View source for Ellerman Lines

{{Short description|Large UK based shipping firm}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2017}}
{{For|the British steam locomotive of this name|SR Merchant Navy class}}
[[File:House Flag of Ellerman Lines.svg|thumb|House flag used by Ellerman Lines]]
[[File:Chinese School 19th century - The British steamer „City of Cambridge“ in Chinese Waters.jpg|thumb|Ellerman Lines' four-masted sail-steamer [[barquentine]] ''City of Cambridge'', launched in 1870]]
'''Ellerman Lines''' was a [[United Kingdom|UK]] cargo and passenger shipping company that operated from the late nineteenth century and into the twentieth century. It was founded in the late 19th century, and continued to expand by acquiring smaller shipping lines until it became one of the largest shipping firms in the World. Setbacks occurred through heavy losses to its merchant fleet in the [[World War I|First]] and [[World War II|Second World War]]s but were overcome in each case.

The company suffered from competition and modernising trends in the shipping industry that occurred in the second half of the 20th century. Its shipping assets were subsequently sold off to larger companies until the name was dropped in 2004, and Ellerman finally ceased its long association with shipping. However, as of 2021, the Ellerman name was revived in the form of Ellerman City Liners, to provide a new container shipping service between the UK and China.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ellermanlines.com/schedules/ |title=Schedules |website=Ellerman City Liners |access-date=15 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Li |first1=Martina |last2=van Marle |first2=Gavin |title=Ellerman relaunches as trend for box ship chartering by forwarders matures |url=https://theloadstar.com/ellerman-relaunches-as-trend-for-box-ship-chartering-by-forwarders-matures/ |website=The Loadstar |date=25 January 2022 |access-date=15 February 2022}}</ref>

==History==
===Predecessors and early years===
[[File:StateLibQld 1 125023 City of Naples (ship).jpg|thumb|Hall Line's ''City of Naples'', launched in 1908]]
The company was [[Incorporation (business)|incorporated]] in 1892, by the businessmen [[Sir John Ellerman, 1st Baronet|John Ellerman]], [[Christopher Furness, 1st Baron Furness|Christopher Furness]] and Henry O'Hagan, who bought the assets of the [[Liverpool]] based shipping firm Frederick Leyland and Co Ltd. The company started with an initial [[Capital (economics)|capital]] of £800,000 to buy the fleet of 22 vessels from the executors of [[Frederick Richards Leyland|Frederick Leyland]], the former head of Frederick Leyland and Co. Ellerman was initially the managing director, and Furness the chairman, but Ellerman had taken on the role of chairman himself by 1893.

The company expanded in 1900 by acquiring 20 ships from the West India and Pacific Steamship Company. The firm was then reorganised as Frederick Leyland (1900), and operated with a capital of £2,800,000. In 1901 the company was bought by [[J. P. Morgan]]'s International Marine Mercantile Company, but Ellerman remained as chairman, and the owner of 20 ships. He later acquired the Papayanni Steamship Company and eight of its ships. He used these assets to form the London, Liverpool and Ocean Shipping Company, based at [[Moorgate]] in [[London]].
[[File:StateLibQld 1 141099 Glenavon (ship).jpg|thumb|''Branksome Hall'', launched in 1904. The photo shows it between 1906 and 1911, when it was with [[Glen Line]] and called ''Glenavon''.]]
The London, Liverpool and Ocean Shipping Company then went on to buy 50 per cent of George Smith and Sons' City Line, [[Glasgow]], and 50 per cent of the Hall Line Ltd in 1903. Its capital was further increased, and the name was changed to Ellerman Lines. The company had its head offices in Liverpool and [[Glasgow]], with a subsidiary office in London. Further acquisitions followed. In 1904–05 the company bought [[Glen Line|McGregor, Gow and Co]] of Liverpool, which was known as Glen Line. In 1908 the company bought the financially troubled Bucknall Steamship Lines who operated on numerous routes between the United Kingdom, [[South Africa]], the [[near East]] and [[North America]], which in 1914 was renamed '''Ellerman & Bucknall Steamship Co.'''<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/ellerman6.shtml |last1=Swiggum |first1=Susan |last2=Kohli |first2=Marjorie |title=Ellerman & Bucknall |work=TheShipsList |date=5 February 2005}}</ref>

