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The British and American Steam Navigation Company was a steamship line that operated a regular transatlantic service from 1839 to 1841. Before its first purpose-built Atlantic liner, ''British Queen'' was completed, British and American chartered ''Sirius'' for two voyages in 1838 to beat the Great Western Steamship Company into service. B & A's regular liners were larger than their rivals, but were underpowered. The company collapsed when its second vessel, ''President'' was lost in 1841.
British and American was founded by American lawyer Junius Smith (1780–1853), who is often considered the "Father of the Atlantic Liner". Smith had been a merchant in London for 30 years when in 1832 he became stuck on a sailing packet to New York for 54 days. The normal westbound passage was 40 days. Before he returned to London, he published the idea of building a line of transatlantic steamships in a November 1832 issue of the ''American Rail Road Journal''.
His plan called for a four-ship London-New York service with fortnightly departures in each direction. Two of the ships were to be owned by an American company, and the other two by a sister British firm. He received no support for several years and the American company never materialized. Finally the venture gained credibility when the Scottish shipbuilder Macgregor Laird became an investor. A new prospectus was published in ''The Times'' in November 1835.
The design for the company's first unit, ''British Queen'' was finished after the details of the Great Western's first ship became known. Rather than build the four 1,200 GRT units as planned in the prospectus, British and American decided to make its first ship substantially bigger. The Scottish engineer, Robert Napier was originally designated to build ''British Queens engine, but the contract was awarded to another firm that underbid Napier's price. Unfortunately, this other firm collapsed and Napier was finally given the contract. The delay cost British and American a critical 18 months while work on ''Great Western'' continued. Smith accused Napier of dragging his feet while he completed other contracts for the British and Russian Governments. The two had a falling out and Napier became the major early backer of
History
British and American was founded by American lawyer Junius Smith (1780–1853), who is often considered the "Father of the Atlantic Liner". Smith had been a merchant in London for 30 years when in 1832 he became stuck on a sailing packet to New York for 54 days. The normal westbound passage was 40 days. Before he returned to London, he published the idea of building a line of transatlantic steamships in a November 1832 issue of the ''American Rail Road Journal''.
His plan called for a four-ship London-New York service with fortnightly departures in each direction. Two of the ships were to be owned by an American company, and the other two by a sister British firm. He received no support for several years and the American company never materialized. Finally the venture gained credibility when the Scottish shipbuilder Macgregor Laird became an investor. A new prospectus was published in ''The Times'' in November 1835.
The design for the company's first unit, ''British Queen'' was finished after the details of the Great Western's first ship became known. Rather than build the four 1,200 GRT units as planned in the prospectus, British and American decided to make its first ship substantially bigger. The Scottish engineer, Robert Napier was originally designated to build ''British Queens engine, but the contract was awarded to another firm that underbid Napier's price. Unfortunately, this other firm collapsed and Napier was finally given the contract. The delay cost British and American a critical 18 months while work on ''Great Western'' continued. Smith accused Napier of dragging his feet while he completed other contracts for the British and Russian Governments. The two had a falling out and Napier became the major early backer of Cunard
Cunard () is a British shipping and cruise line based at Carnival House at Southampton, England, operated by Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. Since 2011, Cunard and its three ships have been registered in Hamilton, Berm ...
.
When Great Western scheduled its initial sailing, Laird suggested that British and American charter the Irish Sea steamer ''Sirius'' from the St. George Steam Packet Company for two voyages to beat Great Western. While ''Sirius'' left Cork, Ireland four days before ''Great Western'' departed Avonmouth
Avonmouth is a port and outer suburb of Bristol, England, facing two rivers: the reinforced north bank of the final stage of the Avon which rises at sources in Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Somerset; and the eastern shore of the Severn Es ...
, ''Great Western'' still came within a day of overtaking ''Sirius'' to New York. It was rumoured that to complete the voyage, ''Sirius'' was forced to burn spars when coal ran low. Because British and American did not begin its regular service until the following year, the Great Western Steam Ship Company is considered the first regular transatlantic steamship line.
In 1839, ''British Queen'' finally entered service and was roomier and more comfortable than her rivals. The company earned a 5.5% dividend that year. British and American immediately ordered a consort, ''President'', which was double the size of Cunard's ''Britannia'' of the same year. From the beginning, ''President'' departed from Liverpool, instead of London. In 1841, both ships worked from Liverpool, with one steamer scheduled to depart on the 10th of each month.
In service, ''British Queen'' and later ''President'' proved underpowered and too lightly built for the Atlantic. Power became even more inadequate when the patented feathering paddles had to be removed from both units because British American did not have the consent of the patent holder William Pool. ''President'' cleared New York in March 1841 and was seen the next day struggling in a gale. Most sources conclude that her lack of power and top-heavy design contributed to her loss with all hands. The company collapsed and the remaining ship was sold to the Belgian Government.
British and American fleet
List sourced fromReferences
{{reflist, 30em Transatlantic shipping companies Defunct shipping companies of the United Kingdom