New Zealand Shipping Company

New Zealand Shipping Company

Industry	Transport
Founded	1873
Defunct	1973
Successor	P&O
Headquarters	London, England
Products	Passenger and Cargo Shipping

Tongariro in 1883

The New Zealand Shipping Company (NZSC) was a shipping company whose ships ran passenger and cargo services between Great Britain and New Zealand between 1873 and 1973.

A group of Christchurch businessmen ^[1] founded the company in 1873, similar groups formed in the other main centres, to counter the dominance of the Shaw, Savill & Albion Line. There were seven initial directors: John Coster, George Gould, John Thomas Peacock, William Reeves, Robert Heaton Rhodes, John Anderson, and Reginald Cobb ^[2] ) representing the New Zealand Loan & Mercantile Agency. ^[3]

The similar groups of businessmen in Dunedin and Wellington soon joined this Christchurch company followed by the Auckland group. They completed the four-main-centre link in July 1873. ^{[4] [5]} John Johnston Wellington, John Logan Campbell Auckland, and Evan Prosser of Dunedin were elected to the main board. ^[6] A Captain Ashby opened an office off New Broad Street London and chartered two ships carrying 500 government emigrants: Punjaub 883 tons and Adamant 815 tons set to sail for Canterbury on 31 May and 20 June respectively with full cargo. ^[7] By November 1873 they had purchased two vessels, Hindostan and Dilfillan and chartered eighteen. Two 1,000 ton ships were scheduled to be launched the same month and named Waikato and Waitangi. ^[6]

The company gradually established a fleet of vessels, using Māori names for each. From 1875 the livery consisted of black hulls, white superstructure and yellow funnels. ^[8]

In 1882, the company's ships were equipped with refrigeration. ^[8] and a frozen meat service began from New Zealand to England.

Company policy dictated a stop at Pitcairn Islands, in the Pacific Ocean, to break the monotony of the ocean crossing.

Federal Steam Navigation Company

Former New Zealand Shipping Company Building in Napier, still displaying the NZSC logo

In 1894 Allan Hughes bought Money Wigram & Sons and renamed it King Steam Navigation, but changed the name to the Federal Steam Navigation Co Ltd (FSNC) in 1895. ^[9] Federal-Houlder-Shire Lines was established in 1904 by the merger of FSNC, Houlder Brothers and Company, and the Scottish Shire Line owned by Turnbull, Martin and Company. ^[10] On 3 January 1912 an agreement was reached whereby the New Zealand Shipping Company absorbed the Federal Steam Navigation Company, which at the time owned ten steamships trading between Australia, New Zealand and the UK. ^[11] Ships owned in 1912 were Wiltshire, ^[12] Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Durham, Essex, Kent, Norfolk, Shropshire (Rotorua from 1923), Somerset, Suffolk, Surrey and Sussex. ^[13] Argyllshire was bought from Scottish Shire Line in 1930. Federal Steam ships retained their house flag, and continued to be named after English counties, thereby retaining their Federal Steam identity. Federal Steam was registered in England for tax purposes, whereas the New Zealand Shipping Company continued to be registered in New Zealand.

World wars

In World War I the NZSC lost nine ships from a fleet of 32. ^[14] In World War II it lost 19 ships from a fleet of 36.^{[ citation needed ]}

Closure

The services of both companies were absorbed into P&O in 1973 after 100 years of service. ^{[15] [8]} P&O had bought NZSC in October 1916, ^[16] but left it largely independent. ^[17]

Ships

NZSC operated numerous ships, some purpose built, others acquired from other operators by purchase, lease or charter.

