The Red Star Line was a shipping line founded in 1871 as a joint venture between the International Navigation Company of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

, which also ran the

American Line The American Line was a shipping company founded in 1871 and based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It began as part of the Pennsylvania Railroad, although the railroad got out of the shipping business soon after founding the company. In 1902, it ...

, and the Société Anonyme de Navigation Belgo-Américaine of

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

. The company's main ports of call were AntwerpHarnack, 1938, page 566 in Belgium,

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 ...

and

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

and

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 ...

and Philadelphia in the United States.

History

The company was founded by

Clement Griscom Clement Acton Griscom (March 15, 1841 – November 10, 1912) was an American shipping magnate and financier. Griscom was "without question, the key figure in American transatlantic shipping" by 1900. Biography Griscom was born in 1841 to a long ...

, who led it from its founding until the International Mercantile Marine Co. took it over in 1902. Red Star Line survived IMM's financial crisis in 1915. In the 1930s Red Star Line was part of Arnold Bernstein Line. The company declared bankruptcy in 1934. It operated until 1935 when it ceased trading. Its assets were eventually sold to the

Holland America Line Holland America Line is an American-owned cruise line, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. Holland America Line was founded in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and from 1873 to 1989, it operated ...

Heritage

The former warehouses of the Red Star Line in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

were designated as a landmark and reopened as a museum on 28 September 2013 by the City of Antwerp. The main focus of the museum is the travel stories that could be retrieved through relatives of the some two million Red Star Line passengers. In the exhibition the visitor follows the travelers' tracks from the travel agency in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...

until their arrival in New York. The museum exhibits works of art depicting the Red Star Line

emigrant Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

s by the Antwerp artist

Eugeen Van Mieghem Eugeen Van Mieghem (; October 1, 1875 – March 24, 1930) was an artist born in the port city of Antwerp, Belgium. As a boy Van Mieghem was confronted with the harsh reality of life at the waterfront. Even at primary school he showed a talen ...

(1875-1930), together with Red Star Line memorabilia from the collection of Robert Vervoort. About a quarter of the some two million Red Star Line migrants were Jews, largely from Eastern Europe until the exodus driven by the rise of Nazi Germany. Among them were many famous persons, including regular passenger

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theor ...

. On learning of the Nazi confiscation of his possessions, Einstein chose not to return to Germany; his letter resigning from the

Prussian Academy of Sciences The Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences (german: Königlich-Preußische Akademie der Wissenschaften) was an academy established in Berlin, Germany on 11 July 1700, four years after the Prussian Academy of Arts, or "Arts Academy," to which "Berlin ...

, written on the line's stationery, is a part of the museum exhibit. Other notable emigrants included the five-year-old

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russ ...

Ships

Red Star Line ships had a black funnel with a white band bearing a five-pointed red star. The house flag was a white

burgee A burgee is a distinguishing flag, regardless of its shape, of a recreational boating organization. In most cases, they have the shape of a pennant. Etiquette Yacht clubs and their members may fly their club's burgee while under way and at ...

with a red star. Belgenland Red Star Line poster

Most Red Star ships were given names ending in "-land". Notable Red Star ships included: * (1873). Chartered from

Gourlay Brothers Gourlay Brothers was a marine engineering and shipbuilding company based in Dundee, Scotland. It existed between 1846 and 1908. Company history The company had its origins in the Dundee Foundry, founded in 1791. By 1820 the foundry was manufact ...

, Dundee, in 1874. * (1896). chartered from

Hamburg America Line The Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Aktien-Gesellschaft (HAPAG), known in English as the Hamburg America Line, was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, in 1847. Among those involved in its development were prominent citi ...

in 1899. * (1908). Chartered from

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 ...

1926–29. *. Sold to Italian owners in 1905 and renamed ''Venere''. *. Completed as

troop ship 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, typical ...

''Belgic'' for White Star Line. Transferred to

Panama Pacific Line Panama Pacific Line was a subsidiary of International Mercantile Marine (IMM) established to carry passengers and freight between the US East and West Coasts via the Panama Canal. Although IMM had begun preparations for this intercoastal service ...

, renamed ''Columbia''. *. Chartered from American Line for seven voyages 1895–98. * (1892). Built by

Laird Brothers Cammell Laird is a British shipbuilding company. It was formed from the merger of Laird Brothers of Birkenhead and Johnson Cammell & Co of Sheffield at the turn of the twentieth century. The company also built railway rolling stock until 1929, ...

