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Shaw, Savill & Albion
Source: Duncan Haws
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In New Zealand an act was past to regulate the quality of its butter exports to Europe in 1907, also this year a reciprocal trade agreement with South Africa was signed further enhancing Shaw Savill's trading capabilities. White Star used the sailing ship SV Mersey to train its Cadet Officers, from 1909 Shaw Savill did likewise. Captain Noal became the Marine Superintendent and his design for Rangitira, a purpose built meat carrier was to be continued until 1961, the final ship being Iberic.
PAKEHA
W.S.S. Hartwell Bequest.
Built: 1910 by Harland & Wolff, Belfast.
Tonnage: 7,899 grt, 5,055 nrt.
Engines: Twin screw, 2 x Triple expansion by builder, 5,600 IHP, 13 Knots.
Passengers: 1,000 Steerage.
Launched 26th May 1910, completed 20th August 1910.
Entered on the company's Wellington service she remained as such until being requisitioned by the Government in 1917. She was sold to the Admiralty in 1939 and camouflaged as the Battleship H.M.S. Revenge; the conversion included giving her a cruiser stern. In 1941 she underwent further conversion reverting to a refrigerated cargo ship for the Ministry of War Transport and renamed Empire Pakeha. Shaw Savill purchased her back in 1946 and she was hired back out to the Ministry of Food for use as a cold store, in 1950 she was released and handed back eventually being broken at Briton Ferry.
The company bought shares and a seat on the board of Devitt & Moore's Ocean Training Ships Ltd., in 1910 to further the sea going training of its Officer Cadets. Surprisingly Shaw Savill lost control of its own company shortly afterwards when Sir John Ellerman made shareholders an offer they couldn't refuse, result being that John Leslie and Robert Clark resigned from the board to be replaced by brothers Sir John and Harold Sanderson. The service from New Zealand to Montreal commenced this year utilising Aotea, Tokomaru, Karamea and Kumara.
Walter Savill died on the 1st of May 1911 as did company Chairman Edward Pembroke in the November, Harold Sanderson replaced Pembroke, and this action meant that none of the original team that had founded Shaw Savill remained.
ZEALANDIC
Tom Rayner Collection.
Built: 1911 by Harland & Wolff, Belfast.
Tonnage: 10,898 grt, 8,090 nrt.
Engines: Twin screw, Quadruple expansion by builder, 596 NHP, 14 Knots.
Launched 29th June 1911, completed 12th October 1911.
Built by White Star for the joint service she made her maiden voyage to Wellington on the 30th of October. On the 22nd of January 1913 she broke the record for the carriage of wool and later in the year was chartered by the Australian Government for use as an emigrant carrier. In the July of 1915 she was chased by a surfaced U-Boat and in July of 1917 joined the Liner Requisition Scheme, finally released on the 15th of June 1919. When the liner Garthsnaid got into difficulties in June of 1923 she first assisted and then finally towed the crippled ship into Melbourne, eventually awarded £6,350 as salvage. Transferred to George Thompson's Aberdeen Line in 1926 and renamed Mamilus on their Australian service. She returned to Shaw Savill in 1932 at the formation of the Cunard- White Star Company later being sold to the Admiralty in 1939 and converted to resemble the aircraft carrier Hermes. Her end came on the 4th of June 1941 when she hit a submerged wreck after an air attack near Cromer; having to beach she was finished off by a torpedo fired from an enemy E-Boat.
By Admiralty decree all essential food ships had to be fitted with two 4.7 inch guns in 1912 and the Tainui was the first company ship to be so equipped. In February of 1914 Shaw Savill and New Zealand Steam commenced a new joint service from Hull but on Britain's entry into the War on the 4th of August the service was terminated. Three of the company's ships which were in New Zealand at the time were immediately taken up as Troop Transports and carried Empire Troops to the Middle East. On the 30th of January 1915 when anchored in the roads off Le Havre, Tokomaru was torpedoed and sunk, all were saved. The government entered into a contract with all meat carriers for the duration on a break-even basis to charter all ships available for the carriage of meat from South America, consequently the New Zealand trade suffered greatly, so much so that compensation had to be paid. On the 30th of March 1916 Rangitira ran aground on Robin Island in Table Bay, it took her five months to break up during which time much of her cargo was saved. The Panama Canal opened in August, which saved Shaw Savill three days of passage time to New Zealand, thirty two as opposed to thirty five.
