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Bibby
Line Group
(Est. 1807) |
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 Ever since it was founded, Bibby Line has always been located in Liverpool. Indeed today its head office is still located there. It has successfully survived many ups and downs during the 19th and 20th centuries and can today lay claim to being one of the world's oldest shipping companies still in private ownership. Early Years: Bibby Line was founded in 1807 by John Bibby. He was the fourth of the five sons of a farmer in Eccleston, near Ormskirk. As the family holding was not large enough to provide a living for all the sons. John had no hesitation to head for Liverpool. He found his first job with an iron merchant but longed to run his own business. In 1805 John Bibby married Mary Mellard who brought into the marriage a quarter of her fathers' £10,000 fortune. This money helped John to set up his shipping business. John Bibby's interst in ships began in 1801 when he acquired a share in the small 60-ton Dove in partnership with his friend John Highfield with whom he had formed a merchant business. John and Mary had four sons and two daughters. Three of the four sons, Joseph, John and James joined their fathers business. Thomas, the third son, went to St John's College, Cambridge to take a BA and MA in theology. At the beginning of the 19th century ship owning on its own was not an attractive proposition. Priates, shipwrecks and dishonest masters were just a few of the risks taken by the ship owner. Sailing ships, at the mercy of the weather, could not sail to fixed schedules, and the lack of effective business communications meant that a vessel could wait months in lay up for repairs and re-equipment. The profits of a voyage came from the sale of the goods exported and the raw materials importe. In effectmerchants often used their sailing ships as their own delivery and collection vehicles. The first Bibby ships regularly sailed as post boats, amongst others, from Parkgate to Dublin. However they were soon also trading in the Baltic and to South America. But it was in the Mediterranean where the Bibby fleet began to establish its reputation. By the mid 1830s the Bibby fleet consisted of some 18 vessels mainly bound for Mediterranean ports, but also sailing for Bombay, and even further east to Canton. The total tonnage of the Bibby fleet at that time was something like 5,500 tons. Not a lot by today's standards, but quite a respectable size for that time. The ships carried varied cargoes sailing from Liverpool with textiles, pottery, and manufactured goods of every kind, and bringing back fruit and wine from the Mediterranean and Portugal; hides from South America; spices, silk and cotton from India; and from Demerara, sugar, wood, coffee, cotton, molasses and rum. The first vessels were small and cheap. But from 1812 Bibby started to acquire ships being built specifically for them. John Bibby became a very prosperous man. He was a shareholder in the Royal Bank of Liverpool and also an extensive property owner. But success seems to always run in peaks and troughs and the Bibbys were no exception. Johns wife Mary died young and he never remarried. Whilst at the height of his business success, tragedy struck on the 16th July 1840. The following day a farmer named Henry Ambrose noticed a hat floating in a pond at Stand Park, a farm north of where today there is Aintree Racecourse. On closer examination he discovered a body of a man. It was John Bibby. Police investigations eventually concluded that he had been robbed, knocked senseless and carried to the pond where he was thrown in and drowned before he could regain consiousness. John Bibby bequeathed to his sons a substantial shipping business with a flourishing Mediterranean trade. At his death his estate was valued at almost £25,000, a considerable sum in those days. Brothers John and James took over the management of the business and of the two it was James who took the most interest in shipping. James wanted to invest more in shipping, but John was very nervous about this and eventually withdrew to concentrate on the yellow metal and copper business. James recognised that this was a period of change for the shipping world and for the Bibby fleet. Steam vessels had been around since 1812, and iron ships since 1819, but Lloyd's Register only recognised each type of vessel as seaworthy in 1822 and 1837 respectively. In 1838 the screw propeller was introduced. James Bibby was far sighted enough to recognise the virtues of iron steamers sooner than many of his competitiors in Liverpool and by 1850 he had invested in serveral iron screw steamers. By 1856 the Bibby fleet consisted of 13 steamers and 5 sailing ships. Regular services continued to the Mediterranean and Black Sea ports. In 1859 he started the famous association with what was to become the Belfast shipyard of Edward Harland, later known as Harland & Wolff. James Bibby became friendly with Edward Harland who advised him on technical aspects. This