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| ==Beginnings== | ==Beginnings== | ||
| The Irrawaddy Flotilla Company was formed in 1865, primarily to ferry troops up and down the Irrawaddy river and delta. Soon, the company was carrying passengers, rice, government stores, and mail from Rangoon to Prome and, in 1868, to Bhamo. The ferry became indispensable to the oil fields up river at Yenangyaung and Chauk for carrying supplies and heavy equipment. Partly because the railway to Mandalay followed the path of the Sittang Valley rather than the Irrawaddy River, the company stayed relevant and useful well into the Twentieth Century, even after independence from Britain.<ref name="kratoska">{{Citation|last=Kratoska|first=Paul|title=South East Asian Colonial History|date=2001}}</ref> | The Irrawaddy Flotilla Company was formed in 1865, primarily to ferry troops up and down the Irrawaddy river and delta. Soon, the company was carrying passengers, rice, government stores, and mail from Rangoon to Prome and, in 1868, to Bhamo. The ferry became indispensable to the oil fields up river at Yenangyaung and Chauk for carrying supplies and heavy equipment. Partly because the railway to Mandalay followed the path of the Sittang Valley rather than the Irrawaddy River, the company stayed relevant and useful well into the Twentieth Century, even after independence from Britain.<ref name="kratoska">{{Citation|last=Kratoska|first=Paul|title=South East Asian Colonial History|date=2001}}</ref> | ||
| The company operated from 1865 until the late 1940s and, at its peak around 1930, had a fleet of over 600 vessels, the largest fleet of ships in the world. The Company was ]-owned, and was managed by ] from ], ]. | |||
| The ships, which were ]s, were built in Scotland, before being dismantled and transported to Burma for reassembly. Many of the ships were destroyed by their owners or crew in 1942 in advance of the Japanese ] of ]. In 1948 the company was reconstituted as the Government Inland Water Transport Board. | The ships, which were ]s, were built in Scotland, before being dismantled and transported to Burma for reassembly. Many of the ships were destroyed by their owners or crew in 1942 in advance of the Japanese ] of ]. In 1948 the company was reconstituted as the Government Inland Water Transport Board. | ||
Revision as of 03:35, 21 November 2008
The Irrawaddy Flotilla Company was a passenger and cargo ferry company, which operated services on the Irrawaddy River in Burma, now Myanmar.
Beginnings
The Irrawaddy Flotilla Company was formed in 1865, primarily to ferry troops up and down the Irrawaddy river and delta. Soon, the company was carrying passengers, rice, government stores, and mail from Rangoon to Prome and, in 1868, to Bhamo. The ferry became indispensable to the oil fields up river at Yenangyaung and Chauk for carrying supplies and heavy equipment. Partly because the railway to Mandalay followed the path of the Sittang Valley rather than the Irrawaddy River, the company stayed relevant and useful well into the Twentieth Century, even after independence from Britain.
The company operated from 1865 until the late 1940s and, at its peak around 1930, had a fleet of over 600 vessels, the largest fleet of ships in the world. The Company was British-owned, and was managed by P Henderson & Company from Glasgow, Scotland.
The ships, which were paddle steamers, were built in Scotland, before being dismantled and transported to Burma for reassembly. Many of the ships were destroyed by their owners or crew in 1942 in advance of the Japanese invasion of Burma. In 1948 the company was reconstituted as the Government Inland Water Transport Board.
Quote
The paddle steamers of the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company inspired the famous lines penned by Rudyard Kipling
Come you back to Mandalay
Where the old Flotilla lay
Can't you hear the paddles chunkin'
From Rangoon to Mandalay
References
- "Irrawaddy Flotilla Company". Retrieved 2008-07-10.
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- Kratoska, Paul (2001), South East Asian Colonial History