The Ellerman group of companies now occupied a dominating position in the [[Mediterranean]] and Near East. By 1914, the Ellerman group controlled four subsidiary companies: Ellerman City Line; Ellerman and Bucknall Steamship Company; Ellerman and Papayanni Lines; and Hall Line (though the City and Hall line were often referred to as one — Ellerman City & Hall Lines<ref>{{Cite book |last=Barker |first=Ralph |title=Children of the Benares: A War Crime and Its Victims |publisher=Avid Publications |year=2003 |isbn=978-1902964072 |place=United Kingdom |language=English}}</ref>).

===Wartime service and purchase of Wilson Line===
Ellerman's position as a major shipping firm meant that a large portion of its fleet was requisitioned by the British Government on the outbreak of the [[First World War]], for use as [[troopship|troop ships]], munitions carriers, or for conversion into [[Armed merchantman#Armed merchant cruisers|armed merchant cruisers]] to augment the [[Royal Navy]]. Ellerman continued to operate a skeletal service with its remaining ships, and in 1916 Ellerman personally bought [[Thomas Wilson Sons & Co.|Wilson Line]] of [[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]], bringing 67 short-sea vessels into service with the company.

The Wilson operation was renamed [[Thomas Wilson Sons & Co.|Ellerman's Wilson Line]] and traded as a separate entity with its own distinctive livery of red funnel with a black top and most of the vessels had dark green hulls. This was a complete contrast to the buff funnels with a black top and white dividing line used by the grey hulled Ellerman Lines' vessels.<ref>{{cite book |last=Greenway |first=Ambrose |year=1986 |title=A Century of North Sea Passenger Steamers |place=Shepperton |publisher=[[Ian Allan Publishing]] |isbn=0-7110-1338-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/centuryofnorthse0000gree/page/41 41] |url=https://archive.org/details/centuryofnorthse0000gree/page/41}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Moody |first=Bert |year=1971 |title=Ocean Ships |place=Shepperton |publisher=[[Ian Allan Publishing]] |id=SBN 7110-0214-2 |page=70}}</ref>

[[File:StateLibQld 1 126207 Calypso (ship).jpg|thumb|''Calypso'', launched in 1897. Ellerman Wilson Lines acquired her in 1920 as [[World War I reparations]].]]
<blockquote>
"Heavy losses were suffered by the various companies controlled by Sir John Ellerman. In all, 103 ocean vessels, with a total cargo capacity of 600,000 to 750,000 tons, were destroyed. These included the liner ''City of Athens'' [[Naval mine|mined]] off [[Cape Town]] in Aug. 1917. ''City of Winchester'' (1914) was the first merchant vessel to be destroyed in the war, being captured by the German cruiser {{SMS|Königsberg|1905|2}}, while homeward bound from India with a very valuable cargo of produce. Another liner belonging to the Ellerman fleets was mined far from Europe. The ''City of Exeter,'' a fine passenger ship, struck a mine in the Indian Ocean, about 400 m. from [[Mumbai|Bombay]]. Number 1 hold filled at once, and the master gave orders for the passengers and crew to leave the ship. Then the master and chief engineer returned and, at grave risk, made a thorough examination of the ship. They decided that, with the exercise of the greatest care, the crippled vessel could reach Bombay under her own steam. The passengers reembarked and the vessel safely arrived in port."<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=EL4UAAAAQAAJ&q=ship+%22city+of+winchester%22+ellerman&pg=PA456 |title=The Encyclopædia Britannica: the new volumes |volume=3 |first=Hugh |last=Chisholm |year=1922 |chapter=Shipping |page=456}}</ref></blockquote>

[[File:StateLibQld 1 125571 City of Paris (ship).jpg|thumb|Ellerman Wilson Lines' {{SS|City of Paris|1922|2}}, launched in 1922]]
Ellerman Lines sought to restore a pre-war level of service after the end of the war. This involved obtaining several German liners as well as placing orders for new ships. Before long the old networks of passenger and cargo services had been restored. John Ellerman died a [[baronet]] with a fortune of £37 million in 1933.