resulted in orders being placed for 6 steamers in 1860. Of Harland's first 21 ships, 18 were built for the Bibby fleet. It is arguable that without the biby family there probably would have been no Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast. Whilst the ships delivered from Harland & Wolff became larger and longer, their motive power did not advance. The single stage expansion steam engines consumed coal at an alarming rate and needed larger onboard bunkers at the expense of cargo. The more economical compound engine became available in the 1860s and most Bibby vessels were adapted to use it and all new ships were fitted with it. When the Suez Canal opened in 1869 it rang the death knell for the sailing ship and confirmed the superiority of the steamer by substantially reducing voyage times to the East. The opening of the Canal had a significant impact on the operations of John Bibby, Sons & Company. P&O had built new steamers specifically to use the Canal and naturally no longer had any need of the previously given assistance from the Bibby fleet. Bibbys found themselves with a number of steamers, which were too large for the reduced trade to Alexandria, and transferred these vessels to an Atlantic service to Boston, USA. This innovation was the suggestion of Frederick Leyland, the accountant for John Bibby, Sons & Company, who had become a partner in 1859. Leyland had started work as a clerk, aged 14, but he was undoubtedly a man of talent, and James Bibby recognised this when, in 1873 at the age of 60, he was persuaded by Leyland to retire from the business for the life of a country gentleman. James' trust was severely betrayed when Leyland's ambitions outstripped his loyalty and he took down the Bibby nameplate and replaced it with his own. So Leyland acquired a majority shareholding in the firm, although James Biby still retained a minority interst himself. The Burma Trade: Shipping, however, runs in the veins of the Bibbys and in 1880, as steam became supreme in shipping and Liverpool had taken over first place from London as Britain's principal port, James Bibby re-entered the shipping business with two new ships. By coincidence his nephews Arthur and Herbert Bibby (sons of Thomas Bibby, the clergyman) had fallen out with the other directors of the Beaver Line of which they were members at this time and had resigned from the board. Arthur was looking for another and more independent opportunity to become involved in shipping management. Both James and Arthur saw the vast potential in the Burma trade and in March 1888 Bibbys placed their first order with Harland & Wolff since 1870. Two steamers, the Lancashire and Yorkshire, were delivered as general cargo ships and two years later in 1890 were converted into passenger ships for the Burma service. With these two vessels the tradition of naming Bibby vessels after English shire counties began and still continues today. The one-class only passenger liners Shropshire and Cheshire followed in 1891, and a further four ships were ordered from Harland & Wolff by 1897 as troopships for the Burma service. The Lancashire left Liverpool for Rangoon in July 1891 on the first of the Bibby Line's scheduled passenger and cargo services. Her four masts and tall, pink black-topped funnel, the insignia of the Bibby Line, became a familiar sight for successive generations. She recorded the best time of the run to Rangoon at the time at 23 days and 20 hours. Bibby Line took on with relish the existing operators on the Burma run. Bibby's superiority lay in their more modern steamers and soon the competition was feeling the strain. Services were also started to Colombo in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Here the developing tea and rubber estates not only generated profitable cargoes, but also further opportunities for passenger traffic, since most of the estates were managed by Europeans. This of course ruffled the feathers of the existing lines already calling at Colombo, including P&O. Bibby vessels regularly carried rice from Rangoon to Colombo where it was discharged and replaced by tea. This double freight homewards was a welcome bonus. Lead, zinc, silver and other ores from the Burmese mines also began to fill the holds of Bibby steamers. The passenger service at first was slow but soon the ships began to take on board more and more passengers. The reliability of Bibby's twin screw steamers led the Government to approve them for colonial civil servants travelling to and from the East. During the first few years of operation the Bibby Line schedules earned an enviable record for nefver having been interrupted by an accident. The reputation of every liner company depended on its reliability and punctuality, and a serious accident to one of the fleet could prove to be a major setback. As well as maintaining Bibby's reputation for a modern fleet, which was essential for retaining passengers, the delivery of Derbyshire in 1897 at a cost of £130,000 allowed the company to have a spare vessel available. At the start of 1897 