The Fleets
Formed in 1883 by Cairns and Noble, Newcastle, the company initially operated tramp ships, mainly to the Black Sea, Mediterranean and Baltic. In 1908, after several years of association with William Thomson and combining their services to Canada, the two companies merged to form Cairn-Thomson Line. Thomson Line operated passenger services between the Mediterranean and New York and a service from Southampton to Canada was later added. However, the three passenger liners were sold to Cunard Line in 1911. Thereafter, Cairn-Thomson Line carried only a maximum of 12 passengers, the limit for which a doctor did not have to be carried on board.
After the Great War, the company virtually abandoned tramping and concentrated on trans Atlantic operations. In 1928 the company's Newcastle and Leith trade to Canada was purchased by Furness, Withy & Co., but some cargo liners continued to operate independently, although services were co-ordinated with Furness, Withy to avoid wasteful competition.
The opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959 enabled the company's ships to sail direct to Toronto, Detroit, Duluth, Milwaukee and Chicago. In 1969 the last three cargo liners were transferred to other Furness, Withy companies and then sold on to foreign buyers. The remaining 85% of shares were purchased by Furness, Withy in 1967, but the name Cairn Line of Steamships was used to register ten small Mediterranean traders until 1983 when the Cairn Line finally disappeared.
Many thanks to Ted Finch for his assistance in collecting this data. The following list was extracted from various sources. This is not an all inclusive list but should only be used as a guide.
Routes
- 1883 cargo services to Baltic, Mediterranean and Black Sea.
- 1908 passenger services Mediterranean - New York.
- 1908-1911 Southampton - Canada.
- Cargo / passenger services Newcastle - Leith - Canada.
Ships
| Name | Built | Additional Information | GRT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellona | 1881 | 1908 transferred from Thomson Line, 1912 stranded off Newfoundland, refloated, sold to Canadian owners and 1914 renamed Desola, 1915 destroyed in Halifax explosion. | 2,932 |
| Cairnalt | 1882 | ex- Sarah, 1897 purchased from Harrowing Ltd renamed Cairnalt, 1915 sold to Finland renamed Hera. | 1,410 |
| Cairnavon (1) | 1892 | 1904 sunk in collision in Scheldt Estuary. | 1,562 |
| Cairnavon (2) | 1905 | 1917 sold to Christian Salvesen & Co. renamed Soutra. | 1,591 |
| Cairnavon (3) | 1920 | ex- Baarn, 1922 purchased from Royal Netherlands Steamship Co. renamed Cairnavon, 1925 wrecked near Buchan Ness Lightship. | 5,245 |
| Cairnavon (4) | 1941 | ex- Empire Snow, 1946 purchased from Ministry of War Transport renamed Cairnavon, 1961 sold to Lebanon renamed Vergolivada. | 6,339 |
| Cairnbahn | 1883 | ex- Trevider, 1898 purchased from Hain SS Co. renamed Cairnbahn, 1913 sold to Sweden renamed Igor. | 1,538 |
| Cairncrag | 1892 | ex- Great Northern, 1897 purchased from Great Northern SS Co., Newcastle renamed Cairncrag, 1909 wrecked on Dover Island, Strait of Canso. | 3,022 |
| Cairndhu (1) | 1885 | 1911 sold to Sweden renamed Orsa. | 1,368 |
| Cairndhu (2) | 1911 | 1917 torpedoed and sunk off Beachy Head; loss of 12 lives | 4,019 |
| Cairndhu (3) | 1919 | 1935 sold to Greece renamed Strymon. | 5,250 |
| Cairndhu (4) | 1952 | 1965 chartered to Manchester Liners renamed Manchester Exporter, 1969 sold to Greece renamed Gemini Exporter. | 7,503 |
| Cairndon | 1893 | ex- Phoenix, 1900 purchased from Phoenix SS Co. (Hoyland & Co.). London renamed Cairndon, 1915 sold to Lowlands Steam Shipping Co,
Newcastle renamed Lowdale. |
2,692 |
| Cairnesk (1) | 1888 | ex- Knutsford, 1898 purchased renamed Cairnesk, 1899 stranded at Snippan in Baltic, refloated but sank. | 2,128 |
