Furness Bermuda Line

The Quebec Steam Ship Company had served Bermuda since 1874. Canada Steamship Lines took over the company in 1913 and sold it in 1919 to Furness, Withy, who renamed it the Furness Bermuda Line. At first the route had only one ship,{{cite news |url= http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20160226/NEWS/160229793 |last=Jones |first=Simon |title=Shipping anniversary celebrates end of era |newspaper=The Royal Gazette |date=26 February 2016 |access-date=8 July 2017}} the {{GRT|5530}} Bermudian,{{cite web |url= http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/bermuda.shtml |title=Quebec SS Co. / Bermuda & West Indies S.S. Co. / Trinidad Shipping & Trading Co. |last=Swiggum |first=Susan |work=The Ships List |date=13 November 2005 |access-date=10 October 2020}} which Sir James Laing & Sons had built in 1904 and which Furness, Withy renamed Fort Hamilton.{{cite book |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/30/30b1126.pdf |year=1930 |title=Lloyd's Register of Shipping |place=London |publisher=Lloyd's Register |access-date=10 October 2020}}, see "Stella d'Italia"

File:Rms fort hamilton.jpg

File:SS Wandilla3.jpg

In 1921 Furness, Withy bought a pair of ships from the Adelaide Steamship Company: the {{GRT|7785}} {{ship|HMAT|Wandilla||2}} and {{GRT|7784}} Willochra. They were quadruple-expansion steamships that William Beardmore and Company in Glasgow had built in 1912{{cite book |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/30/30b0423.pdf |year=1930 |title=Lloyd's Register of Shipping |place=London |publisher=Lloyd's Register |access-date=4 October 2020}} and 1913.

Furness, Withy had Willochra fitted out with berths for 400 first class passengers and renamed her Fort St. George. It had Wandilla modified to carry 380 first class and 50 second class passengers, replaced her cargo holds with tanks to supply Bermuda with fresh water, and renamed her {{RMS|Fort Victoria}}.

At the same time Furness, Withy invested in tourist development such as hotels on Bermuda.

File:SS Willochra.jpg

Furness, Withy had competition from the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, which had long served Bermuda. After the First World War enough tourists from North America wanted to sail to Bermuda for RMSP to employ prestigious "A-series" liners such as the {{GRT|10537}} Araguaya, {{GRT|11073}} Avon and {{GRT|12015}} Arcadian on the route. However, in 1926 RMSP withdrew its service between the US, Bermuda and West Indies.{{sfn|Wilson|1956|p=100}}

Furness, Withy sold Fort Hamilton{{cite web |url= http://www.furnessbermudaline.com/index_files/Page1207.htm |title=About Furness Bermuda Line |work=Furness Bermuda Line: ships' crew reunited |access-date=10 October 2020}} and ordered a {{GRT|19086}} passenger liner for the route. Normally it would take 27 months to build a ship of such size,{{sfn|Wilson|1956|p=101}} but Workman, Clark and Company in Belfast completed the motor ship {{MV|Bermuda||2}} in December 1927,{{cite book |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/30/30b0146.pdf |year=1930 |title=Lloyd's Register of Shipping |place=London |publisher=Lloyd's Register |access-date=4 October 2020}} just 16 months after laying her keel. She had berths for 691 passengers, could sail between New York and Hamilton in about 40 hours,{{sfn|Miller|2001b|p=49}} and was an immediate success.{{sfn|Wilson|1956|p=101}}

File:Ms bermuda furness.jpg

The Great Depression that began in 1929 caused a worldwide slump in shipping. Most types of cargo and passenger traffic sharply declined. Many hundreds of ships were laid up, and thousands of officers and tens of thousands of seamen were laid off.{{sfn|Wilson|1956|pp=13–14}} Most of Furness, Withy's cargo and passenger services were affected. But bookings from the US to Bermuda, many of them for one-week short holidays, remained buoyant.{{sfn|Wilson|1956|p=102}} Furness, Withy ordered a second large ship in order to offer two sailings each week: one on Saturday and the other midweek.{{sfn|Wilson|1956|p=101}}

However, before the new ship could be completed, Furness, Withy suffered two setbacks. In December 1929 Fort Victoria was sunk when the {{GRT|5946}} {{ship|USAHS|Algonquin||2}} collided with her in fog in Ambrose Channel off New York. Then in June 1931, Bermuda{{'}}s passenger accommodation was gutted by fire in Hamilton Harbour. Bermuda{{'}}s hull and main engines survived, so she was returned to Workman, Clark to be repaired.{{sfn|Wilson|1956|p=102}}

But in the shipping slump, even modern passenger liners were laid up and readily available. Furness, Withy was able to charter ships including Cunard Line's {{RMS|Franconia|1922|6}} and Holland America Line {{SS|Veendam|1922|2}} to maintain its Bermuda service.{{sfn|Wilson|1956|p=102}}{{Cite web |title=1922 Veendam (II) – – Captain Albert's Blog – |url=https://www.captainalbert.com/holland-line-ships-past-and-present/the-ss-veendam-of-1922/ |access-date=22 January 2021 |language=en-US}}