James Bibby died at the venerable age of 84 leaving an estate valued at £1.8 million. He had poured £480,000 of his own money into the new shipping venture that bore his family name. It was a considerable act of faith but he knew that the Bibby Line under the management of his nephew Arthur was likely to be successful. On the outbreak of the Boer War it was found that the Bibby liners were eminently suitable for troop transports since they had two decks above the waterline for housing the troops, one more than was usual. The extra deck had been designed for storing tea. In October 1899 Yorkshire became the first steamer to be requisitioned by the Government, followed soon afterwards by Cheshire, to carry troops to South Africa. Whilst trooping work interferred a great deal with the Line's regular services, there was some regret when these lucrative contracts ended. On the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 Bibby Line's seven well-equipped steamers were all requisitioned by the Government. The Oxfordshire, a general cargo ship, was the first British merchant ship to be requisitioned two days before war was declared. She was fitted out as a hospital ship and performed wonderful service from the 4th August 1914 to the 24th March 1918, carrying over 53,000 wounded, visiting 34 ports and travelling over 172,000 miles. She also saved 1000 passengers and crew from the wreck of the SS Tenders. The Admiralty praised her work in the Dardanelles campaign for embarking many sick and wounded from the Anzac beach. The Lancashire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire became either troop carriers, or armed merchant cruisers during the First World War. The Herefordshire, built in 1905 for the Burma service, was converted into a hospital ship and served the forces of Salonika, Mesopotamia and East Africa until the end of 1917. By the end of the First World War Bibby Line had carried 200,000 British and over 25,000 American troops. The only war loss was the Worcestershire, which sank in February 1916 with the loss of 12 lives after hitting a mine just outside Colombo. In the interwar years the Bibby Line operated cargo liners and cruise ships offering holiday voyages to such places as Egypt and Madeira. The Second World War began with the immediate entry of Devonshire into active service as a troopship. She was requisitioned in August 1939, left Southampton and did not return to Britain for four years. Bibby Line suffered two losses during the Second World War; the most serious being the sinking of the Yorkshire on the 17th October 1939. She was torpedoed while in convoy off the French coast and sank in 9 minutes with the loss of 33 passengers and 25 crew, including the captain. The second loss was Shropshire, renamed HMS Salopian (because there was already an HMS Shropshire). She became an armed merchant cruiser and was initially allocated to the Northern Patrol to escort North Atlantic convoys. On the 13th May 1941 she was torpedoed and sunk by U98 off the coast of Greenland. Fortunately 278 survivors were picked up and saved. Although only two ships were lost, many others became victims of enemy action. The Cheshire was twice torpedoed and later converted to become a troopship. The Devonshire ws the first Bibby vessel actually designed as a troopship and was launched at Fairfields on the River Clyde in July 1939. She could carry 1,300 troops and 212 cabin class passengers. Worcestershire; and Dorsetshire and Somersetshire, which both served as hospital ships, were also bombed and torpedoed. The venerable Oxfordshire, then the oldest ship in the fleet, repeated her First World War exploits as a hospital ship, as a base hospital at Freetown, in the Far East and in the Mediterranean. During the D-Day landings, four of the Bibby fleet, the Cheshire, Devonshire, Lancashire, and Worcestershire, all took part in taking troops from England to the Normandy beaches. In 1952 the Government asked for another troopship, a new Oxfordshire, to be built for long term charter. But heavy order books and delays encountered in British shipyards meant that she was not delivered until 1957. The new Oxfordshire was the largest and last of the Bibby troopships, the most modern troopship afloat, and at 20,000 tons gross, twice the size of any other previous Bibby ship. But five years later, in 1962, with the end of National Service in sight, the Government terminated her contract. Overseas transport became cheaper by plane, reaching destinations in hours rather than days and weeks. The Oxfordshire was sold to Sitmar Line for whom she sailed as the Fairstar. The Postwar Era: After the Second World War the virtual disappearance of the Burma trade and the cessation of trooping work meant that Bibby Line had to find a new role in the shipping world. This led to the order of seven general cargo ships in recognition of changes which had to be made to take Bibby Line into completely new maritime trades. The container revolution was also developing rapidly and, in line with the strategy to diversify