industry transportation founded 1898 defunct 1985 headquarters manchester england key people robert b. stoker 1932 79 products shipping services revenue 30 million 1974 1 number of employees 2 150 1974 2 parent furness withy 1970 80 website www.manchesterliners.co.uk manchester liners was a cargo and passenger shipping company founded in 1898 based in manchester england . the line pioneered the regular passage of ocean going vessels along the manchester ship canal . its main sphere of operation was the transatlantic shipping trade but the company also operated services to the mediterranean . all of the line s vessels were registered in the port of manchester and many were lost to enemy action during the first and second world wars . a successful switch from traditional to container shipping in 1968 was relatively short lived as the subsequent introduction elsewhere of much larger container ships meant that the company s vessels which were restricted to a maximum length of 530 feet 160 m imposed by the ship canal s lock chambers could no longer compete economically . the line ceased operations in 1985 . manchester progress 7 346 gross tons built in 1938 served the line until disposal in 1966 . contents 1 early history 2 initial operations 1898 1914 3 operations during the first world war 4 peacetime operations 1919 39 5 operations during the second world war 6 peacetime operations 1945 68 7 switch to containers 1968 78 8 decline and closure 9 ship naming policy house and flag colours 10 references 11 bibliography 12 external links early history edit the opening of the manchester ship canal in 1894 made it possible for large ocean going ships to sail directly into the heart of manchester . however because of opposition from cartels of ship owners based at liverpool and other ports in the united kingdom shipping lines were slow to introduce direct services to the new port of manchester which found it difficult to compete against the established ports . 3 new trading routes from manchester to west africa and mediterranean ports were countered by the established shipping conferences sharply reducing their own charges and by inducing their customers to sign binding contracts . in some cases after achieving their aims the cartels re imposed their old charges . 4 to help counter these sharp practices sir christopher furness of furness withy & company proposed in 1897 that a manchester based shipping line should be formed to encourage the use of the manchester ship canal and docks . the public prospectus for manchester liners ltd ml was issued on 10 may 1898 with an authorised share capital of 1 million . furness company became the largest shareholder and he was appointed chairman . other directors included representatives from the ship canal company and salford borough council . 5 robert burdon stoker a director of furness withy was appointed as ml s first managing director . 6 initial operations 1898 1914 edit manchester engineer 1902 on the manchester ship canal shortly before the first world war . this 4 300 gross tons vessel was torpedoed by a u boat on 27 march 1916 on passage from philadelphia to manchester . manchester liners decided from the outset to make manchester canada their prime route with a secondary route to the southern united states cotton ports of new orleans and galveston . other lesser sometimes seasonal routes were added later . two 1890 built 3 000 gross registered ton grt ships were bought for 60 000 in may 1898 and renamed manchester enterprise and manchester trader . the trader made the shipping line s first voyage setting out from avonmouth for montreal on 26 may before docking in manchester with a cargo of grain . 7 the two secondhand vessels were joined in january 1899 by the newly built manchester city of 7 696 grt constructed by raylton dixon & co of middlesbrough . this steamship carried 1 170 long tons 1 190 t of coal burned at 70 long tons 71 t per day giving a speed of 12 knots 22 km h ; 14 mph fast for her day . 8 she was a refrigerated vessel designed to carry frozen meat and live cattle and was claimed to be one of the largest meat carrying ships then afloat . 9 she made a successful maiden voyage from canada and up the new canal to manchester taking two days and stopping overnight at irlam to give the crew a rest . the manchester guardian reported on 16 january 1899 that there were many shakings of the head not only in liverpool at the audacity of the attempt and that the canal pilots on reaching irlam looked as if they had not been in bed for a week as their eyes were bleared with exhaustion . 10 the city discharged 450 cattle and 150 sheep at manchester corporation s foreign animals wharf near the mode wheel locks in salford . with an overall length of 467 feet 142 m she was by far the largest vessel to have ventured up the waterway and her successful navigation disproved the claim of liverpool owners that only ships of 350 feet 110 m or less could safely reach manchester . the vessel continued to manchester docks for further unloading where she was met by the lord mayor accompanied by a band and a festive crowd . 8 this successful voyage did much to encourage other shipowners to use the new port . 11 on her first voyage to halifax nova scotia in march 1899 the city took nine days and sixteen hours ; and arrived before the mail boat which had left the mersey twelve hours ahead of her . 