File:Furness bermuda hamilton.jpg

Monarch of Bermuda was launched in March 1931 and completed that November. At {{GRT|22424}} was larger and more luxurious than Bermuda, with berths for 830 first class and 30 second class passengers.{{sfn|Wilson|1956|p=102}} Vickers-Armstrongs built Monarch of Bermuda at its Walker shipyard.{{cite book |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/32/32b0619.pdf |year=1932 |title=Lloyd's Register of Shipping |place=London |publisher=Lloyd's Register |access-date=4 October 2020}} She was a turbine steamer, and was Furness, Withy's first ship to have turbo-electric transmission. She was swifter than Bermuda, easily exceeding {{convert|19|kn|km/h}} on her sea trials.{{sfn|Wilson|1956|p=102}}

In November 1931 Bermuda{{'}}s rebuild at Belfast was nearly complete when she suffered a second fire that caused more serious damage than the first.{{sfn|Wilson|1956|p=101}} Between them the two fires caused damage estimated to cost her underwriters £1.25 million.{{sfn|Wilson|1956|p=218}} Workman, Clark bought the wreck{{sfn|Miller|2001b|p=49}} and Furness, Withy ordered a turbo-electric sister ship for Monarch of Bermuda.{{sfn|Wilson|1956|p=102}}

In the meantime Furness, Withy temporarily achieved its aim of a two-ship service by chartering modern cabin liners from Canadian Pacific: the {{GRT|20021}} {{SS|Duchess of York|1928|2}} for several trips in 1931 and 1932{{cite web |url= http://sites.rootsweb.com/~bmuwgw/ships5.html |title=Ships of Bermuda – 1900's |work=Bermuda Genealogy & History |access-date=10 October 2020}} and the {{GRT|20123}} Duchess of Bedford in the early months of 1933. The latter maintained the service alongside Monarch of Bermuda until {{SS|Queen of Bermuda||2}} was completed.{{cite web |url= http://www.liverpoolships.org/empress_of_france_canadian_pacific.html |title=The Canadian Pacific Liner 'Empress of France' (ex Duchess of Bedford) of 1928 |work=Liverpool Ships |access-date=10 October 2020}}

File:StateLibQld 1 173687 Queen of Bermuda (ship).jpg

Vickers-Armstrongs built the {{GRT|22575}} Queen of Bermuda at its Barrow-in-Furness shipyard, launching her in September 1932 and completing her in February 1933.{{cite book |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/34/34b0692.pdf |year=1934 |title=Lloyd's Register of Shipping |place=London |publisher=Lloyd's Register |access-date=4 October 2020}}

Queen of Bermuda looked like Monarch of Bermuda but had slightly larger cabins and only 731 berths.{{sfn|Wilson|1956|p=102}} They were nicknamed the "Millionaires' Ships".{{sfn|Wilson|1956|p=103}}

The pair competed with each other on speed. Eventually Queen of Bermuda took the record with a passage from New York to Hamilton in 32 hours, 48 minutes, which meant that her speed averaged {{convert|20.33|kn|km/h}}.{{sfn|Wilson|1956|p=103}}

In 1935 Furness, Withy sold Fort St. George to Lloyd Triestino, who renamed her Cesarea. In 1938, to meet the high demand of the Bermuda service, Furness charted White Star Line's Georgic to operate in tandem with the Monarch of Bermuda and Queen of Bermuda.

File:HMS Queen of Bermuda FL17829.jpg

In the Second World War Monarch of Bermuda was converted into a troop ship and the Admiralty requisitioned Queen of Bermuda as an armed merchant cruiser. Queen of Bermuda was released from the Royal Navy in 1943 and spent the next few years as a troop ship.{{harvnb|Miller|2001a|p=}}{{page needed|date=June 2023}}

Both ships survived the war, but for a while afterwards the Ministry of Transport continued to use both ships as military and government transports. Furness, Withy made do with two small ships on the route between New York and Bermuda.{{sfn|Wilson|1956|p=115}}

Eventually the UK Government released Monarch of Bermuda and Furness, Withy started having her converted back into a luxury liner to return to her former route. But in March 1947{{sfn|Wilson|1956|p=116}} while being refitted she was damaged by fire, so Furness, Withy sold her to the UK Government. The UK Government then released Queen of Bermuda. Her refit took 18 months, cost more than her original building and was not completed until February 1949.{{sfn|Wilson|1956|p=116}}

File:Queen of bermuda ocean monarch.Jpeg

File:The Queen of Bermuda in Bermuda, late 1952 or very early 1953.jpg in the early 1950s]]

The Queen of Bermuda returned to the New York-Bermuda service after the war. To replace the Monarch of Bermuda, Furness, Withy ordered a smaller ship. the {{GRT|13834}} {{SS|Ocean Monarch|1950|2}}, completed by Vickers-Armstrongs at Walker in 1951.

