DP&L History continued...

The outbreak of war in 1939 brought to an end the London passenger sailings which had been maintained uninterrupted in peace time since the inception of the company. Five vessels were requisitioned and it was not possible to maintain normal services.

DP&L ships took part in, amongst other operations, the PLUTO pipeline across the English Channel shortly after D-Day, convoy rescue steaming, and supply runs to the Royal Navy in Scapa Flow. Support roles during the D-Day landings were also performed by company vessels. Only one ship was lost during the war; the “Gowrie” was attacked in January 1940 by two German aircraft four miles east of Stonehaven. A bomb exploded close alongside and the starboard boiler burst. The crew were forced to leave the ship and she later sank. However, Dundee Wharf on the Thames was badly damaged in a bomb attack during September 1940 and was out of action for some time. Several ships were managed during the war on behalf of the Ministry of War Transport.

Post-war conditions were completely different to those of 1939. The ships which had run the passenger service to London were ageing and rather the worse for wear. Over the years they were sold overseas with more suitable cargo vessels being acquired. These faced increasing competition from both road and rail services. Nevertheless, the purpose built post-war vessels such as the “Lunan” (1946) and another “London” (1951) were profitable and sailed successfully for many years.

In 1946 the company re-entered the deep-sea tramp market with the introduction of the three general purpose vessels “Angusburn”, “Angusbrae” and “Angusmuir”. These ships were almost continually employed and were seen in many ports in different parts of the world. They carried sugar from Jamaica, esparto grass from Libya, timber from Archangel and iron-ore from North Africa. They all enjoyed successful careers and were reliable and well liked by their crews.

The company’s ventures into farther-flung ports continued when the possibility was investigated of vessels being chartered to operate from the Canadian eastern seaboard to ports such as Hamilton, Detroit and Cleveland on the Great Lakes. A three year contract for services between April and November each year with the Newfoundland–Great Lakes Steamship Company, initially for two vessels, was signed. The following year the “Perth” and the “Lunan” sailed for Montreal. As this arrangement continued and prospered, a new “Dundee” was launched in 1954 having been specifically built for the Great Lakes trade. She was provided with 40,000 cubic feet of refrigerated space to carry frozen fish from Newfoundland to the Great Lakes ports. By the early 1960’s trading conditions were becoming increasingly more difficult and a rate-cutting war developed. In addition there were dock labour problems in the Canadian ports and 1962 was to be DP&L’s last full season in Canada with the ships gradually being switched to other routes, including between New York and the West Indies. The 1954 “Dundee” also made several voyages into the Pacific, the only company vessel to do so.

In 1954 the company acquired a minority interest in a small London-based firm, Lockett Wilson Ltd. This was to lead to another happy and profitable association as Lockett Wilson Ltd. were not only using Dundee Wharf, but were also in the market to buy ships. Soon the “Clova” and “Crombie” were transferred to the new firm and sailings were operated from London to Paris and also from Goole and Hull to Paris and Brussels. New vessels, the “Vendome” and “Vauban” were added to the fleet having been constructed by the associated Brazen Island Shipyard Ltd. of Polruan in Cornwall. Further ventures included the acquisition of a 49% holding in Channel Shipping Ltd. in Jersey and a controlling interest in the Brazen Island Shipyard in 1957. Although this latter venture only lasted six years, some interesting work was undertaken, including the conversion of tankers to dry cargo vessels.

The coastal home trade became increasingly difficult to operate profitably during the 1950’s and 1960’s. There was a dramatic reduction in the amount of coal carried from the north east to ports in the south of England and there were significant changes in the distribution pattern of cattle feedstuffs. As a result, important decisions were made about the future of the company. The most radical was the termination of the liner service between Dundee and London which had been run since the formation of the company in 1826. The last “London boat” (the “Broughty”) made her final sailing in November 1961 and a train service was substituted. The only coastal liner service remaining was the occasional voyage to Southampton with potatoes. The coastal fleet was reduced to four vessels by the beginning of 1963. Gradually, as the remaining ships became older and inefficient, they were sold abroad.

The year 1967 was the end of the line and in March the “Kingennie” tied up in the Tyne after a voyage from Swansea and the company flag was run down for the last time. The “Kingennie” was the last ship to be owned by the company and a shipowning era of just over 140 years was at an end.

The company maintained its interest in Lockett Wilson Line and Channel Shipping and their five ships. However, these were facing severe competition from ro-ro ferries and container ships. Dundee Wharf was sold in October, 1969.

To counter the decline in the company’s shipping interests some acquisitions were taking place, notably the ships’ chandler Andrew Gray and the long established shipping agents N.B. Leslie and P.S. Nicoll & Co. In 1966 a substantial interest was bought in Dundee Stevedores & Porters Ltd. and later the company bought the entire share capital. It also acquired James Allison & Sons and this firm was amalgamated with Andrew Gray into Allison-Gray, dealing in shipping and industrial supplies and marquee hire.

The core interests of the company from the coastal liner trades to North Sea oil was achieved by the mid 1970’s. Around this time serious development of Dundee’s historical and natural geographic links with Scandinavia and the Baltic began to take place with the obvious emphasis on forest products, and the company began acting as agents for both shipping and cargo interests for ever increasing tonnages of newsprint and pulp.

DP&L eventually became part of the Coalite Group which itself was taken over by the fuel distribution group Anglo United plc in 1981. In April 1993 the company returned to local ownership when Cortachy Holdings acquired the company and so again became part of the local business community.

The Cortachy Holdings Group, of which DP&L is the principal operating company, now has interests in property, ships’ agency, liner agency, business and leisure travel agencies, industrial supplies, marquee hire and personnel and recruitment. With its proven record of adaptability and its willingness to diversify in changing markets and conditions, DP&L looks forward with optimism to the future.

We hope you have enjoyed reading this brief history. A full history of the company is available from the Company Secretary at a cost of £10 plus postage and packing.