SS Laurentic (1927)

SS ''Laurentic'' was a steam ocean liner built in 1927 by Harland and Wolff, Belfast, for White Star Line. The second ship of the company to bear this name, she was the last steamship to be built for the company.

She sailed between Liverpool and Canada from 1927 to 1936. After the merger of the White Star Line with Cunard Line, she was used mainly as a cruise ship. From December 1935 to 1939, she was laid up in Liverpool.

In 1939, the Admiralty requisitioned her and had her converted into an armed merchant cruiser for the Royal Navy. On 3–4 November 1940, a U-boat torpedoed her off the west coast of Ireland when she was on a rescue mission for another ship that had been torpedoed. She sank with the loss of 49 of her complement.

Building

In the 1920s, the White Star Line experienced a difficult period. It was still part of the International Mercantile Marine Company (IMM), an American trust of shipping companies, but the management of this group increasingly considered getting rid of its non-US subsidiaries. It was in this uncertain context that ''Laurentic'', the second ship of this name, was ordered. The building of the ship is unusual in several respects. It was the only time in 60 years that White Star Line ordered a ship from Harland and Wolff on a defined budget. ''Laurentic'' thus appeared to be a ship at a discount, which was unusual in the history of the company.

Oddly, ''Laurentic'' was built with the hull number 470, while , put into service in 1923 (four years before her), was hull number 573. This would suggest that order for ''Laurentic'' was made before 1921 and that the ship was unfinished for more than seven years. The cause of such a long delay is unknown, but is likely due to material shortages and the shipyard being too busy.

''Laurentic'' had a similar profile to ''Doric'', but she was bunkered with coal at a time when most new steamships were bunkered with oil. Her propulsion was similar to that of the first ''Laurentic'', completed in 1909. She had three screws. A pair of four-cylinder triple-expansion steam engines drove her port and starboard screws. Exhaust steam from their low-pressure cylinders fed one low-pressure steam turbine, which drove her middle screw. This mode of propulsion, called "combination machinery", was first used in the first of 1909. By the 1920s it had been largely supplanted by the use of geared turbines alone. White Star Line may have chosen combination machinery for its proven reliability for many years, but she proved to be costly to operate, which partly explains her short career. She could cruise at an average speed of .

She was intended to be launched in October 1926, however the General Strike significantly delayed this. She was eventually launched without ceremony on 16 June 1927. She was completed five months later on 1 November, after which she left Belfast for Liverpool carrying representatives of White Star Line and Harland and Wolff.

Design

''Laurentic'' was the last in a series of four ships that the IMM ordered from Harland & Wolff shipyards, after '' Regina'', ''Pittsburgh'' and ''Doric''. All had a similar profile, with two funnels in their company colours framed by two masts, but ''Laurentic'' was slightly larger than her predecessors. Her tonnages were and , her registered length was and her beam was . Whereas ''Regina'', ''Pittsburgh'' and ''Doric'' had crane-shaped davits for their lifeboats, ''Laurentic'' had her boats on davits lined up in a double row of seven boats on each side. Unlike the other vessels, the ''Laurentic''s aft funnel was connected to a boiler room, as opposed to an engine room. Her promenade was enclosed in a glass screen in the forward end with cruiser windows, somewhat resembling the ''Adriatic'' of 1907.

Her interior was designed for comfort. She had berths for 594 passengers in cabin class, 406 in tourist class and 500 in third class. Cabin-class facilities included Renaissance-style lounge, small lounge, Jacobean-style smoking room, card lounge, veranda cafe, gymnasium, and children's playroom. The most luxurious cabins were decorated in Louis XIV to Louis XVI styles. In the tourist class, a good part of the cabins could accommodate two people, the rest being designed for four and six. The third class offered cabins with four or six berths. These two classes offered dining rooms, lounges, smoking rooms, games rooms, common rooms and boudoir. The ship was designed for a crew of 420 people.

Passenger career

Although intended to serve the Canada route, ''Laurentic'' made her maiden voyage on 12 November 1927 between Liverpool and New York, and made her second round trip on this route on 31 December. She then made two Mediterranean cruises, in January and March 1928. On 27 April, she made her first crossing on the Liverpool – Quebec – