SS ''Britannic'' was an
ocean liner
An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships).
Ca ...
of the
White Star Line
The White Star Line 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 ...
. It was the first of three ships of the White Star Line to sail with the ''Britannic'' name.
''Britannic'' was a single-screw passenger
steamship
A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamship ...
equipped with sails built for the White Star Line's North Atlantic run. It 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
Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
route. In 1876 it received the
Blue Riband
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. ...
, both westbound and eastbound, by averaging almost .
Design and engineering
As with nearly all White Star ships ''Britannic'' was built at
Harland & Wolff
Harland & Wolff is a British shipbuilding company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It specialises in ship repair, shipbuilding and offshore construction. Harland & Wolff is famous for having built the majority of the ocean liners for the W ...
,
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
. She was built at a cost of £200,000 (),
''Britannic'' was the first White Star ship to sport two
funnel
A funnel is a tube or pipe that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, used for guiding liquid or powder into a small opening.
Funnels are usually made of stainless steel, aluminium, glass, or plastic. The material used in its construct ...
s. 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
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts having the fore- and mainmasts rigged square and only the mizzen (the aftmost mast) rigged fore and aft. Sometimes, the mizzen is only partly fore-and-aft rigged, b ...
. 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 . As Harland & Wolff had not yet gained an expertise in building steam engines, the engines were supplied by Messrs
Maudslay, Sons & Field
Maudslay, Sons and Field was an engineering company based in Lambeth, London.
History
The company was founded by Henry Maudslay as Henry Maudslay and Company in 1798 and was later reorganised into Maudslay, Sons and Field in 1833 after his sons ...
of
Lambeth
Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area e ...
. ''Britannic''s hull was subdivided into eight
watertight compartment
A compartment is a portion of the space within a ship defined vertically between decks and horizontally between bulkheads. It is analogous to a room within a building, and may provide watertight subdivision of the ship's hull important in retaini ...
s by nine watertight
bulkheads.
As built the ''Britannic'' incorporated an experimental system which allowed the single
propeller
A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...
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
A worm drive is a gear arrangement in which a worm (which is a gear in the form of a screw) meshes with a worm wheel (which is similar in appearance to a spur gear). The two elements are also called the worm screw and worm gear. The terminol ...
reduction gear.
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
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. ...
.
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
Steerage is a term for the lowest category of passenger accommodation in a ship. In the nineteenth and early twentieth century considerable numbers of persons travelled from their homeland to seek a new life elsewhere, in many cases North America ...
Passengers. Saloon Class facilities, which included a dining saloon, a Ladies
Boudoir
A boudoir (; ) is a woman's private sitting room or salon in a furnished residence, usually between the dining room and the bedroom, but can also refer to a woman's private bedroom. The term derives from the French verb ''bouder'' (to sulk ...
, State and Smoking rooms, a library and a barber shop were located amidships, and were luxuriously furnished.
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
A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or universi ...
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.
Career
Launched on 3 February 1874, ''Britannic'' set out on her maiden voyage on 25 June 1874 from Liverpool to New York.
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.
Following the work to modify her propeller system, she became competitive for the
Blue Riband
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. ...
. 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.
Her first four years in service passed without incidents. However, on 26 October 1878 she ran down and sank the
tug
A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...
''Willie'' at
Wapping
Wapping () is a district in East London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Wapping's position, on the north bank of the River Thames, has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains through its riverside public houses and steps, ...
,
Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...
whilst on a voyage from
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
to
Dundee
Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...
,
Forfarshire
Angus ( sco, Angus; gd, Aonghas) is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross. Main industries include ag ...
. The tug's crew were rescued.
On 31 March 1881, she collided with and sank the
schooner
A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoo ...
''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
County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (''Uí C ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
, en-route to Liverpool and remained stuck for several days. The passengers boarded the lifeboats and were safely landed at
Wexford
Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 ...
. 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.
In 1883
Bram Stoker
Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912) was an Irish author who is celebrated for his 1897 Gothic horror novel '' Dracula''. During his lifetime, he was better known as the personal assistant of actor Sir Henry Irving and busi ...
, the Irish author famed for
Dracula
''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taki ...
is believed to have crossed the Atlantic onboard ''Britannic''.
On 13 January 1887, she collided with the steamship ''St. Fillans'' in the River Mersey. Both vessels sustained slight damage.
SS ''Celtic'' collision
On 19 May 1887, at about 5:25pm, the White Star liner
SS ''Celtic'' collided with ''Britannic'' in thick fog about east of
Sandy Hook, New Jersey
Sandy Hook is a barrier spit in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States.
The barrier spit, approximately in length and varying from wide, is located at the north end of the Jersey Shore. It encloses the southern ...
. ''Celtic'', with 870 passengers, had been steaming westbound for
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, while ''Britannic'', carrying 450 passengers, was on the second day of her eastward journey to
Liverpool
Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
. The two ships collided at almost right angles, with ''Celtic'' burying her prow in the aft port side of ''Britannic''. ''Celtic'' rebounded and hit two more times, before sliding past behind ''Britannic''.
