Inman Line
The Inman Line was a British shipping company of the late 19th century based in Liverpool , which maintained a regular service to Philadelphia and later to New York City .
history
In 1850, the Liverpool & Philadelphia Steam Ship Company was founded by businessman William Inman to maintain a regular service from Liverpool to Philadelphia. Inman showed courage in using only iron screw steamers from the start , a type of ship that was only just beginning to prove itself in transatlantic traffic. The shipping company did not receive any government subsidies, but Inman managed to break into the monopoly of emigrant transport of packet sailors , which made for a good living. Inman was the first to take tween deck passengers to North America by steamship. The ships were easy to recognize by the fact that all names began with the prefix "City of ....."; They also had a clipper steven that made them look almost like sailing ships.
Business was good. The flow of emigrants increased steadily, the screw steamers used 50 percent less coal than the paddle steamers and were very economical. In 1854 the shipping company had to cope with two heavy losses. The City of Glasgow (the line's first ship) was lost in the Atlantic, and the newly built steamer City of Philadelphia sank on its maiden voyage at Cape Race . But Inman did not give up, instead of Philadelphia, New York became the new terminal in 1857, and the shipping company was now called Liverpool, New York & Philadelphia Steamship Company . The prospect of higher profits had probably induced Inman to take this step, but at the same time there was a threat of intensified competition.
In 1869 the City of Brussels won the Blue Ribbon for Inman for the first time with more than 14 knots, Cunard's paddle steamers were defeated. In 1870 there was new competition from the fast ships of the White Star Line . The shipping company ran into financial difficulties and had to be converted into a stock corporation in 1875 . The shipping company changed its name again to Inman Steamship Company Ltd. In the same year, the City of Berlin regained the Blue Ribbon, but shortly thereafter lost it again to the White Star Line. In 1879 the Guion Line intervened with the Arizona in the competition, which further intensified the competition.
In 1881 Inman countered with the City of Rome , with 8415 GRT at that time the largest ship in the world and an imposing appearance with its three funnels. Her speed, however, was disappointing: instead of 18, she ran just 16 knots, too slow to chase the Blue Ribbon from the Guion Line.
Inman died shortly after the City of Rome was launched . The descent of the Inman Line could not be stopped, in 1883 the City of Brussels sank after a collision and the remaining fleet urgently needed to be renewed. The crossing took two days longer than the competition. There was a lack of money, with a book value of the fleet of £ 168,500, the liabilities were £ 265,500. The Inman Line showed how deadly a failing blue ribbon racer could look in this relentless competition.
In 1886 the Inman Line went into voluntary liquidation in order to enable a new establishment. The Inman & International Steamship Co. Ltd. was created. The owner was the US shipping company International Navigation Company , based in Philadelphia. The fleet was modernized and two newbuildings were commissioned from the J. & G. Thomson shipyard in Glasgow. They put everything that had been there before in the shade. In 1888 the sister ships City of Paris and City of New York were launched, with 10,499 GRT they were the largest passenger ships built to date. The City of Paris then also recaptured the Blue Ribbon from Cunard's Etruria and Umbria for Inman. The White Star countered with Teutonic and Majestic , but lost it again to Inmans City of New York in 1889 .
In 1892 the US Congress decided by special law that the Inman ships could be bought in the USA. The Inman Line was dissolved in 1893 and its former ships were registered for the American Line , a shipping company of the International Navigation Company . The “City of…” has been removed from the names of the ships. A name that had decisively shaped the image of the transatlantic service disappeared forever.
Ships of the Inman Line 1850–1889
| year | Surname | tonnage | shipyard | Status / fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | City of Glasgow | 1610 GRT | Tod & McGregor, Glasgow | Lost in the Atlantic in 1854 (480 dead) |
| 1851 | City of Manchester | 2125 GRT | Tod & McGregor, Glasgow | Sold in 1871 |
| 1854 | City of Philadelphia | 2168 GRT | Tod & McGregor, Glasgow | Sunk on her maiden voyage at Cape Race in 1854 |
| 1855 | City of Washington | 2538 GRT | Tod & McGregor, Glasgow | Sunk at Sable Island (Canal) in 1873 |
| 1855 | City of Baltimore | 2538 GRT | Tod & McGregor, Glasgow | 1874 Hall Line sold in Fivaller renamed |
| 1855 | City of Bristol | 2215 GRT | Tod & McGregor, Glasgow | 1871: 2,655 BRT / sold to Italy in 1881 |
| 1855 | City of Edinburgh | 2197 GRT | Tod & McGregor, Glasgow | Sold in 1872 |
| 1861 | City of New York (I) | 2360 GRT | Tod & McGregor, Glasgow | Stranded and abandoned near Queenstown, Ireland in 1864 |
| 1863 | City of London | 2536 GRT | Tod & McGregor, Glasgow | 1869: 2765 BRT / 1878 sold |
| 1863 | City of Cork | 1547 GRT | Tod & McGregor, Glasgow | Sold in 1871 to Italy Mediterraneo renamed |
| 1863 (1855) | City of Limerick | 1529 GRT | Smith & Rodgers, Glasgow | 1855 ex African / 1863 to Inman / 1870: 2536 BRT / 1880 sold |
| 1864 | City of Dublin | 2138 GRT | Smith & Rodgers, Glasgow | 1873 Dominion Line sold in Quebec renamed |
| 1865 | City of New York (II) | 2642 GRT | Tod & McGregor, Glasgow | 1883 Allan Line sold in Norwegian renamed |
| 1865 | City of Boston | 2278 GRT | Tod & McGregor, Glasgow | Lost in the Atlantic in 1870 (191 dead) |
| 1866 | City of Paris (I) | 2566 GRT | Tod & McGregor, Glasgow | 1870: 3500 BRT / sold in 1884 |
| 1867 | City of Antwerp | 2391 GRT | Tod & McGregor, Glasgow | 1879 Johnston Line sold in Thanemore renamed |
| 1869 | City of Brussels | 3747 GRT | Tod & McGregor, Glasgow | Sunk after collision on the River Mersey in 1883 (10 dead) |
| 1869 | City of Brooklyn | 2911 GRT | Tod & McGregor, Glasgow | 1879 Dominion Line sold in Brooklyn renamed |
| 1872 | City of Montreal | 4451 GRT | Tod & McGregor Ltd., Glasgow | Burned out on the Atlantic in 1887 |
| 1873 | City of Chester | 4770 GRT | Caird & Co. Ltd., Greenock | 1893 American Line transfer and Chester renamed |
| 1873 | City of Richmond | 4770 GRT | Tod & McGregor Ltd., Glasgow | Sold in 1891 |
| 1875 | City of Berlin | 5526 GRT | Caird & Co. Ltd., Greenock | 1893 American Line transfer and in Berlin renamed |
| 1881 | City of Rome | 8415 GRT | Barrows Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Barrows | 1882 because of tech. Defects returned to the shipyard |
| 1883 | City of Chicago | 4202 GRT | Charles Connell & Co. Ltd., Glasgow | Stranded near Ireland in 1892 and abandoned |
| 1888 | City of New York (III) | 10,499 GRT | J. & G. Thomson Ltd. , Glasgow | 1893 American Line transfer and in New York renamed |
| 1889 | City of Paris (II) | 10,499 GRT | J. & G. Thomson Ltd. , Glasgow | 1893 American Line transfer and in Paris renamed |
