A. C. de Freitas & Co.
A. C. de Freitas & Co. was, at the end of the 19th century, one of the largest privately owned trading and shipping companies in Hamburg. Its failure to list as a public company was the main reason for its downfall a decade later.
Augusto Constantino de Freitas founded the company in 1835.[1] From small beginnings, with sailing ships that carried goods on their own account, the company developed into a large enterprise with extensive interests in Great Britain, South America and the Mediterranean. In 1879, steamships replaced the small fleet of sailing ships.[1]: 47 In 1884, a regular scheduled service began into the Adriatic Sea and in 1892 there was a growing fleet of steamers to southern Brazil and Argentina.[1]: 69 & 84 [2] In 1900, Albert Ballin bought the 14 steamships employed in the South American trade for the Hamburg America Line.[1]: 117 [3] The end of the shipping arm of the company came in 1911 with the sale of the six steam ships used in the Mediterranean Sea to Deutsche Levante Linie.[1]: 184 The same year also saw the two large sailing vessels, Beethoven and Mozart, sold off. A diminishing trade in goods continued under the name of Augusto de Freitas GmbH.
References
- ^ a b c d e Lintzer, Gottfried (2010). A. C. de Freitas & Co – Kaufmannsreeder. Norderstedt. p. 17. ISBN 978-3-8391-5759-6.
- ^ Detlefsen, Gert Uwe (1991). 1891-1991 Paul Günther. Gert Uwe Detlefsen, Bad Segeberg. pp. 10 & 11.
- ^ Kludas, Arnold (2007). Die Geschichte der Hapag-Schiffe. Hauschild. pp. 204–212. ISBN 978-3-89757-341-3.
External links
- A. C. De Freitas & Co. book project at members.iinet.net.au
- Profile on Wreck Site