{{Short description|British shipping company, 1891–1980}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}} {{Use British English|date=January 2017}} {{Infobox company |name = Furness Withy |logo = House flag of Furness Withy.svg |logo_caption = House flag |caption = |fate = Acquired |successor = Orient Overseas Container Line |founded = 1891 |defunct = 1980 |hq_location = Hartlepool, UK |industry = Transport |key_people = Christopher Furness<br> Henry Withy<br> Sir James Steel (Chairman) |products = |num_employees = |parent = |subsidiaries = |website = }}
'''Furness Withy''' was a major British transport business. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange.
==History== The company was founded by Christopher Furness and Henry Withy (1852–1922) in 1891 in Hartlepool.<ref name=red>{{Cite web |url=http://www.red-duster.co.uk/PRINCE2.htm |title=Red Duster |access-date=28 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513071441/http://www.red-duster.co.uk/PRINCE2.htm |archive-date=13 May 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> This was achieved by the amalgamation of the ''Furness Line'' of steamers with the business of ''Edward Withy and Co.'', iron and steel shipbuilders and repairers, of West Hartlepool, which was founded by Edward Withy (1844-1927), Henry Withy's brother.<ref name=times>{{cite news |url= http://www.dmm.org.uk/archives/a_obit16.htm |title=Christopher Furness |newspaper=The Times |date=11 November 1912}}</ref> An early acquisition in 1900 was a controlling interest in Richardsons Westgarth & Company, a marine engineering business.<ref name=times/>
Furness, Withy started with 18 vessels and over the subsequent years it owned in excess of a thousand ships.<ref name=history>[http://www.furnesswithy.co.uk/ Furness Withy (Chartering) Limited] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325220602/http://www.furnesswithy.co.uk/ |date=25 March 2009 }} status: usurped</ref> It bought the Prince line in 1916.<ref name=red/> In 1917 the Furness Shipbuilding Co Ltd was established, at Haverton Hill, River Tees, initially for war production.<ref>{{citation |url= https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Furness_Shipbuilding_Co |title= Furness Shipbuilding Co |work= www.gracesguide.co.uk |access-date= 1 February 2016}}</ref> The Furness family sold its interests in the Company to a consortium led by Frederick Lewis, a Director in the business, in 1919.<ref name=red/>
Also in 1919, Furness, Withy bought from Canada Steamship Lines the Quebec Steam Ship Company, which ran scheduled services between New York and Bermuda. Furness, Withy renamed its acquisition the Furness Bermuda Line.<ref name=ShipsList>{{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=11 October 2020}}</ref> In 1928 Furness, Withy acquired the Red Cross Line.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1929/02/07/archives/furness-line-buys-red-cross-service-will-operate-steamers-silvia.html|title=FURNESS LINE BUYS RED CROSS SERVICE; Will Operate Steamers Silvia, Nerissa and Rosalind to Nova Scotia. ANNOUNCES NEW TERMINAL Beginning Saturday, Ships Will Lease Pier 74, North River-- Expansion Planned. (Published 1929)|work=The New York Times |date=7 February 1929|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref>
In 1965 Furness, Withy acquired Royal Mail Lines (formerly Royal Mail Steam Packet Company) in 1965.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.plimsoll.org/OnTheLine/ShippingLines/royalmail/default.asp#2 |title=Shipping Lines: Royal Mail Steam Packet Company |access-date=28 March 2009 |archive-date=10 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130610101408/http://www.plimsoll.org/OnTheLine/ShippingLines/royalmail/default.asp#2 |url-status=usurped }}</ref>
In 1965, British and Commonwealth Shipping, Furness Withy, P&O and The Ocean Steamship Company established Overseas Containers Limited to exploit containerisation.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.oceanlinermuseum.co.uk/Ocean%20Steamship%20Company%20history.html |title=Ocean Liner Museum: The Ocean Steamship Company |access-date=28 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090107002714/http://www.oceanlinermuseum.co.uk/Ocean%20Steamship%20Company%20history.html |archive-date=7 January 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In 1966 Furness, Withy terminated its Furness Bermuda Line operation.<ref name=ShipsList/><ref>{{cite news |url= https://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}}</ref>
