SS Britannic (1874)

Last updated

SS Britannic.jpg
History
NameBritannic
Owner White Star Line
Port of registry Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg
RouteLiverpool to New York standard route.
BuilderHarland & Wolff, Belfast
Yard number83
Launched3 February 1874
Completed6 June 1874
Maiden voyage25 June 1874
Honors and
awards
Blue Riband winner
FateScrapped in 1903
General characteristics
Type Steamship
Tonnage5,004 GRT [1]
Length468 ft (142.65 m)
Depth45 ft (13.72 m)
Installed powerSteam
PropulsionSingle screw propeller
Sail plan4 masts, full-rigged ship
Speed16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Capacity220 Saloon- 1500 Steerage
Crew150

SS Britannic was an ocean liner of the White Star Line. She was the first of three ships of the White Star Line to sail with the Britannic name.

Contents

Britannic was a single-screw passenger steamship equipped with sails built for the White Star Line's North Atlantic run. She was initially to be called Hellenic , but, just prior to her launch, her name was changed to Britannic. Together with her sister Germanic, Britannic sailed for nearly thirty years, primarily carrying immigrant passengers on the highly trafficked Liverpool to New York City route. In 1876 she received the Blue Riband, both westbound and eastbound, by averaging almost 16 knots (30 km/h).

Design and engineering

As with nearly all White Star ships Britannic was built at Harland & Wolff, Belfast. She was built at a cost of £200,000 (equivalent to £23,450,000in 2023), [2] [3] Britannic was the first White Star ship to sport two funnels. She was primarily steam powered but, as was common for steamships of the era, was fitted with auxiliary sails, and was rigged as a four masted barque. She was powered by two compound reciprocating engines, which could produce 4,970 ihp, and could propel the ship via a single screw to a maximum speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph). As Harland & Wolff had not yet gained an expertise in building steam engines, the engines were supplied by Messrs Maudslay, Sons & Field of Lambeth. Britannic's hull was subdivided into eight watertight compartments by nine watertight bulkheads. [3]

Drawing of Britannic's engines Compound engines of the White Star steamship Britannic (Maudslay, Sons and Field Engineers, dated 1876).jpg
Drawing of Britannic's engines

As built the Britannic incorporated an experimental system which allowed the single propeller to be raised and lowered while still connected to its shaft and without stopping the engine. This was achieved with a flexible coupling and an elongated aperture in the ship's sternpost. This feature was an attempt to overcome the disadvantage of long-hulled single-screw liners, which pitched in heavy seas. In bad weather the stern could rise enough to lift the propeller partially out of the water, reducing thrust and causing unpleasant vibration. The Britannic's adjustable propeller was angled below the horizontal when in the lowest position, to ensure the entire propeller remained submerged. In shallow water the shaft could be raised to the horizontal or slightly upwards to reduce the ship's draught and prevent a blade striking the seabed. The shaft was raised and lowered by a small auxiliary steam engine in the ship's stern, operating rods connected to a bearing collar on the propeller shaft via a worm drive reduction gear. [3]

The system however was not a success, as it made little difference to the tendency for the propeller to lift out of the water in heavy seas, it also proved to have significant downsides: When set at certain angles the flexible coupling caused heavy vibration and the equipment required significantly more maintenance than a standard drive system. It also reduced the efficiency of the propeller in calm weather unless the angle was adjusted to be perfectly parallel to the line of the hull, making Britannic slower than her conventionally-built sistership, the Germanic. In 1875, after only nine voyages, Britannic was taken out of service to be refitted with the same conventional propeller arrangement as her sister - this work required not only removing the propeller mechanism and installing a new drive shaft but also fitting a new bed for the main engine to change its alignment. Once the ship was back in service her performance matched that of the Germanic, allowing the ship to make its own attempts at the Blue Riband. [3]

Accommodations

Deck plan of the Saloon accommodation on Britannic and Germanic Verso.jpg
Deck plan of the Saloon accommodation on Britannic and Germanic

The Britannic and her sister Germanic were both built to carry a total of 1,720 passengers in two classes when fully booked, 220 Saloon Class Passengers (title of First Class at that time) and 1,500 Steerage Passengers. Saloon Class facilities, which included a dining saloon, a Ladies Boudoir, State and Smoking rooms, a library and a barber shop were located amidships, and were luxuriously furnished. [4]

