General Screw Steam Shipping Company

The General Screw Steam Shipping Company was a British nineteenth-century shipping enterprise established in 1848 by James Laming. Before founding the company, Laming had spent approximately three decades owning sailing ships that traded between England and the Netherlands. The new venture reflected the transition from sail to steam and from regional merchant shipping to regular long-distance services supported by government mail contracts. The company began an international service in late 1849 between Liverpool, Gibraltar, Malta and Constantinople. Its first vessels on the route were iron screw steamers, including the approximately 500-ton Bosphorus, followed by the similarly sized Hellespont and Propontis. The company expanded rapidly after winning a government contract in 1850 to carry monthly mails between Plymouth and Cape Town. The annual value of the contract was £30,000. Bosphorus inaugurated the service in December 1850 and completed the voyage in about 40 days, five days longer than the contractual schedule. To support the Cape route and its other planned services, the company ordered additional steamers from C.J. Mare and Company at Leamouth in London. The named vessels included Queen of the South, Lady Jocelyn, Indiana, Calcutta, Mauritius and Hydaspes. In 1852, the company obtained another mail contract for a monthly service from England to Madras and Calcutta. The route passed through Cape St. Vincent, Ascension Island, St. Helena, Cape Town, Mauritius and Ceylon. It also established a steam connection between Cape Town and Durban, replacing slower overland or sailing-ship arrangements; Sir Robert Peel operated this service. Australia became another major ambition. After the Australian Royal Mail Steam Navigation Company's service lost its contract in 1853 because of unreliability, the General Screw Company stepped in after already sending two steamships toward Australia. The 1,800-ton Argo left Southampton on 8 May 1853 and reached Melbourne in 64 days, stopping at Cape St. Vincent. Its return voyage via Cape Horn attracted attention because it made Argo the first steamer credited with circumnavigating the globe. Despite this achievement, the Australian service was short-lived and ended with Argo's departure from Southampton on 4 October 1854. The company's Indian service also encountered serious commercial and technical difficulties. Mechanical failures, higher-than-expected operating costs and coal consumption, and weaker passenger and cargo results undermined the route. The final sailing took place on 15 March 1854. The withdrawal left several recently built ships without their intended employment, and Golden Fleece, Jason and The Prince were chartered to the government for troop transport to the Mediterranean. The company experimented with a transatlantic service in 1854. Indiana began operating between Le Havre, Southampton and New York in March under the management of Croskey and Company, acting for the American-owned Ocean Navigation Company. Indiana and Mauritius were intended to alternate with American steamers, creating a combined weekly connection from Southampton. That same year, the company accepted a proposal from the government of Mauritius to run a monthly Mauritius–Ceylon service for £10,000 annually. The Crimean War substantially changed the company's operations. From 1854 to 1855, all of its ships were chartered as troop transports. The wartime period brought heavy losses: The Prince was destroyed in a hurricane in November 1854, Mauritius suffered severe fire damage while in dry dock at Southampton in February 1855, and Croesus was destroyed by fire in April 1855. After the war, the company did not resume as an independent large-scale operator. In 1857 it sold its entire fleet to the European and American Steam Shipping Company. The sale marked the effective end of the General Screw Steam Shipping Company's operating history.

The General Screw Steam Shipping Company was founded in Britain in 1848 by James Laming, a shipowner whose earlier business had involved sailing vessels trading between England and the Netherlands. Its creation came during the expansion of commercial steam navigation, when iron hulls, screw propulsion and regular mail contracts were beginning to reshape international transport. The company's first major route opened in late 1849 between Liverpool and the eastern Mediterranean, calling at Gibraltar, Malta and Constantinople. The service used Bosphorus, an iron screw steamer of about 500 tons, and was expanded with the addition of Hellespont and Propontis. In 1850, the company won a contract to carry monthly mail between Plymouth and Cape Town for £30,000 per year. Bosphorus began the service in December and reached Cape Town in 40 days, although this was five days slower than the time specified by the contract. Expansion followed through the construction of new vessels at C.J. Mare and Company's yard at Leamouth, London. The ordered ships included Queen of the South, Lady Jocelyn, Indiana, Calcutta, Mauritius and Hydaspes. In May 1852, the company obtained a further mail contract for a monthly connection between England and the Indian ports of Madras and Calcutta. The route proceeded through Atlantic and Indian Ocean staging points including Cape St. Vincent, Ascension Island, St. Helena, Cape Town, Mauritius and Ceylon. The company also introduced a Cape Town–Durban service using Sir Robert Peel, offering a steam alternative to the slower overland and sailing arrangements previously available. The Australian trade was an important but ultimately unsuccessful expansion. The Australian Royal Mail Steam Navigation Company's mail service had proved unreliable, and its contract was withdrawn in April 1853. The General Screw Company, which had already sent two steamers toward Australia, then assumed a regular service. Argo left Southampton on 8 May 1853 and reached Melbourne in 64 days, with one stop at Cape St. Vincent. The return voyage passed around Cape Horn and was celebrated as the first circumnavigation of the globe by a steamer. Nevertheless, the Australian operation was not sustained. Argo's departure from Southampton on 4 October 1854 was the service's final voyage after only a short-term mail arrangement. The Indian operation suffered from a combination of technical and commercial problems. Steamers experienced mechanical failures, while fuel use and other costs were higher than expected. Passenger and cargo traffic also failed to meet expectations. The last sailing took place on 15 March 1854, after which the service was withdrawn. The company's fleet was also affected by the Crimean War. From 1854 through 1855, all of its ships were chartered as troop transports. Three vessels were lost or seriously damaged: The Prince was destroyed in a hurricane in November 1854, Mauritius was badly damaged by fire in dry dock at Southampton in February 1855, and Croesus was destroyed by fire in April 1855. In March 1854, while the company was still pursuing other routes, Indiana inaugurated a service from Le Havre and Southampton to New York. Croskey and Company managed the operation on behalf of the American-owned Ocean Navigation Company. The proposed schedule called for Indiana and Mauritius to alternate with American steamers, producing a combined weekly service from Southampton. In July, the company also accepted a proposal from the government of Mauritius for a monthly Mauritius–Ceylon service worth £10,000 per year. The combination of route failures, wartime disruption and fleet losses weakened the business. Following the end of the Crimean War, the company sold its complete fleet in 1857 to the European and American Steam Shipping Company. No later independent operating history is identified in the supplied reference material, so the fleet sale is treated as the effective conclusion of the company.

