RMS Majestic (1889)

Last updated

SS Majestic (1890).jpg
History
Government Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameRMS Majestic
Owner White Star flag NEW.svg White Star Line
Operator White Star Line
Port of registry Government Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Liverpool, United Kingdom
Builder Harland and Wolff, Belfast
Yard number209
Launched29 June 1889
Completed22 March 1890
Maiden voyage2 April 1890
FateScrapped; commenced 5 May 1914
General characteristics
Class and type Teutonic class ocean liner
Tonnage
Length582 feet (177.8 m)
Beam57.7 feet (17.6 m)
PropulsionTwo triple expansion engines powering two propellers.
Speed20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) – 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph)
Capacity
  • 1,490 Passengers:
  • 300 First Class
  • 190 Second Class
  • 1,000 Third Class

RMS Majestic was a steamship built in 1890 and operated by the White Star Line.

Contents

History

Constructed by Harland and Wolff, Majestic was launched on 29 June 1889 and was delivered to White Star in March 1890. White Star had sought to fund the construction of both Majestic and Teutonic through the British government, a proposal which was accepted with the stipulation that the Royal Navy would have access to the two liners in a time of war. Majestic and her sister were the first new additions to White Star's transatlantic fleet since the Britannic and Germanic had respectively entered service in 1874 and 1875. Together, the two new ships replaced the aging Baltic and Republic, which had both been in service with White Star since 1872 and were subsequently sold to new owners prior to the new ships entering service.

On 2 April 1890, Majestic left Liverpool on her maiden voyage to New York City. There was a strong desire among the White Star management to regain the coveted Blue Riband, the award for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic, from City of Paris. Majestic failed, but eventually achieved the goal on a westbound voyage between 30 July and 5 August 1891, with an average speed of 20.1 knots. Unfortunately, Majestic held the honour for a mere two weeks, as Teutonic completed a crossing on 19 August with a speed of 20.35 knots. City of Paris regained the Blue Riband a year later.

In 1895, Majestic was assigned Captain Edward Smith, who served as her captain for nine years. When the Boer War started in 1899, Smith and Majestic were called upon to transport troops to Cape Colony. Two trips were made to South Africa, one in December 1899 and one in February 1900, both without incident. Charles Lightoller served as a deck officer under Smith during this period.

Postcard of Majestic, after her 1902 refit RMS Majestic postcard.jpg
Postcard of Majestic, after her 1902 refit

In 1902–1903, the ship underwent a refit, which included updates to much of her passenger accommodations, new boilers and taller twin funnels, after which she returned to the Liverpool-New York run. Smith left as captain in 1904 to take command of the new Baltic, then the largest ship in the world. In 1905, Majestic suffered a fire in her bunker, but the damage was not significant. In 1907, White Star inaugurated a new express service from Southampton to New York via Cherbourg and Queenstown, to which Majestic, along with Teutonic, Oceanic and the newly completed Adriatic were transferred. Majestic departed Southampton for the first time on 26 June.

When Olympic entered service in 1911, Teutonic was removed from the New York run and transferred to the Dominion Line for Canadian service. When Titanic entered service in April 1912, Majestic was retired from White Star's New York service and designated as a reserve ship, biding her time at Birkenhead's Bidston Dock. Titanic was lost on her maiden voyage, and Majestic was returned to service in her former role.

On 17 October 1913, she came to the rescue of the French schooner Garonne, which had wrecked. On 14 January 1914, Majestic departed on her last Atlantic crossing. By this point she had been in service for nearly 24 years, during which time she had carried a total of 163,363 passengers westbound, [2] and another 113,524 passengers eastbound. [3] Soon after, she was sold for scrap to the Thos. W. Ward yard at Morecambe. Before scrapping of the ship commenced, the scrapping company opened the ship for public tours, and some of the interior panelling was saved and used in the offices of the Ward company.

