RMS ''Adriatic'' was a British
ocean liner of the
White Star Line. She was the fourth of a quartet of ships of more than , dubbed
The Big Four. The ship was the only one of the four which was never the world's largest ship. However, she was the largest, the fastest, and the most luxurious of the Big Four, being the first ocean liner to have an indoor
swimming pool and a
Turkish bath
A hammam ( ar, حمّام, translit=ḥammām, tr, hamam) or Turkish bath is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the culture of the Muslim world and was inherite ...
.
She began her career on the brand new route from
Southampton
Southampton () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, 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, S ...
to
New York before joining, from 1911, her sister ships on the secondary route from Liverpool. They were in fact slow liners intended to provide a service at moderate prices. When
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, ...
broke out, the ''Adriatic'' was among the ships that continued their civilian transatlantic service, while carrying many provisions. In 1917, she was requisitioned and served as a troop transport.
After the war, she was refitted several times, and was gradually used for cruises, which became her main services in the 1930s. When
Cunard Line and White Star Line merged in 1934, she was quickly deemed unnecessary and sold at the end of the year. She was scrapped in
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
in 1935.
Conception and construction

At the end of the 19th century, White Star Line, under the leadership of
Thomas Henry Ismay, changed its policy to embark on the construction of ships which no longer sought to dominate in the area of speed, but to transport passengers en masse and regularly on spacious and comfortable liners. This resulted in the commissioning of the
Big Four Big Four or Big 4 may refer to:
Groups of companies
* Big Four accounting firms: Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, PwC
* Big Four (airlines) in the U.S. in the 20th century: American, Eastern, TWA, United
* Big Four (banking), several groupings ...
, four large, moderate-speed liners ordered at the start of the new century. The first, the
''Celtic'', entered service in 1901, followed by the
''Cedric'' in 1903 and the
''Baltic'' in 1904. The fourth ship in the series, the ''Adriatic'', was ordered from
Harland and Wolff shipyards in Belfast in December 1903, but she wasn't completed until May 1907, a strangely long delay.
This delay could be explained by the fact that the shipyards were building the
''Amerika'' at the same time, with a similar profile.
Harland and Wolff built ''Adriatic'' on
slipway
A slipway, also known as boat ramp or launch or boat deployer, is a ramp on the shore by which ships or boats can be moved to and from the water. They are used for building and repairing ships and boats, and for launching and retrieving small ...
number three of its North Yard in
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 Kingd ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
.
To continue to own the largest ships in the world, White Star had asked the shipyards to enlarge the ''Baltic'' during its construction; the ship measured nearly 3,000 tons more than its predecessor, but it was in return slightly slower: its machines not having been modified. In the case of the ''Adriatic'', it was decided to give her a size similar to the ''Baltic'' (her tonnage nevertheless surpassing that of the ''Baltic'' by a few hundred tons), but she was equipped significantly more powerful machines in order to allow her to maintain a better speed.
[ Her name, in reference to the ]Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...
, was also given to her in reference to a previous liner of the same name which served the company for almost thirty years at the end of the previous century.
She was launched on 20 September 1906, the same day as the Cunard Line's .[ She was then completed in dry dock and delivered to her company on 25 April 1907, before sailing to Liverpool for her maiden voyage.][
]
Early career
When the ''Adriatic'' entered service, she was celebrated by the White Star Line as "the largest ship in the world" (although the ''Kaiserin Auguste Victoria'' overtook her by only 40 tons), and the company organized a departure with great fanfare for her maiden voyage from 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 on 8 May 1907, arriving in New York on 16 May 1907 with 2,502 passengers onboard (365 first class, 335 second class and 1,802 third class). The liner sails under the command of Captain Edward Smith, who transferred from the ''Baltic''.
After her maiden voyage, she was transferred to the Southampton
Southampton () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, 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, S ...
– New York route, arriving in Southampton to a very warm welcome on 30 May 1907, and inaugurating White Star's Southampton service on 5 June 1907. She was the first White Star liner to use Southampton's newly-built dock, named the White Star Dock. (In 1922 it was renamed the Ocean Dock.) This port, hitherto little frequented by British companies, was indeed chosen to serve as the base for the new express service desired by White Star, in view of the arrival of its Olympic-class liners. It also had the advantage of allowing a French stopover in Cherbourg
Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 ...
