Pacific Steam Navigation Company

The Pacific Steam Navigation Company (Spanish: Compañía de Vapores del Pacífico) was a commercial shipping company that operated in the Pacific coast of South America, and was the first to use steam ships for commercial traffic in the Pacific Ocean.^[1]

History

The company was founded by William Wheelwright in London in 1838 and began its operations in 1840 when two steam ships Chile and Peru were commissioned to carry mail.^[2] Early ports of call were Valparaíso, Coquimbo, Huasco, Copiapó, Cobija, Iquique, Arica, Islay, Pisco and Callao. In 1846 the company expanded its routes to include Huanchaco, Lambayeque, Paita, Guayaquil, Buenaventura and Panama City.

In 1852 the company gained a contract for British Government mail to posts in western South America. Two direct routes were also established - Liverpool to Callao in 1868 and London to Sydney in 1877.^[2] In 1905 the London-Sydney route was sold to the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, which purchased the entire company in 1910.^[2] The name and routes were retained until Furness Withy purchased Royal Mail in 1965.^[3] Following the purchase the separate Pacific Steam Navigation Company structure was abolished and the vessels rebranded, effectively signalling the end of the Company.^[2]

Routes

References