Anchor Company

Compiled by John Brown from "Anchor Ships and Anchor Men" by A A Kirk

From the time the fore runner of the Anchor Line was formed in 1862 until the time it was absorbed into the Union Steam Ship Company in 1972, it never departed from its original aim of providing an efficient service for the people of Nelson and the West Coast of the South Island.

To accomplish this, its ships visited most ports in New Zealand during its 110 years of operation, but successive Boards of Directors resisted all temptation to overreach themselves with grandiose schemes for extensive development. It owned 37 ships and the number of ships owned at any one time reached its peak in 1930 when it had 16 ships in its fleet.

On 3 November 1862 the original company that was to become the Anchor Shipping and Foundry Company was formed in Nelson with a partnership between Nathaniel Edwards, George Bennett and John Symons. It was called Nathaniel Edwards and Company. Edwards and Bennett had been in partnership for the previous 5 years operating as general merchants in the import export trade and as ships agents for various overseas and coastal ships. When Symons joined it was decided to purchase the paddle steamer Lyttelton and it arrived from that port in October 1862.

The Lyttelton was built in 1859 at Scott Russell's yard, Millwall, Middlesex. It was decided that it would proceed to New Zealand under sail and the paddles would be stowed in the hold to be fitted after arrival. An engineer, Alexander Brown, was engaged to sail to New Zealand on the ship to fit the paddles after her arrival and then to remain as the ship's engineer for a period of one year. He made many improvisations during the voyage out to speed progress and at one port even fitted the paddles but supplies of coal were difficult to obtain. The Lyttelton finally arrived in Wellington after a voyage of 462 days! By this time, the company it had been built for had gone into liquidation, and the ship was sold to Nathaniel Edwards and Company. Alexander Brown went with the ship. 

This may have been a better acquisition than the ship as he gave many years outstanding service to the Company.   

Lyttelton made its first voyage with a full cargo and passengers from Nelson to Blenheim on 14th November 1862 and caused a great stir in Blenheim as it was the first steamship to negotiate the Opawa River and berth at the town wharf. The vessel continued to trade from Nelson to all the ports formed or unformed around Tasman and Golden Bay with occasional trips to Wellington and Blenheim.

The West Coast goldfields proved substantial and another vessel Wallabi was purchased from Australian owners in November 1864.  She started service from Nelson to Westport, Greymouth and Hokitika a month later. The trade to the west Coast flourished, and in 1865 another ship the Kennedy was purchased from Australian interests. She was twin screw which was not common in those days. The services now expanded with the occasional trip to Taranaki for cattle. Another paddle steamer, Nelson was purchased in 1866. The next ship, Charles Edward was also a paddle steamer, built at Denny's of Dumbarton in 1863, was sold to Australian interests and traded around Bass Strait. In 1867 she was sent from Melbourne to Hokitika on a trial run with passengers for the gold rush. After discharging she proceeded to Greymouth where she stranded while crossing the bar and was abandoned to the underwriters. After an inspection by Alexander Brown, Nathaniel Edwards and Company successfully tendered for the vessel. She was refloated, taken to Nelson for repairs and remained in the Company service until 1908, when she was wrecked at Wanganui.  She had been converted to a twin screw vessel in 1884.

By 1870 Edwards and Bennett had sold their interests to John Symons and the name of the shipping department of Edwards and Company was changed to Anchor Line of Steam Packets. Symons retired in 1878 after appointing John Cock as General Manager and returned to England. His retirement was brief, dying suddenly later that year, and the company which then comprised five ships, and many other assets in New Zealand, passed to his widow. In 1879 she instructed Cock to sell up the entire firm. One of his first steps was to write to James Mills of the Union Company offering to sell the Anchor Line, the Foundry and the Albion Wharf at Nelson – the whole forming a very desirable property and a good investment, but Mills declined.

Finally in December 1880 a partnership was formed under the name Anchor Steam Shipping Company which purchased the Anchor Line, the Anchor Foundry and the Albion Wharf and appurtenances. Forming the partnership were John H Cock & Company (one third), Sclanders and Company (one third), P Donald (one sixth), and Alexander Brown (one sixth).