out of the traditional trades. Bibby Line purchased Bristol City Line and its four ships. However, transatlantic container shipping was very competitive and DART container ine became exposed to anti trust action in the USA. The opportunity to dispose of these fessels to their partner in DART was seized in 1980. In 1966 the Company took delivery of its first liquified petroleum gas ship, the Wiltshire. This specialist market performed well and led to the order of three further LPG vessels, Lincolnshire, Hampshire and Devonshire. Between 1965 and 1974 the fleet increased in tonnage to over 1 million deadweight. Charter work dominated the Line's activities and the Company had a spread of general cargo, bulk carrying and gas carrying vessels. Under the leadership of Sir Derek Bibby the company, between 1964 and 1975, more than trebled its overseas earnings as a result of the growth in its fleet. However the shipping industry was about to slide into a depression and world trading conditions plummeted, as did the value of ships. Heavy losses were incurred. After the arrival of the Staffordshire in 1977 Bibby Line did not take delivery of another new ship for 12 years. In 1978 the Company had a crippling year and four vessels, Ocean Bridge, Australian Bridge, Canadian Bridge and Oxfordshire were all sold. The sale of English Bridge followed in early 1979. In September 1980 Bibby Line suffered its most severe peacetime loss. The largest ship of the fleet, the 169,000 ton Derbyshire, floundered during typhoon Orchid when approximately 230 miles south east of Okinawa, Japan with the loss of 44 crew and two wives. During the early 1980s more economies had to be made, including redundancies ashore and afloat, and the sale of ships continued. The Warwickshire and Northamptonshire were sold, followed in 1982 by the sale of Dorsetshire, Herefordshire and Lancashire. At the end of that year the Bibby fleet was reduced to just nine vessels. Low inflation, the changes in tax laws that stopped the selling of tax allowances, falling freight markets, together with large debts from the previous fleet expansion, had forced the Company to sell vessels in the early 1980s to pay back the banks. Diversification and the Modern Era: By 1985 the position had stablised and the future could be planned. It was during this time that diversification outside the Company's traditional shipping interests was considered and Bibby Line got involved with floating accommodation vessels, so called "Coastels" which are barge mounted shallow water accommodation units. Bibby Line entered into a charter with the Ministry of Defence to house troops in the Falkland Islands and received a major boost when two units were effectively sold to New York for a significant sum. Combined with the sale of two gas carriers at good prices the Company now had the ability to grow again. The process started in 1989 when the Company took delivery of the Cheshire, an LPG carrier; bought the product tanker Freeport Chief, renamed the Dorsetshire, and invested in Botany Bay Shipping to give exposure to the chemical market followed shortly by the purchase of the chemical carriers Herefordshire and Shropshire to service this trade. The flagging out of the fleet and reduction in the number of seafaring jobs was finally reversed when their own offshore manning operation, Manx Ship Management, was established in 1985. Bibby Line today is part of Bibby Line Group, a diversified company also heavily involved in Distribution and Financial Services. The ships are still named after the English shire counties. Bibby Line is the world leader in the ownership and operation of Coastels and also owns and operates jack-up units which provide the offshire sector with production, maintenance and support facilities as well as accommodation. In addition, the utilization of floating production and storage units and diving support vessels, particularly in the North Sea, has created further opportunities for Bibby Line. The Company still trains British cadets and employs crews through Bibby International Services. In a joint venture with IndoChina, Bibby Line offers extensive technical marine services and ship management to the maritime community. Bibby Line has been awarded 3 times the Queen's Award for Export Achievement and in 2001 the Queen's Award for Enterprise. In 2003 Bibby Line Group received a Corporate Honorary Fellowship from Liverpool's John Moores University in recognition of outstanding contributions over almost 200 years to the history and economic development of Liverpool. In 2007 Bibby Line celebrated its 200th birthday and still is trading successfully. Bibby Line Group www.bibbygroup.co.uk Bibby Bicentenary 2007 (1807 - 2007) www.bibby2007.com Bibby Line www.bibbyline.co.uk Bibby Financial Services www.bibbyfinancialservices.com Bibby Distribution www.bibbydist.co.uk Bibby Maritime - COASTEL floating accommodation (Bibby Line) www.bibbymaritime.co.uk Bibby Ship Management www.bibbyshipmanagement.com The Troopship Oxfordshire (TSS Fairstar) www.tssfairstar.com |