• 1857

  Fleet sold

  [1]General Screw Steam Shipping Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The entire fleet was sold to the European and American Steam Shipping Company after the Crimean War.

• 1854

  Australian service ends

  [1]General Screw Steam Shipping Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Argo's departure from Southampton on 4 October marked the final voyage of the company's Australian service.

• 1853

  Argo reaches Australia

  [1]General Screw Steam Shipping Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Argo reached Melbourne from Southampton in 64 days and later became associated with the first steamer circumnavigation of the globe.

• 1852

  Indian and southern African services expanded

  [1]General Screw Steam Shipping Companyen.wikipedia.org

  A new England–Madras and Calcutta mail service was contracted, and the company began a Cape Town–Durban steam connection.

• 1850

  Cape Town mail contract secured

  [1]General Screw Steam Shipping Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The company won a monthly Plymouth–Cape Town mail contract worth £30,000 per year.

• 1849

  Liverpool–Mediterranean service begins

  [1]General Screw Steam Shipping Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The company opened a route from Liverpool to Gibraltar, Malta and Constantinople using Bosphorus, Hellespont and Propontis.

• 1848

  Company established

  [1]General Screw Steam Shipping Companyen.wikipedia.org

  James Laming established the General Screw Steam Shipping Company in Britain.

A British early-steamship operator positioned around regular long-distance mail, passenger and cargo connections, with expansion driven substantially by government contracts and the advantages of iron screw propulsion.

• Iron screw steamer

  Bosphorus

  An approximately 500-ton iron screw steamer and one of the company's earliest vessels. Bosphorus operated on the Liverpool–Gibraltar–Malta–Constantinople route and inaugurated the Plymouth–Cape Town mail service in December 1850.

• Iron screw steamer

  Hellespont

  A vessel of broadly similar size to Bosphorus that joined the company's early eastern Mediterranean service after completion.

• Iron screw steamer

  Propontis

  One of the company's early screw steamers, Propontis joined Bosphorus and Hellespont on the Liverpool-to-eastern Mediterranean route.

• Ocean-going steamship

  Argo

  An approximately 1,800-ton steamer used on the Australian service. Argo sailed from Southampton to Melbourne in 1853 in 64 days and returned via Cape Horn, an achievement associated with the first steamship circumnavigation of the globe.

• Transatlantic steamship

  Indiana

  A company steamer that inaugurated the Le Havre–Southampton–New York service in March 1854 under the management of Croskey and Company.

• Mail and passenger steamship

  Mauritius

  One of the company's larger named steamers, Mauritius was intended for transatlantic scheduling and was also associated with the Mauritius–Ceylon service. It was badly damaged by fire in Southampton dry dock in February 1855.

• Regional steamship

  Sir Robert Peel

  The steamer used for the company's Cape Town–Durban service, providing a steam alternative to slower land and sailing-ship transport.

• 1857

  Sell the entire fleetM&A

  Background

  After the Crimean War, the company faced the consequences of route withdrawals and wartime fleet losses.

  Action taken

  The company's entire fleet was sold to the European and American Steam Shipping Company.

  Aftermath

  The fleet sale marked the effective end of the General Screw Steam Shipping Company's independent operations.

  Source

• 1854

  Withdraw the England–India serviceStrategy

  Background

  The Indian operation experienced mechanical breakdowns, unexpectedly high costs and coal consumption, and weaker-than-expected passenger and cargo results.

  Action taken

  The company discontinued the service, with the last sailing taking place on 15 March 1854.

  Aftermath

  Ships intended for the route became available for other uses, including government troop transport during the Crimean War.

  Source

• 1854

  Launch the Le Havre–Southampton–New York serviceProduct launch

  Background

  The company sought to expand into the North Atlantic while coordinating with the American-owned Ocean Navigation Company.

  Action taken

  Indiana began the service in March 1854, with Mauritius planned to alternate with American steamers.

  Aftermath

  The supplied material does not document the longer-term commercial outcome of the transatlantic experiment.

  Source

• 1854

  Accept government troop-transport chartersStrategy

  Background

  The Crimean War created demand for transport capacity, while the company's Australian service had ended and its Indian operation had been withdrawn.

  Action taken

  The company chartered all of its ships to the government for troop transport to the Mediterranean.

  Aftermath

  The wartime period involved major fleet losses, including the destruction of The Prince and Croesus and serious fire damage to Mauritius.

  Source

1. 1General Screw Steam Shipping Companyen.wikipedia.org