United Baltic Corporation Ltd., London

UBC was formed in 1919 jointly by Andrew Weir & Co (Bank Line) and the Danish East Asiatic Co (Östasiatiske Kompagni, Aktieselskabet.), it first owned ships in 1920. Pre-war tonnage was purchased second hand, with several vessels coming from EAC. By 1939 they operated nine ships, all of which had the prefix “Balt”. Passenger and cargo services were operated from London, via the Kiel Canal to Danzig (Gdansk), Gdynia, Klaipeda (Memel), Riga and Tallin (Reval); and from Hull to Liepaya (Libau). The company advertised cruises from London to the Baltic. Some vessels, particularly on the Hull service, carried emigrants seeking a new life in the USA, these went on by train to Liverpool.

In 1935 it acquired the fleet of MacAndrews of Liverpool, which continued to operate as a separate company. This company traded to Iberia, North Africa and the Canaries. In 1941 they operated seven motor ships (with Spanish names beginning with “P”) and nine steamers (all but one of these, FLORENTINO, had names beginning with “C”).

BALTEAKO's master Captain Francis Butcher was made an OBE, and her Chief Engineer Robert Towns was Commended for their prompt action in beaching and making temporary repairs to their ship, after she was badly damaged by bombing at the Norwegian port of Harstad. They got the ship home, with the assistance of Admiralty trawlers. John Smith, one of the ship's Assistant Stewards, was awarded the BEM: Smith and a naval rating had attempted to save the life of a naval boatman during an air raid also at Harstad.

In 1939 BALTALLIN, BALTARA, BALTRADER and BALTRAFFIC were taken up as Frozen Meat Carriers to supply the British Expeditionary Force in France. Later the reefers BALTANNIC and BALTRAFFIC were employed as feeder ships on the New Zealand coast from 1940 till 1946, where they were managed by the Union Steamship Co.

Five of the UBC ships were lost during the war, they were the BALTALLIN, BALTANGLIA, BALTEAKO, BALTONIA and BALTRADER. The BALTROVER was probably handed back to to her former owners, the Furness Withy Group to manage, though she kept her name; she was frequently Commodore ship on slow North Atlantic convoys, early in the war she was carrying Jewish refugees to America.

When Denmark was occupied in 1940 many of the EAC ships came under UBC management, ten of these beautiful ships were operated from London in 1941.¹ Of the EAC ships that were in British service, the AFRIKA, AMERIKA, BINTANG, CHILE, DANMARK, EUROPA and MALAYA were lost. The Danish flagged PANAMA official number 172763 built in 1915? was taken over by Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) in 1940: she capsized when her engines failed & ballast shifted in 44.30N/33.30W 11.4.45, only five of her 50 man crew survived. "The World's Merchant Fleets 1939" confirms that she was lost to a marine cause. ² UBC also managed the FORT ST CROIX for the MOWT, there may have been others.

At least two of the MacAndrews ships, the PALOMARES and the POZARICA, were requisitioned by the Royal Navy and served as Anti-aircraft ships, on the Russian convoys among others; HMS POZARICA was lost in 1941. FLORENTINO was scuttled as a blockship in the approaches to Zeeebrugge. The motor ships PINTO, PELAYO and PONZANO, were lost on mercantile service, as were the steamers CALDERON, CERVANTES and CORTES³.

In 1947 UBC bought three Hansa 'A' type vessels from the MWOT, these at first took the names of three of the war losses and later became the BALTIC OAK, FIR and PINE. In 1950 they acquired the one year old Norwegian ship MARSTENEN to replace the worn out BALTROVER, the new ship took the same name and spent the next 18 years in the fleet as 'the Polish bacon boat' running from Gdynia to Mark Brown's wharf above Tower Bridge. The other vessel on the run was the Polish JARISLAW DUBROSKI. Having lost the pre-war trade to the Baltic states the company now traded to South and West Finland in association with FÅA (Finska Ångfartygs Aktiebolaget). No passengers were carried on these UBC services.

With the arrival of nine new buildings between 1953 and 1957, the existing fleet, bar the BALTROVER (2), were sold. The new German built vessels were the BALTIC IMPORTER, EXPORTER, TRADER, MERCHANT of just over 1,600 GRT and Ice Class 1A. Two similar ships, with accommodation for 12 passengers, were delivered to MacAndrews by the same builders, these were the VALAZQUEZ and the VALDES. A smaller class were the BALTIC ARROW COMET, CLIPPER and SWIFT, Ice class 1C, plus others for MacAndrews? The remaining vessel was the BALTIC EXPRESS, this had a few passenger cabins and was generally on the London – Helsinki run.

With the new fleet other services were instituted, two vessels were put on the Robt. Sloman service from Northern Europe to the Eastern Mediterranean and two more on the UK to Leningrad/Riga trade (other ports with inducement). A single voyage was made from Florida with oranges, but this was not repeated. These vessels were sold around 1970, when they were replaced by the BALTIC VENTURE, VALIANT, VANGUARD and VIKING. There were other subsequent fleet replacements, the final one being the Ro-Ro BALTIC EIDER, this ship and the BALTIC EAGLE and the BALTIC TERN were sold in 2005. The company went out of business when Bank Line sold it's fleet to fund new buildings for MOD service. The MacAndrews name was also sold and ship owning ceased.⁴

Roy Martin 22.06.2008

Additions 15.09.2008

Additions 04.10.2008