J. and A. Allan
of Glasgow, London, and 19 James Street, Liverpool, shipowners.
1819 Alexander Allan began running vessels to and from Canada continuously when his vessel, the "Jean," sailed from the Clyde to Canada.
Established connections with North and South America.
Alexander's son James later became responsible for the Glasgow end of the business, and was joined in that enterprise by his youngest brother, Alexander.
1864 The iron paddle steamers Lake Ontario and Bay of Kandy were built by Stephens for Messrs. J. and A. Allan (presumably the brothers James and Alexander Allan)
1866/67 An iron paddle tug, the Topsy, and the iron sailing-ship, Abeona, were built by Stephens for the Allans, the latter for the Glasgow-Montreal route
1897 The Allan Line Steamship Co was registered
1898 Allan Brothers and Co was incorporated as managers of the Allan Line
1900 The next vessel the Allans ordered from a Stephens yard was the Tunisian, built to carry passengers and cargo on the Glasgow-Montreal route.
1905 They took delivery of the TSS Victorian and TSS Virginian, the first large liners to be fitted with turbo-machinery, but coal consumption was excessive so the next two ships built at Linthouse for the Allan Line, in 1907, had reciprocating engines. These two ships, the Grampian and Hesperian, were intermediate passenger and cargo vessels which carried emigrant traffic to Canada.
Pre-WWI The Allans sold their business to the Canadian Pacific Railway (later the Canadian Pacific Steamship Co).
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] Allan family