The next years were turbulent caused by an economic depression although the foundry proved to be a profitable asset. Anchor Company ships continued to operate between Nelson, Wellington and West Coast ports with trips to Jackson's Bay and the Marlborough Sounds on occasions. There were also regular services to New Plymouth, Wanganui, Foxton, Patea and Onehunga.   

In 1900 the partnership was wound up, and a new company formed, called Anchor Shipping & Foundry Company with the main shareholders the son of John H Cock – Joseph Henry Cock, Alexander Brown and his three sons, A H Turnbull, and David Sclanders of London.

It is interesting to note that a new ship Alexander was built on the Clyde in 1903 and named after the engineer who had given such long and loyal service. She remained in service for 46 years. On her delivery voyage was a young Chief Officer A H Davey who was latter to have a distinguished career in the Union Company.

Nikau on day excursion from Nelson

By 1907 there was demand for a nightly passenger/cargo service between Wellington Nelson-Motueka, and a number of vessels were employed, the first being the Tasman, then Nikau and Kaitoa. In 1921 Union Company sold to Anchor Company the Mapourika which had been on the Wellington Nelson run and which was renamed Ngaio. Union Company said in a statement at the time that due to the extension of the Government Railways system in the South Island, it was arranged on a friendly basis that Anchor Company would operate the Wellington-Nelson Service and Union Company would operate the Wellington-Picton service. Union Company closed their office in Nelson and appointed Anchor Company their agents. In 1925 the Arahura was purchased from the Union Company and she joined the Ngaio in the daily service until she was replaced by an Australian built vessel Mourilyan renamed Matangi in 1929.

During the 1930's 1940's Anchor Line was at its peak. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday night the Matangi would depart Wellington from Queens Wharf No.16 at 7.30pm, 15 minutes before the Union Company Steamer Express to Lyttelton which was the Wahine. On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday the Arahura would sail 15 minutes before the Maori. It was usually a race to be the first ship to pass Barrett Reef. Passengers on both vessels watched the event with interest and it was not uncommon to see people laying wagers as to which vessel would get to the Heads first. As a youngster who was sent to my Grandfather's farm at Motueka every school holidays, I always preferred the Matangi with her superior accommodation. This sometimes meant missing Thursday and Friday from school as the Friday sailing at the start of school holidays was booked out months in advance.

A new ship Puriri was delivered shortly before the outbreak of hostilities in 1939. Unfortunately her service to the Company was short lived. Requisitioned by the Government and fitted out as a minesweeper, she struck a mine in the Hauraki Gulf in May 1941 and sank.

She was replaced after the war with a larger vessel of the same name and shortly afterwards with a near sister ship Mamaku. This ship was specially designed to work the shallow draft ports such as Mapua and Motueka and was placed on the Tasman Bay ports to Onehunga service.

With two ageing ships on the Wellington Nelson passenger run, and with little hope of getting new ships built in less than two years, the Company began looking for a second hand ship. No sooner had they started looking in 1949 that the Arahura failed in her survey and was withdrawn from service.

The Ngaio was the largest ship owned by Anchor Line

Finally, a vessel was found in Honolulu, the Hualalai, built in 1929. She arrived in late October 1949, and was renamed Ngaio, but costly alterations were not completed by Christmas, and the Company chartered the Government lighthouse tender Matai to run in company with Matangi. It was not until May 1950 that the Ngaio made its first run to Nelson, but by this time Matangi was due for survey which she too failed, and was withdrawn from service. From then until April 1953 the Ngaio maintained the service on her own but she was unsuitable for the run and very expensive to run.

To view a short newsreel about the Ngaio click here

The purchase, refit and high running costs of the Ngaio had been a very costly venture for the Company and she was sold in May 1953 to Pakistani interests. This finished the Wellington – Nelson passenger service.  

The Company deemed it advisable to continue with a daily cargo service and this was provided by the Matipo and the Pearl Kasper Company vessels Willomee and later Konanda.

Konanda was replaced by Anchor Company's Towai in 1966 but in 1969 the regular service was discontinued. The effects of the rail ferries carrying cargo across Cook Strait was being felt not only on the Wellington - Nelson run but also the Onehunga service. The general decline in coal use in New Zealand was affecting the West Coast service. In 1972 the shipping services were taken over by Union Company and slowly run down. The last ship to be sold was the Puriri in 1974 and so finished 110 years of the Anchor Line in New Zealand.

Fleet List