SS Celtic (1872)

SS ''Celtic'' was an ocean liner built for the White Star Line by shipbuilders Harland and Wolff of Belfast.

The ''Celtic'' (later the ''Amerika''), the first of two White Star ships to bear the name, was the second of two ''Oceanic''-class liners commissioned by White Star, following the success of their first four steamships (the ''Adriatic'' being the earlier of the new pair). The new ship was originally proposed to be named ''Arctic'', but as the American Collins Line had a paddle-wheel steamer with that name (it sank in 1854) the White Star managers changed their minds, and settled on the name ''Celtic''.

''Celtic'' was one of six liners built for White Star to allow the line to operate a mail service across the Atlantic. (As the ships had a five week turnaround, five ships were needed to allow a weekly service, with the sixth ship acting as a spare). ''Celtic'' was a duplicate of ''Adriatic'' and like ''Adriatic'', was larger than the first four ships. ''Celtic'' was long, with a beam of . Twelve single-ended boilers fed steam at to a four-cylinder tandem steam engine, rated at 600 NHP. The ship had a Gross register tonnage of 3867 tons and a Net register tonnage of 2439 tons.

''Celtic'' was built by Harland and Wolff at their Belfast shipyard, and was launched on 18 June 1872.

''Celtic'' left Liverpool on her maiden voyage in October 1872. On 18 January 1873, ''Celtic'' struck floating wreckage in the Atlantic Ocean and lost her propeller blades. She was towed in to Queenstown, County Cork on 20 January by . On 24 January 1877, ''Celtic'' rescued the survivors from the American schooner ''Island Belle'', which resulted in ''Celtic''s Commanding Officer, Benjamin Gleadell being thanked by the President of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant. In early 1879, ''Celtic''s propeller became detached from the driveshaft while at sea, and the ship made its way to Queenstown (now Cobh) in Ireland by sail.

In 1880, Edward Smith, who later became the Line's most celebrated Captain, and the Captain of the RMS ''Titanic,'' joined the crew of ''Celtic'' as her Fourth Officer.

In November 1881, ''Celtic'' again rescued a shipwrecked crew, this time of the Brigantine ''Alice''.

On 19 May 1887, at about 5:25 in the afternoon, the ''Celtic'' (commanded by Captain Peter John Irving) collided with the White Star liner ''Britannic'' in thick fog about east of Sandy Hook, New Jersey. The ''Celtic'', with 870 passengers, had been steaming westbound for New York City, while the ''Britannic'', carrying 450 passengers, was on the second day of her eastward journey to Liverpool. The two ships collided at almost right angles, with the ''Celtic'' burying her prow in the aft port side of ''Britannic''. The ''Celtic'' rebounded and hit two more times, before sliding past behind ''Britannic''.

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'' captain, 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 the ''Celtic''. The two ships remained together through the night, and the next morning were joined by the Wilson Line's ''Marengo'' and the ''British Queen'' of the Inman Line, and the four slowly made their way into New York Harbor.

The ''Celtic'' was sold in 1893 to the Thingvalla Line. In 1898, the year that Thingvalla was absorbed into the Scandinavian America Line, the ''Amerika'' was scrapped.

Sources and references

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External links

Reprint of an article from ''Illustrated London News'', 28 May 1887 of the collision

News report on the collision between Celtic and Britannic (''New York Tribune'' May 23, 1887)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Celtic (1872)
Victorian-era passenger ships of the United Kingdom
Ships built in Belfast
Ships of the White Star Line
1872 ships
Maritime incidents in January 1874
Maritime incidents in May 1887
Ships built by Harland and Wolff