By 1939 and the outbreak of the Second World War the fleet had been successfully rebuilt and expanded, to the extent that the Ellerman groups owned a total 105 ships with a combined capacity of 920,000 tons. This made Ellerman's one of the biggest fleets in the World. Its ships were in four classes: mixed cargo and passenger ships; cargo ships with limited passenger accommodation; pure cargo ships; and short sea traders for service in the Mediterranean. Many of these ships were subsequently requisition by the UK Government, whilst others were kept as cargo vessels to transport supplies to the United Kingdom.

Losses in the war were heavy, particularly to Germany's [[U-boat]] fleet. 41 ships were sunk by submarines including the loss of {{SS|City of Benares||2}}, seven by air attacks, three by mines and one by a [[commerce raiding|surface raider]]. In total, the Ellerman Group lost 60 ships out of its fleet of 105.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.archiveshub.ac.uk/news/02082105.html |title=Records of Ellerman Lines Ltd, shipowners, London, England and Glasgow, Scotland
|work=Archives Hub |date=2 August 2002 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120719170755/http://www.archiveshub.ac.uk/news/02082105.html |archive-date=19 July 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Post-war recovery===
[[File:London Surrey Docks geograph-3080026-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg|thumb|[[Liberty ship]] ''City of Shrewsbury'', launched in 1943 as ''Ben H Miller''. Ellerman and Papayanni bought it in 1947.]]
As with the period after the losses of the First World War, a new building programme was undertaken. A new policy meant the building of fast steam [[cargo liner]]s that carried no more than a dozen passengers in considerable comfort. Crew accommodation was likewise improved. The focus was on re-building their international trade routes and to this end they purchased outright 12 cargo ships from the Government which they had managed in the war. By 1952, 25 of these new style 12-passenger ships had entered service, making for a total of 45 new vessels since the war, and with a further 14 for use on the [[Portugal|Portuguese]] trade routes and Mediterranean services. By 1953 Ellerman's fleet had been almost completely rebuilt, consisting of a total of 94 ships with a carrying capacity of 900,000 tons.

In 1967, as containerisation began to rationalise the World's shipping services, Ellerman Lines (excluding the Wilson operation) controlled 59 oceangoing vessels.<ref>{{cite book |last=Moody |first=Bert |year=1967 |title=Ocean Ships |place=Shepperton |publisher=[[Ian Allan Publishing]] |page=62}}</ref>

===Decline===
[[File:City of York_IMO 5074226_P_London_1967.JPG|thumb|''City of York'', built 1953, in London (1967)]]
[[File:Rapallo (8179708171).jpg|thumb|Wilson Line's ''Rapallo'', launched in 1960]]
Trading was however becoming more difficult with newly independent nations, such as [[India]], setting up their own shipping companies. The nature of shipping was also changing, with the advent of [[containerisation]]. In 1966 Ellerman Lines joined the Associated Container Transportation (ACT) Group consortium and started the successful containerisation of its Mediterranean services. By the early 1970s the Ellerman group had expanded its commercial interests into other areas, including hotels, [[brewing]] and printing. In 1973 it merged all its shipping companies into one division.

