The company’s earliest venture into steamship ownership came in 1830 when delivery was taken of the wooden paddle tug “Sir William Wallace” and in 1833 orders were placed for two wooden paddle steamers from the famous Clydeside engineer, Robert Napier. These were completed in 1834 and named “Dundee” and “Perth”. These were the most luxurious and fastest steamers on the east coast and their Masters took great pleasure in outpacing their Leith and Aberdeen rivals.

This was a period of expansion for the company and the old established Dundee & Hull Shipping Company was acquired in 1857. This was the company who owned the “Forfarshire” which was wrecked off the Farne Islands giving rise to the heroic story of Grace Darling.

The last two paddle steamers were replaced in 1861. Their replacements were often employed in the Mediterranean currant and fruit trades. Also during this period a regular service to Hull from Dundee was undertaken.

The latter years of the 19th century proved to be a period of consolidation for the company with modernisation of the fleet continually taking place. During this time cabin ships with first and second class overnight accommodation were introduced and, as an example, the “Dundee” built in 1886 had berths for 65 first class and 60 second class passengers as well as 75 deck passengers. A triple expansion engine gave her a speed of 15 knots. Increased competition meant that passenger comfort was becoming more and more important. The company opened its own terminal at Dundee Wharf, Limehouse in 1901.

During the war years of 1914 – 1918 many of the company’s ships were requisitioned, primarily as armed boarding steamers and convoy escort vessels. Undoubtedly the most distinguished action was seen by the “Dundee” (the fifth of the name) in March 1917 when, as an armed boarding steamer attached to the 10th Cruiser Squadron, she spotted a strange steamer off the Norwegian coast. This turned out to be the armed German raider “Leopard” masquerading as a neutral Norwegian vessel. Despite being heavily outgunned, the “Dundee” kept the imposter at bay for nearly four hours before the latter was sunk by HMS “Achilles”. When the war finished in November 1918 the company found itself with no vessels to maintain its sailings although with war loss compensation they were eventually able to obtain the release of four vessels from the Ministry of Shipping.

The centenary of the company in 1926 came during a period of comparative stability in coastal line trades. The fleet had increased from five ships in 1914 to nine some 12 years later and a regular network of services was in operation from the Tay to not only London but also Newcastle, Hull, Southampton and northern France. The majority of the cargoes carried south were locally manufactured goods of various sorts; jute products of course, popular magazines from D.C. Thomson, jams made by Keillers, printed stationary and postcards produced by Valentines and paper from the nearby Guardbridge paper works. These were loaded together with cases of whisky and sacks of seed potatoes brought down the river from Perth.

DP&L ships took part in, amongst other operations, the PLUTO pipeline across the English Channel shortly after D-Day, convoy rescue steaming, and supply runs to the Royal Navy in Scapa Flow. Support roles during the D-Day landings were also performed by company vessels. Only one ship was lost during the war; the “Gowrie” was attacked in January 1940 by two German aircraft four miles east of Stonehaven. A bomb exploded close alongside and the starboard boiler burst. The crew were forced to leave the ship and she later sank. However, Dundee Wharf on the Thames was badly damaged in a bomb attack during September 1940 and was out of action for some time. Several ships were managed during the war on behalf of the Ministry of War Transport.

ost-war conditions were completely different to those of 1939. The ships which had run the passenger service to London were ageing and rather the worse for wear. Over the years they were sold overseas with more suitable cargo vessels being acquired. These faced increasing competition from both road and rail services. Nevertheless, the purpose built post-war vessels such as the “Lunan” (1946) and another “London” (1951) were profitable and sailed successfully for many years.

In 1946 the company re-entered the deep-sea tramp market with the introduction of the three general purpose vessels “Angusburn”, “Angusbrae” and “Angusmuir”. These ships were almost continually employed and were seen in many ports in different parts of the world. They carried sugar from Jamaica, esparto grass from Libya, timber from Archangel and iron-ore from North Africa. They all enjoyed successful careers and were reliable and well-liked by their crews.

In 1954 the company acquired a minority interest in a small London-based firm, Lockett Wilson Ltd. This was to lead to another happy and profitable association as Lockett Wilson Ltd were not only using Dundee Wharf, but were also in the market to buy ships. Soon the “Clova” and “Crombie” were transferred to the new firm and sailings were operated from London to Paris and also from Goole and Hull to Paris and Brussels. New vessels, the “Vendome” and “Vauban” were added to the fleet having been constructed by the associated Brazen Island Shipyard Ltd. of Polruan in Cornwall. Further ventures included the acquisition of a 49% holding in Channel Shipping Ltd. in Jersey and a controlling interest in the Brazen Island Shipyard in 1957. Although this latter venture only lasted six years, some interesting work was undertaken, including the conversion of tankers to dry cargo vessels.

DP&L eventually became part of the Coalite Group which itself was taken over by the fuel distribution group Anglo United plc in 1981. In April 1993 the company returned to local ownership when Cortachy Holdings acquired the company and so again became part of the local business community.

In 2014 DP&L entered a new stage in its long history when control of the Group transferred to its management team.

DP&L now has interests in business and leisure and golf tour travel agencies, industrial supplies, marquee hire, personnel and recruitment. With its proven record of adaptability and its willingness to diversify in changing markets and conditions, DP&L looks forward with optimism to the future.