The Allan Shipping Line was started in 1819, by Captain Alexander Allan (1780-1854) of Saltcoats

Saltcoats

- References :*McSherry, R. & M. . Old Saltcoats, Stenlake Publishing, Ochiltree. ISBN 1-872074-57-X.*Stansfield, G. . Ayrshire & Renfrewshire's Lost Railways, Stenlake Publishing, Catrine. ISBN 1-84033-077-5.-External links:***...

, Ayrshire

Ayrshire

Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...

, running dry goods from Greenock

Greenock

Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...

 to sell in Montreal

Montreal

Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

 and returning with Canadian produce to sell back in Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, a route which quickly became synonymous with the Allan Line. His sons were all involved with the business on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

, but it was his second son, Sir Hugh Allan

Hugh Allan

Sir Hugh Allan, KCMG was a Scottish-born Canadian shipping magnate, railway promoter, financier and capitalist...

, who after his death took over the business and founded the "Montreal Ocean Steamship Company" in 1854, as part of the Allan Line. In 1891, the company took over the State Line (founded 1872). After this the company was often referred to as the Allan & State Line. The "Allan & State Line" name was retired by the end of 1905, and the "Allan Line" name was no longer used by the end of 1918 brought about by the sale of the Allan Line to the Canadian Pacific Ocean Services Ltd (CPOS, now CP Ships

CP Ships

CP Ships was a large Canadian container shipping company, prior to being taken over by Hapag Lloyd in late 2005. CP Ships had its head office in the City of Westminster in London and later in the City Place Gatwick development on the property of London Gatwick Airport in Crawley, West Sussex.The...

) in 1917.

List of Steamships

The Allan Line fleet evolved over the course of decades -- changing as new ships were added, lost at sea, sold, or scrapped:

• SS Alsatian. - later RMS Empress of France
• SS America.
• SS Anglo Saxon
  SS Anglo Saxon
  SS Anglo Saxon was an iron screw steam ship belonging to the Montreal Ocean Steamship Company. She was commanded by Captain William Burgess. She sailed from Liverpool for Quebec on 16 April 1863, with a total of 445 passengers and crew....
  
  .
• SS Assyrian.
• SS Austrian.
• SS Australasian (1857).
• SS Australasian (1901).
• SS Bohenian.
• SS Brazilian.
• SS Buenos Ayrean.
• SS Calgarian.
• SS Californian.
• SS Canadian (1854).
• SS Canadian (1859).
• SS Canadian (1872).
• SS Cartheginian.
• SS Caspian.
• SS Castilian.
• SS Circassian.
• SS City of Vienna.
• SS City of Bombay.
• SS Corean.
• SS Corinthian.
• SS Corsican.
• SS Damascus.
• SS Diamant.
• SS European.
• SS Gallia.
• SS Germany.
• SS Grampian.
• SS Grecian.
• SS Hanoverian.
• SS Hesperian.

• SS Hesperian.
• SS Hibernian (1861).
• SS Hibernian (1888)
• SS Hibernian (1902).
• SS Hungarian
  SS Hungarian
  SS Hungarian was a steamship of the Canadian Allan Line, built in Dumbarton, Scotland in 1858 for transatlantic service. She was wrecked in 1860 at Cape Sable Island, off Nova Scotia, with the loss of all aboard.- Rescue of the John Martin :...
  
  (1859).
• SS Hungarian (1902).
• SS Huronian.
• SS Indian.
• SS Ionian.
• SS John Bell.
• SS Jura.
• SS Lake Erie.
• SS Laurentian.
• SS Livonian.
• SS Lucerne.
• SS Manitoban.
• SS Melita.
• SS Mersey.
• SS Mongolian.
• SS Monte Videan.
• SS Moravian.
• SS Nestorian.
• SS North American.
• SS North Briton.
• SS Norway.
• SS Norwegian (1861).
• SS Norwegian (1865).
• SS Nova Scotian.
• SS Numdian.
• SS Ontarian.
• SS Orcardian.
• SS Ottawa.
• ss Palestine.
• SS Parisian.

• SS Pretorian.
• SS Prussian.
• SS Peruvian.
• SS Phoenician.
• SS Polynesian.
• SS Pomeranian.
• SS Roacian.
• SS Roumanian.
• SS Saint Andrew.
• SS Saint David.
• SS Saint George.
• SS Saint Patrick.
• SS Samaritan.
• SS Sardinian.
• SS Scandinavian (1869).
• SS Scandinavian (1898).
• SS Scotian.
• SS Siberian.
• SS Sicilian.
• SS Southwark.
• SS State of California.
• SS State of Georgia.
• SS State of Indiana.
• SS State of Nebraska.
• SS State of Nevada.
• SS State of Pennsylvania
• SS Sweden.
• SS Tainui.
• SS Tower Hill.
• SS Tunisian.
• SS Turanian.
• RMS Victorian
  RMS Victorian
  RMS Victorian was an ocean liner of the Allan Line, built for service between Great Britain and North America. Launched in 1904, the ship was the first large civilian ship propelled by steam turbines...
  
  .
• RMS Virginian.
• SS Waldensian.

External links

• Allan Royal Mail Line - Passenger Lists and Historical Documents