(PM) Pacific Mail Steamship Company
                               Service From San Francisco                     
                                To Australia/New Zealand
                                            1875-1885

                    Founded in 1848, the he Pacific Mail Company established 
              services between the East and West coasts of the United States, 
              and between San Francisco and Yokohama and Hong Kong.  
              In 1875, the Company was awarded a ten-year contract, with
              a subsidy mainly from New South Wales, to provide a five
              screw steamship service between San Francisco, Honolulu,
              Kandavau  (Fiji), and alternately Sydney or Auckland and
              other New Zealand ports.  Initial voyages were made by the
              Vasco De Gama (a British flag screw steamer),  the Pacific
              Mail screw steamer Colima and a chartered  screw steamer
              Mikado.  From the beginning of 1876, the service became a
              regular four weekly service and the route had been changed
              to include both Auckland and Sydney for each voyage. In
              1877, Honolulu replaced Kandavau in the route. The service
              continued until the contract expired in 1885 when Pacific Mail
              decided not to renew, and the service was taken over by the
              Oceanic Steam Ship Company (OS) jointly with the Union
              Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (UN)

                VASCO DE GAMA - iscs 2912t 1873 Renfrew.  Built for  the
                 China Transpacific Steamship Co. in 1875.  Made one return
                  voyage San Francisco- Kandavau-Sydney
               

                                                                                                       National Maritime Museum, Greenwich , U.K.
                                                                                        (G01311)
                                                                                                            

                COLIMA - iscs 2905t 1873 Chester, Pa  1875.- Made two return voyages  San-Francisco
                 -Kandavau-Auckland-Port-Chalmers.   Returned to Panama-San-Francisco route
               

                CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO - iscs 3009t 1875 Chester, Pa .  In 1875-1876 made three
                 return voyages San Francisco-Kandavau-Sydney. In 1877,  wrecked on the Mexican coast  

               Photographer: Alexander de Maus                  Ships In Focus Record  No. 35    
             
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

                GRANADA - iscs 2751t 1873 Wilmington, Del.  In 1876,  made one return voyage
                San Francisco- Kandavau-Auckland-Port Chalmers. Returned to San Francisco Panama
                route.  
                 

               Photographer: Alexander de Maus                         Ships in Focus Record No. 35                                            

                MIKADO - iscs 3034t 1873 Glasgow. Built for D.R. Macgregor  & Co.  in 1876 made
                one return voyage Sydney-Auckland-San Francisco .  
                No image found.

                CITY OF SYDNEY - iscs 3016t 1875 Chester, Pa.  in 1876,  began service on San
                Francisco-Kandavau- Sydney route
                  

                                                                                                                           Dickson Gregory's "Australian Steamships"

                CITY OF NEW YORK - iscs  3019t 1875 Chester,Pa.  In 1876, began service on San
                 Francisco-Kandavau- Sydney route 
                
                Photographer: Alexander de Maus                                 Ships in Focus Record No. 35

                ZEALANDIA - iscs 2730t 1875 Glasgow.   Built and owned by the Fairfield Ship
               Building Company with British registry and officers  and Chinese crew but managed by
               Pacific Mail. In 1876,  began service on the San Francisco- Auckland-Sydney route.  In
               1886,  sold to the Oceanic Steam Ship Co.
               

                AUSTRALIA - iscs  2737t 1875 Glasgow.   Built for Fairfield and under  the same
                arrangements as ZEALANDIA.  In 1876, began service on the San Francisco-Auckland-
                Sydney route.   In 1886,  sold to Oceanic Steam Ship Co.
           
            Engraving                                                                         Illustrated Sydney News 1881

                                                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                          .

               SOURCES 

                1.   Will Lawson’s “Steam in the Southern Pacific: The                              
                      Story of Merchant Steam Navigation in the
                      Australian Coastal and Intercolonial Trades, and
                      on the Ocean Lines of the Southern Pacific”
                      (Gorden & Gotch,  Auckland 1909)

                  2.   John M Maber’s  “North Star to Southern Cross”                                         
                      (T. Stephenson & Sons Ltd, Prescot , Lancs 1967)

                3.   Peter Plowman’s “Across the Pacific: liners from
                      Australia and New Zealand to North America”
                       (Rosenberg, Dural, NSW 2010) –has photos of most of
                       the Pacific Mail ships.

               4.   Article on Photographer David de Maus Part ! by
                     Ian Farquhar in “Ships in Focus Record No. 35”
                     2006).
             
                   5.   Illustrated Sydney News, 1881  
                             
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