Delphic was torpedoed and sunk on the 16th of August 1917 with a loss of five lives when 135 miles off Bishops Rock, the company took delivery of Mahia and Mahana.
MAHANA
A. Duncan Collection.
Built: 1917 by Workman Clark, Belfast.
Tonnage: 11,796 grt, 7,509 nrt.
Engines: Twin screw, 4 x Parsons geared turbines by builder, 6,000 SHP, 13 Knots.
Passengers: 12 1st Class, 450 3rd Class.
Launched 11th January 1917, completed July 1917.
Mahana was taken up under the Liner Requisition Scheme in the April, three months before she was completed; she had the capacity to carry 1,500 emigrants added later. Her 3rd Class accommodation was removed in 1926 and she was converted for use as a cargo ship. The Ministry of War Transport didn't take up Mahana and her war was totally uneventful. In 1949 she was chartered by the Ministry of Food for use as a cold storage unit before being scrapped at Dalmuir in 1953.
On the 16th of March 1918 Matatua was torpedoed and sunk west of the Canaries, this was the third and final Shaw Savill ship to be lost, all the more remarkable when you consider other company's losses.
Ionic makes the company's first post war commercial sailing in January of 1919 and the Liner Requisition scheme ends in the February. Shaw Savill take delivery of three ex German Liners as part of Britain's reparations, they are Kigoma, Prinzessin and Wahehe.
1920 saw a substantial increase in Europeans wishing to leave a war torn Europe, accordingly Shaw Savill raised its number of vessels available to transport them to New Zealand. A new export from New Zealand made its premier appearance in the shops when the first of many cargoes of apples arrived; in this year 35,000 cases were imported. 1922 saw New Zealand commence its now controversial " British by Birth " immigration policy, once again Shaw Savill had to increase its tonnage available, this year also saw the introduction of the NZ Meat Producers Board. In 1924 John Potter retired as General Manager and John Macmillan succeeded him. 1926 saw the introduction of free passages for women under forty and children and the emphasis shifted from émigré's from Europe to the U.S.A. Lord Kylsant announced in the November that as from the 1st of January next his Royal Mail Co., would own Oceanic Steam Navigation Company thus acquiring Shaw Savill at the same time, in effect this made Royal Mail the biggest ship owner in tonnage terms. The holding company for Kylsant's empire was the White Star Line and along with Royal Mail owned Union Castle, Pacific Steam, Nelson Steam and Elder Dempster, a formidable fleet. Kylsant also owned all the shares in George Thompson, managers of Aberdeen Line and the world famous shipbuilders Harland & Wolff; he was also pro diesel and immediately ordered four of the same for Shaw Savill, the first for delivery was the Swan Hunter built Zealandic.
ZEALANDIC
Bert Singleton Collection.
Built: 1928 by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Newcastle.
Tonnage: 8,281 grt, 5,109 nrt.
Engines: Twin screw, 2 x 6 Cylinder Sulzer, 2S SA by Wallsend Slipway of Newcastle, 2,020 NHP, 15 Knots.
Passengers: 6 1st Class.
Delivered in the March as a mixed frozen meat and general cargo carrier. She continued in her commercial service until being torpedoed and sunk by U-106 three days out of Liverpool during a stormy night on the 17th of January 1941, all 74 onboard were lost.
1928 was the beginning of the end for Lord Kylsant, he started by borrowing money from his own companies for further acquisitions, the monies used were in fact loans from banks backed by trading collateral as opposed to the companies actual assets. In an attempt to maintain fluidity of funds within the group overdrafts were negotiated and drawn upon as and when required. In May Kylsant purchased the Australian Governments Commonwealth Line even though trade was in decline, the company was renamed Aberdeen & Commonwealth Line and managed by George Thompsons who named George Macmillan as Manager. To purchase Commonwealth Kylsant had used an Australian Treasury loan and when in the June he couldn't meet the repayments he offered 2nd Debenture stock in Royal Mail at attractive rates of interest by way of repayment. He over emphasised the companies worth and omitted to allow for taxes due in the prospectus issued, this brought about the resignation of his brother Viscount St David and hastened the retirement of the company Chairman Harold Sanderson on the grounds of ill health, he was replaced by Kylsant himself.
