Seas Shipping Company, owner of the Robin Line was founded in 1920 in

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The Robin Line named all its ships starting with the word ''Robin''. Robin Line was intercoastal fleet started as the predecessor of the

Farrell Lines Farrell Lines Incorporated was a boat company named in 1948 after James A. Farrell, Jr., and John J. Farrell, sons of James Augustine Farrell, president of US Steel. The company was previously known as American South African Lines (ASAL). It was ...

founded in 1948. James A. Farrell, Jr., and John J. Farrell, sons of

James Augustine Farrell James Augustine Farrell Sr. (February 15, 1863 – March 28, 1943) was president of US Steel from 1911 to 1932. A major business figure of his era, Farrell expanded US Steel by a factor of five during his presidency, turning it into America's f ...

, president of

US Steel United States Steel Corporation, more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an American integrated steel producer headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with production operations primarily in the United States of America and in several countries ...

founded the Robin Line. Robin Line had two major stock holders the Lewis family and the Farrell family. In 1933, the two families ended their partnership and became rivals. The Robin line entered the

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

trade routes, competing against the Farrell Line. The two companies remained rivals until the death of Arthur W. Lewis, Jr. in 1954. Robin Line was sold to

Moore-McCormack The Moore-McCormack Lines was a series of companies operating as shipping lines, operated by the Moore-McCormack Company, Incorporated, later Moore-McCormack Lines, Incorporated, and simply Mooremack, founded in 1913 in New York City. It ceased tr ...

Lines in 1957. During

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 ...

Seas Shipping Company was active in 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 ...

. *Robin Line ports: New York, Walvis Bay, Luderitz, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban, Lourenço Marques, Beira, Dar es Salaam, Tanga, Zanzibar, Mombasa, Tamatave, Majunga, other Madagascar ports, and Mauritius.

World War II

Seas Shipping Company ships were used to help the World War II effort. During World War II Seas Shipping 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 Sword Line, Inc. was active with charter shipping with the Maritime Commission and War Shipping Administration. Seas Shipping 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. Ma ...

s and

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 for the merchant navy. The ship was run by its Seas Shipping 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 ...

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.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 25846 Highlandtown Station, Baltimore, M

/ref>

Ships

*SS ''Eldena'' (1919) * SS Robin Doncaster, SS ''Robin Doncaster'' (owned 1948 to 1957) **type C2 ship with reefer storage and 12 passengers housing, for

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

and East Africa service: *SS ''Robin Wentley'' *SS ''Robin Locksley'' USS Antares (AK-258)

file:Liberty ship at sea.jpg,

of World War II *SS ''Robin Tuxford'' *SS ''Robin Doncaster'' *SS ''Robin Kettering'' *SS ''Robin Sherwood'' *SS ''Robin Mowbray'' *SS ''Robin Goodfellow'' *SS ''Robin Hood'' *SS ''Robin Trent'' *SS ''Robin Kirk'' *SS ''Robin Gray'', scuttled in 1944 to make Omaha Beach breakwater. * SS ''Robin Moor'' * (owned 1947 to 1957)

World war II ships

Victory ships

* SS ''Clovis Victory'' * SS ''Hibbing Victory'' * SS ''Gainsville Victory'' * SS ''Greenville Victory'' * SS ''Park Victory''

Liberty ships

* SS ''Robin Kettering'' * SS ''Arthur R. Lewis'' * SS ''William Moultrie'' * SS ''Aquarama'' (post war work) * SS ''Sidney Lanier'' * SS ''James Gunn'' * SS ''Noah Brown'' * SS ''Irvin S. Cobb'' * SS ''Francis L. Lee'' * SS ''Nicholas Biddle'' * SS ''John Witherspoon'' * SS ''Ira Nelson Morris'' * SS ''Charles W. Stiles'' * SS ''Laura Bridgman'' *SS ''Amy Lowell'' *SS ''Walter Colton''

Other

*SS ''Empire Lynx'', torpedoed November 3, 1942, sank by while with

Convoy SC 107 Convoy SC 107 was the 107th of the numbered series of World War II Slow Convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island to Liverpool. The ships departed New York City on 24 October 1942 and were found and engaged by a wolfpack of ...

. *SS ''West Chetac'', torpedoed and sunk September 24, 1942 by ''U-175'' *SS ''West Imboden'', torpedoed and sunk April 21, 1942 by ''U-752''

References

{{WWII US ships Defunct shipping companies of the United States