. The ''Adriatic'' was thus assigned to this new service alongside the ''Oceanic'', the ''Teutonic'' and the ''Majestic''. At the same time, Liverpool becomes a secondary port of departure for services provided by the ''Baltic'', the ''Cedric'', the ''Celtic'', and the ''Arabic''. The ''Adriatic'' ran the Southampton route until 1911 when replaced her. ''Adriatic'' then returned to the Liverpool route.[
During this service, the ''Adriatic'' proved to be very popular with customers for her luxurious facilities (she was the first ocean liner to have Turkish baths and an indoor swimming pool) despite a lower service speed than her Southampton running mates.][ An incident occurred on 10 October 1908, when it was discovered that four crew members were stealing passenger luggage and concealing it in the ship for subsequent resale. Their booty is estimated at £4,000, a very significant sum for the time. Another incident occurred in November 1909, when the liner ran aground in the entrance to the ]Ambrose Channel
Ambrose Channel is the only shipping channel in and out of the Port of New York and New Jersey. The channel is considered to be part of Lower New York Bay and is located several miles off the coasts of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and Breezy Poin ...
on its way to New York, then in August 1910 when the liner's stokers mutinied in Southampton. On 26 June 1911, following the entry into service of the ''Olympic'', the ''Adriatic'' made her last crossing from Southampton before joining her sister ships on the Liverpool route. She remained there until World War I, although she also made cruises between New York and the Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on th ...
during the winter of 1911.[
''Adriatic'' sailed from Liverpool on 18 April 1912 and arrived in New York on 27 April 1912. Some of '' Titanic''s rescued passengers and crew returned to Britain aboard her, departing from New York on 2 May 1912. The passengers included disgraced White Star Line chairman J. Bruce Ismay and Millvina Dean, the disaster's youngest and last living survivor.]
Alexander Agassiz died in 1910 while a passenger in ''Adriatic''.
World War I
When 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, ...
broke out, the ''Adriatic'' and the ''Baltic'' continued to provide regular service on the Liverpool route while other White Star liners were requisitioned. They were quickly joined by three ships of the Red Star Line, the ''Vaderland'', the ''Zeeland'' and the ''Lapland''. The ''Adriatic'''s large cargo hold enabled her to carry large quantities of provisions in wartime, but U.S. authorities, then neutral in the conflict, viewed the ship with suspicion, fearing she might make a secret stopover in Halifax to recover Canadian troops. From 12 April 1917 to 28 February 1919, the ship served under the Liner Requisition Scheme and carried troops and ammunition across the Atlantic after the entry by the United States into the war.
During the war, the bunkers of the ''Adriatic'' were often used to supply the Royal Navy with fuel. During this period, on 26 January 1918, while docked at Pier 60 in New York, she was the victim of a fire when barrels of oil stored on her deck caught fire. The firefighters managed to control the flames by flooding the bridge and throwing the burnt barrels into the sea. When the war was over, the liner was fully refurbished, and her facilities were modified to carry fewer passengers.[
]
Later career and demise
The ''Adriatic'' returned to service on 3 September 1919, departing from Southampton and accompanied by the ''Lapland'', to ensure provisional service pending the return of requisitioned ships and the arrival of new liners. From 1920, the ''Lapland'' was replaced by the ''Olympic''. She was finally withdrawn after a last crossing, on 14 December 1921, in view of the arrival of the ''Majestic'' and the ''Homeric''. After an overhaul in Belfast, she joined the ''Celtic'', the ''Cedric'' and the ''Baltic'' on the Liverpool route on 13 May 1922.
On a westbound voyage at 01:30 on 10 August 1922 near Cobh, the ''Adriatic'' suffered a gas explosion in her number three hold, which she was using as a reserve coal bunker. The explosion killed five crewmen, severely injured another three, tore the hatch off the hold, broke and twisted girders and beams and started a coal fire. Some of the dead and injured were stokers who had gone into the hold to work coal for her furnaces. One was an electrician, Leslie Ablett, who was rigging a cluster of electric lights by which the stokers were to work. Three were stokers who had been sleeping in the open on the hatch cover because it was a hot summer night. One of the stokers sleeping on the hatch cover was blown overboard Two liners, CGT's '' Lafayette'' and United States Lines' ''Reliance'', changed course to come to ''Adriatic''s assistance. ''Adriatic''s crew fought and extinguished the fire. Her Second Engineer, James Corrigan, entered the burning hold and rescued two injured men. At 03:55 ''Adriatic''s wireless operator signalled that there was no further danger, so ''Lafayette'' and ''Reliance'' resumed their normal courses.[ The injured were treated in the ship's sick bay. Two of the ship's stewardesses were trained nurses and helped to tend the injured and dying. All of the dead and injured were from ]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 ...
.[ Before ''Adriatic'' reached New York, her passengers raised $7,000 to help their families.][ ''Adriatic'' reached New York on 13 August. Marine insurance agents came aboard and assessed the damage at less than $1,000. Temporary repairs were made before she began her return voyage to Liverpool on 19 August.
