The Clan Line was a passenger and cargo shipping company that operated in one incarnation or another from the late nineteenth century and into the twentieth century.
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History
Foundation and early years
The company that would become the Clan Line was first founded as C. W. Cayzer & Company in Liverpool in 1877 by Charles Cayzer. It was set up to operate passenger routes between Britain and Bombay, India via the Suez Canal. The next year, Captain William Irvine joined the company and it was renamed Cayzer, Irvine & Company. In 1881 the company was joined by an influential Glasgow businessman, and the Clan Line Association of Steamers was established. The company opened a new head office at 109 Hope Street, Glasgow. Cayzer Irvine built and managed ships for the association and Cayzer himself retained ownership of the original six Clan ships. At the same time, they expanded their operations to South Africa. In 1890 the company became The Clan Line of Steamers Limited with Cayzer holding the majority interest. The company again expanded its operations with the purchase of the Persian Gulf Steam Ship Company in 1894, bringing four more ships into the company. They used these new assets to expand their routes into the Persian Gulf and to North America, and to begin to carry cargo. The company was incorporated in 1907 as Cayzer, Irvine & Company, Limited, with the Cayzer family retaining control. Charles Cayzer died in 1916, with his sons continuing to run the company. In 1918 they acquired and incorporated the assets of the Scottish Shire Line. Despite suffering losses in the First World War, the company had recovered by the 1930s to become the largest cargo carrying concern in the world.
The Clan Line at war and after
The Clan Line saw a large number of its ships either requisitioned by the British government, or otherwise used to ship vital supplies to Britain during the First and Second World Wars. Their ubiquitousness led to them being called the 'Scots Navy' and they were often in dangerous environments, at risk from mines, air attacks or German U-boats. During the Second World War the Clan Line lost a total of 30 ships. After the end of the war, the Clan Line commissioned six vessels of the Clan MacLaren class (commonly known as the MacL's) to replace war losses and resume a level of pre-war services. Construction started in 1946 and all six had entered service by 1949. Meanwhile the immediate shortage was alleviated by the acquisition of a number of wartime standard construction ships, such as the American Liberty ships. Most of these would continue to serve with the Clan Line fleet until 1962, by which time the first vessels of the Clan MacIver class were entering service. Meanwhile management attempted to further alleviate the shortfall with the purchase of the Thompson Steam Shipping Co. in 1952 and the conversion to motor ships throughout the 1950s.
Post war restructuring
In 1956 the Clan Line joined with the Union-Castle Line, King Line, and Bullard King & Company to form British & Commonwealth Shipping Limited. A number of transfers then took place between the component companies. They formed the Springbok Shipping Company in 1959 to take over the operations of their South African services, and several of the Clan Lines' ships were transferred to it. In 1961 the Springbok Shipping Company became part of Safmarine. Hector Whaling then joined British & Commonwealth Shipping in 1962.
Decline
By the 1980s, containerisation had caused the firms to lose profitability. The Clan Line began to run down the shipping side of the business, whilst diversifying into other areas. In 1980, the shipping concerns were placed under the responsibility of Turnbull, Martin & Co. Ltd., the former managers of the Scottish Shire Line, which was re-branded as Cayzer, Irvine Shipping Ltd. The final Clan Line voyage was made by MV Clan Macgregor in 1981. Cayzer, Irvine Shipping Ltd was re-branded and again as CI Shipping Ltd on 20 October 1986, and was finally dissolved in 1999. Meanwhile Cayzer, Irvine & Company Ltd had been re-branded as British & Commonwealth Group Management Ltd on 5 November 1987, and continued to operate until being placed under an Administration Order on 31 December 1988.
Shipping
The ships of the Clan Lines were often distinguishable by their names, which in the vast majority of cases had the prefix 'Clan'. Their funnel markings were black with two red bands divided by narrow black band, and they flew the house flag, which was a rectangular red flag bearing a white diamond with a red rampant lion in the centre.
