Four-funnel Liner
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A four-funnel liner, also known as a four-stacker, is an
ocean liner An ocean liner is a type of passenger ship primarily used for 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). The ...
with four
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 constructi ...
s. , launched in 1897, was the first ocean liner to have four funnels and was one of the first of the golden era of ocean liners that became prominent in the 20th century. Among the most well known four-funnels are , sunk on her maiden voyage on , and ,
torpedoed A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...
on , during the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. In all, 15 four-funnel liners were produced; in 1858, and the remainder between 1897 and 1922. Four were sunk during the World Wars, and all others besides ''Titanic'' were scrapped. was the fastest of all four-funnelled liners. The last four-funnelled liner ever built was ; however, two of her funnels were later removed making the the last four-funnel liner in service and the only one to survive service during both World Wars.


Description


Rise of the four-funnel liner

The primary purpose of funnels on steamships was to allow smoke, heat and excess steam to escape from the boiler rooms. As liners became larger, more boilers were used. The number of funnels became symbolic of speed and safety, so shipping companies sometimes added false funnels—like the —to give an impression of power. , launched on 31 January 1858 (a full 40 years ahead of any comparable ships), was the only ocean liner to sport five funnels. As one funnel was later removed in 1865, ''Great Eastern'', by default, became the first ocean liner to have four funnels. However, she was converted to a cable-laying vessel not long afterwards and never operated as a liner when she only had four funnels. ''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse'', launched on 4 May 1897, was the first purpose-built ocean liner to have four funnels and was one of the first of the golden era of ocean liners that became prominent in the early- to mid-20th century. The trend of competing shipping lines building four-funnel liners encompassed a very short time span ranging from the in 1897 to the in 1922. The
Cunard Line The Cunard Line ( ) is a British shipping and an international cruise line based at Carnival House at Southampton, England, operated by Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. Since 2011, Cunard and its four ships have been r ...
record holders, and ''Mauretania'', were both laid out with four boiler rooms with one funnel to each room. In keeping with the style and fashion of the early-20th century, the
White Star Line The White Star Line was a British shipping line. Founded out of the remains of a defunct Packet trade, packet company, it gradually grew to become one of the most prominent shipping companies in the world, providing passenger and cargo service ...
opted to fit the three ''Olympic''-class ships with a dummy fourth funnel to rival the two Cunard ships.


End of the four-funnel liner

The ideology of four funnels representing size and power rapidly diminished soon after the First World War. Subsequent flagships including the SS ''Imperator'', SS ''Normandie'', and RMS ''Queen Mary'' all sported three funnels to conserve deck space. Later, as shipbuilding became more efficient, RMS ''Queen Elizabeth'', , , , and further reduced the number of funnels down to two. Today's modern cruise ships are mostly built with only a single funnel, and many military vessels no longer sport them at all. Soon, the remaining four-funnel liners seemed old. The first four-funnel liner to go was the ''Titanic'' when she sank in 1912 after hitting an
iceberg An iceberg is a piece of fresh water ice more than long that has broken off a glacier or an ice shelf and is floating freely in open water. Smaller chunks of floating glacially derived ice are called "growlers" or "bergy bits". Much of an i ...
. During the First World War, ''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse'', ''Lusitania'', and ''Britannic'' sank after being attacked by enemy vessels (with ''Britannic'' striking a mine). The last four-funnel liners built were the sister ships and ''Windsor Castle'' which entered service in 1921. By 1922, only 10 of the 14 four-funnel liners remained. In 1923, the ex- ''Kronprinz Wilhelm'' was sold for scrap, followed by the ex- ''Deutschland'' in 1925. By the start of the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, only 8 four-funnel liners remained. In 1935, the ''Mauretania'', and were sold for scrap after 28, 24, and 23 years of service respectively. In 1937, the ''Arundel Castle'' and ''Windsor Castle'' were refurbished by having two of their four funnels removed and their bows replaced by more raked bows, leaving the ''Kaiser Wilhelm II'', ''Kronprinzessin Cecilie'' and ''Aquitania'' as the three remaining four-funnel liners. In 1940, the ex- ''Kaiser Wilhelm II'' and ex- ''Kronprinzessin Cecilie'' were sold for scrap. The ''Aquitania'', now the last four-funnel liner afloat, served in the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and thereafter enjoyed a quiet postwar career, until finally she was scrapped in 1950. With this, the era of the four-funnel liner came to an end.


List of four funnel liners

Notes:


Proposed ships

The United States never operated any four-funnelled ocean liners in commercial service. However, in the late 1910s, William Francis Gibbs began to draft designs for new 1,000-foot liners that could reach a speed of 30 knots. Among the proposals was a pair of four-funnelled ships designed in 1919. The funnel and boiler arrangement would have been similar to the German four stackers, with the four funnels grouped in pairs with a wider gap between the second and third funnels. Possible names for the liners were the SS ''Boston'' and the SS ''Independence''. The ships never made it past the design phase. In the late 1920s Britain's
White Star Line The White Star Line was a British shipping line. Founded out of the remains of a defunct Packet trade, packet company, it gradually grew to become one of the most prominent shipping companies in the world, providing passenger and cargo service ...
placed an order to the shipbuilder
Harland and Wolff Harland & Wolff Holdings plc is a British shipbuilding and Metal fabrication, fabrication company headquartered in London with sites in Belfast, Arnish yard, Arnish, Appledore, Torridge, Appledore and Methil. It specialises in ship repair, ship ...
for , which would have been the third ship in White Star's history to bear that name. The exact intended design of ''Oceanic'' III is unknown, although company concept renderings show it to be a three-funnelled liner. However, early plans from Harland and Wolff's archives show a design from 1927 for a four-funnelled liner almost identical to the ''Olympic-class'', except with a more-modern cruiser stern.four-funnel liner plans, Harland and Wolff 1927
at titanichistoricalsociety.net.
Construction of ''Oceanic'' III halted in mid-1929, before the onset of the Great Depression led to its cancellation.


References


External links

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