China Navigation Company Ltd.
SHANGHAI
China Navigation Co. Ltd-John Swire & Sons, London, operated from 1873 as China Navigation Co. A detailed fleet list by Howard of all the CNCo ships was published in Dick & Kentwell, Far Eastern Fleets (Nautical Association of Australia, 1973) and updated material appears on this site. The list in the first PDF contains this information and a full selection of illustrations of the coastal and ocean steamers of this company from 1873 until 1941. Second is Changjiang (Yangtse) River and Ningbo steamers, with a complete pictorial coverage. Third is the post-war ‘F’-CLASS cargo ship quintette and the Indonesia trade 1946-64. The fourth PDF covers the four ships of the post-World War II 'S'-class (built 1946-47). The fifth PDF covers the careers of the post-world War II passenger ships CHANGSHA and TAIYUAN of 1949. The sixth PDF covers the larger passenger shps CHUNGKING (1950) and CHANGCHOW (1951). The seventh PDF presents the passenger ships ANKING (1950) and ANSHUN (1951). The eighth PDF fully deals with CNCo's Taikoo-built 'C' and 'K' class cargoliners of 1955-62. The ninth PDF covers vessels operating in the Pearl River, including the ships of the affiliated Hong Kong, Canton & Macao Steamboat Co. (HCMSC). The tenth examines the career of CNCo's HUNAN of 1966 including subsequently under the Portuguese flag as NACALA. All ten documents contain many illustrations.
FLEET LISTS & CLASS HISTORIES (PDF FORMAT)
HUNAN
FENGTIEN
KIATING
CHANGCHOW
For the other CNCo ships we recommend the updated comprehensive listing at the WIKISWIRE site affiliated with the Swire organisation and the HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPHS OF CHINA site at the University of Bristol which houses the very large photograph collection of G. Warren Swire.
Shown above are a typical coaster, the HUNAN of 1895 (Warren Swire Coll., University of Bristol) shown cargo loading just before sailing from Hankou (Hankow), the fast Shanghai-Tientsin steamer FENGTIEN of 1905 running trials (James Adamson coll., University of Glasgow), and KIATING, a specialised upper Yangtse River steamer of 1925, capable of sailing upstream from Chongqing (Chungking), nearly 1500 kilometers inland from Shanghai (Wikiswire).Shown above is an early Inglis-built Lower River steamer, the SHANGHAI of 1873 (John Swire & Sons coll.), below, a typical coaster, the HUNAN of 1895 (Warren Swire Coll., University of Bristol) shown cargo loading just before sailing from Hankou (Hankow), the fast Shanghai-Tianjin (Tientsin) steamer FENGTIEN of 1905 running trials (James Adamson Coll., University of Glasgow), and KIATING, a specialised upper Yangtse River steamer of 1925, capable of sailing upstream from Chongqing (Chungking), nearly 1500 kilometers inland from Shanghai (Wikiswire). Below those is the impressive CHANGCHOW on trials (Wikiswire).
Australian Oriental Line
CHANGTE
G.S. Yuill, China Navigation's agent in Sydney for the China-Australia line, in mid-1912 by agreement with John Swire & Sons formed Australian Oriental Line (AOL) and took ownership and management of the line together with the old, clipper-bowed Changsha (1886) and Taiyuan (1886). In the mid-1920s this pair were replaced by the new and luxurious CHANGTE and TAIPING. Postwar AOL became a joint service with China Navigation's CHANGSHA (1886) and TAIYUAN (1886). In 1961, when the two AOL ships reached the end of their long lives, China Navigation took back full control. Shown above is the CHANGTE arriving Hobart in late career, 3 July 1960 (L.D. Rex)
HISTORY & FLEET (PDF FORMAT)