Black Diamond Steamship Company (BDSC) operated passenger and cargo liners from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...

and Antwerp. It was founded by J.E. Dockendorff in 1919, and named the American Diamond Line by the

United States Shipping Board The United States Shipping Board (USSB) was established as an emergency agency by the 1916 Shipping Act (39 Stat. 729), on September 7, 1916. The United States Shipping Board's task was to increase the number of US ships supporting the World War ...

. The company was profitable in the 1920s and early 1930s. Prior to the United States' entry into

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the nation's neutrality policy ended much of the lines trade. Dockendorff stepped down as a principal executive in 1934, selling the only one of the company's 21 ships not owned by the government: the SS ''New Britain'', which he had purchased in 1918. During World War II the company sold most of its American Diamond Line ships and moved to charter shipping with the

Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 195 ...

and

War Shipping Administration The War Shipping Administration (WSA) was a World War II emergency war agency of the US government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the United States needed for fighting the war. Both shipbuilding under the Maritime C ...

. During the war, the Black Diamond Steamship Company operated

Victory ship The Victory ship was a class of cargo ship produced in large numbers by North American shipyards during World War II to replace losses caused by German submarines. They were a more modern design compared to the earlier Liberty ship, were sli ...

s and

Liberty ships Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Mass ...

. These ships were operated by their own crews; the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

supplied

United States Navy Armed Guard United States Navy Armed Guard units were established during World War II and headquartered in New Orleans.World War II U.S. Navy Armed Guard and World War II U.S. Merchant Marine, 2007-2014 Project Liberty Ship, Project Liberty Ship, P.O. Box 2 ...

s to man the deck guns and radio. The most common armament mounted on these merchant ships were the MK II 20mm Oerlikon autocannon and the 3"/50, 4"/50, and 5"/38 deck guns. After the war there were many surplus ships and much competition. Black Diamond Steamship Company continued to operate after the war, but finally closed in 1955. SS West Arrow

American Diamond Lines

American Diamond Line was started at the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in 1919, by the

. American Diamond Lines became a subsidiary of Black Diamond Steamship Company in 1920, a profitable company in the 1920s and early 1930s that operated 20 ships. In 1929 the American Diamond Line was put up for sale. Two companies lobbied the US Shipping Board for American Diamond Lines: Black Diamond Shipping Corporation and the Cosmopolitan Shipping Company. The lobby and appeals were taken all the way to President

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...

. Then in 1931 the Shipping Board sided with Black Diamond Steamship Corporation, which purchased back American Diamond Lines. Due to the USA's neutrality in early war years, American Diamond Lines charted some of its ships to foreign-flag shipping companies in order to continue its European trade. American Diamond Lines was not able to get Government subsidies post World War II and declined, closing in 1955 as part of Black Diamond Steamship.

Black Diamond Steamship Company Ltd.

Black Diamond Steamship Company Ltd of

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

was the Canadian subsidiary Black Diamond Steamship Company starting in 1926. The company began in 1881 and was owned by the

Dominion Coal Company The Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation (also DOSCO) was a Canadian coal mining and steel manufacturing company. Incorporated in 1928 and operational by 1930, DOSCO was predated by the British Empire Steel Corporation (BESCO), which was a merger ...

's Dominion Shipping Company Ltd., which was founded in 1893. Black Diamond Steamship Company Ltd and the Dominion Coal Company continued their partnership. In 1934 Dominion Shipping Co. Ltd. was taken over by Donaldson Bros. & Black Ltd., a British company, this control ended after World War 2. Black Diamond Steamship Company Ltd. closed in 1965, all ships being sold or scrapped due to age. N

Ports of call

First Ruotes was Boston and New York to/from Antwerp, Rotterdam, AmsterdamAmsterdam. Black Diamond Steamship Company had weekly routes to Charlottetown, Montreal, Sydney, and St. John's. Also served the cities of: Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore, and Norfolk / Newport News.

Ships

Black Diamond Steamship and American Diamond Lines ships: *SS New Britain (built in 1919, sank in 1942 ad SS Silver Sword) **U.S. Shipping Board ships: *SS Anaconda, (built in 1919 at 380 tons, hull# 16, built at Federal Shipbuilding yard) *SS Ambridge (Built in 1919 at Federal S.B. Yard) *

SS West Eldara SS ''West Eldara'' was a steel-hulled cargo ship built in 1918 as part of the United States Shipping Boards emergency World War I shipbuilding program. ''West Eldara'' briefly served with the U.S. Navy in the immediate postwar period as the auxi ...

SS Black Falcon SS ''Mary Luckenbach'', was a cargo ship of the United States Navy. She was launched in 1918 and completed the following year by the American International Shipbuilding Corp., Hog Island, Pennsylvania as USS ''Sac City'' (ID-3861). Service his ...

(was SS Mary Luckenbach and USS Sac City) *SS Black Gull (sank off Long Island after a fire on July 21, 1952, crew saved) *

SS Black Osprey SS ''Black Osprey'' was a cargo ship for the American Diamond Lines and the British Cairn Line. She was formerly known as SS ''West Arrow'' when she was launched for the United States Shipping Board (USSB) during World War I. The ship was insp ...

(was West Arrow) *SS Back Dragon (was Muncie Victory) *SS Black Condor (was Empire Lapwing sank in 1941 as the Belgian Fighter) *SS Black Eagle (built 1920, sank in 1942 as SS Hoosier) *SS Black Eagle (built 1945 was Midland Victory) *SS Black Tern (then Empire Hawk) * SS Black Heron (then Empire Barracuda) SS American Victory

**World War II chartered ships: **World War II Victory Ships: * SS Union Victory *Towanda Victory *Hobart Victory *Drake Victory * SS Luray Victory *North Platte Victory *Coe Victory **World War II Liberty Ships: *Kerkyra *R. J. Reynolds *Robert Dale Owen *Robert Watchorn *Patrick S. Mahoney *Paul Hamilton *Peregrine White *James Sprunt *Joe C. S. Blackburn *John P. Harris *William R. Lewis *William F. Jerman *William L. Watson *Frank J. Cuhel * SS Howard Gray *Abram S. Hewitt *Augustus Saint-Gaudens * Morris C. Feinstone

References

{{Liberty ships Defunct shipping companies of the United States Transport companies established in 1919 Transport companies disestablished in 1919 American companies established in 1919 1919 establishments in New York (state) 1955 disestablishments in New York (state)