British India Steam Navigation Company
Fact file
This fact file is a snapshot of the company between 1930 and
1945. Owners
British India Steam Navigation Company (UK) Company flag Major routes (1930-45)
London - Calcutta, Bombay and Karachi - East Africa - Australia Southampton agent
Escombe McGrath & Co Ship colours
Black hull with a horizontal white stripe. Black funnel with two
white bands. Timeline | 1856 | Calcutta & Burmah Steam Navigation Company formed | | 1862 | Company renamed British India Steam Navigation Company, sailing
every two weeks from London to Calcutta | | 1869 | The Suez Canl is opened. Steamship India waits at
Suez when the canal is opened to traffic and is the first steamer
to arrive in London through the canal with cargo from India | | 1872 | The company extends its operations to the east coast of Africa,
and by an arrangement with the British government runs a service
every four weeks between Aden and Zanzibar | | 1914 | Company taken over by P&O. The British India name and
colours continued to be used on their ships | | 1957 | The boards of P&O and British India separated, but both
under the control of P&O chairman Sir William Currie | | 1970 | British India SN Co reabsorbed back into P∓O and the
company name disappears | | 1982 | Dwarka, the last ship in British India colours, was
scrapped |
|
