Pre-P&O Years

Created in 1873, the Eastern and Australian ‘Mail’ Steamship business Ltd ended up being the item of the agreement amongst the federal federal Government of Queensland and four Uk and Australian merchants to carry mails between Singapore, the Dutch East Indies, Queensland and Sydney (later stretching to Hong Kong and Melbourne). In 1880 the mail agreement wasn’t renewed and also the initial company ended up being later ended up. a brand new business had been created, The Eastern and Australian Steamship Company Ltd, since it ended up being now called, focused its resources from the Australia to Hong Kong path, ultimately distributing further east to Shanghai and Japan carrying people and cargo.

In old age, E&A encountered competition that is fierce Asia Navigation Company and Japan’s Nippon Yusen Kaisha, culminating into the takeover of E&A by Lord Inchcape in 1918. Despite Lord Inchcape’s place as P&O Chairman, plus the publication of E&A’s details in a few P&O handbooks, E&A proceeded to occur as a completely independent entity until 1946 whenever P&O as well as its subsidiaries Uk India Steam Navigation Company and Union Steam Ship business of the latest Zealand each acquired 25 % share aided by the Inchcape-owned Australasian United Steam Navigation business keeping the total amount. This arrangement proceeded for the next twenty years until 1966 whenever P&O acquired E&A outright.

First manned by Uk and later by Australian and Chinese crews, E&A ships played a prominent part in the growth for the Australian vendor aquatic. Through the inter-war years Eastern and Australian proceeded to use between Australia while the asia, even though the delivery channels had been somewhat modified. Vessels now sailed from Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Townsville to Rabaul, Manila, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Yokohama. The fleet had shrunk to only three passenger/cargo liners, the ex-BI Tanda and the ex-P&O Nellore and Nankin by the onset of the Great Depression in the 1930s. Continue reading →