From 1923 onwards, the Big Four made regular stops in Boston before arriving in New York. In 1925, the ''Adriatic'' was chartered by Welsh people living in the United States who wanted to go to the Eisteddfod Genedlaethol.] The same year and despite her being eighteen years of age, she broke her speed record by crossing between New York and Liverpool in 7 days and 6 minutes. At the same time, with less transatlantic traffic, the ''Adriatic'' was increasingly used for cruises. In 1928, when she returned from the Mediterranean, she was reconverted again, this time to become a "cabin class" ship offering more affordable rates. Making her first crossing in this capacity on 28 April 1928; she quickly met with great success in this area.[
]
In 1929, cruises no longer managed to be profitable enough. The ''Adriatic'' was put to rest in Liverpool throughout the winter as the economic crisis erupted. She was now only used during the summer.[ The arrival of the ''Britannic'' and the ''Georgic'' further contributed to rendering the ''Adriatic'' useless. She served as an experimental ground for a very low-cost weekend cruise in the summer of 1931, but the operation was inconclusive and her September cruises were cancelled.][ In 1932, the ''Cedric'' was scrapped. She was followed the following year by the ''Baltic''. Nevertheless, the company decided to keep the ''Adriatic'' as a reserve ship, as the British economy seemed to recover little by little. The following summers were not more prolific and the liner only made a few cruises off the Iberian Peninsula and occasional crossings of the Atlantic.][
In 1934, ''Adriatic''s code letters HKNW][ were superseded by the ]call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assig ...
GLSJ.
On 24 February 1934, the ''Adriatic'' made her last transatlantic crossing. After 's successful 1933 "Peace Cruise" in the Baltic, in 1934, the British Boy Scouts and Girl Guides chartered her for a similar cruise with Robert Baden-Powell on board in the Mediterranean, under the command of Commander CP Freeman, RD. ''Adriatic'' sailed from Liverpool on 29 March 1934, and called at Gibraltar, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
, Algiers, and Lisbon.[ During that spring, White Star Line merged with its rival Cunard Line forming Cunard-White Star Line. The ''Adriatic'' became part of the new fleet, but was clearly superfluous given her age. After a final voyage in September, she was immobilised, and sold in November to Japanese wreckers for £48,000. She left Liverpool for the last time on 19 December 1934, her longest voyage ever; to be scrapped at ]Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
, Japan, in 1935.
Characteristics
Being the last of the Big Four, the ''Adriatic'' displayed similar dimensions to the ''Baltic'' with a 222.2 m length, 23 m width and 16 m draft. She was slightly bulkier than her predecessor, with 24,541 gross tonnage, making her one of the largest liners in the world when she entered service (the ''Kaiserin Auguste Victoria'' only exceeding her by 30 tons).[ However, her appearance remained the same as with her three sister ships. The ''Adriatic'' therefore had a black hull with a red base, all topped by a white superstructure. Her funnels were buff-colored crowned with black cuff, and the ship had four masts intended to serve as support for the lookout's nest, as well as for the cables of the wireless telegraphy. She had four continuous decks, as well as an upper deck and several superstructures.][ In the 1920s, she distinguished herself from her sister ships by having the front part of her promenade deck fitted with windows.][
Like the other ships in the series, the ''Adriatic'' was propelled by two propellers operated by quadruple-expansion steam engines. Between them the two engines were rated at 1,720 NHP.] of her cargo holds were refrigerated.
However, in view of her higher tonnage, the White Star had her fitted with more powerful machines, capable reaching an average speed of 17 knots, higher than that of her sister ships but still significantly lower than the fastest liners on the route. Normally, she consumed 260 tonnes of coal per day.[
The ''Adriatic'' stood out from her sister ships for the luxury of her facilities. In addition to the sumptuous dining room topped with a glass roof, the smoking room adorned with stained glass, the veranda café and the lounges she shared with its sister ships, she was the first to be equipped with Turkish baths, as well as an indoor swimming pool.''The Famous Big 4 of the New York - Liverpool Service - White Star Line - 1909 Brochure'']
''GG Archive'' At the start of her career, the ''Adriatic'' could carry 425 first-class, 500 second-class, and 2,000 third-class passengers (all accompanied by 560 crew members).[ From 1919, she was redesigned to carry only 400 first-class, 465 second-class and 1300 third-class passengers.][ Finally, from 1928, her capacities were transformed to carry 506 cabin-class passengers, 560 tourist-class, and 404 third-class.][
]
See also
* List of White Star Line ships
References
Bibliography
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External links
* – postcards of ''Adriatic''
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* – video
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adriatic (1907)
1906 ships
Maritime incidents in 1922
Ocean liners of the United Kingdom
Ships built in Belfast
Ships built by Harland and Wolff
Ships of the White Star Line
Steamships of the United Kingdom
World War I passenger ships of the United Kingdom