Samuel Cunard

Sir Samuel Cunard, 1st Baronet was a British shipping magnate, born at Halifax, Nova Scotia, who founded the Cunard Line. He was the son of a master carpenter and timber merchant who had fled the American Revolution and settled in Halifax.

Born: November 21, 1787, Halifax

Died: April 28, 1865, London

Parents: Abraham Cunard

Children: Edward Cunard

Samuel Cunard was a civil engineer who came to Britain to operate the first mail service using steamships between the UK and America.  He was a highly successful entrepreneur who had been a Captain in the Halifax Regiment of militia in Canada.

In 1839 he submitted a bid to the British government to undertake a regular mail service by steamship across the North Atlantic from Liverpool to Halifax, Québec and Boston Massachusetts, for £55 000 annually for 10 years. The bid was successful, and in the same year Cunard, with associates in Glasgow and Liverpool, established the British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, the ancestor of the Cunard Line.

Britannia Cunards first Ship

The company’s first steamship, the Britannia, sailed from Liverpool to Boston Massachusetts in 1840, on board were Samuel Cunard and 63 other passengers,

this journey was to mark the beginning of a regular passenger and cargo service.

Built in 1840 Britannia was Cunard’s first purpose built Atlantic liner, in terms of passenger accommodation and speed she was way ahead of her competitors, but this was not without its disadvantages. Being built for speed the noise of her engines and the smoke belching from her funnel were not the most pleasant of things for her passengers to endure. However, on the plus side, compared with other vessels her passenger accommodation was considered luxurious with small cabins, neatly appointed and a dining saloon to accommodate 115 passengers. Cows were carried on the deck of the ship to ensure that fresh milk was available.

Author Charles Dickens and his wife travelled with Cunard on a voyage from Liverpool to Boston USA in 1842, and was not enamoured of the accomodation, in his American notes he wrote “Nothing smaller for sleeping in was ever made, than a coffin” So it would appear his first taste of travelling in a ships cabin was not one of his greatest experiences.

RMS Queen Mary at Long Beach

Cunard went on to absorb Canadian Northern steamships and the White Star Line, owners of the ill fated Titanic. Cunard was the driving force behind the Atlantic passenger trade with some of the world’s greatest and most famous liners, such as the RMS Queen Elizabeth 1939-1968 and the RMS Queen Mary launched on 26th September 1934 and in service until 9th December 1967.

RMS Queen Elizabeth

In 1859 Samuel Cunard was created a baronet by Queen Victoria.

He was married to Susan, daughter of William Duffus (on 4 February 1815; she died 23 January 1828) by whom he had nine children. He died in 1865 and was succeeded in the business by his son Sir Edward Cunard, 2nd baronet. His name lives on today in the Cunard Line, now a prestigious branch of the Carnival Line cruise empire.

The Cunard fleet, during the lifetime of Samuel Cunard, all built for Cunard unless otherwise indicated, consisted of the following ships in order of acquisition:

1840–1865

Ship	Built	In service for Cunard	Type	Tonnage	Notes
Unicorn	1836	1840–1846	wood-paddler	650 GRT	coastal steamer purchased for Montreal service, sold 1846
Britannia	1840	1840–1849	wood-paddler	1,150 GRT	Eastbound record holder, sold to North German Navy 1849
Acadia	1840	1840–1849	wood-paddler	1,150 GRT	sold to North German Navy 1849
Caledonia	1840	1840–1850	wood-paddler	1,150 GRT	sold to Spanish Navy 1850
Columbia	1841	1841–1843	wood-paddler	1,150 GRT	Blue Riband, wrecked 1843 without loss of life
Hibernia	1843	1843–1850	wood-paddler	1,400 GRT	Eastbound record holder, sold to Spanish Navy 1850
Cambria	1845	1845–1860	wood-paddler	1,400 GRT	Blue Riband, sold to Italian owners 1860
America	1848	1848–1863	wood-paddler	1,850 GRT	Blue Riband, sold 1863 and converted to sail
Niagara	1848	1848–1866	wood-paddler	1,850 GRT	sold 1866 and converted to sail
Europa	1848	1848–1867	wood-paddler	1,850 GRT	Blue Riband, sold 1867
Canada	1848	1848–1866	wood-paddler	1,850 GRT	Eastbound record holder, sold 1866 and converted to sail
Asia	1850	1850–1868	wood-paddler	2,250 GRT	Blue Riband, sold 1868
Africa	1850	1850–1868	wood-paddler	2,250 GRT	sold 1868
Arabia	1852	1852–1864	wood-paddler	2,400 GRT	sold 1864 and converted to sail
Andes	1852	1852–1859	iron-screw	1,400 GRT	sold to Spanish Government 1859
Alps	1853	1853–1859	iron-screw	1,400 GRT	sold to Spanish Government 1859
Jura	1854	1854–1860	iron-screw	2,200 GRT	sold to Allan Line 1860
Etna	1855	1855–1860	iron-screw	2,200 GRT	sold to Inman Line 1860
Persia	1856	1856–1869	iron-paddler	3,300 GRT	Blue Riband, taken out of service 1868 and scrapped 1872
Australian	1857	1860–1876	iron-screw	2,700 GRT	built for other owners, sold 1876
China	1862	1862–1880	iron-screw	2,550 GRT	sold to Spanish owners 1880
Scotia	1862	1864–1878	iron-paddler	3,850 GRT	Blue Riband, sold 1878 and converted to cable layer
Cuba	1864	1865–1876	iron-screw	2,700 GRT	sold 1876 and converted to sail
Java	1865	1865–1878	iron-screw	2,700 GRT	sold 1878 to Red Star Line, and renamed "Zeeland"

Links

Dictionary of Canadian Biography

By Robert F Edwards

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