The Fleets
Advertised to start services from Glasgow and Liverpool to New Orleans and from Glasgow to New York in the spring of 1872, but the first sailing to New Orleans took place in August 1872 and the first New York sailing was delayed for a year and started in April 1873. Although the State Line was registered in Britain, a large proportion of its capital had been subscribed in the United States, hence the ships' naming policy.
Unfortunately, the Guion, American and National Lines owned ships with similar names and to avoid confusion, the States Line added "State of" to the name of each ship. By 1874 a serious slump occurred in North Atlantic shipping and several ships were chartered to other companies or sold on completion. The New Orleans service was badly affected and was withdrawn in 1875. By the end of 1877, conditions improved and a weekly service to New York was started, but by the late 1880s, trade decreased and the company went into liquidation in 1890. The fleet and goodwill of the company were sold to Allan Line in 1891.
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
- 1872 - 1875 Glasgow - Liverpool - New Orleans
- 1873 - 1890 Glasgow - Larne - New York
Ships
| Name | Built | Additional Information | GRT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 1873 | 1873 renamed State of Alabama, 1891 sold to Allan Line but immediately re-sold. | 2,313 |
| Georgia | 1873 | 1873 renamed State of Georgia, 1891 sold to Allan Line, made two voyages, 1893 re-sold to Aberdeen Atlantic Line. | 2,490 |
| Louisiana | 1872 | 1874 renamed State of Louisiana, 1878 wrecked in Lough Larne, Northern Ireland. | 1,869 |
| Mikado | 1873 | 1879 chartered from D. R. McGregor & Co. for three voyages, 1880 returned to owners. | 3,034 |
| Minnesota | 1872 | 1873 renamed State of Minnesota, 1875 sold to Royal Mail Steam Packet Co. renamed Dee. | 1,858 |
| Pennsylvania | 1873 | 1873 renamed State of Pennsylvania, 1891 sold to Allan Line but immediately re-sold to Turkey renamed Medina. | 2,472 |
| State of Alabama | see Alabama. | ||
| State of California | 1891 | built for Allan Line. | 4,244 |
| State of Florida | 1874 | 1874 sold to Queen Line on completion and renamed Queen Margaret. 1880 made one voyage for State Line and then reverted to State of Florida. 1884 sunk in collision with Canadian barque Ponema, 1,200 miles west of Ireland; loss of 123 lives. | 3,138 |
| State of Georgia | see Georgia. | ||
| State of Indiana | 1874 | 1891 sold to Allan Line, made one voyage, 1893 sold to Turkey renamed Ismir. | 2,528 |
| State of Louisiana | see Louisiana. | ||
| State of Minnesota | see Minnesota. | ||
| State of Nebraska | 1880 | 1891 sold to Allan Line, 1902 scrapped. | 3,986 |
| State of Nevada | 1874 | 1875 chartered to Red Star Line for 7 voyages, 1876 returned to owners, 1891 sold to Allan Line, made 9 voyages, 1891 re-sold to Turkey renamed Mekke. | 2,488 |
| State of Pennsylvania | see Pennsylvania. | ||
| State of Virginia | see Virginia. | ||
| Virginia | 1873 | 1873 renamed State of Virginia, 1879 wrecked on Sable Island; loss of 9 lives. | 2,473 |