The ship had three decks enclosed within the hull, the upper two of which were above the waterline. Britannic and Germanic's saloon accommodations, consisting of a number of two- and four-berth cabins were located in the centre of the upper of these decks. The steerage accommodations were located on the lower two decks and consisted of large open berth dormitory type cabins arranged around the edge of the deck, with an open space for the passengers to congregate in the centre. The steerage accommodation was of higher quality than was typical for ships of the period, being well lighted, ventilated and heated. An innovative feature of Britannic and Germanic was a ventilation system driven by a large steam powered fan, which could propel hot or cold air to every portion of the ship. [4] [1]

Career

Drawing from 1878 of Britannic at sea Britannic White Star Line RMG PU6785.jpg
Drawing from 1878 of Britannic at sea

Launched on 3 February 1874, Britannic set out on her maiden voyage on 25 June 1874 from Liverpool to New York. [5] [3] On 8 March 1876, a fire developed in one of her forward holds whilst she was under repair at Belfast. The fire was extinguished and the ship was only slightly damaged. [6] Following the work to modify her propeller system, she became competitive for the Blue Riband. In November 1876, she captured the westbound Blue Riband, averaging a speed of 15.44 knots, and a month later set the eastbound record as well, averaging 15.95 knots, becoming the only White Star ship ever to hold both records simultaneously. She lost the westbound record to her sister, Germanic, in April 1877 and the eastbound one to the Guion Line's Arizona in July 1879. [5] [3]

Her first four years in service passed without incidents. However, on 26 October 1878 she ran down and sank the tug Willie at Wapping, Middlesex whilst on a voyage from London to Dundee, Forfarshire. The tug's crew were rescued. [7] On 31 March 1881, she collided with and sank the schooner Julia near Belfast. The crew however were all saved, and the undamaged Britannic continued her voyage. Later that year on 4 July 1881 Britannic had another mishap, when she ran aground in fog off Kilmore, County Wexford, Ireland, en-route to Liverpool and remained stuck for several days. The passengers boarded the lifeboats and were safely landed at Wexford. The ship was at first thought to be undamaged, but soon sprang a leak in her engine room. A team of salvage experts from Liverpool was quickly despatched, and set to work with pumps and divers to save the ship. The leak was patched up, the water pumped out, and her cargo was unloaded onto barges to lighten the ship, and on 8 July she was re-floated. On 9 July Britannic left for Liverpool under tow of tugs, but soon sprang another leak in her engine room which flooded within the hour, and she was hastily beached at Wexford Bay. She had to be patched up and pumped again before returning to Liverpool on 14 July for repairs. As the damage was only minor and easily repaired, she re-entered service on schedule on 18 July. [3] [5] [1] In 1883 Bram Stoker, the Irish author famed for Dracula is believed to have crossed the Atlantic onboard Britannic. [3] On 13 January 1887, she collided with the steamship St. Fillans in the River Mersey. Both vessels sustained slight damage. [8]

SS Celtic collision

On 19 May 1887, at about 5:25pm, the White Star liner SS Celtic collided with Britannic in thick fog about 350 miles (560 km) east of Sandy Hook, New Jersey. Celtic, with 870 passengers, had been steaming westbound for New York City, while Britannic, carrying 450 passengers, was on the second day of her eastward journey to Liverpool. The two ships collided at almost right angles, with Celtic burying her prow 10 feet (3 m) in the aft port side of Britannic. Celtic rebounded and hit two more times, before sliding past behind Britannic.

Six steerage passengers were killed outright on board Britannic and another six were later found to be missing, having been washed overboard. There were no deaths on board Celtic. Both ships were badly damaged, but Britannic more so, having a large hole below her waterline. Fearing that she would founder, the passengers on board began to panic and rushed the lifeboats. Britannic's captain, Hugh Hamilton Perry, pistol in hand, was able to restore some semblance of order, and the boats were filled with women and children, although a few men forced their way on board. After the lifeboats had launched, it was realised that Britannic would be able to stay afloat, and the lifeboats within hailing distance were recalled. The rest made their way over to Celtic. The two ships remained together through the night and the next morning were joined by the Wilson Line's Marengo and British Queen of the Inman Line, and the four slowly made their way into New York Harbor. Britannic was repaired at New York and was out of service for nearly a month. [9] [5]

