Although reportedly remote from the staff of the C. S. Co., George Kidston had a reputation for discretion, wisdom, and a willingness to invest in potentially risky new ventures, usually with great success.

The year 1856 saw the launch of the company's first regular coastal service to Cork and Waterford and to Galway Bay, the Shannon estuary and Limerick.

George Jardine remained as chairman when, in January 1893, the original partnership of the C. S. Co. was dissolved to form a limited liability company.

Whereas staff spoke warily of James Cuthbert's sense of humour, clearly unsure when he was joking and when he was not, his son William – a committed church elder – did much to create a congenial atmosphere around him, even through the difficult war years.

The entire fleet was requisitioned, many as rescue ships, although the management remained with the C. S. Co. Having steered the C. S. Co. through two world wars, William Cuthbert died in April 1946.

For many reasons – from bomb damage and a scarcity of goods such as coal and butter, to the development of the road transport industry – the decade that followed held new and difficult challenges.

One such challenge led to the decision, in 1945, to accept that passenger trade was unlikely ever to be profitable again, and hence to run the fleet only for cargo services.