Edward Bates and Sons, 1897-1915: tramping operations in recession and recovery

This essay presents new firm-level evidence to supplement our limited knowledge of tramp shipping operations between 1897 and 1915. The records of Edward Bates and Sons, which operated a mixed fleet of sail and steam vessels, reveal details of trading patterns, decision-making and the skills needed to master what Robin Craig called “the difficult art of tramp ship management.” The Bates papers provide particularly valuable insights because they show how young executives actually learned the business. It is evident that rapidly changing conditions made this a complex undertaking. The collection supports analyses of two issues raised in the shipping literature. First, it confirms Derek Aldcroft’s characterization of the shipping recession of 1901-1911 as a very serious slump. Second, the records cast doubt on Knick Harley’s suggestion that coal exports were not significant to the profitability of British shipping during the period. The paper concludes with some wide-ranging comments on the position of steam tramping on the eve of World War I.