Ten years later its profitability had plummeted and it was making heavy losses. The whole business was then sold to the [[David and Frederick Barclay|Barclay brothers]]. In 1985 the shipping business was [[Management buyout|bought by its management]], then sold to the [[Trafalgar House (company)|Trafalgar House]] conglomerate, which merged it with its ownership of the [[Cunard Line]] to form Cunard-Ellerman in 1987. In 1991 they passed it to the [[Andrew Weir, 1st Baron Inverforth|Andrew Weir]] Shipping Group, who sold it to [[Hamburg Süd]] in 2003. In 2004 the name was dropped and Ellerman Lines ceased to exist.
[[File:MV City of Colombo.jpg|thumb|''City of Colombo'' leaving Glasgow in 1970]]

===Revival of the Ellerman name===
Ellerman City Liners, a subsidiary of UniOcean Lines, was relaunched in 2021,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Li |first1=Martina |last2=van Marle |first2=Gavin |url=https://theloadstar.com/ellerman-relaunches-as-trend-for-box-ship-chartering-by-forwarders-matures/ |title=Ellerman relaunches as trend for box ship chartering by forwarders matures |website=The Loadstar |date=25 January 2022 |access-date=15 February 2022}}</ref> bringing the Ellerman name back into commercial use for the first time since 2004. The company now operates container shipping services between Europe and the USA.<ref>{{cite web |title=Schedules |url=https://ellermanlines.com/schedules/ |website=Ellerman Lines |access-date=15 February 2022}}</ref>

