The ship was completed in 1917 and renamed Justicia, with the intention that Cunard Line would crew and operate her. However, Cunard was unable to raise a crew for her, so the Shipping Controller appointed White Star Line to manage her.
Justicia entered service in April 1917, carrying troops from North America to Europe. She escaped a U-boat attack in January 1918, but sank that July off the coast of Ireland after two U-boats hit her with a total of six torpedoes making her the second largest ship to sink in WW1 behind Britannic, and the largest to be sunk by a torpedo in the first world war. Britannic struck a mine rather than a torpedo.
The ship was 90ft (27m) longer and 9ft (3m) broader than NASM's then flagship, the 24,149GRTRotterdam, which Harland & Wolff had completed in 1908. Statendam would have been by far the largest NASM had yet owned. Only HAPAG's Imperator class, White Star Line's Olympic class and Cunard's Aquitania were larger. As it was, Justicia she became the second largest ship sunk by enemy action in the First World War. The only one larger than Justicia was the 48,148GRTHMHSBritannic.[1]
Justicia shared the same combined propulsion system as several other H&W liners of her era including Laurentic and Belgenland.
NASM and H&W planned Statendam to be a modern ship with berths for 800 passengers in first class, 600 in second and 2,030 in third, with a crew of 600. The first class saloon was to be 20ft (6m) high, making it the largest of its type on an ocean liner of its era.[2] Décor was to be modern, in contrast with the historicist styles then commonly favoured by British and German shipping lines.
As a troop ship, Justicia was reconfigured to carry 4,000 or 5,000 men, but in practice this was sometimes greatly exceeded. Her holds had capacity for 15,000 tonnes of cargo.[3] Her registered length was 740.5ft (225.7m), her beam was 86.4ft (26.3m) and her depth was 43.1ft (13.1m). Her tonnages were 32,120GRT and 19,699NRT.[4]
Justicia was one of a series of H&W steamships that were propelled by a combination of reciprocating steam engines and a steam turbine. She had three screws. A pair of four-cylinder triple expansion engines drove her port and starboard screws. Exhaust steam from those engines powered one low-pressure turbine that drove her middle screw.[4] H&W had used this arrangement first on Laurentic for White Star Line. Justicia had three funnels, only two of which were flues for her boilers. The third was a dummy, included purely for aesthetic reasons.
With the exception of the three Olympic-class liners, Justicia was one of the largest and most powerful ships ever built with this combination of reciprocating and turbine engines. Her reciprocating engines were the same size as those in Belgenland, but her total power rating was higher. Between them, Justicia's three engines were rated at a total of 2,903 NHP[5] or 22,000 ihp[6] and gave her a speed of 17 knots (31km/h).[7] This was an economical speed for peacetime service, but not quick enough for her to sail unescorted in wartime.[3]
Harland & Wolff built Statendam on slipway number 3 as yard number 436. Her keel plates were laid down in 1912 and she was launched on 9 July 1914.[7] However, the First World War broke out on 28 July, and the UK joined on 4 August. Work on Statendam was slowed down to let H&W concentrate on more urgent war-related work.[8] However, the fact that her construction was well advanced offered potential for her to be completed for war service.[9]
In October 1914, the UK Admiralty offered NASM £1,000,000 for use of the ship, with a guarantee to return it at the end of the war. Decorative elements already installed were removed, as was customary when converting passenger liners into troop ships. In Statendam's case they were sent to Rotterdam for storage.[10] H&W completed the ship slowly, taking special measures to adapt her to war service. Unlike her contemporaries Belgenland and Orca, H&W completed Justicia with her dummy funnel. However, the size of all three funnels was smaller than their original design, in order to conserve steel.[citation needed]
In 1915 the UK government requisitioned the still-incomplete ship. It offered her to Cunard to replace Lusitania, which had been sunk in May 1915. The name Justicia means "justice", and conforms with Cunard policy of giving its ships a name ending with -ia. However, Cunard was unable to raise a complete crew for her.[2]
In November 1916, a mine sank the hospital shipHMHSBritannic, which left White Star Line with enough crew to work Justicia.[2] White Star's engineer officers and men, unlike those of Cunard, were experienced with "combination machinery" such as that in Justicia. The Shipping Controller therefore transferred Justicia to the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company (White Star Line).[4][5] However, the ship was not renamed to conform with White Star policy of giving its ships names ending with -ic.[9]
White Star Line ran Justicia across the North Atlantic, bringing troops to Liverpool first from Halifax, Nova Scotia and then from New York. At the beginning of 1918 she was painted with dazzle camouflage developed by Norman Wilkinson. She was attacked soon after, on 23 January 1918, by a German submarine in the North Channel, but no torpedo hit her, and she was undamaged.[11]
On 19 July 1918 Justicia left Belfast for New York, escorted by destroyers. She was unladen, and her Master was John David. 20 miles off Skerryvore, Scotland, UB-64 hit her with one torpedo, at first mistaking her for USS Leviathan.[12]Justicia developed a list, but the watertight doors in her bulkheads were closed in time and kept her afloat. UB-64 fired two torpedoes, but Justicia's guns destroyed one of them, and the other missed. The tug Sonia took Justicia in tow, heading for Lough Swilly. UB-64 fired a fourth torpedo, but Justicia's gunners destroyed it. UB-64 then fired a fifth torpedo, which hit Justicia but did not sink her. Part of Justicia's crew was evacuated, and Sonia continued to tow her.[13] The escorts damaged UB-64, which withdrew, but reported Justicia's position via wireless telegraph.[citation needed]
Study by the artist WL Wyllie of the tug Sonia trying to tow Justicia to Lough Swilly
