By road across the sea : the history of the Atlantic Steam Navigation Company Ltd

Colonel Frank Bustard (1886-1974), the founder of the Atlantic Steam Navigation Company (ASN), joined the White Star Line in 1902 as an office apprentice. Bustard left the White Star Line on its merger with Cunard in 1934 and formed the Atlantic Steam Navigation Company in 1936. His business model was to offer cheaper travel across the Northern Atlantic but his plans were changed by the outbreak of war in 1939. Chartering, and then modifying, three tank landing ships at the end of the war, Bustard won a contract to return military vehicles and effectively launched the first roll-on-roll-off service for road vehicles with the first voyage of the Atlantic Steam Navigation Company taking place in 1946 when the Empire Baltic was used to ship vehicles from Tilbury to Rotterdam. The fleet expanded to include further modified landing ships and purpose-built vessels designed to carry freight and passenger vehicles and with on-board accommodation. In 1954, ASN was taken over by the British Transport Commission and then on the dissolution of the Commission in 1962, the company's ownership was transferred to the newly formed Transport Holding Company. Becoming a subsidiary of the National Freight Corporation in 1968, the company reverted to private ownership in 1971, becoming part of the European Ferries Group better known as Townsend Thoresen and then, in 1986, that business was acquired by P&O European Ferries. Chapters include the recollections of some who worked for ASN including Captains Close and Harrison, Hugh Ghee (Senior Purser), S. Livingstone, John Hendy and Bernard McCall. A fleet list is included with details of ship name, builders, year of build, gross tonnage and service period. The text is illustrated with photographs of the ships.