Robert Miles Sloman

Robert Miles Sloman (23 October 1783, Great Yarmouth - 2 January 1867, Hamburg) was an English-German shipbuilder and ship owner.

After the Treaty of Amiens (25 March 1802) Robert Miles went to Antwerp to found a shipbroking-company but as war broke out again he had to return to Hamburg.

M. Sloman & CO. oHG took passengers to and from England but on 17 February 1836 the shipping company opened the first regular transatlantic service from Hamburg to New York with the bark Franklin and two other sailing packets.

On 8 May 1841 Sloman and eight other shipowners formed Hanseatische Dampfschiffahrts-Compagnie and built in England two paddle steamers, the Hamburg and the Manchester which sailed to and from Kingston upon Hull and by 1846 the transatlantic fleet had grown to seven.

Hamburg-America's transatlantic steamship service began on 1 June 1856, when the Borussia set off for New York with sister-ship Hammonia following a month later.