Atlantic Transport Line

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Atlantic Transport Line was a Baltimore, Maryland-based passenger shipping line that was folded into the International Mercantile Marine shipping trust (IMM) in 1902. The line's owner and president was Bernard N. Baker, and his attempt to sell the line to British owners in the late 1890s sparked off the chain of events that lead to the formation of the IMM. Although American owned, the Atlantic Transport Line operated out of Britain, with British registered and manned vessels, most of which were British built. The Atlantic Transport Company of West Virginia was formed in 1898 to assert American ownership of the line's assets. The line developed as an offshoot of Bernard N. Baker's Baltimore Storage and Lighterage Company in 1881. General cargo and live cattle were carried to British ports, and a passenger service commenced in 1892. The line is best-known for its first class only direct London to New York passenger/cargo service operated by its four Minne class ships, SS Minneapolis, SS Minnehaha, SS Minnetonka and SS Minnewaska from 1900 to 1915. Much of the line's fleet was sunk during the First World War. After the war the freight business was rebuilt and four huge replacements for the Minne class ships were planned. Only two of these were built however and the passenger service, which recommenced in 1923, never matched pre-war successes. The line's ships were laid up or transferred to other IMM lines following the recession of 1931 and although the holding company survived until 1936 (and briefly operated a ship on the New York to San Francisco route in 1935) the line effectively ceased to exist at this time.The SS Minnewaska earned the sad distinction of being the last ship to carry The Atlantic Transport Line’s colours before being sold and transferred to Red Star.