Two-and-a-half-year-old Eleanor Roosevelt was on board the Britannic at the time of the collision, with her father Elliott, mother Anna and aunt Tissie. Eleanor was lowered into a lifeboat, screaming and protesting. She and her parents were taken to the Celtic and eventually returned to New York. Eleanor raised a huge protest at the prospect of going back on board a ship to continue the family's trip to Europe. Her parents went on to Europe, leaving the little girl with a maternal aunt. Eleanor had a lifelong fear of water and ships as a result of this incident. [10]

A subsequent Court of Enquiry held in New York in June 1887, found that the captains of both ships were guilty of 'not observing regulations for the prevention of collisions at sea'; the Celtic's captain Irvine was censured for failing to reduce speed whilst steaming through fog, whilst captain Perry of the Britannic was censured for failure to sound the ship's whistle before the collision. Another more far reaching recommendation was for the separate 'in' and 'out' shipping lanes be extended right across the Atlantic. [3]

Later career

On 2 January 1890, Britannic collided with Czarowitz—a British brigantine bound from Fowey, Cornwall, England, to Runcorn, Cheshire, England, with a cargo of china clay—in the Crosby Channel as Czarowitz was about to enter the River Mersey. Czarowitz sank. [11]

On one journey in August 1891 Britannic, now 17 years old, recorded her fastest-ever crossing from New York to Queenstown, making the journey in 7 days, 6 hours, and 52 min. [1]

Britannic made her final transatlantic voyage for White Star in August 1899, following this she was requisitioned by the Royal Navy and converted for use as a troopship to transport soldiers to the Second Boer War in South Africa, gaining the designation HMT (Hired Military Transport) #62. During this period, under the command of Bertram Fox Hayes, Britannic transported 37,000 troops to and from the conflict over three years. [12] In November 1900 Britannic sailed to Australia with a Guard of Honour to represent Great Britain at the inauguration of the Australian Commonwealth. Upon arrival she took part in the fleet review at Sydney Harbour to mark the occasion. On the return journey she grounded in the Suez Canal, and had to be refloated. [1] [5] [3]

Britannic laid up alongside the unfinished RMS Cedric, just before being scrapped Britannic (13603625213).jpg
Britannic laid up alongside the unfinished RMS Cedric, just before being scrapped

Demise

Following the end of the war in October 1902, Britannic was released from government service and returned to White Star who sent her to her builders in Belfast for a survey, with the intention that she might be refurbished and modernised for further use. It was proposed that Britannic could be refitted with more modern triple-expansion engines, as her sister Germanic had been, and that her interiors could be refurbished. The builders report in 1903 concluded that the expenditure required to bring the 29 year old ship up to modern standards would not be cost effective, instead, Britannic was sold for scrap for £11,500, and on 11 August 1903 she left Belfast under tow to Hamburg, Germany, where she was broken up. [3]

See also

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 scrap on 12 April 1935 which was completed in 1937.

<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 grew 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.

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

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

RMS 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>Cedric</i> British transatlantic liner

RMS Cedric was an ocean liner owned by the White Star Line. She was the second of a quartet of ships over 20,000 tons, dubbed the Big Four, and was the largest vessel in the world at the time of her entering service. Her career, peppered with collisions and minor incidents, took place mainly on the route from Liverpool to New York.

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>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.

SS <i>Celtic</i> (1872) Ocean liner

SS Celtic was an ocean liner built for the White Star Line by shipbuilders Harland and Wolff of Belfast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inman Line</span> 19th Century British shipping line

The Inman Line was one of the three largest 19th-century British passenger shipping companies on the North Atlantic, along with the White Star Line and Cunard Line. Founded in 1850, it was absorbed in 1893 into American Line. The firm's formal name for much of its history was the Liverpool, Philadelphia and New York Steamship Company, but it was also variously known as the Liverpool and Philadelphia Steamship Company, as Inman Steamship Company, Limited, and, in the last few years before absorption, as the Inman and International Steamship Company.

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.

SS <i>Germanic</i> (1874) British transatlantic ocean liner

RMS Germanic was an ocean liner built by Harland and Wolff in 1874 and operated by the White Star Line. She was the sister ship of Britannic, serving with the White Star Line until 1904. She later operated under the name Ottawa until 1910. After passing into Turkish ownership she operated under the name Gülcemal and gained great popularity until she was broken up in 1950 after a total career of 75 years.

