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Built in Scotland on the Clyde in 1947 by the famous ship-builder Yarrow & Co with the same design of the pre-war Quarter Wheller steamers of the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company.
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Operated by
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Home
The Irrawaddy Flotilla Company
Flotilla Fleet Tales
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The Irrawaddy
Flotilla Company
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The IFC as it was commonly known was
conceived in 1852, with preparations
by the British Government for an
attempt to conquer all sea ports of
Burma (now reverted to the original
Burmese name Myanmar) after the 1824
treaty of Yandabo between the
British and the Burmese king fell
through. The British already had
control of Lower Burma up to Thayet
Myo, but the province of Bago, under
the rule of the Burmese king, has
access to the sea which the British
wanted to block.
To facilitate communications between
Rangoon (now reverted to the
original Burmese name Yangon) and
Thayet, a distance of 300 miles on
the Irrawaddy River (Ayeyarwaddy
River), the Governor General of
India Lord Dalhousie ordered four
steamers and four accompanying flats
to be sent out from India. They were
the Lord William Bentinck, Damoodah,
Nerbudda and Juma. The first steamed
out from the dockyard of Lambeth on
the Thames where all were built but
the rest were dismantled and shipped
over to be reconstructed in
Calcutta.
 Twelve years after the success of
the operation the flotilla minus one
flat was put up for sale by the
British government, which believed
that the expansion of trade between
Upper and Lower Burma would be
faster in private hands. King Mindon
had ascended the throne by then and
he had cordial relations with the
British and the French. The foreign
merchants were vying with each other
for rights to the treasure trove of
the Mogok ruby mines as well as free
access to Bahmo, a riverside trade
station leading to the Yunan
Province of China, but Mindon had
continued to deny their wishes
firmly if graciously.
Todd, Findlay and Company was
already running the Burma Steam Tug
Company among other enterprises and
James Todd with the agreement of
Thomas Findlay bought the fleet for
£16,200. The contract was signed in
May 1864, in which the British
government stipulated that the fleet
must sail twice a month between
Rangoon and Thayet Myo and that it
must leave Rangoon within 24 hours
after the mail ship arrived from
Calcutta or otherwise the penalty
could be as high as £500.
The new owners however soon found
out that operation costs were higher
than they could afford, and brought
in more partners. The decision was
made to turn the company public and
on the New Year's Day of 1865, the
Irrawaddy Flotilla Company was
formed.
Although facing some birth pains,
the IFC grew from strength to
strength. Much of the credit must go
to Dr. Clement Williams, the IFC
representative in the new capital
Mandalay, built by Mindon, and he
was on good terms with the king.
Relations however were not as good
when the reign of Mindon's son and
heir King Thibaw began in 1878.
In November of the same year, 30
royal slaves escaped from the palace
in Mandalay and boarded the IFC
vessel Yankintaung. Authorities
tried to stop the boat but it had
already sailed downriver and when it
docked in Myinchan, the governor of
the town who had received news of
the escape tried to retrieve the
slaves. As he had no written
authorisation sent from Mandalay,
the captain refused. but the
governor came with 200 armed men and
forcibly invaded the ship. Letters
of complaint were sent to the from
the British IFC management to the
British Foreign office and to the
Mandalay court, and the matter died
down after some time but resentment
on both sides remained.
Meanwhile, court intrigues were
becoming increasingly confusing and
French influence was perceived to be
growing stronger and in 1885, the
British annexed all of Burma.
The IFC began to expand
tremendously, and in 1888 the
expenditure over the three preceding
years was £1 million. The directors
could state with confidence that
"there is now no such river fleet in
the world."
The IFC headquarters by 1990 was a
substantial building on Phayer
Street, replaced in 1933 by a
magnificent three storey building
with soaring pillars. 'Belmont' the
residence of the IFC manager was
built on Signal Pagoda Road as were
surrounding houses for other staff
members. The half-teak Belmomt was
replaced by a brick mansion and
later became the residence of the
British ambassador.
The IFC operations were seen
everywhere: at its dockyards, its
feet of steel cargo barges,
double-deckers plying along the
numerous creeks of the delta,
special flats to carry oil from
central Myanmar to the refineries in
the south, passenger boats on the
Chindwin and Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwaddy)
Rivers, an express service between
Rangoon and Mandalay as well as the
popular bazaar boats with goods from
the big stores of Rangoon
The company that began with four
steamers and three flats in 1864
owned over 600 vessels by 1930,
moving up to 9 million passengers
annually which at the time was about
half the population.
 Disastrous fate was to intervene a
mere 25 years later, not only for
the IFC but to everyone in Burma,
indeed in SE Asia. World War II
broke out and on Christmas Day of
1941 Japan bombed Rangoon, resulting
in thousands of causalities caught
by surprise. By early 1942, the
British were leaving the country,
many sailing up the Irrawaddy and
Chindwin Rivers as far as they could
and walking the brutal overland
route to India and safety. Many died
on the way, both the British and the
cheap Indian labour they had been
importing into the country since
1824.
All the IFC vessels were scuttled.
John Morton, the manager of the IFC
wrote in his diary of 28 April 1942
that
"Mandalay was evacuated yesterday,
the IFC the last to go. We are being
chased out quicker now than was
expected and I have orders for more
sinkings here at Kyaukmyaung. There
are over two hundred of our fleet
sunk at Mandalay. Imagine how I felt
drilling holes in their bottoms with
a Bren gun."
Their group travelled along the
Chindwin River on a few remaining
ships to Katha, where they
disembarked on 3 May, and the next
day destroyed the last of the IFC
fleet and walked across the India
border to safety.
The Allied troops re-captured
Rangoon on 3rd May, 1945. Six months
later a civilian government has been
formed and the IFC was once again in
operation. Although the people
welcomed the allied forces, it was
apparent that the country wanted
independence. A delegation of
Burmese politicians led by General
Aung San went to London in 1947 and
returned with a promise of freedom.
The Burmese leaders had already
declared that after independence
they would nationalise the IFC as
well as the timber and oil companies
owned by the British.
At dawn of 4th January 1948 the
British left Burma and in June of
the same year, the IFC handed over
their fleet to the Inland Water
Transport Board. The days of the IFC
were finally over but their vessels
continue to ride the mighty rivers
for many more years to come.
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