Ship	Type	Date launched	Date acquired	Date disposed	Fate/ next assignment
Aorangi	refrigerated cargo and passenger steamship	1883		1914	Scrapped 1925
British King	cargo and passenger ship	1881	chartered 1882 [18]	1884	Scuttled at Port Arthur 1904
Coptic	cargo and passenger steamship	1881	chartered 1883	1884	Scrapped 1926
Doric	cargo and passenger steamship	1883	chartered 1883	1884	Wrecked 1911
Fenstanton	steamship	1882	chartered 1883	1884	Grounded and wrecked
Hurunui (1)	cargo and passenger sailing ship	1875		1883	Collided and sank Waitara, 22 June 1883 [19]
Hurunui (2)	refrigerated cargo steamship	1911		1918	Sunk by torpedo off The Lizard by U-94, 18 May 1918 [20]
Hurunui (3)	refrigerated cargo steamship	1921		1940	Sunk by torpedo on 15 October 1940 by U-93 [21]
Ionic	cargo and passenger ship	1883	chartered 1883	1884	Scrapped 1908
Kaikoura (1)	cargo and passenger steamship	1884		1899	Sold to British India Steam Navigation Company
Kaikoura (2) [22]	refrigerated cargo and passenger steamship	1903		1926	Sold
Kaipara [22]	refrigerated cargo and passenger steamship	1903		1914	Stopped and sunk by SMS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, 16 August 1914 [23]
Mataura (1)	barque	1868	1874 (former Dunfinnan)	1894	Sold and renamed Alida. Wrecked 1900 [22]
Mataura (2) [22]	refrigerated cargo and passenger steamship	1896		1898	Wrecked in the Strait of Magellan 12 January 1898 [24]
Opawa	refrigerated cargo motor ship	1931		1942	Sunk by U-106, 6 February 1942 [25]
Orari	refrigerated cargo motor ship	1931		1958	Sold to Italy and renamed Capo Bianco [26]
Otaio	refrigerated cargo motor ship	1930		1941	Sunk by U-558, 28 August 1941 [27]
Otaki (1)	sailing ship	1875		1896	Sold and renamed Dr. Siegert
Otaki (2)	refrigerated cargo and passenger steamship	1908		1917	Sunk by the German raider SMS Möwe 10 March 1917
Otaki (3)	refrigerated cargo steamship	1919		1934	Sold to Clan Line and renamed Clan Robertson
Otaki (4)	refrigerated cargo motor ship	1953		1967	Transferred to Federal Steam Navigation Co
Otorama [22]	steamship	1890	former Sea King	1902	Sold
Papanui [22]	steamship	1898		1909	Sold
Paparoa [22]	refrigerated cargo and passenger steamship	1899			17 March 1926 caught fire in the South Atlantic, scuttled by HMS Birmingham [28]
Piako (1)	clipper	1877			Sold, lost 1900 [22]
Piako (2)	refrigerated cargo steamship	1920	1920 (former War Orestes)	1941	Sunk by torpedo on 18 May 1941 by U-107
Piako (3)	refrigerated cargo and passenger ship	1961	1962	1979	Sold to Blue Ocean Compania Maritima SA. Scrapped 1984
Rakaia	cargo and passenger motor ship	1944	1946 (former Empire Abercorn)	1971	Scrapped
Rakanoa[ citation needed ]
Rangitane (1)	passenger motor ship	1929	1929	1940	Sunk by shellfire by the German raiders Orion and Komet, 26 November 1940 [29]
Rangitane (2)	passenger motor ship	1949	1949	May 1968	Sold to CY Tung, Scrapped Taiwan, 1976
RMS Rangitata	passenger motor ship	26 March 1929	1929	1962	Scrapped
RMS Rangitiki	passenger motor ship	1929	1929	1962	Scrapped
Rangitoto	passenger motor ship	1949	1949	1969	Sold to CY Tung, Scrapped Hong Kong, 1976
Remuera (1)	passenger steamship	1911		1940	Sunk by aerial torpedo 26 August 1940
Remuera (2)	steam cargo and passenger steamship	1947	1961 (former Parthia)	1964	Sold to Eastern & Australia Steamship Company. [30]
Rimutaka (1) [22]	steamship	1884		1900	Sold to British India Steam Navigation Company
Rimutaka (2)	refrigerated cargo and passenger ship	1901		1930	Scrapped
Rimutaka (3)	refrigerated cargo and passenger steamship	1922	1938 (former Mongolia)	1950	Sold to Incres Shipping Company
Rotorua (1)	refrigerated cargo and passenger steamship	1910		1917	Sunk by torpedo on 22 March 1917 by SM UC-17
Rotorua (2)	refrigerated cargo and passenger steamship	1910	1936 (former Shropshire)	1940	Sunk by torpedo on 11 December 1940 by U-96 [31]
Ruahine (1)	steamship	1891		1900	Sold
Ruahine (2)	refrigerated cargo steamship	1909		1949	Sold to Italian owners; scrapped 1957
Ruahine (3)	passenger motor ship		1951	1968	re-registered in Hong Kong; scrapped 1974
Ruapehu (10)	efrigerated cargo and passenger ship	1901		1931	Sold for scrap 5 August 1931
Stad Haarlem	cargo and passenger ship	1875	leased 1879
Tekoa [22]	steamship	1890		1902	Sold
Tongariro	passenger and cargo steamship	1883	1883	1899	Sold to British India Steam Navigation Company
Tongariro	1901			1916	Wrecked on Bull Rock, 30 August 1916 [32]
Tongariro	1925			1960	Scrapped
Turakina (1) [22]	refrigerated cargo and passenger steamship	1902		1917	Sunk by torpedo in the Western Approaches by U-86, 13 August 1917 [33]
Turakina (2)	steamship	1923	1923	1940	Sunk by shellfire in the Tasman Sea by the German raider Orion, 20 August 1940 [34]
Waikato [22]	sailing ship	1874		1898	Sold
Waimate [22]	refrigerated cargo and passenger ship	1896		1925	Scrapped
Waitara	cargo and passenger sailing ship	1863	1873 (former Hindustan)	1883	Wrecked following a collision with Hurunui [19]
Wakanui [22]	refrigerated cargo and passenger steamship	1899		1913	Sold
Warrimoo	passenger steamship	1892	1899	1901	Sold to Union Company
Whakatane [22]	refrigerated cargo steamship	1900		1924	Sold

