Seas Shipping Company, owner of the Robin Line was founded in 1920 in
New York City, New York
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. The Robin Line named all its ships starting with the word ''Robin''. Robin Line was intercoastal fleet started as the predecessor of the
Farrell Lines
Farrell Lines Incorporated was a boat company named in 1948 after James A. Farrell, Jr., and John J. Farrell, sons of James Augustine Farrell, president of US Steel. The company was previously known as American South African Lines (ASAL). It was ...
founded in 1948.
James A. Farrell, Jr. James Augustine Farrell Jr. (1901 - 1966) founded Farrell Lines with his brother.
Biography
He was born in 1901 to James Augustine Farrell. From his graduation from Yale University in 1924, he was a ship operator and owner. He and his brother an ...
, and John J. Farrell, sons of
James Augustine Farrell, president of
US Steel
United States Steel Corporation, more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an American integrated steel producer headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with production operations primarily in the United States of America and in several countries ...
founded the Robin Line.
Robin Line had two major stock holders the Lewis family and the Farrell family. In 1933, the two families ended their partnership and became rivals. The Robin line entered the
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
trade routes, competing against the Farrell Line. The two companies remained rivals until the death of Arthur W. Lewis, Jr. in 1954. Robin Line was sold to
Moore-McCormack
The Moore-McCormack Lines was a series of companies operating as shipping lines, operated by the Moore-McCormack Company, Incorporated, later Moore-McCormack Lines, Incorporated, and simply Mooremack, founded in 1913 in New York City. It ceased tr ...
Lines in 1957.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
Seas Shipping Company was active in
charter shipping with the
Maritime Commission
The United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 19 ...
and
War Shipping Administration
The War Shipping Administration (WSA) was a World War II emergency war agency of the US government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the United States needed for fighting the war. Both shipbuilding under the Maritime C ...
.
*Robin Line ports: New York, Walvis Bay, Luderitz, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban, Lourenço Marques, Beira, Dar es Salaam, Tanga, Zanzibar, Mombasa, Tamatave, Majunga, other Madagascar ports, and Mauritius.
World War II
Seas Shipping Company ships were used to help the World War II effort. During World War II Seas Shipping Company operated
Merchant navy ships for the
United States Shipping Board
The United States Shipping Board (USSB) was established as an emergency agency by the 1916 Shipping Act (39 Stat. 729), on September 7, 1916. The United States Shipping Board's task was to increase the number of US ships supporting the World War ...
. During World War II Sword Line, Inc. was active with
charter shipping with the Maritime Commission and War Shipping Administration. Seas Shipping Company operated
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were a ship class, class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost constr ...
s and
Victory ship
The Victory ship was a class of cargo ship produced in large numbers by North American shipyards during World War II to replace losses caused by German submarines. They were a more modern design compared to the earlier Liberty ship, were slig ...
s for the
merchant navy. The ship was run by its Seas Shipping Company crew and the
US Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
supplied
United States Navy Armed Guard
United States Navy Armed Guard units were established during World War II and headquartered in New Orleans.World War II U.S. Navy Armed Guard and World War II U.S. Merchant Marine, 2007-2014 Project Liberty Ship, Project Liberty Ship, P.O. Box 2 ...
s to man the deck guns and radio.
[World War II U.S. Navy Armed Guard and World War II U.S. Merchant Marine, 2007-2014 Project Liberty Ship, Project Liberty Ship, P.O. Box 25846 Highlandtown Station, Baltimore, M]
/ref>
Ships
*SS ''Eldena'' (1919)
* SS Robin Doncaster, SS ''Robin Doncaster'' (owned 1948 to 1957)
**type C2 ship with reefer storage and 12 passengers housing, for South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...
and East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa:
Due to the histori ...
service:
*SS ''Robin Wentley''
*SS ''Robin Locksley''
file:Liberty ship at sea.jpg, Liberty ship
Liberty ships were a ship class, class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost constr ...
of World War II
*SS ''Robin Tuxford''
*SS ''Robin Doncaster''
*SS ''Robin Kettering''
*SS ''Robin Sherwood''
*SS ''Robin Mowbray''
*SS ''Robin Goodfellow''
*SS ''Robin Hood''
*SS ''Robin Trent''
*SS ''Robin Kirk''
*SS ''Robin Gray'', scuttled in 1944 to make Omaha Beach
Omaha Beach was one of five beach landing sectors designated for the amphibious assault component of operation Overlord during the Second World War. On June 6, 1944, the Allies invaded German-occupied France with the Normandy landings. "Omaha" ...
breakwater.
* SS ''Robin Moor''
* (owned 1947 to 1957)
World war II ships
Victory ships
* SS ''Clovis Victory''
* SS ''Hibbing Victory''
* SS ''Gainsville Victory''
* SS ''Greenville Victory''
* SS ''Park Victory''
Liberty ships
* SS ''Robin Kettering''
* SS ''Arthur R. Lewis''
* SS ''William Moultrie''
* SS ''Aquarama'' (post war work)
* SS ''Sidney Lanier''
* SS ''James Gunn''
* SS ''Noah Brown''
* SS ''Irvin S. Cobb''
* SS ''Francis L. Lee''
* SS ''Nicholas Biddle''
* SS ''John Witherspoon''
* SS ''Ira Nelson Morris''
* SS ''Charles W. Stiles''
* SS ''Laura Bridgman''
*SS ''Amy Lowell''
*SS ''Walter Colton''
Other
*SS ''Empire Lynx'', torpedoed November 3, 1942, sank by while with Convoy SC 107
Convoy SC 107 was the 107th of the numbered series of World War II Slow Convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island to Liverpool. The ships departed New York City on 24 October 1942 and were found and engaged by a wolfpack of ...
.
*SS ''West Chetac'', torpedoed and sunk September 24, 1942 by ''U-175''
*SS ''West Imboden'', torpedoed and sunk April 21, 1942 by ''U-752''
See also
*World War II United States Merchant Navy
World War II United States Merchant Navy was the largest civilian Navy in the world, which operated during World War II. With the United States fighting a world war in all the world oceans, the demand for cargo and fuel was very high. Cargo and ...
*James River, Reserve Fleet
The James River Reserve Fleet (JRRF) is located on the James River in the U.S. state of Virginia at () near Fort Eustis. James River Reserve Fleet, a "ghost fleet,", is part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet. The Reserve Fleet ships in sto ...
References
{{WWII US ships
Defunct shipping companies of the United States