Six
steerage
Steerage is a term for the lowest category of passenger accommodation in a ship. In the nineteenth and early twentieth century considerable numbers of persons travelled from their homeland to seek a new life elsewhere, in many cases North America ...
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 realized 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
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 ...
, and the four slowly made their way into
New York Harbor
New York Harbor is at the mouth of the Hudson River where it empties into New York Bay near the East River tidal estuary, and then into the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of the United States. It is one of the largest natural harbors in ...
. ''Britannic'' was repaired at New York and was out of service for nearly a month.
[www.greatships.net/britannic](_blank)
/ref>
Two-and-a-half-year-old Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...
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.
Later career
On 2 January 1890, ''Britannic'' collided with ''Czarowitz''—a British brigantine
A brigantine is a two-masted sailing vessel with a fully square-rigged foremast and at least two sails on the main mast: a square topsail and a gaff sail mainsail (behind the mast). The main mast is the second and taller of the two masts.
Ol ...
bound from Fowey
Fowey ( ; kw, Fowydh, meaning 'Beech Trees') is a port town and civil parish at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town has been in existence since well before the Norman invasion, with the local ch ...
, Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a Historic counties of England, historic county and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people ...
, England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
, to Runcorn
Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port in the Borough of Halton in Cheshire, England. Its population in 2011 was 61,789. The town is in the southeast of the Liverpool City Region, with Liverpool to the northwest across the River Mersey. ...
, Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county tow ...
, England, with a cargo of china clay
Kaolinite ( ) is a clay mineral, with the chemical composition Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4. It is an important industrial mineral. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet of silica () linked through oxygen atoms to one octahedra ...
—in the Crosby Channel as ''Czarowitz'' was about to enter the River Mersey
The River Mersey () is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed par ...
. ''Czarowitz'' sank.
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.
Naval service
''Britannic'' made her final transatlantic voyage for White Star in August 1899
Events January 1899
* January 1
** Spanish rule ends in Cuba, concluding 400 years of the Spanish Empire in the Americas.
** Queens and Staten Island become administratively part of New York City.
* January 2 –
**Bolivia sets up a c ...
, following this she was requisitioned by the Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...
and converted for use as a troopship
A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable land troops directly on shore, typicall ...
to transport soldiers to the Second Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the So ...
in South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...
, gaining the designation HMT (Hired Military Transport) #62. During this period, under the command of Bertram Fox Hayes
Sir Bertram Fox Hayes DSO RD RNR (25 April 1864 – 15 May 1941) was a sea captain with the White Star Line.
Life and career
Bertram Hayes was born in Birkenhead in Cheshire, but his family moved to Goole in Yorkshire when he was four ...
, ''Britannic'' transported 37,000 troops to and from the conflict over three years.News from 1924/1941: Retirement/Death of Commodore Hayes
- www.encyclopedia-titanica.org In November 1900 ''Britannic'' sailed to Australia with a
Guard of Honour
A guard of honour ( GB), also honor guard ( US), also ceremonial guard, is a group of people, usually military in nature, appointed to receive or guard a head of state or other dignitaries, the fallen in war, or to attend at state ceremonials, ...
to represent Great Britain at the inauguration of the
Australian Commonwealth
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by a ...
. Upon arrival she took part in the
fleet review
A fleet review or naval review is an event where a gathering of ships from a particular navy is paraded and reviewed by an incumbent head of state and/or other official civilian and military dignitaries. A number of national navies continue to ...
at
Sydney Harbour
Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove River, Lane Cove and Parramatta River, Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or harbor, natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. T ...
to mark the occasion. On the return journey she grounded in the
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popula ...
, and had to be refloated.
[www.norwayheritage.com](_blank)
/ref>
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 engine
A compound steam engine unit is a type of steam engine where steam is expanded in two or more stages.
A typical arrangement for a compound engine is that the steam is first expanded in a high-pressure ''(HP)'' cylinder, then having given up he ...
s, 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, she was sold for scrap for £11,500, and on 11 August 1903 she left Belfast under tow to Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...
, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
, where she was broken up.
See also
* SS Germanic (1874) - sister ship
* HMHS ''Britannic''
* MV ''Britannic'' (1929)
The 1974 film ''Juggernaut
A juggernaut (), in current English usage, is a literal or metaphorical force regarded as merciless, destructive, and unstoppable. This English usage originated in the mid-nineteenth century and was adapted from the Sanskrit word Jagannath.
...
'' was set on an ocean liner called SS ''Britannic''; the 2005 UK DVD release used the alternate title ''Terror on the Britannic''.
References
External links
reprint of an article from Illustrated London News, 28 May 1887 of the collision
S/S Britannic (1), White Star Line
Britannic (I) thegreatoceanliners.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Britannic (1874)
1874 ships
Blue Riband holders
Victorian-era passenger ships of the United Kingdom
Ships built in Belfast
Ships of the White Star Line
Maritime incidents in October 1878
Maritime incidents in July 1881
Maritime incidents in January 1887
Maritime incidents in May 1887
Maritime incidents in 1890
Troop ships of the United Kingdom
Ships built by Harland and Wolff