==Ships of the Ellerman Lines==
{{inc-transport|date=October 2021}}
{| class="wikitable"
!width=120px|Name
!Built
!width=65px|EL Service
!Notes
|-
|[[SS Lesbian (1874)|''Algerian'']]
|1874
|1901–1903
|ex ''Lesbian''. Scrapped in 1903.
|-
|{{SS|Assiout||2}}
|1889
|1901–1914
|ex ''British Empire''. Seized by Turkey at [[Smyrna]] and scuttled in 1915.
|-
|{{SS|Assyrian|1914|2}}
|1914
|1920–1940
|ex MS ''Fritz''. Converted from diesel to steam in 1925. Torpedoed and sunk by {{GS|U-101|1940|2}} in 1940.
|-
|{{HMS|Baralong||2}}
|1901
|1901–1915<br />1916–1922
|Requisitioned as a Q-ship in WW1 as HMS ''Baralong''. Renamed HMS ''Wyandra''. Returned 1916 and renamed ''Manica''. Sold and renamed ''Kyokuto Maru'' and later ''Shinsei Maru No.1''. Scrapped 1933.
|-
|{{SS|Branksome Hall||2}}
|1904
|1904–1918
|Torpedoed and sunk by {{SMU|UB-105||2}} off Libya in 1918.
|-
|{{SS|Castilian|1890|2}}
|1890
|1909–1917
|ex ''Umbilo''. Torpedoed and sunk by {{SMU|U-61||2}} off Ireland in 1917.
|-
|{{SS|Castilian||2}}
|1919
|1919–1943
|Struck rocks near [[The Skerries, Isle of Anglesey|The Skerries]] and sank in 1943.
|-
|{{SS|Castilian|1955|2}}
|1955
|1955–1966<br />1967–1971
|1963 renamed ''City of Peterborough'', 1964 reverted to ''Castilian''. 1966–67 chartered to [[Cunard Line]], temporarily renamed ''Arabia'', 1971 sold and renamed ''Maldive Freedom''.
|-
|{{SS|City of Athens|1899|2}} (1)
| 1899
| 1901–1917
| Mined and sunk off Cape Town in 1917
|-
| ''City of Athens'' (2)
| 1923
| 1923–1942
| Torpedoed and sunk by ''U-179'' off Cape Town in 1942.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=uboat.net|title=City of Athens|url=https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ship/2247.html|access-date=9 May 2023}}</ref>
|-
|{{MV|City of Auckland|1958|2}}
|1958
|1958–1978
|Sold and renamed ''Gulf Falcon'', 1983 Broken Up, Bombay
|-
|{{SS|City of Benares||2}}
|1936
|1936–1940
|Torpedoed and sunk by {{GS|U-48|1939|2}} in 1940 while carrying child evacuees. 258 people died, including 35 women and 81 children. This was the worst maritime disaster in Ellerman Lines' history.
|-
|{{SS|City of Birmingham|}}
| 1917
| 1917–1940
| Struck a mine on August 16, 1940, and sank. All 80 on board were saved.
|-
|{{SS|City of Brisbane||2}}
| 1918
| 1918–1918
| Torpedoed and sunk off Newhaven, Sussex by {{SMU|UB-57||2}}, August 13, 1918. All 5 crew members were saved.<ref>Admiralty Records, ships lost in World War I</ref>
|-
|{{SS|City of Brooklyn|1949|2}}
|1949
|1949–1967
|1967 sold and renamed ''Lefkadios''. Caught fire at sea and sank in 1970.
|-
|{{SS|City of Cairo||2}}
|1915
|1915–1942
|Torpedoed and sunk by {{GS|U-68|1940|2}} in 1942.
|-
|{{SS|City of Cambridge|1870|2}}
|1870
|1870–1881
|Sold to [[Clan Line]] and renamed ''Clan MacLean''
|-
|{{SS|City of Cambridge|1881|2}}
|1882
|1882–1917
|Torpedoed and sunk of Algieria by {{SMU|UC-67||2}} in 1917
|-
|{{SS|City of Cambridge|1920|2}}
|1920
|1920–1934
|Wrecked in the China Sea
|-
|''City of Chester''
|1943
|1944-1971
|Built at Clydeholm Yard, Glasgow.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Motor Vessel CITY OF CHESTER built by Barclay, Curle & Co. Ltd. in 1944 for Ellerman Lines Ltd. - Hall Line Ltd., Liverpool., Cargo |url=https://www.clydeships.co.uk/view.php?ref=1833&vessel=CITY+OF+CHESTER#v |access-date=2022-03-27 |website=www.clydeships.co.uk}}</ref>
11/1971 broken up at Whampoa, Hong Kong
|-
|{{SS|City of Colombo||2}}
|1956
|to 1977
|August 1977 to Ben Line Steamers Ltd. 9 March 1979 scrapped at [[Kaohsiung]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Motor Vessel CITY OF COLOMBO built by Barclay, Curle & Co. Ltd. in 1956 for Ellerman Lines Ltd. - City Line Ltd., Glasgow, Cargo|url=http://www.clydeships.co.uk/view.php?ref=1868|access-date=2022-02-12|website=www.clydeships.co.uk}}</ref>
