The White Star Line (WSL), was a British shipping company. Founded out of the remains of a defunct packet company, it gradually rose up to become one of the most prominent shipping lines 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 Republic was a steam-powered ocean liner built in 1903 by Harland and Wolff in Belfast, and lost at sea in a collision in 1909 while sailing for the White Star Line. The ship was equipped with a new Marconi wireless telegraphy transmitter, and issued a CQD distress call, resulting in the saving of around 1,500 lives. Known as the "Millionaires' Ship" because of the number of wealthy Americans who traveled by her, she was described as a "palatial liner" and was the flagship of White Star Line's Boston service. This was the first important marine rescue made possible by radio, and brought worldwide attention to this new technology.
SS 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 names Gul Djemal and Gülcemal, until broken up in 1950 after a total career of 75 years.
SS Megantic was a UK transatlantic ocean liner that was built in Ireland and launched in 1908. She was one of a pair of sister ships that were ordered in 1907 by Dominion Line but completed for White Star Line.
SS Cymric was a steamship of the White Star Line built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast and launched on 12 October 1897.
SS Nomadic was a steamship of the White Star Line. She was laid down in 1891, in yard 236 at Harland and Wolff Shipyards, Belfast, as a livestock carrier and completed on 14 April 1891.
SS Magnetic was a passenger tender of the White Star Line built in 1891. She was laid down at the Harland and Wolff Shipyards in Belfast, Ireland. Magnetic was sold to a different company in 1932 and renamed Ryde, and scrapped in 1935.
SS Canopic was a passenger liner of the White Star Line.
SS Tauric was an ocean liner built in 1891 by Harland and Wolff for the White Star Line and completed on 16 May 1891. Though designed as a livestock carrier, Tauric carried a small amount of cabin-(second-) and steerage-(third-) class passengers. Her maiden voyage began at Liverpool and ended at New York. After this, Tauric began running the Liverpool to Portland, Maine route. In 1903, the White Star Line had the ship chartered to the Dominion Line, now taking on the name Welshman. The Dominion Line in turn transferred her to the Leyland Line in 1921. She was scrapped eight years later, in 1929.
SS Cufic was a livestock carrier, built by Harland and Wolff for the White Star Line, displacing 4,639 tons and completed on 1 December 1888. Her sister ship was the SS Runic. She ran the Liverpool to New York route. In 1896, Cufic was chartered to a Spanish shipping company and renamed Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe and transported horses between Spain and Cuba.
SS Coptic was a steamship built in 1881, which was successively owned by the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, and the Japanese Oriental Steam Ship Co. before being scrapped in 1926. She was filmed by Thomas Edison in 1897 in one of his early movies. The movie is currently stored in the Library of Congress, archive.org and other internet archives.
SS Cretic was an ocean liner built in 1902. She was operated by several shipping lines, all of which were part of the International Mercantile Marine Company, under several names during her career, which came to an end when she was scrapped in 1929.
SS Gaelic was a steamship of the White Star Line, built by shipbuilders Harland and Wolff of Belfast.
SS Haverford was an American transatlantic liner commissioned in 1901 for the American Line on the route from Southampton to New York, then quickly on the route from Liverpool to Boston and Philadelphia. During her early years, this ship, mainly designed to transport migrants and goods, was the victim of several incidents. Her company was integrated into the International Mercantile Marine Co. (IMM) in 1902 and she was used by other companies within the trust, the Dominion Line and the Red Star Line.
The SS Belgic was a steam ship built by Harland and Wolff for the White Star Line for service in the Far East and across the Pacific. Sold to the Atlantic Transport Line in 1899 she was transferred to the North Atlantic. After service as a Boer War transport she was scrapped in 1903.
SS Westernland was a transatlantic ocean liner that was launched as Regina in Scotland in 1917, renamed Westernland in 1929 and was scrapped in 1947. She began her career as a troop ship repatriating US troops after the Armistice of 11 November 1918. In the Second World War, Westernland served as a troop ship, repair ship and destroyer depot ship.
The SS Runic was a steamship built at Harland and Wolff in Belfast for the White Star Line which entered service in 1901. Runic was the fourth of five Jubilee-class ocean liners built for White Star's Australia service along with her sister ship SS Suevic, where she ran on the Liverpool–Cape Town–Sydney route. She served this route until she was requisitioned for use as a war transport between 1915 and 1919, before returning to the Australia service.
The SS American was a steamship built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast, which entered service in 1895. the American was a combined cargo and passenger ship which was originally built for the West India and Pacific Steamship Company along with her sister ship the SS European. In 1904 she passed to the White Star Line and was renamed Cufic, the name she retained until she was sold to Italian ownership in 1924, after which she became known as Antartico then Maria Guilia until being scrapped in 1932.
The SS European was a steamship built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast, which entered service in 1897. the European was a combined cargo and passenger ship which was originally built for the West India and Pacific Steamship Company along with her sister ship the SS American. In 1904 she passed to the White Star Line and was renamed Tropic, the name she retained until she was sold to Italian ownership in 1924, after which she became known as Artico then Transilvania until being scrapped in 1933.
The Jubilee class were a group of five passenger and cargo ocean liners built by Harland and Wolff at Belfast, for the White Star Line, specifically for the White Star Line's service from the UK to Australia on the Liverpool–Cape Town–Sydney route. The five ships in order of the dates they entered service were:
