The story of the Allan Line is that of the enterprise of one family. Captain Alexander Allan, at the time of the Peninsular War, conveyed stores and cattle to Lisbon for Wellington’s army. After 1815 he began to run his vessel between the Clyde and Canada, and as years went on he employed several vessels in the service.
Till 1837 the ships ran from Greenock to Montreal, but in that year, after the Clyde was deepened, the ships went to Glasgow, as they have continued to do ever since. Captain Allan and his five sons devoted all their 
energies to the development of the Canadian trade, and for about forty years the line ran sailing ships only, which were greatly in request for the emigrant traffic.
In 1852 the Canadian government requested tenders for a weekly mail service between Great Britain and Canada. That of Sir Hugh Allan of Montreal, one of Captain Allan’s sons, was accepted, and the Canadian mail line of steamships came into existence.
It may be noted that the Allan Line inaugurated steamers of the "spar-deck" type, i.e. with a clear promenade deck above the main deck. This measure of safety was taken as a lesson from the disastrous foundering of the Australian steamship London in the Bay of Biscay in the year 1866. The company may claim, too, that their steamship " Buenos Ayrean," built for them in the year 1879 by Messrs Denny of Dumbarton, was the first Atlantic steamship to be constructed of steel.
As time went on the company’s services were extended to various ports on the eastern shores of North America and in the river Plate; and London, as well as the two strongholds of Glasgow and Liverpool, was taken as a port of departure.
In the course of its career it has absorbed the fleet of the old State Line of Glasgow and a great part of the fleet of the Royal Exchange Shipping Company and of the Hill Line. Included in the latter fleet were the first twin-screw steamers constructed for a British North Atlantic line. The Virginian and the Victorian, built for the Allan Line in 1905, were the first transatlantic liners propelled by turbines.
The principal ports served by the Allan Line are (in the United Kingdom) Glasgow, Londonderry, Belfast, Liverpool and London; from these their vessels ply to many places in North and South America, including Quebec, Montreal, St Johns (Newfoundland), Halifax, St John (New Brunswick), Portland, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Montevideo, Buenos Aires and Rosario.
Text from GG Archives
The ship on the poster
The Victorian was a 10,635 gross ton ship built in 1904 by Workman, Clark and Co, Ltd. for the Allan Line of Liverpool. Her details were – length overall 540 ft, beam 60.4ft, one funnel, two masts, triple screw (first N.Atlantic liner with triple screws and first with turbine engines) and a speed of 18 knots. There was accommodation for 346-1st, 344-2nd and 1,000-3rd class passengers. Launched on August 25, 1904, she sailed from Liverpool on her maiden voyage to St John NB on March 23,1905. On April 27, 1905 
she commenced her first Liverpool – Quebec – Montreal voyage and continued UK – Canada sailings until 1914 when she was converted to an armed merchant cruiser.
She served with the 9th and later the 10th Cruiser Squadrons and after the war, was refitted by Cammel Laird and returned to Canadian Pacific Ocean Services who had taken over the Allan Line. She resumed the Liverpool – Quebec – Montreal service on April 23, 1920, was refitted to carry 418-cabin, and 566-3rd class passengers in October 1920 and commenced her last Liverpool – Quebec – Montreal voyage on September 2,1921.
In October 1921 she was chartered to the British government and carried out a trooping voyage from Southampton to Bombay and on her return was re-engined to oil fuel. On August 3, 1922 she transferred to the Glasgow – Quebec – Montreal route and on December 11, 1922 was renamed Marloch. She commenced her first Glasgow – St John NB voyage on December 12, 1922 and on Feb 2, 1926 transferred to the Antwerp – St John NB service.
She collided with, and sank the British steamer Whimbrel off Flushing on February 2, 1926 and was towed to Southampton. Repaired, she returned to the Antwerp – Southampton – St John NB service on March 4, 1926 and sailed on her final Antwerp – Quebec – Montreal crossing on August 17, 1928.
She was laid up at Southend until 1929 when she was sold to T.W.Ward and Co and arrived at Milford Haven on April 17th, being subsequently broken up at Pembroke Dock. Her panelling, which was inlaid with mother-of-pearl was transferred to the board room of Ward’s Sheffield office, where it can still be seen.
Text from Destination: Yellow Grass
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