Blue Anchor Line

House flag of the Blue Anchor Line

Blue Anchor Line advertisement, 1903

Blue Anchor Line was a British shipping company operating between the United Kingdom, South Africa and Australia between 1870 and 1910.

The owners of this shipping company in later years were Messrs. W. Lund and Sons.[1]

The Blue Anchor Line was founded in London by Wilhelm Lund (born Denmark 1837,[2] died Kent, 1928)[3] in 1869.[1] His two sons were Albert Edward Lund and Friedrich Wilhelm Lund, who was also called Frederick Lund,[4] and is also recorded as F.W. Lund Jr. His grandfather, also a ship-owner, was also called Wilhelm Lund. An "H. Lund" also appears in relation to the business.

Originally sailing ships were used. Between 1880 and 1890, sailing ships were replaced by steamers.[1]

Ships operated by this company include Yeoman,[5] Waratah, Commonwealth, Bungaree,[6] Geelong,[7] Wilcannia, Narrung, and Wakool.[8][9]

The loss of the Waratah near Durban in 1909 led to the commercial failure of the company. Its ships were sold to P&O,[10] and it was wound up in 1910.

An inquiry was held in London to investigate the disappearance of the Waratah, and FW Lund Jr., who gave evidence at the inquiry on behalf of the owners,[11] was described in some newspaper reports as the chairman of directors of the company,[12] although it appears to have actually been a partnership, in which Wilhelm Lund was still the senior partner.[13]

Waratah's wreck has never been found, and the cause of its loss remains inconclusive and still attracts controversy. Despite this setback, Wilhelm Lund and F.W. Lund continued to be respectable businessmen.[2]

  • Ballarat (Not owned by the Blue Anchor Line, but painted as a tribute by the P&O Branch Service)
    Ballarat (Not owned by the Blue Anchor Line, but painted as a tribute by the P&O Branch Service)
  • Commonwealth
    Commonwealth
  • Geelong
    Geelong
  • Wakool
    Wakool
  • Waratah
    Waratah
  • Warrigal
    Warrigal
  • Wilcannia
    Wilcannia
  1. ^ a b c "Blue Anchor Line". The Ships List. 5 February 2005. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  2. ^ a b "William Lund Positions of Trust".
  3. ^ "Wilhelm Lund, Deceased" (PDF). The London Gazette. 6 July 1928. p. 4627. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  4. ^ "Waratah Inquiry". The Bathurst Times. Bathurst, NSW. 21 December 1910. p. 2. Retrieved 22 July 2016 – via Trove.
  5. ^ "Shipping Reports, etc". Sydney Morning Herald. 21 July 1887. p. 8.
  6. ^ "A New Steamer for Australia". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 16, 055. Sydney, NSW. 9 September 1889. p. 7. Retrieved 21 July 2016 – via Trove.
  7. ^ "The Lund Liner Geelong". The Brisbane Courier. Vol. LX, no. 14, 421. Brisbane. 2 April 1904. p. 7. Retrieved 22 July 2016 – via Trove.
  8. ^ "The Wakool". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 18, 969. Sydney, NSW. 30 December 1898. p. 3. Retrieved 21 July 2016 – via Trove.
  9. ^ "Lund's Blue Anchor Line". The Australian Star. No. 6514. Sydney, NSW. 26 September 1908. p. 14. Retrieved 21 July 2016 – via Trove.
  10. ^ "Purchase of the Lund Line". The Northern Miner. Charters Towers, Queensland. 22 January 1910. p. 5. Retrieved 22 July 2016 – via Trove.
  11. ^ "Waratah Inquiry". The Bathurst Times. Bathurst, NSW. 21 December 1910. p. 2. Retrieved 22 July 2016 – via Trove.
  12. ^ "Waratah Inquiry". Daily Post. Vol. III, no. 293. Hobart, Tasmania. 21 December 1910. p. 5. Retrieved 22 July 2016 – via Trove.
  13. ^ "The Waratah". The Dominion. Wellington, NZ. 2 February 1911. p. 5 – via Papers Past.