Shipping Line Histories - Brocklebank Line

Brocklebank Line
(Est. 1801)

RETURN TO THE LOBBY THE OCEAN LINER VIRTUAL MUSEUM

file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/ALEX%20NAUGHTON.OWNER-2TYZC0SV7/My%20Documents/My%20Pictures/House%20Flags/Brocklebank%20Line%20house%20flag.gif

Founded in 1801 as Thos.& Jno.Brocklebank, Whitehaven, with one sailing ship, the company traded mostly with coal. With the abolition of the Hon. East India Company's trading monopoly to India in 1813, Brocklebank entered the India trade, which became its mainstay field of operation, but the company also traded to North and South America and to the West and East Indies. In 1819, the company moved from Whitehaven to Liverpool which became its terminus port. A London to China Treaty Ports service began in 1858 and in 1860 regular services to Brazil ceased.

Although the Suez Canal opened in 1869, Brocklebanks continued to operate sailing ships to India via the Cape for another 30 years. Its first steamship was built in 1889, but sailing ships were also operated until 1901. In 1906, Brocklebank invested in Shire Line (David Jenkins & Company) and transferred five ships to this company which ran sailings to Japan.

Jenkins was bought out in 1907 by Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, who now became partners and in 1911 purchased the remainder of the shares in the Shire Line. The same year, Brocklebanks sold its shares to members of the Cunard board of directors and the same year, Cunard purchased Anchor Line and Anchor-Brocklebank Limited was formed. Tyzack & Branfoot's Well Line of Sunderland was taken over in 1916.

During World War II, the company lost many ships and owned only eleven in 1945, but the independence of India and Pakistan in 1947 brought stringent trading regulations by these countries and Brocklebank's trade to this area was more than halved. The closure of the Suez Canal from June, 1967 to January, 1971 following the Egypt - Israel War caused ships to make a 5,000 mile detour in both directions round the Cape of Good Hope and this, together with containerisation ultimately led to the end of Brocklebank trade to India.

In 1968, Cunard-Brocklebank Limited was formed and ships were pooled between the two companies, but financial losses continued and the last two Brocklebank liveried ships were sold in 1983 and the company disappeared.

In 1968 Cunard-Brocklebank Ltd was created to pool the cargo services of the two companies. In 1970 the activities of Cunard Line's subsidiary companies (Cunard-Brocklebank, Port Line, Moss Tankers and Offshore Marine) were coordinated by the formation of Cunard Cargo Shipping Services Ltd. At this time there was still a need for cargo shipping and this company focussed on this trade. By the early 1970s container shipping was taking over the cargo business and gradually Cunard Line's cargo subsidiaries were discontinued.

Thus Brocklebank Line was another fine British shipping company that disappeared as a result of the container revolution in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was the end of an era as traditional shipping gave way to containerisation.

Cunard Line
www.cunard.co.uk