It was started in 1867 by two young men who had been in the employ of Patrick Henderson & Co.—these were William Aitken and James Lilburn. In the old days it was the custom for owners to make a daily visit to intending shippers; this was Aitken’s part of the work and he continued to make a practice of it long after other owners had given it up. Lilburn superintended the loading and despatching of their ships, and so great was his practical knowledge and so keen his interest that it is no exaggeration to say that no ships were better kept up than the Loch liners. All over the world the Loch Line clippers were held up by seamen as examples of what well run and comfortable ships should be. A keen yachtsman and a one-time Commodore of the Royal Northern Yacht Club, Mr. Lilburn was a man who not only thoroughly understood ships but loved them for their own sake. And it is under such owners that sailors consider themselves lucky to serve.
The ships carried first, second and third class passengers outwards, and when steam began to cut in they still held on until they were the last of all the sailing ships to continue carrying passengers. Many an invalid or consumptive has gained fresh vigour and untold benefit from a voyage to the Antipodes in a Loch liner.
The saloon fares charged were:—£40 to Adelaide and Melbourne, £42 to Sydney, £76 for the round trip out and home.
The “Clan Ranald,” “Ben Nevis” and “Loch Awe.”
Messrs. Aitken & Lilburn commenced business by chartering the Clan Ranald, Ben Nevis and Loch Awe. The Clan Ranald they eventually bought and renamed the Loch Rannoch.
Captain Bully Martin, who was afterwards one of the best known skippers in the Loch Line, superintended the building of the Clan Ranald, and took command of her for the first few years of her existence.
Bully Martin was a great personality amongst sailing ship skippers. He was a driver of the old type, and stories referring to Bully Forbes are often mixed up with those referring to Bully Martin. He nevertheless was such a consummate seaman that in 45 years’ service as master he never cost the underwriters a penny, and only lost a couple of men, one through a fall from aloft and one from being washed overboard. He is said to have hated passengers. He served his time in Allan’s beautiful little Transatlantic sailing ships—his first ship being the Caledonia, a full-rigged ship carrying royals and stunsails though only of 390 tons. She was commanded by Captain Wylie, who was afterwards marine superintendent of the Allan Line. After passing for mate, he obtained the berth in the 900-ton iron ship Shandon, which was fitted with patent reefing gear for topgallant sails, topsails and courses. She made three voyages a season to Montreal and in the winter ran to the Southern States for cotton. After four years as mate, he obtained command of the Edendale, belonging to the same owners, Messrs. W. Kidston & Son, of Glasgow. His next command was the Lord Clyde, which he left for the Clan Ranald. He commanded her for two or three voyages and then went to Watson Bros., commanding the Ben Venue, Ben Voirlich and Ben Cruachan in turn, after which he returned to the Loch Line, and after having the Loch Ness and Loch Long, commanded the Loch Broom until he retired from the sea in 1907, the very year, curiously enough, that Messrs. Aitken & Lilburn sold his first ship in their employ.
On 22nd February, 1907, the Loch Rannoch left Melbourne under Captain Morrison with the usual cargo of wool, hides and tallow for Hull, at which port she arrived on 8th June, 106 days out. After discharging she returned to Glasgow, and was then sold to the Norwegians. In November, 1910, she was again sold to the Germans, and has since been broken up.
The Ben Nevis after making her maiden voyage under charter to Aitken & Lilburn became one of Watson’s passenger ships to Australia. On 14th July, 1897, when bound to Dunedin from Glasgow, she unexpectedly appeared in Hobson’s Bay, having put in to repair damages which had taken place 12 days before in the Southern Ocean. It appeared that she had been swept from stem to stern by a tremendous wave; two of the crew had been taken overboard along with everything movable on the main deck; besides which the break of the poop had been burst in and the interior so gutted that her officers had nothing but the clothes they stood up in. The repairs cost £3000.
In 1898 the Ben Nevis was sold to the Norwegians and renamed Astoria. On 24th January, 1912, she was abandoned, dismasted, in the Atlantic, after being set on fire, her crew being taken off by the steamer Dungeness and landed at Penzance.