Tymon Mellor’s article, Andrew Weir Shipping and Trading Co.Ltd (Bank Line) – connection to Sha Lo Wan Mine, Lantau, led to, Andrew Weir & Company. It should be noted that the following article refers to The Bank Line and not The Bank Line (China) Ltd, about which some information ca be found in our article, Thomas Alexander Loughlin, manager of The […]
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HF: Tymon Mellor’s article, Sha Lo Wan Mine, includes, “A local company, The Bank Line (China) Ltd was interested in production of the ore for shipment to Japan, through Andrew Weir & Co, a local “reputable firm” as advised by the superintendent of Mines in a memo dated 7th January, 1953.” Further research led to our article, Andrew Weir Shipping and Trading […]
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HF writes: I am trying to gather information about this company and not coming up with much. Apparently in mid-January 1942 (ie during the occupation of Hong Kong by the Japanese) the Inland River Operations Company resumed river steamers between Hong Kong, Macau and the Mainland. I am not sure whether “resumed” meant the company existed pre-1942 or whether it was […]
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At 2:20 a.m. on April 15, 1912, 106 years ago today, the British ocean liner Titanic sank into the North Atlantic Ocean about 400 miles south of Newfoundland, Canada. The massive ship, which carried 2,200 passengers and crew, had struck an iceberg two and half hours before. “Eight Chinese men were among the 2,200 people on board the RMS Titanic. Six […]
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Seawise Giant, later Happy Giant, Jahre Viking, Knock Nevis, Oppama, and finally Mont, was a ULCC supertanker (ultra large crude carrier) that was the longest ship ever built. She possessed the greatest deadweight tonnage ever recorded. Fully loaded, her displacement was 657,019 tonnes (646,642 long tons; 724,239 short tons), the heaviest ship of any kind, and with a laden draft of 24.6 m (81 ft), she was incapable of navigating the English Channel, the Suez […]
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Dodwell & Co. (天祥洋行) or Dodwell’s, was one of the leading British merchant firms, or hongs, active in Hong Kong, China and Japan during the 19th and 20th century. It was a direct rival to Jardine, Matheson & Co. This article was written by Peter E. Hamilton, and first published in the Dictionary of Hong Kong Biography, edited by May Holdsworth and […]
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Dr. François Drémeaux, Honorary Professor, Department of History, The University of Hong Kong, is currently working on the presence of French companies in Hong Kong during the interwar period. He has kindly sent three charts showing a selection of these companies. The first one shows: Les principales compagnies maritimes françaises à Hong Kong (1918-1941) I have copied the company names […]
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Stephen Davies: The Isthmian Shipping Line (1910-1974) was initially a strange, hybrid beast – American but set up in London with a British management agency, the Federal Steam Navigation Co (ex-the famed Money & Wigram, itself an offshoot of the EIC when that lost its monopoly in 1833). I think the key point is its connection with US Steel – […]
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HF: This is an initial attempt to analyse the impact of World War One on industry in Hong Kong. First some rather surprising evidence of pro-German feelings immediately prior to the outbreak of WW1. During research at the national archives in Berlin for his forthcoming book, The Germans and Hong Kong, 1843-1997, Bert Becker, associate professor of history at the […]
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The Signal Tower in the Signal Hill Garden at Blackhead Point was built in 1907 by the Hong Kong Observatory to house a time-ball apparatus that was previously located in the nearby Round House of the Former Marine Police Headquarters. [Nick Kitto points out: the time-ball is still visible at the Marine Police Headquarters in TST. HF:Blackhead Point (黑頭山, lit. […]
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