Albion (whaler)

The Albion was a 362-ton full rigged whaler built at Deptford, England. She was fitted with 10 guns and manned with a crew of 26. Owned by the firm Champion & Company, the vessel was sent to Australia waters in 1799 to conduct whaling and was chartered in 1803 to transport stores and cattle, to Risdon Cove on the River Derwent, Tasmania.

Under the command of Captain Eber Bunker, the Albion departed England in 1799 arriving in Port Jackson (Sydney) on 29 June 1799, with a cargo of salted pork after a voyage of 3 months and 15 days. Afterwards the Albion sailed to Taihiti at the request of Governor Philip Gidley King and spent the next two winters whaling off the Australian coast and the New Zealand coast. The Albion returned to England with a cargo of 155 barrels of whale oil.

Returning to Port Jackson on 6 July 1803, the Albion under command of Captain Eber Bunker went on a second whaling expedition along the Australian coast. Bunker discovered the Bunker Islands off the Queensland coast.

Albion (given name)

Albion is a given name, usually masculine, which may refer to:

Albion Motors

Albion Automotive of Scotstoun, Glasgow is a former Scottish automobile and commercial vehicle manufacturer. It is currently involved in the manufacture and supply of Automotive component systems.

From WW1 to the 1950s, Albion had rivalled Foden for the reliability and ruggedness of their trucks. Albion was incorporated into Leyland Motors in 1951, and merely became a badge for their smaller lines. The badge was dropped by British Leyland in 1980.

Today the company is a subsidiary of American Axle & Manufacturing, and manufactures axles, driveline systems, chassis systems, crankshafts and chassis components. It is Scotland's best known name in the motor industry. Albions were renowned for their slogan "Sure as the Sunrise".

History

Originally known as Albion Motor Car Company Ltd, the company was founded in 1899 by Thomas Blackwood Murray and Norman Osborne Fulton (both of whom had previously been involved in Arrol-Johnston) they were joined a couple of years later by John F Henderson who provided additional capital. The factory was originally on the first floor of a building in Finnieston Street, Glasgow and had only seven employees. In 1903 the company moved to new premises in Scotstoun.