Under Five Flags: Miguirditch Gumuchdjian, an Armenian shipowner of Constantinople and London 1900–1932.

The shipping interests of Miguirditch Gumuchdjian stemmed from a coal enterprise established in Constantinople in the mid-1890s. A local business partnership operating as coal-mine proprietors and ship owners acquired its first vessel around 1900. From 1902 Gumuchdjian focused on coal importing and shipping, further vessels being acquired or managed under different flags between 1910 and 1914. In the early twentieth century the Turkish coal industry and the prevailing geopolitical situations presented both opportunities and risks. These factors were shaped by external conflicts, demands for independence within the widespread territories of the Ottoman empire, rising Turkish nationalism and the empire's decline, resulting in the declaration of the Turkish Republic in 1923. The First World War proved eventful, with vessels requisitioned for war service and sunk by Allied naval actions. As an Armenian Christian, Gumuchdjian's personal situation became difficult, necessitating a temporary relocation to London between 1915 and 1919 and a permanent move in 1923. His London-based shipping and trading business continued until 1932, when financial and management problems led to its closure. These events are examined in relation to the external contexts and the changing fortunes of a small shipping enterprise over more than three decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]