| Cairnesk (2) | 1889 | ex- Leconfield, 1902 purchased renamed Cairnesk, 1911 sold to Sweden renamed Tuva. | 2,296 |
| Cairnesk (3) | 1926 | 1956 sold to Italy after 208 round voyages to Canada renamed Zermatt. | 5,007 |
| Cairnesk (4) | 1959 | laid down as Cairnesk, completed for Manchester Liners as Manchester Faith. | 4,411 |
| Cairnforth | 1958 | 1965 chartered to Manchester Liners renamed Manchester Freighter, 1969 sold to Royal Mail Line renamed Lombardy. | 8,105 |
| Cairnglen (1) | 1891 | 1912 sold to Sweden renamed R. F. Berg. | 1,565 |
| Cairnglen (2) | 1926 | 1940 wrecked at Marsden, off River Tyne. | 5,019 |
| Cairnglen (3) | 1959 | laid down as Cairnglen, completed for Manchester Liners as Manchester Fame. | 4,412 |
| Cairngowan (1) | 1883 | 1909 sold to Sweden renamed Odensvold. | 1,286 |
| Cairngowan (2) | 1911 | 1916 sunk by U-Boat gunfire NW of Fastnet. | 4,017 |
| Cairngowan (3) | 1919 | laid down as War Oriole, completed as Cairngowan, 1935 sold to Bright Navigation Co., London renamed Brightcomet. | 5,295 |
| Cairngowan (4) | 1952 | 1965 chartered to Manchester Liners renamed Manchester Engineer, 1966 reverted to Cairngowan, 1969 sold to Cyprus renamed Georgilis. | 7,503 |
| Cairnisla | 1896 | 1915 sold to Dixon & Son, Grimsby renamed West Marsh. | 1,597 |
| Cairnloch | 1895 | 1918 sold to Capel & Co., Newcastle renamed Capelbay. | 1,546 |
| Cairnlyon | 1882 | ex- Trelyon, 1895 purchased from Hain SS Co. renamed Cairnlyon, 1912 sold to Sweden renamed Elsie. | 1,428 |
| Cairnmona (1) | 1884 | ex- Southwold, 1899 purchased from F. Woods, London renamed Cairnmona, 1911 scrapped. | 1,766 |
| Cairnmona (2) | 1918 | 1939 torpedoed and sunk off Peterhead. | 4,666 |
| Cairnmore | 1892 | 1913 sold to Norway renamed Nord. | 1,627 |
| Cairnnevis | 1905 | 1917 sold to Christian Salvesen & Co. renamed Tolsta. | 1,587 |
| Cairnrona | 1900 | ex- Consuelo, 1908 purchased from Wilson Line renamed Cairnrona, 1911 sold to Cunard renamed Albania. | 6,025 |
| Cairnross (1) | 1894 | 1910 wrecked Tangiers. | 1,509 |
| Cairnross (2) | 1913 | 1918 torpedoed and sunk off Azores. | 4,016 |
| Cairnross (3) | 1921 | 1940 mined and sunk off River Mersey. | 5,494 |
| Cairnstrath | 1888 | ex- Fellbridge, 1901 purchased from Hoggarth & Woodruff, Cardiff renamed Cairnstrath, 1917 sold to Capel & Co., Newcastle. | 2,128 |
| Cairntorr (1) | 1903 | 1915 torpedoed and sunk in English Channel. | 3,588 |
| Cairntorr (2) | 1922 | 1928 wrecked off Cape Whittle, Labrador. | 5,387 |
| Cairnvalona | 1918 | 1952 scrapped after 180 round voyages to Canada. | 4,929 |
| Cervona | 1896 | 1908 transferred from Thomson Line, 1913 wrecked off Cape Race. | 3,779 |
| Devona | 1896 | 1908 transferred from Thomson Line, 1919 sold to Convoy SS Co., Dundee renamed Willkeno. | 3,779 |
| Fremona | 1887 | 1908 transferred from Thomson Line, 1917 torpedoed and sunk off Brittany; loss of 11 lives. | 2,922 |
| Gerona | 1911 | launched for Cairn Line but completed for Cunard as Ascania. | 9,111 |
| Hurona | 1892 | 1908 transferred from Thomson Line, 1919 sold to Charles M. Barnett, Dundee. | 3,432 |
| Iona | 1892 | 1908 transferred from Thomson Line, 1915 torpedoed and sunk off Fair Isle. | 3,344 |
| Jacona | 1889 | 1908 transferred from Thomson Line, 1915 mined and sunk off Troup Head; loss of 29 lives. | 2,969 |
| Keroula | 1880 | 1895 purchased from Porteous & Senior, London, 1903 wrecked Oland Island. | 1,547 |
| Latona | 1893 | ex- Warrigal, 1906 purchased from Blue Anchor Line renamed Latona, 1908 transferred from Thomson Line, 1908 sunk in collision off Wolf Rock. | 4,338 |
| Scatwell | 1911 | 1919 purchased from W. E. Hinde, Cardiff, 1928 sold to Greece renamed Antonis G. Lemos. | 4,425 |
| Tortona | 1909 | 1911 sold to Cunard renamed Ausonia. | 7,907 |
| Vespasian | 1887 | 1912 purchased from Parsons Turbine Company, 1913 scrapped. | 2,147 |