Orient Line
1878 - 1966
In 1965 P&O acquired the whole of the Orient Line shareholding and the company became a P&O subsidiary, the name Orient Line being dropped in 1966.
Person TypeInstitution
BiographyWhen the shipping company Anderson, Thompson & Co. inaugurated a liner service to Australia with the packet ORIENT in 1866 it traded officially as The Orient Line of Packets but the name was regularly shortened to Orient Line. In 1878 the company, now called Anderson, Anderson & Co., approached the Pacific Steam Navigation Company to use their additional ships on the Australia run; the new company was called Orient Steam Navigation Company. Due to a takeover by the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company the service was briefly known as the Orient-Royal Mail Line (1906 - 1909). In 1919 P&O Line acquired a controlling interest in Orient Line. 1958 joint P&O-Orient Line introduced to Australia and trans-Pacific.
In 1965 P&O acquired the whole of the Orient Line shareholding and the company became a P&O subsidiary, the name Orient Line being dropped in 1966.