12 the ml fleet was joined by two new smaller 5 600 grt vessels the manchester port and manchester merchant during 1899 and 1900 and further new vessels followed quickly thereafter . the basic sailing pattern to canada was st john new brunswick year round and to montreal when the st lawrence river was ice free . between 1899 and 1902 four manchester ships and their crews were requisitioned by the united kingdom government to transport troops horses and supplies to south africa during the boer war and its aftermath . collecting points for horses and mules included galveston and new orleans usa and buenos aires and montevideo in south america . manchester port made its second voyage to the cape in 1900 then continued to australia to bring troops to the conflict . 8 on the first voyage after her return to ml in january 1903 the first manchester merchant was lost while on passage from new orleans to manchester . a serious fire developed in her cotton cargo and she was scuttled in dingle bay on the west coast of ireland to douse the flames but subsequently broke up in bad weather . 13 by 1904 the line was operating fourteen steamships of between four and seven thousand tons 14 several built by the associated furness withy shipyards . 15 services to ports in eastern canada were supplemented by regular sailings to boston philadelphia and the southern us cotton ports of new orleans and galveston . between 1904 and 1908 ml deployed three vessels including the manchester city to the river plate route serving other uk ports as well manchester . the main return cargo was frozen and chilled meat and the city set a record for the largest meat consignment up to that time . 16 lord furness as he had become died in 1912 and was succeeded as ml s chairman by r. b. stoker until his death in 1919 . 6 ml s fleet was maintained at 14 vessels during the last few years before the first world war . eleven of their ships were deployed on the canadian routes carrying mainly manufactured goods outwards and meat and grain inbound . 17 operations during the first world war edit at the start of the war in july 1914 ml had a fleet of fifteen ships . 18 most of the fleet continued to operate services to ports in eastern canada and to usa including baltimore returning with war and other supplies . in august 1914 the manchester miller 1903 and manchester civilian 1913 were requisitioned as supply ships and sent with coal to the falkland islands to refuel the battlecruisers hms inflexible and hms invincible . as the civilian was coaling the cruisers the german vessels approached and the british warships cast off immediately to engage them . 19 in the ensuing battle admiral von spee s battleships scharnhost and gneisenau plus escorting cruisers were sunk . 20 the civilian was later equipped with minesweeping gear . she returned in 1916 carrying supplies and equipment from canada to the troops in france . all vessels were fitted with defensive guns at the bow and stern . in june 1917 manchester port 1904 beat off a submarine attack with gunfire near cape wrath . manchester commerce 1899 outward bound for quebec city was sunk off northwest ireland on 26 october 1914 with the loss of 14 crew becoming the first merchant ship to be sunk by a mine . 21 on 4 june 1917 the second manchester trader en route from souda bay in crete to algiers was engaged in a running battle with u boat u 65 before she was captured and sunk near pantellaria island with the loss of one crewmember . 22 the master captain f. d. struss was awarded the distinguished service cross and went on to complete 40 years service with the line after surviving another sinking in the second world war . 23 a further nine ships were sunk by u boats seven of the losses occurring in 1917 . ml acquired seven ships between 1916 and 1918 four of which were sunk in 1917 . manchester engineer acquired secondhand in 1917 had a short but eventful career with ml . on 18 june when bound for archangel she was chased by a u boat but escaped when her naval escort arrived . on 16 august when sailing from the tyne to st nazaire with coal she was torpedoed five miles off flamborough head and sunk . manchester division achieved fame on her maiden voyage from west hartlepool to join a westbound atlantic convoy at plymouth when she rammed and sank a german submarine off flamborough head in october 1918 . at the end of the war in november 1918 ml had twelve surviving vessels on strength . 24 peacetime operations 1919 39 edit manchester port c. 1935 7 291 gross tons served ml on their canadian routes until she was scrapped in 1964 . in 1921 22 ml s fleet was augmented by two second hand vessels . sailings were resumed to new orleans and the baltimore service was extended to norfolk virginia . some ships including the manchester civilian and manchester spinner became regular carriers in the coal trade from sydney nova scotia . the civilian made several round trips from the usa to japan in 1923 carrying relief supplies after the japanese earthquake . 25 ml took delivery of the 7 930 tons steam turbine manchester regiment in 1922 26 constructed on the tees by the furness shipbuilding company . this 12.5 knot 23.2 km h ; 14.4 mph ship with a crew of 65 was the largest operated to date carrying 512 cattle plus hold cargo and was equipped with large derricks to assist in heavy goods handling . 27 the regiment s record from the mersey bar to quebec was seven days nine hours . in 1925 her captain won the gold headed cane traditionally awarded each spring to the master of the first ship to break through the st lawrence ice to reach montreal a feat repeated later by several other ml captains . 28 ml s old head office in deansgate manchester became inadequate and was replaced in august