The company had foreseen the need to diversify and when change
was required Frederick Leyland proposed to expand trade to the
United States and Boston to exploit cargo carrying potential
as the ships deployed on the Mediterranean service had limited
passenger accommodation. James Bibby, on the other hand, considered
that the American trade was already highly competitive and that
the Mediterranean and India or Burma would produce a better
yield. Initially the company continued to concentrate on their
Mediterranean but it soon became apparent that most of their
new buildings from Harland & Wolff would be too large for
the service. The only alternative to selling them would be to
operate a transatlantic service and Leyland still considered
that Boston was under served. The ships subsequently made one
or two trial savings which were moderately profitable.
James
Jenkinson Bibby was sixty and wealthy in 1872 but his son was
only 15. All James's brothers and adult nephews, Thomas's sons
Arthur and Herbert, were well established in other non-shipping
businesses. James, and indeed the Bibby family, faced a dilemma
and, although the family had always held substantial equity,
he decided to give up the controlling interest in the shipping
business and negotiations were started with a very willing Frederick
Leyland.
On 1st January 1873 twenty one
steamers and the tug Camel passed into the control of Frederick
Leyland and the Bibby family no longer had any direct involvement
in the shipping industry. However, when Frederick Leyland tried
to replace the Bibby name with his own their was an outcry from
the family. To keep the Bibby name prominent Thomas Bibby's
son, Arthur Wilson Bibby, set up Bibby Brothers & Co. in
Liverpool and began to operate as a ship and produce broker
and James Jenkinson Bibby continued to fly the company's houseflag
on his yacht, the Jason.
Leyland continued to trade to
the Iberian peninsular and the Mediterranean but the single
expansion engines were not economical on Atlantic crossings
and under powered for the 'into wind' westbound voyage. The
new compound engine was essential if Leyland was to commence
serious Atlantic crossings but a slump in that trade occurred
and his plans were delayed for three years.
In 1875 Benjamin Disraeli, the British Prime Minister, purchased
176,602 500Franc shares in the Cie Universelle du Canal de Suez
from the impoverished Ismail Pasha for £4,000,000. This
44% holding gave Britain virtual control of the Suez Canal and
opened up shipping routes to India and the Far East.
The son of the Rev. Thomas Bibby, Arthur, through his directorship
in the Beaver Line had an interest in shipping and with Frederick
and Herbert Ledward formed Ledward, Bibby & Co. in 1877.
The Ledward's main business was importing and broking sugar.
Arthur and James Jenkinson Bibby still recognised that the Atlantic
was being over traded and, at the same time, remembered the
families earlier interest in the Indian sub-continent and especially
Burma. Upper Burma was annexed as a dependency of the Government
of India in January 1886 and, subsequently, trade with Burma
improved and the Bibby's could see that Hendersons were doing
well out of Glasgow.
Three years later, in 1889 the
Bibby family decided to return to shipping with Rangoon in Burma
as their destination. James Jenkinson Bibby provided the finance
to build two cargo ships, the Lancashire and Yorkshire, at Harland
& Wolff's yard and Arthur Bibby with J.J's son Frank Bibby
operated them as Bibby Brothers & Co. The two ships were
larger and far superior to Henderson's Pegu which was their
crack ship of the day. The Bibby's and the Henderson's were
long time friends and realistic business so that within six
months face to face competition was avoided by agreeing that
Bibby's would only trade out of Liverpool and London whereas
Henderson's would restrict their trading to Liverpool and Glasgow.
There was no restriction on inbound ports, common freight rates
were agreed and the ships would sail alternatively to give the
shippers a better service. In both Liverpool and Glasgow the
ships were soon referred to by all and sundry as the 'Burma
Boats. Bibby's appointed the Arrancan Company (Halliday Bros.)
as their agents in Rangoon.
Two more ships were ordered in
1890 and they were given twin screws because of the reliability
they provided. They were given four lofty masts, a practice
which would continue for another forty years, and an abnormally
tall funnel which gave extra draught in the airless conditions
that were encountered on much of their route south of Suez.
The four ships were able to operate a monthly sailing to Rangoon,
the fare being £50 from Liverpool.
In 1891 the Bibby Steamship Company
was formed with Bibby Bros. & Co. as managers and by July
of that year, working in conjunction with Henderson's, a two
weekly service was maintained. Colombo, where ships anchored
and unloaded into lighters, was added as a port of call and
Carson & Co. were appointed as agents.
By 1892 space at Liverpool had become a problem and, because
a permanent berth was essential, the Vittoria Dock at Birkenhead
became the outbound passenger and cargo terminal. In London
Tilbury became the inbound port with Alexander Howden &
Co. as the handling agent.
In 1893 the company, which by this time was profitable, was
placed on the Government's 'Approved List' for the carriage
of civil servants and military personnel between the United
Kingdom and their overseas postings. This was a real 'seal of
approval' which gave Bibby's the incentive to develop passenger
accommodation because of the needs of ladies and their children.
Many adults acquired a lifelong affection for the 'Bibby Boats'.
In the same year famine struck India and the rice crop from
Burma was diverted there which meant that Bibby's were unable
to carry a full cargo home.
With the interests of passengers
in mind, the Staffordshire inaugurated a call at Marseilles
in 1894 so that passengers could embarked and return to London
by train and ferry so as to avoid crossing the Bay of Biscay
with its reputation for rough passages. When the Derbyshire
joined the fleet in 1897 three-weekly sailings were started
and the Yorkshire was relegated to reserve ship status.
James Jenkinson Bibby died in
1897 at the age of 84 and after almost seventy years with the
company. His legacy to the family was that his fortune was to
be held in trust for Bibby Line purposes. He was succeeded as
Chairman by his son, Frank Bibby.
The Warwickshire joined the fleet
in 1902 and sailings were increased to twice monthly. The new
ship was the first to incorporate the 'tandem' cabin which enabled
both outside and inside cabins to have a port hole, the latter
at the end of a narrow corridor. They became known as 'Bibby'
cabins and were widely copied by other shipowners. She was also
equipped with electric fans, another innovation that was universally
adopted on later sunsequent buildings. In the same year the
brigantine sailing ship James J. Bibby was presented was presented
to the Liverpool boys training ship Indefatigable which was
anchored in the River Mersey.
In 1906 the berth at Birkenhead
was moved to Alfred Dock North and about the same time the Worcestershire
and the Herefordshire joined the fleet replacing the original
Lancashire and the Yorkshire. The Leicestershire and the Gloucestershire
were delivered in 1909/10 and at Birkenhead a larger berth was
acquired at Mortar Mill Quay where the company remained until
1940. The last ship to be delivered before the outbreak of the
First World War was the famous and much loved Oxfordshire which
joined the fleet in 1912.
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