, Birkenhead. Chartered from

Dominion Line The Dominion Line was a trans-atlantic passenger line founded in 1870 as the ''Liverpool & Mississippi Steamship Co.'', with the official name being changed in 1872 to the ''Mississippi & Dominion Steamship Co Ltd.'' The firm was amalgamated in ...

for four voyages 1907. *. Built by Bartram, Haswell & Co of Sunderland as ''Sacrobosco''. Bought in 1890 after salvage. 1897 transferred to New York – Seattle route, 1904 went missing at sea. *. Scrapped in 1928. * (1889). Sold to Italian owners in 1905 and renamed ''La Plata'' in 1912. * ''Gothland'' (1893). Built for White Star Line as ''Gothic''. Transferred to Red Star Line in 1908 and renamed ''Gothland''. Transferred back to White Star Line in 1911 and name reverted to ''Gothic''. Transferred again in 1913 to Red Star Line and name changed to ''Gothland''. Scrapped in 1925. * (1902). Scrapped in 1927. Lapland

* (1908). Scrapped in 1934. * (1883). Built by Laird Brothers, Birkenhead. Scrapped 1908. *. First ship of this name. Built at Glasgow by J&G Thomson & Co and launched as for

Cunard Line Cunard () is a British shipping and cruise line based at Carnival House at Southampton, England, operated by Carnival Corporation & plc#Carnival United Kingdom, Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. Since 2011, Cunard and its ...

. Sold to Red Star Line, renamed ''Pennland'', and refitted in 1881. Went into Antwerp – New York passenger service in 1889. Scrapped in Italy in 1903. * (1922). Launched for

as ''Pittsburgh''. Transferred to Red Star Line in 1935 and renamed ''Pennland''. Sunk in 1941 after being damaged by enemy aircraft. * (1879). Sold to Italian owners in 1906, renamed ''Rhyna'' and scrapped. * (1872). Built as ''Kenilworth'' for American Line. Acquired in 1877, ran aground on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18 ...

on 19 March 1877, subsequently broke in two and declared a total loss. * ''Samland'' (1902). Transferred from

Atlantic Transport Line The Atlantic Transport Line was an American passenger shipping line based in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1901 the company was folded into the International Mercantile Marine Company (IMM). History The line developed with railroad support as an offsh ...

in 1906. Served until 1911 when it was chartered by White Star Line. Returned to Red Star Line in 1913. Scrapped in 1931. *. Sold to France in 1879 and renamed . *. Renamed in 1915. Sunk by torpedo in 1917 with the loss of four lives. * ''Waesland'' (1867). Built as ''Russia''. Acquired and renamed ''Waesland'' in 1880. Transferred to American Line in 1895. Sunk in collision with Houston steamship ''Harmonides'' in 1902. *. Built by Laird Brothers, Birkenhead. An early steamship to be built of steel. She sailed the Antwerp – New York route. Transferred to American Line in 1901 and scrapped in 1912.

* (1917). Launched for White Star Line as ''Regina''. Transferred to Red Star Line in 1929 and renamed ''Westernland''. Transferred to Bernstein Red Star Line of Hamburg in 1935. Was an Allied

in the

Battle of Dakar The Battle of Dakar, also known as Operation Menace, was an unsuccessful attempt in September 1940 by the Allies to capture the strategic port of Dakar in French West Africa (modern-day Senegal). It was hoped that the success of the operation cou ...

in 1940. *. Bought as ''Java'' from

in 1878. Sold to France in 1889. *. Launched 1900 and remained with Red Star until

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

1914

In popular culture

The Red Star Lines appear in the

Mario Puzo Mario Francis Puzo (; ; October 15, 1920 – July 2, 1999) was an American author, screenwriter, and journalist. He is known for his crime novels about the Italian-American Mafia and Sicilian Mafia, most notably '' The Godfather'' (1969), whi ...

's ''

The Godfather Part II ''The Godfather Part II'' is a 1974 American epic crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film is partially based on the 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' by Mario Puzo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Coppola. ''Part II'' s ...

'' when the young

Vito Corleone Vito Corleone (born Vito Andolini) is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' and in the first two of Francis Ford Coppola's film trilogy. Vito is originally portrayed by Marlon Brando in the 1972 film ''The Godfathe ...

arrives in New-York. His identification badge is from the Red Star Lines company. The Paris football club

Red Star FC Red Star Football Club, also known simply as Red Star (), is a French association football club founded in Paris in 1897, and is the fourth oldest French football club, after Standard AC of Paris, Le Havre AC and Girondins de Bordeaux. In t ...

are named after the Red Star Line, on which the club's founder Jules Rimet's English housekeeper had travelled. In

James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post- New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability ...

's ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unite ...

'', a warehouse can be seen at the Southampton Docks labelled Red Star Line. It is seen through the window of the pub as Jack and Fabrizio are first introduced.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

Red Star Line (the ultimate resource

Red Star Line Museum official website

''The Guardian:'' Across the Atlantic with the Red Star Line – in pictures
– from the Red Star Line Museum
Red Star Line, People on the move
(in

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

)
Passenger Lists from the Red Star Line
GG Archives
The Eugeen Van Mieghem Museum
GG Archives {{Authority control Defunct shipping companies of the United States Transatlantic shipping companies Companies based in Philadelphia Defunct companies based in Pennsylvania Transport companies established in 1871 Transport companies disestablished in 1935 Defunct shipping companies