At the Annual General Meeting in 1929 Lord Kylsant took over the chair and John Macmillan was appointed General Manager of Shaw Savill and Aberdeen & Commonwealth. In 1930 Shaw Savill moved its operations to the Offices of Royal Mail in London at Leadenhall Street. For the first time in their respective histories both Oceanic and White Star posted losses, they were never again to achieve profits; dividends were paid out of current cash holdings. In the September of the following year Lord Kylsant resigned as Chairman of the group, he was later jailed for a year after a trial brought about by the issue of the 1928 prospectus, White Star Lines fortunes collapsed at the same time.
All of the companies that operated within the former Kylsant empire were affected, fortunately the " Royal Mail Scheme " saved all from extinction. Liquidators and receivers operated the scheme, having to break up the group in the process, fortunately for Shaw Savill its shares had been owned as opposed to absorbed and along with Aberdeen Line they took over White Star's joint service interests. In the subsequent shake up in 1933 Shaw Savill, P&O, Furness Withy, Orient Line and NZS took over the Aberdeen & Commonwealth Line, as Shaw Savill were the largest shareholder it fell to them to manage the company. A & C consisted of five liners; they were Esperance Bay, Hobsons Bay, Largs Bay, Moreton Bay and the famous due to its role later, Jervis Bay. However another change took place when Furness Withy along with the British Maritime Trust took over Shaw Savill in a share issue, Lord Essendon became the company's new chairman. With the depression coming to an end the company ordered three new "W" class ships.
WAIPAWA
B.A.Fielden.
Built: 1934 by Harland & Wolff, Belfast.
Tonnage: 12,437 grt, 7,650 nrt.
Engines: Twin screw, 2 x 10 Cylinder diesels by builder, 1,631 NHP, 16 Knots.
Refrigerated Space: 500,0000 cu ft.
Passengers: 12 Single Class.
Completed October 1934.
She was the only one of five sister ships to survive the war and took part in the allied landings at Sicily and those during the Italian campaign. She was sold to Astro Protector Cia Nav. S.A. of Greece in 1968 and renamed Aramis` for her final voyage before being delivered to the breakers at Kaohsiung.
In 1934 the great companies of Cunard and White Star became one in the same and part of the shake up involved Shaw Savill acquiring the formers Australian interests, Ceramic being one of them. The names White Star-Aberdeen Line and Blue Funnel Line disappeared in 1937 and the following year the company ordered the most powerful motor ship in the world, Dominion Monarch, she was to serve on the U.K.- N.Z. service via the Cape.
DOMINION MONARCH
P. Ransome-Wallis
Built: 1939 by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Newcastle.
Tonnage: 27,155 grt, 15,813 nrt, 17,360 dwt.
Engines: Quadruple screw, 4 Doxford Diesels, 32,000 BHP, 21 Knots.
Passengers: 517 1st Class, 385 Crew.
Launched on the 27th July, completed January 1939.
She was the second largest passenger ship completed on the Tyne, the biggest being Cunard's Mauretania and made her maiden voyage on the 16th of February. Taken up by the Government in August of 1940 for conversion into a Troopship, initially her number of troops carried was 1,382 but after extensive work the number rose to 4,000 a voyage. She made up a group of six liners that sailed unescorted except when in coastal waters and had an uneventful war returning to Shaw Savill in 1946. After an extensive refit that took fifteen months she commenced on her commercial service on the 17th of December 1948. Dominion Monarch made her final sailing to Wellington on the 30th of December 1961 and the following year was used as a floating hotel at Seatle's World Fair in the June. For her final voyage to the breakers she was renamed Monarch Maru and arrived at Osaka on the 25th of November.
In War Livery
Shaw Savill Line
As war loomed Shaw Savill were rung one morning at Leadenhall Street towards the end of August and asked for the disposition of certain of its fleet, in particular the Admiralty wanted to know the whereabouts of two ships, Jervis Bay and Arawa. Jervis Bay was in London and hadn't commenced to load for her next voyage to Australia, she was immediately redirected to a British yard for conversion into an A.M.C. Arawa was en route to New Zealand, the Admiralty then ordered that after discharging her cargo she was to make her way to Sydney for conversion to an A.M.C. also. The spokesman then confirmed that written confirmation would arrive the same day. At the outbreak of war Shaw Savill & Albion Co., Ltd owned twenty-six passenger/cargo ships of which seventeen were steam the remainder diesel.
Go to Shaw Savill Part Three