RMS <i>Teutonic</i> British ocean liner

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

<i>Olympic</i>-class ocean liner Trio of ocean liners

The Olympic-class ocean liners were a trio of British ocean liners built by the Harland & Wolff shipyard for the White Star Line during the early 20th century, named Olympic (1911), Titanic (1912) and Britannic (1914). All three were designated to be the largest as well as most luxurious liners of the era, devised to provide White Star an advantage as regards to size and luxury in the transatlantic passenger trade.

SS <i>Arizona</i> Record breaking British passenger liner, later a US military ship

Arizona was a record breaking British passenger liner that was the first of the Guion Line's Atlantic Greyhounds on the Liverpool-Queenstown-New York route. One nautical historian called Arizona "a souped up transatlantic hot rod." Entering service in 1879, she was the prototype for Atlantic express liners until the Inman Line introduced its twin screw City of New York in 1889. The Arizona type liner is generally considered as unsuccessful because too much was sacrificed for speed. Laid up in 1894 when Guion stopped sailings, Arizona was sold four years later and briefly employed in the Pacific until she was acquired by the US Government for service in the Spanish–American War. As the US Navy's Hancock she continued trooping through World War I, and was scrapped in 1926.

SS <i>City of Paris</i> (1865)

City of Paris was a British passenger liner operated by the Inman Line that established that a ship driven by a screw could match the speed of the paddlers on the Atlantic crossing. Built by Tod and Macgregor, she served the Inman Line until 1884 when she was converted to a cargo ship.

SS <i>City of Berlin</i>

City of Berlin was a British ocean liner that won the Blue Riband for the Inman Line in 1875 as the fastest liner on the Atlantic. She was also the largest active passenger ship for six years except for the inactive Great Eastern Built by Caird & Company in Scotland, City of Berlin was the Inman Line's premier unit for thirteen years until City of New York was commissioned in 1888. She served the Inman Line until 1893 when Inman was merged into the American Line, and she was operated by her new owners on both the American Line and Red Star Line until 1898. She was sold to the U.S. Government, and was in their service until after World War I.

SS <i>Oregon</i> (1883) Ship

SS Oregon was a record-breaking British passenger liner that won the Blue Riband for the Guion Line as the fastest liner on the Atlantic in 1884. She was sold to the Cunard Line after a few voyages and continued to improve her passage times for her new owner. In 1885, Oregon was chartered to the Royal Navy as an auxiliary cruiser, and her success in this role resulted in the Admiralty subsidizing suitable ships for quick conversion in the event of a crisis. She returned to Cunard service in November 1885 and four months later collided with a schooner while approaching New York. Virtually all persons on board were rescued before Oregon sank. Her wreck, 18 miles south of Long Island, remains a popular diving site.

SS <i>Gaelic</i> (1872) Steamship of the White Star Line built by Harland and Wolff of Belfast

SS Gaelic was a steamship of the White Star Line, built by shipbuilders Harland and Wolff of Belfast.

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. 1 2 3 4 5 www.norwayheritage.com
  2. UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth . Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Kerbrech, Richard De (2009). Ships of the White Star Line. Ian Allan Publishing. pp. 25–29. ISBN   978-0-7110-3366-5.
  4. 1 2 Kerbrech, Richard De (2009). Ships of the White Star Line. Ian Allan Publishing. pp. 29–32. ISBN   978-0-7110-3366-5.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 www.greatships.net/britannic
  6. "A White Star Steamer on Fire". Leeds Mercury. No. 11829. Leeds. 9 March 1876.
  7. "Latest Shipping Intelligence". The Times. No. 29397. London. 28 October 1878. col F, p. 6.
  8. "Collisions in the Mersey". The Times. No. 31969. London. 14 January 1887. col C, p. 12.
  9. theshipslist.com
  10. Lash, J. (1971). Eleanor and Franklin: The Story of Their Relationship, based on Eleanor Roosevelt's Private Papers. New York: W. W. Norton & Company
  11. "Collisions at Sea". News. The Times. No. 32900. London. 4 January 1890. col D, p. 6.
  12. News from 1924/1941: Retirement/Death of Commodore Hayes - www.encyclopedia-titanica.org
Records
Preceded by Holder of the Blue Riband (Westbound record)
1876 – 1877
Succeeded by
Preceded by Blue Riband (Eastbound record)
1876 – 1879
Succeeded by