House flags

• 
  House flag
• 
  For ships powered by both sail and steam, a flag with an additional pennant was used. ^[35]
• 
  Sometimes the company used a flag with black letters.
• 
  Another flag commonly used in the long history of the company, most often along with other flags. It was originally a flag of the Federal Steam Navigation Company. ^[36]

See also

• NZ Shipping Co Ltd v A M Satterthwaite & Co Ltd, a leading case on contract law
• SS Cambridge
• SS Hertford
• SS Huntingdon
• SS Waikato
• MV Nottingham
• Isthmian Steamship Company
• Owen Cox

References

1. News of the Day The Press 21 November 1872 page 3
2. News of the Day The Press 4 September 1873 page 2
3. "Commercial". Lyttelton Times . Vol. XXXIX, no. 3748. 25 January 1873. p. 2. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
4. New Zealand Freight Company Limited Auckland Star 4 July 1873 page 2
5. The South New Zealand Herald 12 August 1873 page 3
6. ??? The Press, 11 November 1873, page 2
7. Shipping New Zealand Herald 14 July 1873 page 2
8. "M V Rangitata". Archived from the original on 17 June 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2009.
9. "Federal Steam Navigation Co - Graces Guide". www.gracesguide.co.uk. 26 September 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2023.^{[ self-published source? ]}
10. "F-H-S Lines". natlib.govt.nz. 1906. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
11. Waters 1939, p. 59.
12. "THE WILTSHIRE". Newcastle Morning Herald & Miners' Advocate . 29 April 1912. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
13. "Federal Company's fleet. Press". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 5 January 1912. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
14. Waters 1939, p. 68.
15. Crossed Flags Ships Monthly March 2025 page 48-53
16. "The shipping fusion. Press". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 19 October 1916. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
17. "New Zealand Shipping Company". www.poheritage.com. 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
18. "'". Otago Daily Times . No. 6577. 14 March 1883. p. 4.
19. "Collision And Loss Of 27 Lives". The Cornishman . No. 258. 28 June 1883.
20. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Hurunui". Uboat.net. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
21. "Hurunui". uboat.net. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
22. Cyclopaedia of New Zealand. 1906.
23. "British Merchant Ships Lost to Enemy Action: Part 1 of 3 – Years 1914, 1915, 1916 in date order". World War 1 at Sea. Naval History. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
24. "'". The Press. Canterbury, NZ. 29 January 1898.
25. "Opawa". uboat.net. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
26. "Orari". uboat.net. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
27. "Otaio". uboat.net. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
28. Chipchase, Nick; Allen, Tony (5 February 2020). "SS Paparoa (+1926)". Wrecksite. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
29. Allen, Tony; Vleggeert, Nico (28 October 2015). "MV Rangitane (+1940)". Wrecksite. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
30. Mills, Elspeth (2004). The Fleet 1840–2010. ISBN   978-0-9542451-8-4.^{[ page needed ]}
31. Green, Roger M (15 October 2014). "Loss of the SS Rotorua – 11 Dec 1940". WW2 People's War.
32. New Zealand liner wrecked The Times 31 August 1916 page 3
33. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Turakina". Uboat.net. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
34. Allen, Tony (20 August 2017). "SS Turakina (+1940)". Wrecksite. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
35. "House flag, New Zealand Shipping Co. Ltd | Royal Museums Greenwich".
36. "British shipping companies (N)".

Bibliography

• Clarkson, John (1995). New Zealand and Federal lines. Preston, U.K.: J. & M. Clarkson. ISBN   0-9521179-5-9. OCLC   35599714.
• McLean, Gavin (2001). Captain's Log: New Zealand's Maritime History (Softcover). Auckland, NZ: Hodder Moa Books. ISBN   1-86958-881-9.
• Waters, Sydney D (1939). Clipper Ship to Motor Liner: The story of the New Zealand Shipping Company 1873–1939. London: The New Zealand Shipping Company Ltd.

External links

• 1906 poster advertising the Federal-Houlder-Shire Lines
• RMS Rangitata Archived 8 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine
• Boyle, Ian. "New Zealand Shipping Company NZSC Page 3: 1915–1939". Simplon Postcards.
• Shaw, Jeffrey (2 November 2013). "New Zealand Shipping Vessels". Australian Trade & Shipping. – fleet list