In October 1961 the Queen of Bermuda was sent to Harland and Wolff in Belfast for a refit, to modernize the ship. The bow was reshaped, and all three funnels were removed, replaced with one funnel amidships. This gave the ship the distinction of being the only ocean liner to have sailed with one, two and three funnels.

The two ships continued to serve the island until late 1966, when Furness, Withy ceased its Bermuda service. The Queen of Bermuda was sold for scrap, while the Ocean Monarch was laid up until 1967, when she was sold to Navigation Maritime Bulgare and renamed Varna.

File:SS Franconia, Cunard White Star Line ship, ca. 1930.jpg's {{RMS|Franconia|1922|2}}]]

• {{SS|Veendam|1922|2}}, Holland America Line, (chartered: Winter-Summer 1930)
• Carinthia, Cunard Line, (chartered 1931)
• Franconia, Cunard Line, (chartered: 1931 & 1932)
• {{SS|Duchess of York|1928|2}}, Canadian Pacific Line, (chartered: 1931 & 1932)
• Duchess of Bedford, Canadian Pacific Line, (chartered: 1931 & 1932)
• Georgic, White Star Line (chartered: 1938)
• Lancastria, Cunard Line, (chartered 1939)

File:Bermudiana hotel.jpg

Furness, Withy bought and built several hotels in Bermuda, using the tenders Bermudian and Castle Harbour to ferry passengers to hotels outside of the main harbor in Hamilton. Furness sold all its hotels in 1958.{{harvnb|Plowman|2002|p=}}{{page needed|date=June 2023}}

• Mid Ocean Club (Tucker's Town)
• The St. George (St. George's){{Cite web |title=Bermuda's historic Town of St. George |url= http://www.bermuda-online.org/seetown.htm |access-date=22 January 2021 |website=www.bermuda-online.org}}
• Bermudiana (Hamilton Harbor){{Cite news |last=Sayer |first=ET |date=1 March 1959 |title=A New Hotel for Bermuda |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1959/03/01/archives/a-new-hotel-for-bermuda-it-will-rise-on-the-site-of-old-bermudiana.html |access-date=22 January 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite news |title=The day the old Bermudiana died |url= https://www.royalgazette.com/other/lifestyle/article/20120517/the-day-the-old-bermudiana-died/ |access-date=22 January 2021 |newspaper=The Royal Gazette |date=17 May 2012 |language=en-US}}
• [https://www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/bermuda Castle Harbour Hotel] (Castle Harbor){{Cite web |title=Bermuda's Hamilton Parish |url= http://www.bermuda-online.org/seehamph.htm |access-date=22 January 2021 |website=www.bermuda-online.org}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book |last=Burrell |first=David |year=1992 |title=Furness Withy 1891–1991 |place=Kendal |publisher=World Ship Society |isbn=0-905617-70-3}}
• {{Cite book |last=Miller |first=William Jr |year=2001a |title=Ocean liner chronicles: great passenger ships and their stories |place=London |publisher=Carmania Press |isbn=0-9534291-8-0 |oclc=54783020}}
• {{cite book |last=Miller |first=William Jr |year=2001b |title=Picture History of British Ocean Liners 1900 to the Present |place=Mineola |publisher=Dover Publications |isbn=0-486-41532-5 |page=49 |url= https://archive.org/details/picturehistoryof0000mill/page/49}}
• {{Cite book|last=Plowman |first=Piers |others=Card, Stephen J |year=2002 |title=Queen of Bermuda and the Furness Bermuda Line |place=The Old Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda |publisher=Bermuda Maritime Museum Press |isbn=0-921560-10-9 |oclc=65177653}}
• {{cite book |last=Wilson |first=RM |year=1956 |title=The Big Ships |place=London |publisher=Cassell & Co |pages=100–103, 115–116 }}
• {{cite journal |last1=Smith |first1=James R. |title=Fort Townshend: Liner, Saudi Royal Yacht and Cruise Ship |journal=Marine News |date=January 2022 |volume=76 |issue=1 |pages=27–29 |issn=0025-3243}}

• {{cite web |url= https://www.ggarchives.com/OceanTravel/SteamshipLines/FurnessBurmudaLine.html |title=Furness Bermuda Line History and Ephemera |work=GG Archives}}
• [https://bernews.com/2011/04/video-1962-queen-of-bermuda-travel-film/ Queen of Bermuda Promotional Film 1962]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnUQrzydNwM&feature=emb_title Bermuda Ship Fire News Film]
• [http://www.furnessbermudaline.com/downloads/FurnessProof.pdf Furness Bermuda Line and two pairs of Sisters, by Allen Soares]

Category:1919 establishments in New York (state)

Category:1966 disestablishments in New York (state)

Category:British companies established in 1919

Category:Defunct shipping companies of the United Kingdom

Category:Maritime history of Bermuda

Category:Transport companies disestablished in 1966

Category:Transport companies established in 1919