|-
|{{SS|City of Corinth|1920|2}}
|1898
|1898–1912
|Sold in 1912 to the [[Compagnie de Navigation Sud-Atlantique]] and renamed ''Sequana''. Torpedoed on 8 June 1917 by German U-boat {{SMS|UC-72|sub=y}} in the Bay of Biscay. Some 196 (mostly Senegalese) troops, three passengers and six crew lost their lives.
|-
|{{SS|City of Durban||2}}
| 1954
| 1954–1974
| Broken up in 1974
|-
|{{SS|City of Exeter|1914|2}}
| 1914
| 1914–1950
| Requisitioned by the Admiralty as a troopship 1914 –1915. Scrapped in 1950
|-
|[[SS Strathdare (1974)|''City of Exeter'']]
| 1974
| 1976–1980
| Ex [[P&O (company)|P&O]] ''Strathdare''. Sold and renamed ''Phoevos''.
|-
| ''City of Harvard''
| 1907
| 1921–1934
| Ex North German Lloyd ''Giessen'' Taken over by the Shipping Controller in 1919, Acquired from [[Lamport and Holt]] in 1921. Scrapped in 1934
|-
|{{SS|City of Hull||2}}
|1947
|1947–1967
|Scrapped 1967
|-
|{{SS|City of Johannesburg||2}}
|1920
|1920–1942
|ex ''Melford Hall'', renamed 1926. Torpedoed and sunk by {{GS|U-504||2}} in 1942.
|-
|{{SS|City of Khartoum|1946|2}}
|1946
|1946–1968
|Sold to [[Ben Line]] and renamed ''Benalligin''. Scrapped in 1972.
|-
|{{SS|City of Khios||2}}
|1878
|1901–1915
|Seized by Turkey at [[Smyrna]] and scuttled in 1915.
|-
|{{SS|City of Liverpool|1948|2}}
| 1948
| 1948–1967
|Sold and renamed ''Kavo Grossos''. Scrapped in 1973.
|-
|{{SS|City of Liverpool|1970|2}}
|1970
|1970–1981
| Sold and renamed ''Marianthe''. Scrapped in 1986.
|-
|{{SS|City of London|1947|2}}
|1947
|1947–1969
|Registration number 181612.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://digitaltmuseum.se/021015762801/ellerman-lines-t-s-s-city-of-london|title = Ellerman Lines t.s.s. CITY OF LONDON}}</ref> Broken up in 1969.
|-
| ''City of Manila''
| 1916
| 1916–1942
| Torpedoed and sunk by ''U-406'' in 1942.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=uboat.net|title=City of Manila|url=https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ship/2075.html|access-date=5 December 2022}}</ref>
|-
| ''City of Melbourne''
| 1919
| 1919–1942
| Torpedoed and sunk by ''U-156'' in 1942.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=uboat.net|title=City of Melbourne|url=https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ship/1643.html|access-date=3 April 2022}}</ref>
|-
|{{SS|City of Nagpur||2}}
|1922
|1922–1941
|Torpedoed and sunk by {{GS|U-75|1940|2}} in 1941.
|-
|{{SS|City of Naples|1908|2}}
|1908
|1908–1926
|Wrecked on the Zenisu Reef, 15 June 1926.
|-
|{{SS|City of Oxford|1870|2}}
|1870
|1870–1881
|Sold to [[Clan Line]] and renamed ''Clan MacDuff''
|-
|{{SS|City of Oxford|1881|2}}
|1881
|1881–1914<br />1919–1924
|Taken over by Admiralty 1914-1919, converted to dummy of battleship {{HMS|St Vincent|1908|6}}. Scrapped in 1924.
|-
|{{SS|City of Oxford||2}}
|1926
|1926–1942
|Torpedoed and sunk by {{GS|U-552||2}} in 1942.
|-
|{{SS|City of Paris|1920|2}}
|1922
|1922–1940<br />1947–1956
|Requisitioned by the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]] in WW2. Scrapped in 1956.
|-
|{{SS|City of Poona|1912|2}}
|1912
|1912–1935
|Scrapped in 1935
|-
|{{SS|City of Poona|1946|2}}
|1946
|1946–1968
|Sold 1968 and renamed ''Benarkle''. Scrapped in 1974.
|-
|{{MS|City of Port Elizabeth||2}}
|1952
|1952-1971
|Sold 1971 and renamed ''Mediterranean Island'' and 1975 ''Mediterranean Sun''. Scrapped 1980.
|-
|{{SS|City of Pretoria||2}}
|1937
|1937–1943
|Torpedoed and sunk by {{GS|U-172||2}} in 1943. All 149 people on board died.
|-
|{{SS|City of St Albans||2}}
| 1963
| 1963-1983
| Scrapped in 1983
|-
|{{SS|City of Shanghai|1917|2}}
| 1917
| 1917–1941
