Port Line

Port Line had its foundations in 1914 when the Commonwealth & Dominion Line was formed with the merger of Tyser Line, Star Line, Indra Line and the Anglo-Australian Steam Navigation Co.  The ships were painted in Tyser Line colours of grey hulls, white superstructure and buff funnels. They were named as in Anglo-Australian Steam with the prefix "Port".

In 1916 Commonwealth & Dominion Line was taken over by Cunard Steam Ship Company and the funnels changed to red with black top and three black bands of that Company. In 1936 the name was changed to Port Line.

After the end of the First World War, 13 new steam ships were built to replace war losses and the first motor ship Port Dunedin was built in 1925. Port Dunedin was the first motor ship built for the New Zealand –Britain trade, the first twin screw ship fitted with Doxford engines and the first refrigerated cargo vessel of her type. Her design was outstanding and she remained in service for 37 years. She was followed into service by Port Fremantle (1927), Port Huon (1927), Port Gisborne (1927), Port Fairy (1928), and Port Alma (1928). Port Alma carried the first cargo of chilled beef from New Zealand when she sailed from Wellington for London in 1933. The next ships built were Port Chalmers (1933), Port Wyndham (1935) and Port Townsville (1935).

Port Line, along with the Ellerman & Bucknall and the New Zealand Shipping Company took over the Canadian National Steamships Line's Australian services, principally serving the Canadian east coast, in 1936. This concern had been established by the Canadian Government to utilise some of the cargo ships built in that country during World War I. However, this venture had not been a financial success. Port Line's contribution to the new service was to immediately order three purpose-designed vessels which operated along with vessels from the other partners. This concern traded as the Montreal, Australia & New Zealand Line, which became abbreviated to the MANZ Line. The new ships were the Port Montreal (1937), Port Halifax (1937) and Port Saint Johns (1939). The Port Jackson built in 1937 set a design standard for future ships in Port Line and was considered by many to be the finest ship ever built for Port Line.

In 1939 the fleet comprised 28 modern ships of which 13 were lost during the War. A further two vessels then under construction were completed as the aircraft carrier HMS Vindex and HMS Nairana. Both were returned to the Company at the end of hostilities. Two further vessels, Port Quebec (1939) and Port Napier (1940) were completed as minelayers. Unfortunately, the latter blew up whilst carrying 400 mines, unbelievably with no loss of life, shortly after entering naval service. The German raider Pinguin sank two Port Line ships, Port Brisbane (1923) on 21 November 1940 and Port Wellington (1924) nine days later, both in the Indian Ocean.

As well as operating its own vessels, the Company also managed eight vessels for the British Government, including the ill-fated Fort Stikine (1942). This vessel blew up at Bombay on 14 April 1944, causing the loss of over 700 lives, with over 1,000 missing and about 2,500 injured, along with the destruction of ten other vessels. Following the war HMS Vindex and HMS Nairana were returned to the fleet and renamed Port Vindex and Port Victor.

The loss of refrigerated tonnage during the war was particularly heavy in Port Line and replacement started immediately with 5 ships, Port Lincoln (1946), Port Wellington (1946), Port Napier (1947) Port Pirie (1947) and Port Lyttelton (1947).

Following these was a ship that was unique amongst the many fine ships of Port Line. She was the Port Brisbane (1949) which heralded a new era in streamlining with rounded bridge front and tapered funnel. This eye catching appearance was copied by a sister ship, Port Auckland (1949).

Cunard group suffered financial difficulties from 1964 aggravated when Port Invercargill (1957) was detained in the closed Suez Canal for eight years in 1967. Between 1967 and 1972, Port Line and Blue Star Line formed the Blue Star-Port Line Joint Management Company to look after their respective South African, Australian and New Zealand routes. At the end of this arrangement, control of Port Line vessels was transferred to a Cunard subsidiary, Cunard Cargo Shipping and Port Line's fleet soon began to reduce in size. In 1968, the fleet had numbered 28 ships, but declined until the last two ships, Port Chalmers (1968) and Port Caroline (1968) were transferred in 1982 to the Brocklebank fleet, also a Cunard subsidiary.

These two vessels had been the world's largest reefer ships when completed. Prior to their disposal, thought was given to their conversion to container or cruise ships with accommodation for about 800 passengers.

Their eventual transfer to the Brocklebank fleet was to gain the financial advantage of lower crewing costs. Brocklebank had traditionally employed crew recruited from India, and therefore paid lower wages. As well as being the last Port Liners, these two ships, renamed Manaar and Matra respectively, also had the dubious honour of being the last Brocklebank ships when sold in 1983 and were broken up in 1985.

The switch to containers was largely responsible for the decline in the Port Line fleet. Cunard had joined the ACT container consortium in 1966 after unsuccessfully seeking membership of the OCL consortium. Gradually much of the Port Line business ended up in boxes. The first three ACT vessels replaced 18 conventional ships and reduced the typical round voyage time for 162 to 70 days. There was also a reduction in crew levels of about 85 per cent. Likewise, in 1969, MANZ Line was replaced by the PACE service run by the Pacific America Container Express.

In an effort to counteract the change in transport methods, two new subsidiaries, in association with Blue Star Line, were established. Named Atlas Line to link Australia with Japan, and Compass Line to serve the South Africa-Australia trade, these new ventures were somewhat short-lived.

Their disappearance coincided with the disposal of Port Line's stake in the Crusader Shipping Company which had been set up in 1957 to trade from Australia and New Zealand to the Far East and the U.S. west coast. In a bold attempt to remain in the reefer trade, Cunard purchased ten reefer ships from the bankrupt Maritime Fruit Carriers in 1976. These vessels had no association with Port Line and had all been sold by the end of 1985, just three years after the Port Line house flag had been hauled down for the last time.