In 1968 Furness, Withy bought the Houlder Group, a company with offshore oil interests.<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/rep_pub/reports/1976_1979/fulltext/098c03.pdf |title=Competition Commission Reports 1976 - 1979 |access-date=28 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506212558/http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/rep_pub/reports/1976_1979/fulltext/098c03.pdf |archive-date=6 May 2009 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> Furness Withy bought Manchester Liners in 1970.{{sfn|Stoker|1985|p=53}}
The company was acquired by the Orient Overseas Container Line of Hong Kong in 1980.<ref name=history/> In 1990 it was resold to the Oetker Group, who at the time of purchase were the owners of Hamburg Süd.<ref name=history/>
==Ships and services== Furness Withy operated both tramp and liner services. The latter included transatlantic Royal Mail and passenger routes, initially from West Hartlepool to Boston and New York, and later from Liverpool to St John's, Newfoundland, Halifax, Nova Scotia and Boston. The Liverpool — Boston route was worked by a pair of sister ships, RMS ''Newfoundland'' and RMS ''Nova Scotia''. The first ''Newfoundland'' and {{RMS|Nova Scotia|1926|2}} were built in 1925 and 1926 but were requisitioned in 1940 and 1941. Both were lost to enemy action: ''Nova Scotia'' as a troop ship in 1942; ''Newfoundland'' as a hospital ship in 1943. S.S. Fort Amherst<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.clydeships.co.uk/view.php?ref=2533|title=Scottish Built Ships: S.S. Fort Amherst}}</ref> and her sister ship S.S. Fort Townshend<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.clydeships.co.uk/view.php?ref=2534|title=Scottish Built Ships: S.S. Fort Townshend}}</ref> were built by Blythswood Shipbuilding<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Blythswood_Shipbuilding_Co|title=Graces Guide: Blythswood Shipbuilding}}</ref> in 1936. They sailed between Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New York and the British West Indies. In 1952 S.S. Fort Amherst she was taken over by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary after the explosion of the RFA Bedenham and renamed RFA Amherst.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://historicalrfa.uk/rfa-amherst/|title=Historical RFA: RFA Amherst|date=24 October 2008 }}</ref> A second ''Newfoundland'' and ''Nova Scotia'' were built as replacements in 1947 and served until 1962, when Furness, Withy sold them to Dominion Navigation Co. A third ''Newfoundland'' and ''Nova Scotia'' were built in 1964 and 1965, and were chartered to Shaw, Savill & Albion Line in 1973.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/warren.shtml |last1=Swiggum |first1=S |last2=Kohli |first2=M |title=Warren Line / White Diamond SS Company / Furness Withy & Company / Johnston-Warren Line / Furness-Warren Line |work=TheShipsList |date=28 January 2006 |access-date=29 March 2013}}</ref>
==See also== *Edward Withy
==References== {{reflist}}
==Sources and further reading== *{{cite book |last=Burrell |first=David |year=1992 |title=Furness Withy, 1891–1991 |location=Kendal |publisher=World Ship Society |isbn=0905617703 }} *{{cite book |last=Haws |first=Duncan |year=2000 |title=Furness Withy |series=Merchant Fleets |volume=37 |location=Crowborough |publisher=Travel Creatours Ltd |isbn=094637838X }} *{{cite book |last=Haws |first=Duncan |year=2000 |title=Furness Withy's Manchester Liners Houlders Alexander Prince & Rio Cape Lines |series=Merchant Fleets |volume=38 |location=Crowborough |publisher=Travel Creatours Ltd |isbn=0946378398 }} *{{cite book |last=Stoker |first=Robert B |year=1985 |title=The Saga of Manchester Liners |location=Douglas |publisher=Kinglish Ltd |isbn=0-9507480-2-1 }}
==External links== *{{cite web |url= http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/furness.shtml |last1=Swiggum |first1=Susan |last2=Kohli |first2=Marjorie |title=Furness Withy & Company |work=The Ships List |date=18 January 2006}} *{{cite web |url= https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Furness,_Withy_and_Co |title=Furness, Withy and Co |work=Grace's Guide}} * {{PM20|FID=co/058128|TEXT=Documents and clippings about|NAME=}}
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Category:Transport companies established in 1891 Category:Companies formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange Category:Transport companies of the United Kingdom Category:Companies based in County Durham Category:1891 establishments in England