See also

Records
Preceded by Holder of the Blue Riband (Westbound)
1891
Succeeded by

Related Research Articles

RMS <i>Olympic</i> British transatlantic liner (1911–1935)

RMS Olympic was a British ocean liner and the lead ship of the White Star Line's trio of Olympic-class liners. Olympic had a career spanning 24 years from 1911 to 1935, in contrast to her short-lived sister ships, Titanic and Britannic. This included service as a troopship during the First World War, which gained her the nickname "Old Reliable", and during which she rammed and sank the U-boat U-103. She returned to civilian service after the war, and served successfully as an ocean liner throughout the 1920s and into the first half of the 1930s, although increased competition, and the slump in trade during the Great Depression after 1930, made her operation increasingly unprofitable. Olympic was withdrawn from service and sold for scrapping on 12 April 1935 which was completed in 1937.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Riband</span> Unofficial award given to passenger liners with the fastest westbound transatlantic crossings

The Blue Riband is an unofficial accolade given to the passenger liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean in regular service with the record highest average speed. The term was borrowed from horse racing and was not widely used until after 1910. The record is based on average speed rather than passage time because ships follow different routes. Also, eastbound and westbound speed records are reckoned separately, as the more difficult westbound record voyage, against the Gulf Stream and the prevailing weather systems, typically results in lower average speeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ocean liner</span> Ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another

An ocean liner is a type of passenger ship primarily used for transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes. Only one ocean liner remains in service today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Star Line</span> British shipping company

The White Star Line was a British shipping line. Founded out of the remains of a defunct packet company, it gradually rose up to become one of the most prominent shipping companies in the world, providing passenger and cargo services between the British Empire and the United States. While many other shipping lines focused primarily on speed, White Star branded their services by focusing more on providing comfortable passages for both upper class travellers and immigrants.

RMS <i>Oceanic</i> (1899) Transatlantic ocean liner

Oceanic was a transatlantic ocean liner built for the White Star Line. She sailed on her maiden voyage on 6 September 1899 and was the largest ship in the world until 1901. At the outbreak of World War I she was converted to an armed merchant cruiser. On 8 August 1914 she was commissioned into Royal Navy service.

SS <i>Oceanic</i> (1870) British passenger liner, launched 1870

Oceanic was the White Star Line's first liner and first member of the Oceanic-class; she was an important turning point in passenger liner design. Entering service in 1871 for Atlantic crossings, she was later chartered to Occidental and Oriental Steamship Company (O&O) in 1875. The ship provided passenger service for O&O in the Pacific until 1895 when she was sold for scrap.

RMS <i>Mauretania</i> (1906) Running mate of Lusitania

Mauretania was an ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by Wigham Richardson and Swan Hunter on the River Tyne, England for the British Cunard Line, launched on the afternoon of 20 September 1906. She was the world's largest ship until the launch of RMS Olympic in 1910. Mauretania captured the eastbound Blue Riband on the maiden return voyage in December 1907, then claimed the westbound Blue Riband for the fastest transatlantic crossing during her 1909 season. She held both speed records for 20 years.

RMS <i>Baltic</i> (1903) Ocean liner

Baltic was an ocean liner of the White Star Line that sailed between 1904 and 1932. At 23,876 gross register tonnage, she was the world's largest ship until May 1906. She was the third of a quartet of ships, all measuring over 20,000 gross register tons, dubbed The Big Four, the other three being RMS Celtic, RMS Cedric, and RMS Adriatic.

RMS <i>Majestic</i> (1914) British ocean liner (1914)

Majestic was a British Ocean liner working on the White Star Line’s North Atlantic run, originally launched in 1914 as the Hamburg America Liner SS Bismarck. At 56,551 gross register tons, she was the largest ship in the White Star Line and the largest ship in the world until completion of SS Normandie in 1935.

RMS <i>Adriatic</i> (1906) British ocean liner

RMS Adriatic was a British ocean liner of the White Star Line. She was the fourth of a quartet of ships of more than 20,000 GRT, dubbed The Big Four. The ship was the only one of the four which was never the world's largest ship. However, she was the largest, the fastest, and the most luxurious of the Big Four, being the first ocean liner to have an indoor swimming pool and Victorian Turkish baths.

SS <i>City of New York</i> (1888)

City of New York was a British built passenger liner that was designed to be the largest and fastest liner on the Atlantic When she entered service with the Inman Line in August 1888, she was the first twin screw express liner and while she did not achieve the westbound Blue Riband, she ultimately held the eastbound record from August 1892 to May 1893 at a speed of 20.11 knots. City of New York and her sister City of Paris are considered especially beautiful ships and throughout their careers were rivals to White Star Line's Teutonic and Majestic. In February 1893, the Inman Line was merged into the American Line and by act of Congress, the renamed New York was transferred to the US flag. Beginning in the mid-1890s, New York and Paris were paired with St Louis and St Paul to form one of the premier Atlantic services. New York continued with the American Line until 1920 and was broken for scrap in 1923. She served in the United States Navy as USS Harvard during the Spanish–American War and Plattsburg in World War I. She is also remembered for nearly colliding with RMS Titanic as the latter ship began her maiden voyage in 1912.