| Torpedoed and sunk by {{GS|U-103|1940|2}} in 1941.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=uboat.net|title=City of Shanghai|url=https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ship/919.html|access-date=28 May 2021}}</ref>
|-
|{{SS|City of Shrewsbury||2}}
|1943
|1947–1959
|ex [[Liberty ship]] {{SS|Ben H. Miller||2}}. Sold and renamed ''Marucla''.
|-
|{{SS|City of Simla||2}}
|1921
|1921–1940
|Torpedoed and sunk by {{GS|U-138|1940|2}} in 1940.
|-
|{{SS|City of Sydney|1930|2}}
|1930
|1930–1958
|Accidentally rammed and sank [[Cory Environmental|William Cory and Son]] collier [[List of shipwrecks in 1956#19 February|''Corchester'']] on 19 February 1956. Sold and renamed ''Nicholaos Tsavliris''.
|-
|{{SS|City of Valencia||2}}
|1908
|1919-1934
|ex ''Roda'' (Kosmos Line), acquired in 1919 as war reparations. Scrapped in 1934.
|-
|{{SS|City of Venice||2}}
|1924
|1924–1943
|Torpedoed and sunk by {{GS|U-375||2}} in 1943.
|-
| ''City of Wellington''
| 1925
| 1925–1942
| Torpedoed and sunk by ''U-506'' in 1942.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=uboat.net|title=City of Wellington|url=https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ship/2076.html|access-date=9 December 2022}}</ref>
|-
|''[[List of shipwrecks in 1923#8 October|City of Westminster]]''
|1916
|1921–1923
|ex ''Rudelsburg''. Sank after hitting the [[Runnel Stone]] on 8 October 1923.
|-
|{{SS|City of Winchester|1914|2}} (1)
| 1914
| 1914–1914
| Captured on maiden voyage by the German cruiser {{SMS|Königsberg|1905|2}} and scuttled.
|-
|{{SS|City of Winchester|1917|2}} (2)
| 1917
| 1917–1941
| Torpedoed and sunk by {{GS|U-103|1940|2}} in 1941.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=uboat.net|title=City of Winchester|url=https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ship/915.html|access-date=27 May 2021}}</ref>
|-
|{{MS|City of York||2}}
| 1953
| 1953-1971
| Sold 1971 and Renamed ''Mediterranean Sky''. Beached 2002.
|-
|{{MV|Empire Faith||2}}
|1941
|1941–1942
|[[CAM ship]] managed for the [[Ministry of War Transport|MoWT]].
|-
|{{SS|Flaminian|1917|2}}
|1917
|1917–1944
|Sold to [[Ministry of War Transport|MoWT]] and renamed ''Empire Flaminian''. Transferred to the [[Royal Engineers]] in 1947. scrapped in 1950.
|-
|{{MV|Flaminian|1956|2}}
|1956
|1956–1975
|1974 renamed ''City of Izmir''. Sold and renamed ''Climax Pearl'', then renamed ''Maldive Pearl''. Scrapped in 1984.
|-
|{{SS|Lesbian|1915|2}}
|1915
|1915–1917
|Shelled and sunk by {{SMU|U-35|Germany|2}} in 1917.
|-
|{{SS|Lesbian|1923|2}}
|1923
|1923–1940
|Seized by [[Vichy France|Vichy French]] forces in Beirut and scuttled in 1941.
|-
|{{SS|Sardinia|1888|2}}
|1888
|1902–1908
|ex ''Gulf of Corcovado'' and ''Paolo V''. Destroyed by fire and grounded in 1908.
|-
|{{ss|Tasso||2}}
|1938
|1938–1940
|Torpedoed and sunk by {{GS|U-52|1939|2}} in 1940.
|-
|{{SS|Thurso||2}}
|1919
|1919–1942
|Torpedoed and sunk by {{GS|U-552||2}} in 1942.
|-
|{{SS|Volo||2}}
|1938
|1938–1941
|Torpedoed and sunk by {{GS|U-75|1940|2}} in 1941.
|-
|}

== Legacy ==
Several port cities have streets named after John Ellerman, for example [[Amsterdam]] and [[Antwerp]].

==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin}}
*{{cite book |last=Collard |first=Ian |year=2014 |title=Ellerman Lines: Remembering a Great British Shipping Company |place=Stroud |publisher=[[The History Press]] |isbn=978-0752489636}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Ellerman Lines}}
* {{PM20|FID=co/056967}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Defunct shipping companies of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:David and Frederick Barclay]]
[[Category:Transport companies established in 1892]]
[[Category:1892 establishments in England]]