Boland and Cornelius Company was a shipping company founded in 1904 by Messrs Boland and
Adam E. Cornelius in
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...
. Adam Edwards Cornelius came up with the idea of having
self-unloading ships to save time and money. Adam Edwards Cornelius self-unloading ships changed the way ships were unloading. In 1907 Boland and Cornelius founded the
American Steamship Company
The American Steamship Company (ASC) is an American transportation company that operates a fleet of self-unloading vessels in the Great Lakes. The company is currently owned by Rand Logistics Inc.
History
The American Steamship Company was fo ...
a subsidiary of Boland and Cornelius Company. American Steamship Company later became the current
GATX Corporation
GATX Corporation is a railcar lessor that owns fleets in North America, Europe, and Asia. In addition, jointly with Rolls-Royce Limited, it owns one of the largest aircraft spare engine lease portfolios. It is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. ...
. Boland and Cornelius Company flew a white and red flag with B&C in blue.
In 1973, the Boland and Cornelius families sold Boland and Cornelius Company and American Steamship Company to the
General American Transportation Corporation
GATX Corporation is a railcar lessor that owns fleets in North America, Europe, and Asia. In addition, jointly with Rolls-Royce Limited, it owns one of the largest aircraft spare engine lease portfolios. It is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. ...
(GATX). GATX sold the shipping company to RAND Logistics Inc. in 2020. RAND Logistics Inc. was founded in 2006 and has purchased other shipping companies.
Messrs Boland first shipping company was on the
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...
with his brothers. Messrs Boland,
John J. Boland and Joseph Boland founded the J.J. Boland Company, also J.J. Boland Jr. Company in 1895 in Buffalo, New York. In 1901 Joseph Boland departed the shipping company.
Self-unloading ships
unloading hopper in 1958">SS Carl D. Bradleyunloading hopper in 1958
Adam Edwards Cornelius
bulk-carrier self-unloading ships used a
Conveyor belt
A conveyor belt is the carrying medium of a belt conveyor system (often shortened to belt conveyor). A belt conveyor system is one of many types of conveyor systems. A belt conveyor system consists of two or more pulleys (sometimes referred to ...
arm to unload cargo. The
American Shipbuilding Company
The American Ship Building Company was the dominant shipbuilder on the Great Lakes before the World War II, Second World War. It started as Cleveland Shipbuilding in Cleveland, Ohio in 1888 and opened the yard in Lorain, Ohio in 1898. It changed ...
was the first to build these new ships.
World War II
In 1941 Boland and Cornelius Company operated as an agent for the American Steamship Company. Boland and Cornelius Company operated a fleet of ships that were used to help the
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 opposin ...
effort. During World War II Boland and Cornelius Company operated
Merchant navy ships for 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 ...
. During World War II was active with
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 Co ...
. Boland and Cornelius Company operated
Liberty ship
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 ...
s and tankers for the
merchant navy. The ship was run by its Boland and Cornelius Company crew and 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 of ...
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.
Ships
The launch of the SS ''William G. Mather''
![SS Yale](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/SS_Yale.jpg)
*
SS ''Yale'' first steel ship
*
Adam E. Cornelius (1) (1908)
*
SS William G. Mather built in 1905
*Adam E. Cornelius (2)
*Adam E. Cornelius (3), self-unloading ships, built in 1959
*Hugh Kenndey 1907 laker
*
MV John J. Boland built in 1973
*
MV Saginaw
The lake freighter MV ''Saginaw'' was launched as ''John J. Boland'' in 1953, the third vessel to bear that name. ''John J. Boland'' was owned and operated by the American Steamship Company and constructed by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company at Ma ...
Built in 1953
J.J. Boland Company ships:
*SV Alta a 1905 Schooner 1884-1905
*J.J. Boland Jr, sank
Liberty ships operated:
*
James F. Harrell
*
Alexander Lillington
John Alexander Lillington (c. 1725 – 1786), also known as Alexander John Lillington, was an American planter, politician and Patriot officer from North Carolina in the American Revolutionary War. He fought in the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge ...
*
SS Harold T. Andrews
SS ''Harold T. Andrews'' was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Harold T. Andrews, an ordinary seaman serving on that, on 15 September 1942, in Suez, Egypt, saved an engineer that was trapped i ...
* La Salle Seam
* Darel M. Ritter
* Mary Wilkins Freeman
* Francis A. Retka
* Thomas H. Gallaudet
* Pocahontas Seam
* Jellico Seam
See also
*
World War II United States Merchant Navy
World War II United States Merchant Navy was the largest civilian Navy in the world, which operated during World War II. With the United States fighting a world war in all the world oceans, the demand for cargo and fuel was very high. Cargo and ...
External links
ASC website
References
{{Authority control
Defunct shipping companies of the United States
American companies established in 1904