at the mouth of the river Eider, then a part of Denmark. In 1806 he married Gundalena Brarens, the daughter of pilot inspector and nautical examiner Hinrich Braren
Hinrich Braren
Hinrich Braren , later known as Hinrich Brarens, was a Danish sea captain, pilot inspector and nautical examiner...
s from Tönning.
Denmark eventually joined the Continental System but the company survived. In 1814 Sloman reopened his shipping business, at first in Cuxhaven English Consul
Consul (representative)
The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
. When French troops gave up Hamburg, Sloman returned but his last ship sailing under English colours was confiscated by the French and it was not insured properly. Under Hamburg laws as a broker Sloman was forbidden to act as a ship owner so his captains, who part-owned the ships founded ghost-shipping-companies.
The shipping company Rob. M. Sloman & CO. oHG took passengers to and from England but on 17 February 1836 the shipping company opened the first regular transatlantic service from Hamburg to New York with the bark Franklin and two other sailing packets. On 8 May 1841 Sloman and eight other shipowners formed Hanseati Dampfschiffahrts-Compagnie and built in England two paddle steamers, the Hamburg and the Manchester which sailed to and from Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
and by 1846 the transatlantic fleet had grown to seven. The Sloman Line had a competitor in the Hamburg- Amerikanische Packenfahrt Aktien-Gessellschaft
Hamburg America Line
The Hamburg Amerikanische Packetfahrt Actien Gesellschaft was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, Germany during...
which was formed in May 1847. When their first sailing packet, Deutschland, left Hamburg on her maiden voyage in October 1848, Sloman responded in 1850 by changing from sail to steam with the British-built,iron-hulled screw steamship, Helena Sloman. This ship was lost on only her third transatlantic voyage. Another iron screw ship was ordered by Sloman in 1853, but then Hamburg- America decided to switch from sail to steam. Sloman immediately offered to run a joint service with his rival’s steamships, but they rejected his proposal. Hamburg-America’s transatlantic steamship service began on the 1st of June 1856, when the Borussia set off for New York with sister-ship Hammonia following a month later. Sloman gave up on steamships and remained a sailing packet line.
Other activities
Robert Sloman with business associates Johann Cesar VI. GodeffroyJohann Cesar VI. Godeffroy
Johann Cesar VI. Godeffroy was a German trader and Hanseat.He was the founder of Museum Godeffroy.-Family history and the trading company J.C. Godeffroy & Sohn:...
, Johann Christian Jauch
Jauch family
The Jauch family of Germany is a Hanseatic family, originating from Bergsulza in Thuringia and for the first time documented in the 15th century...
, Ernst Merck
Ernst Merck
Freiherr Ernst Merck was a German businessman and politician.Merck, born in Hamburg, was a member of the Frankfurt Parliament for a year from 1848 to 1849....
and Johann Heinrich Schröder
Johann Heinrich Schröder
Johann Heinrich Schröder was the founder of Schroders, one of the United Kingdom's largest investment banks.-Career:Having been admitted to his older brother's firm, J. F...
organised the Internationale Landwirtschaftsaustellung (International Agricultural Exhibition) at Heiligengeistfeld
Heiligengeistfeld
Heiligengeistfeld is an area of Hamburg in the St. Pauli quarter. Since 1893 the funfair Hamburger DOM is held here. In times where this area is not used for exhibitions, circuses or the DOM it is a car park...
in 1863 and was a member of its guarantee fund. In 1865 he was a joint founder of Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Rettung Schiffbrüchiger
Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Rettung Schiffbrüchiger
The Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Rettung Schiffbrüchiger or DGzRS is responsible for Search and Rescue in German territorial waters in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, including the Exclusive Economic Zone.The headquarters and...
.
Sloman was a member of the Hamburg Parliament
Hamburg Parliament
The Hamburg Parliament is the unicameral legislature of the German state of Hamburg according to the constitution of Hamburg. As of 2011 there were 121 members in the parliament, representing a relatively equal amount of constituencies...
from 1859 to 1861.