HC Sleigh Company Limited

 “Sleighs” founder migrated to Australia from England in 1888. Shipping experience in Melbourne was followed by his ordering two ships to be built in Glasgow in 1898. Involved from 1913 with Golden Fleece (his naming) oil products, he established bulk ocean terminals as part of his widening shipping interests. From the early 1930s these included the trans-Tasman timber trade. H.C.Sleigh Ltd became a public company in 1947.

The Second World War’s commencement saw Sleighs with two ships:

Ship

Built

Gross Tons

In Service

James Cook 1921 2181 1934-1953
Matthew Flinders 1938 2290 1938-1956

No reports of requisition, war damage or loss are known.