SS Britannic (1874)
History | |
---|---|
Name | Britannic |
Owner | White Star Line |
Port of registry | |
Route | Liverpool to New York standard route. |
Builder | Harland & Wolff, Belfast |
Yard number | 83 |
Launched | 3 February 1874 |
Completed | 6 June 1874 |
Maiden voyage | 25 June 1874 |
Honors and awards | Blue Riband winner |
Fate | Scrapped in 1903 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Steamship |
Tonnage | 5,004 GRT[1] |
Length | 468 ft (142.65 m) |
Depth | 45 ft (13.72 m) |
Installed power | Steam |
Propulsion | Single screw propeller |
Sail plan | 4 masts, full-rigged ship |
Speed | 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
Capacity | 220 Saloon- 1500 Steerage |
Crew | 150 |
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.
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
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
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
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
SS Celtic collision
On 19 May 1887, at about 5:25pm, the White Star liner
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
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
See also
- SS Germanic (1874) - sister ship
- HMHS Britannic
- MV Britannic (1929)
References
- ^ a b c d e www.norwayheritage.com
- ^ 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 11 June 2022.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7110-3366-5.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7110-3366-5.
- ^ a b c d e www.greatships.net/britannic
- ^ "A White Star Steamer on Fire". Leeds Mercury. No. 11829. Leeds. 9 March 1876.
- ^ "Latest Shipping Intelligence". The Times. No. 29397. London. 28 October 1878. col F, p. 6.
- ^ "Collisions in the Mersey". The Times. No. 31969. London. 14 January 1887. col C, p. 12.
- ^ theshipslist.com
- ^ Lash, J. (1971). Eleanor and Franklin: The Story of Their Relationship, based on Eleanor Roosevelt's Private Papers. New York: W. W. Norton & Company
- ^ "Collisions at Sea". News. The Times. No. 32900. London. 4 January 1890. col D, p. 6.
- ^ News from 1924/1941: Retirement/Death of Commodore Hayes - www.encyclopedia-titanica.org