To the south of the main channel of the Clyde behind Plantation Quay, lay Princes Dock where much of the Transatlantic Passenger Traffic from Glasgow originated. Construction of the Dock, originally called Cessnock Dock was begun in 1886 and completed in 1897. There were three basins. The North Basin was the berth of the Allan Line and the above picture by Brandon shows three Allan Line ships lined up alongside Shed A. The steamship in the foreground is the State of Nebraska, built by the London & Glasgow yard at Govan in 1880 for the State Line, but taken over with the rest of that Line in 1891 by the Allan Line. On the south side of the Basin alongside Shed B there is a U.S. Lines steamship with its narrower white band and what appears to be another Allan steamship, with a large sailing vessel nearest the entrance to the Basin. The tall chimney of the hydraulic pumping station that powered the dock cranes is visible in the background.

The Allan Line can trace its origins back to 1819 when Captain Alexander Allan began regular sailings between Greenock and Quebec with his brigantine Jean. The family developed the trade from both sides of the Atlantic and in 1853 made the transition to steamships with the screw-driven, iron-hulled Canadian, built by Denny at Dumbarton in 1853. Two years later, they were awarded the Atlantic mail contract by the Canadian Government and ran a service every two weeks between Liverpool and Quebec. Throughout its existence, the Company was involved in the immigrant trade that greatly swelled passenger numbers and added valuable revenue.

Hibernian

Cabin Plan of Hibernian

The constraints of the mail contract meant that there was pressure to sail in all weathers and conditions. Many of the vessels were short lived as strandings and sinkings were common on the St Lawrence and the fog-plagued and iceberg-strewn waters around Newfoundland. Hibernian came from Denny’s yard in 1861 to replace a second steamer by the name of Canadian that was sunk after striking an iceberg near Belle Isle.

The second Canadian, built by Messrs Steele & Co., Greenock and lost in 1861. seen here at the Allan Line berth at Lancefield on the Clyde

In the same year, the Company opened a regular service between Glasgow and Canada with two new steamers, Saint Andrew and Saint George from Barclay Curle, and Steele of Greenock, respectively. The latter steamer was wrecked in 1869 but the Saint Andrew was lengthened in 1874 and renamed Waldensian.

Waldensian off Greenock

Innovative efforts in new vessel design and construction in a period of rapid maritime development were a characteristic of the Allan Line. During the later 1860s and 1870s, a number of new vessels were built on the Clyde for the Company.

Scandinavian

Polynesian

Prussian came from the Inglis yard in 1869, originally with a simple two-cylinder engine, she was compounded a decade later. Scandinavian from Steele’s yard at Greenock entered service in 1870 and like Prussian was compounded in 1879. Polynesian, also from Steele of Greenock in 1872 was originally compounded and refitted in 1893 with a triple expansion engine and renamed Laurentian. The Sardinian from the same yard in 1874 spent much of her career with the emigrant trade from Liverpool and Londonderry.

Laurentian on the Clyde off Scotstoun (Robertson, Glasgow)

Sardinian

Sir Hugh Allan, the head of the Allan Royal Mail Line in Montreal realized that the future of the Company was dependent on links to the Canadian trans-continental railway and in 1871, he moved to finance the scheme but was unsuccessful. When the competing Canadian Pacific Railway was completed in 1886, that company was awarded the China Mail contract and built three Empress liners for the Far East service from Vancouver in 1891. For the Atlantic link for the all-important Hong Kong mail service, they relied on the best services then available, including the Allan Line.

Parisian off Liverpool (Frith)

The Transatlantic service, meantime, was developed by the Allan Line with the building of the magnificent Parisian for the service from Liverpool in 1881. The Glasgow service was also provided with new tonnage. Siberian and Carthaginian were built at Govan in 1884. Mongolian was built by Henderson of Glasgow in 1891 and served on both Glasgow and Liverpool routes.

Unusual view of Parisian at Plantation Quay with one of Laird’s coastal steamers heading up river. (George Rankin)

Parisian as later modified on the Clyde (Robertson, Glasgow)

Carthaginian coaling in Princes Dock

Mongolian on the Clyde off Scotstoun (Robertson, Glasgow)

At the turn of the century, Denny produced the Bavarian at Dumbarton in 1899 while Tunisian was added from Stephen’s yard a year later, both for the Montreal service from Liverpool. For the Glasgow service, the Company went farther afield adding Pretorian from Furness Withy, West Hartlepool, and Ionian from Workman Clark in Belfast in 1901.

Bavarian fitting out at Dumbarton

Bavarian

Tunisian on Trials on the Clyde

Pretorian maneuvering at Princes Dock

Ionian on the Clyde at Scotstoun (Robertson, Glasgow)

However, it was the addition of two fast turbine steamers for the Liverpool service in 1905 that caught the public’s attention. The Victorian, from Workman Clark in Belfast and the Virginian from Alexander Stephen on the Clyde were the first turbine steamers on the North Atlantic route.

Victorian

With increased emigration in the new century, connections with Glasgow were not neglected, and in 1907, Corsican arrived from Barclay Curle, together with Grampian from Alexander Stephen while Hesperian was added the following year from the same yard.

Launch of the Corsican

Corsican on trails (Robertson)

Corsican

Grampian in Princes Dock at the Allan Berths

Hesperian in Princes Dock

Hesperian off Scotstoun on the Clyde (Robertson, Glasgow)

New routes and second-hand tonnage were also added with the Scotian, once the Holland-America Line, Statendam, built in 1898 by Harland and Wolff in Belfast, and acquired in 1911, taking up the service to Halifax and Boston from Glasgow.

Scotian

The Canadian Pacific Railway Company had responded to the Victorian and Virginian, adding two new steamers of their own the following year. Empress of Britain and Empress of Ireland were both built in the Fairfield Yard at Govan.

Canadian Pacific’s Empress of Britain at Liverpool

As they were unable to finance further fast steamships, the Allan Line subcontracted with Canadian Pacific to add the two Empresses to the mail contract, signaling the eventual demise of the company. In 1909, in a confidential agreement, the Allan Line was sold to the Canadian Pacific Railway Co., although both companies continued to compete. The last steamships built for the Allan Line were the sisters, Alsatian from Beardmore at Dalmuir and Calgarian from Fairfield in 1914, for service from Liverpool.

Alsatian off Gourock (Robertson)

Alsatian (Adamson)

The intervening war led to the formation of Canadian Pacific Ocean Services which took over both the Allan Line and Canadian Pacific Line in 1916. After the war, some of the surviving Allan Line steamers were renamed by the new CPOS. Alsatian became Empress of France while Victorian became Marloch and Scotian became Marglen.