Cosmopolitan Shipping Company
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Shipping |
| Founded | 1916 in New York City, United States |
| Defunct | 1982 |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Area served | Transatlantic (New York to Le Havre and Antwerp), East Coast of South America |
Key people | Granville Conway (leader from 1947) |
| Products | Cargo and passenger transport services |
Cosmopolitan Shipping Company, frequently referred to as the Cosmopolitan Line, was established in 1916 in New York City. The company provided both cargo and passenger transport services connecting New York with Le Havre, France, and Antwerp. Between 1919 and 1939, it operated vessels owned by the United States Shipping Board under contract, known as the America-France Line. Subsequently, it managed the Southern Cross Line, which offered cargo shipping with limited passenger facilities along the East Coast of South America.
In 1939, the America-France Line contract transitioned to Southgate Nelson Corporation, operators of the Oriole Line and Hampton Roads-Yankee Line. That same year, control of the Southern Cross Line passed to Westfal-Larsen & Company, who also ran the Interocean and County Lines.
Throughout World War II, Cosmopolitan Shipping Company operated merchant vessels chartered by the Maritime Commission and War Shipping Administration. The company provided crews for Liberty ships, while defense was handled by Armed Guards from the US Navy.
In 1947, after departing from the War Shipping Administration, Granville Conway (1898–1969) took leadership of Cosmopolitan Shipping Company. During the postwar period, the firm preferred chartering Norwegian ships over American ones. The company ultimately ceased operations in the shipping sector in 1982.
Ships
- Prominent vessels included:
- Heron's Bridge, a T2-SE-A1 class tanker
- Eastern Crag
- Olen, torpedoed and sunk in 1941
- West Hematite, later renamed Irish Pine, lost to a torpedo attack in 1942
- West Arrow, subsequently named Black Osprey, sunk by torpedo in 1941
- Schodack, a cargo ship built in 1919 and later called Alcoa Leader
- Halma, believed to have struck a mine near Nova Scotia in July 1943
- Collamer, destroyed by a U-boat in 1942
- William W. McKee
- Norwegian vessels operated included:
- Heina
- Lista
- Ronda
- Hørda
- Ships active during World War II:
- Barren Hill T2 Tanker
- Donald W. Bain
- Hilary A. Herbert
- Henry L. Benning
- Frederick W. Wood
- Wilson Victory
- Thomas W. Murray
- Edward B. Haines
- Mary Lyon
- John W. Powell
- Robert Battey