The next morning, 20 July, UB-124 found Justicia and hit her amidships with two torpedoes, killing either 10[6][12] or 16[7] of her engine room crew (sources differ). Her surviving crew were evacuated, and by noon she rolled onto her starboard side and sank. The destroyers HMSMarne, Milbrook, and Pigeondepth chargedUB-124, forcing her to the surface, and then sank her by gunfire.[14]
The German press celebrated the sinking.[15] The Royal Navy held an inquiry to establish how the U-boats could have sunk a ship that was escorted by at least three destroyers. The inquiry concluded that the German submariners' determination and bravery were "beyond belief".[7]
The UK government compensated NASM with 60,000 tonnes of steel, which it used to build a fleet of cargo ships.[16] In 1921 NASM ordered a new Statendam from Harland & Wolff. She was launched in 1924 but her completion was delayed until 1929.[17]
Wreck
Justicia's wreck lies at a depth of 230ft (70m), 21 nautical miles (38km) northwest of Malin Head at 55°39′47″N7°43′13″W / 55.66305°N 7.72031°W / 55.66305; -7.72031. The wreck is orientated north – south, and has an average height of 10ft (3m). It is very broken, but her bow is largely intact, with its starboard anchor still visible in its hawse. Her bridge superstructure is collapsed to port. Her 12 Scotch boilers, two reciprocating engines and single steam turbine are visible. Her stern is fairly broken up, but her rudder quadrant and the gun on her poop deck remain visible.[18]
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.
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.
Oceanic was the planned name of an unfinished ocean liner that was partially built by Harland and Wolff for the White Star Line. It would have been the third ship bearing the name Oceanic, after the one of 1870 and the one of 1899. It was envisaged in 1926, with the idea of modernizing the transatlantic service of the company. With the arrival of Lord Kylsant at the head of the company, the planned size of the project increased, until it became that of a large ship destined to be the first to exceed the symbolic limit of 1,000 feet (305 m) in length and 30 knots in speed.
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.
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.
RMS Celtic was an ocean liner owned by the White Star Line. The first ship larger than SS Great Eastern by gross register tonnage, Celtic was the first of a quartet of ships over 20,000 tons, the dubbed The Big Four. She was the last ship ordered by Thomas Henry Ismay before his death in 1899. The second liner of her name she was put into service in 1901. Her large size and her low but economical speed inaugurated a new company policy aiming to favour size, luxury and comfort, to the detriment of speed.
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 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 Celtic was an ocean liner built for the White Star Line by shipbuilders Harland and Wolff of Belfast.
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 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.
MV Britannic was a British transatlantic ocean liner that was launched in 1929 and scrapped in 1961. She was the penultimate ship built for White Star Line before its 1934 merger with Cunard Line. When built, Britannic was the largest motor ship in the UK Merchant Navy. Her running mate ship was the MV Georgic.
MV Georgic was the last ship built for the White Star Line before its merger with the Cunard Line. Built at Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, she was the running mate and younger sister of MV Britannic. Like Britannic, Georgic was a motorship, and not a steamer, fitted with a diesel powerplant. At the time of her launch in 1931, she was the largest British motorship.
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.
The second SS Laurentic was a 18,724 GRT steam ocean liner built in 1927 by Harland and Wolff, Belfast, for White Star Line. She was the last steamship to be built for White Star Line.
SS Statendam was a transatlantic ocean liner that was launched in Ireland in 1898 for Holland America Line. She was the first of several ships in the company's history to be called Statendam. She was NASM's first ship of more than 10,000 GRT, and she was the largest ship in the company's fleet until Potsdam was completed in 1900.
SS Doric was a British ocean liner operated by White Star Line. She was put into service in 1923. She was the second ship of the company to bear this name. Built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast, she was the company's second and last ship to be exclusively powered by turbines, after SS Vedic.
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.
The Delphic was a British freighter operated by the White Star Line, the company's second ship to bear this name. She was built by the Harland & Wolff shipyards in 1916 to serve the war effort under the name of War Icarus, belonging to the series of "Type G" cargo ships. Launched in September 1918 and commissioned in the following October, she was the only ship in the series to be completed before the end of the First World War. During this time, she was operated by a Liverpool company.
SS Statendam was a steam turbine transatlantic liner. She was the third of five Holland America Line ships to be called Statendam. She was built to replace the second Statendam, which the UK Government had requisitioned as a troop ship in 1915, and which had been sunk in 1918.
↑ "Justicia (SS)". Wreck Viewer. National Monuments Service. Retrieved 11 July 2022. – zoom in by using the wreck number "W07410" or entering the name "Justicia".
Buxton, Ian (2008) [1978]. Big Gun Monitors: The History of the Design, Construction and Operation of the Royal Navy's Monitors. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN978-1-84415-719-8.
de Kerbrech, Richard (2009). Ships of the White Star Line. Shepperton: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN978-0-7110-3366-5.
Eaton, John; Haas, Charles (1989). Falling Star, Misadventures of White Star Line Ships. Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN1-85260-084-5.
"Supplement". Lloyd's Register of Shipping. Vol.II–Steamers. London: Lloyd's Register of Shipping. 1917 – via Internet Archive.
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