SS <i>Adriatic</i> (1871) Transatlantic liner

SS Adriatic was the first of two White Star Line ocean liners to carry the name Adriatic. The White Star Line's first four steamships of the Oceanic-class, the met with great success in the trans-Atlantic market, and the line decided to build two more. The first of these was the SS Adriatic, which was built by Harland and Wolff and launched on 17 October 1871; the second was the SS Celtic.

SS <i>Baltic</i> (1871)

Baltic was an Oceanic-class ocean liner that was built in 1871 for the White Star Line. She was one of the first four ships ordered by White Star from shipbuilders Harland & Wolff after Thomas Ismay bought the company, and the third ship of the Oceanic class to be delivered. In 1888 Holland America Line bought her, and renamed her Veendam. In 1898 she struck a submerged wreck and sank, but with no loss of life.

SS <i>City of Paris</i> (1888) British-built passenger liner

City of Paris, was a British-built passenger liner of the Inman Line that held the Blue Riband as the fastest ship on the north Atlantic route from 1889 to 1891 and again from 1892 to 1893. A sister ship of the City of New York and a rival of the White Star Line Teutonic and Majestic, she proved to be the quickest of the pre-Campania twin-screw express liners. In 1893, she was renamed Paris and transferred to US registry when the Inman Line was merged into the American Line. She and her sister were paired with the new American built St Louis and St Paul to form one of the premier Atlantic services. Paris served the US Navy as the auxiliary cruiser USS Yale during the Spanish–American War and is remembered for slipping into the harbor at San Juan, Puerto Rico, under the Spanish guns of Morro Castle. After Paris returned to commercial service, she was seriously damaged in 1899 when she grounded on The Manacles off the British coast. Rebuilt and renamed Philadelphia, she sailed for the American Line until requisitioned again during World War I as the transport Harrisburg. After the war, she continued with the American Line until 1920 and was scrapped in 1923.

SS <i>Republic</i> (1871)

SS Republic was an ocean liner built in 1871 by Harland and Wolff for White Star Line. It was intended to be the last of four vessels forming the Oceanic-class, before two new ships were commissioned. After a rough maiden voyage from Liverpool to New York City on 1 February 1872, the ship was chosen to be on White Star Line's first voyage on the South Atlantic and Pacific line with four other ships, destined for Chile. In 1874, the construction of modern ships SS Germanic and SS Britannic led to SS Republic's becoming the standby vessel of White Star Line. It occupied this position for 15 years, and attempts were made to modernise it in 1888. When RMS Teutonic and RMS Majestic entered service in the following year, the Republic became surplus to White Star's needs.

RMS <i>Teutonic</i> Ocean liner

Teutonic was an ocean liner built for the White Star Line in Belfast and was the first armed merchant cruiser.

SS <i>La Touraine</i>

SS La Touraine was an ocean liner that sailed for the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique from the 1890s to the 1920s. Built in France in 1891, she was primarily employed in transatlantic service on the North Atlantic. The liner was scrapped in Dunkirk in October 1923.

SS <i>Cymric</i>

SS Cymric was a steamship of the White Star Line built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast and launched on 12 October 1897.

Oceanic-class ocean liner Iron-hulled ocean liner class

The Oceanic class were a group of six ocean liners built by Harland and Wolff at Belfast, for the White Star Line, for the transatlantic service. They were the company's first generation of steamships to serve the North Atlantic passenger trade, entering service between 1871 and 1872.

<i>Teutonic</i>-class ocean liner 1889–1921 British ocean liners

The Teutonic-class ocean liners were a pair of passenger liners named the Teutonic and Majestic. these ship were built by Harland & Wolff shipyard for the White Star Line, specifically for the White Star Line's transatlantic service route. These ships are also renowned as revolutionary for the time, as their main propulsion are propellers instead of square-rigged sails.

References

  1. http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_ship.asp?sh=maje1
  2. New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957
  3. UK and Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960