Thomas Royden and Sons
of Liverpool
1859 Thomas Royden took his two sons, Thomas Bland Royden and Joseph Royden, into partnership and the company was renamed Thomas Royden & Sons.[1]
1863 The company made the transition from building wooden to iron-hulled ships, and the same year Sir Thomas Royden retired.[2]
1888 The company began operating its own ships, founding the Indra Line. This came to dominate the company's activities.[3]
1891 Built SS OBIDENSE, 2379 grt, with 423 nhp triple expansion engine by Fawcett, Preston and Co & Co. Ltd., Liverpool. Wrecked 1 January 1915 on a voyage from Rotterdam to New York. [4]
1893 Royden's sold their shipyard to concentrate on shipping operations and management. They sold the Indra Line to Blue Funnel Line in 1915, and from 1916 operated the Santa Clara Steam Ship Company on the South American route. The Santa Clara Company was sold to the Bristol City Line in 1930 finally bringing Royden's independent shipping operations to a close.[5]