Andrew Crawford & Co Ltd

Colin Campbell · Post by **Colin Campbell** » Mon Feb 27, 2012 9:22 pm

Information taken from an in-house book published 1955 to celebrate sixty years trading

The Vales of Glasgow Andrew Crawford & Co Ltd

Andrew Crawford aged 24 in 1895 began a business on his own account as Andrew Crawford & Co Shipbrokers Shipping Agents and Foreign Coaling Agents at 21 Hope Street in Glasgow.
He had been born in1871 at the family farm in Railles near Largs Ayrshire which had been in the Crawford family since 1699.
After schooling in Largs and at Glasgow High School he joined,age 17,Messrs Cayzer Irvine & Co (The Clan Line) and by 1895 had risen to head of the Outward Freight Dept when he left Clan Line and prospered as a shipbroker.
It was not until 1903 when he entered into negotiations with Anderson,Rodger & Co shipbuilders who had four ships building at the time for a Newcastle firm which had got into difficulties. With help from his four brothers he concluded a contract to buy one of the vessels, a steamer of 5000tons dwt.
On 31 March 1904 he announced he had assumed as a partner Mr John C Barr and that in future the business would be carried on as Andrew Crawford, Barr & Co In April 1904 The Gogovale Steamship Co Ltd was formed to manage the new ship having been named after the Gogo burn which runs through Largs and the funnel colours of the new company were identical to Clan Line except that the twin Blue bands on the funnel replaced Clan Lines red bands. Originally the house flag was a white flag with the letter V ib blue however in 1916 the letter was changed to C when Mr Barr retired from the partnership. The Gogovale cost £3100 and after trial moved to the Bristol Channel to load coal for the Far East;
In June 1904 the company moved to new premises at 53 Bothwell Street Glasgow and then entered into a contract with Grangemouth & Greenock Dockyard Co Ltd for a new steamer eventually launched 24/2/1905 as Gretavale.The Greta being a tributary of the Gogo burn.The new ship cost £32805 and an owning company named Gretavale Steamship Co Ltd was set up.In 1906 a second ship came fro Greenock to be named Gryfevale
1907 saw their next acquisition a turret decked steamer bought on the stocks from Doxfords yard in Sunderland. She was named Galavale to be followed by a second turret decked steamer Garryvale.
In November 1907 it was decided to transfer the assets of the Gogovale Steamship Co and the Gretavale Steamship Co to a new Vale Steamship Co Ltd and wind up the single ship companies. Andrew Crawford Bar & Co then owning four ships Gogovale Gretavale Galavale and Garryvale and the Gryfevale Steamship Co owning the ship off this name .
Gogovale was sold in 1914 to London owners and renamed Westbury and was to become a WW1 loss.
Thus at the start of the First World War the company owned four ships.

1904 Gogovale
1905 Gretavale
1906 Gryfevale
1907 Garryvale
1907 Galavale
1916 Gogovale
1917 Gretavale
1927 Gogovale
1928 Gretavale
1929 Gryfevale
1942 Garryvale
1945 Gryfevale
1942 Galavale
Management Ships
1905 Marksburg
1904 Otto Kalthoff
1903 Hedwig Heidmann
1926 Groenlo
1922 Schie
1924 Spar
1906 Roumanie
1921 Oostplein
1941 Empire Scott
Bareboat CharteredShips
1943 Rocky Mountains Park
1943 Westmount Park
1944 Kawartha Park
1943 Fort Michipicoten
1944 Withrow Park
1943 Wynchwood Park
1944 West Hill
1944 Bembridge Hill

Colin Campbell · Post by **Colin Campbell** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 9:20 pm

1904 built Anderson Rodger & Co Port Glasgow
1914 Sold Capper Anderson & Co London renamed Westbury
1917 War loss

Colin Campbell · Post by **Colin Campbell** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 9:32 pm

1905 Built Grangemouth & Greenock Dockyard Co Greenock
1914 Interned in Sweden
1914 Sold to Swedish owners renamed Alstern and later Belos
Sold to Taito Kisen Goshi Kaisha Japan
Pesumed lost during WW2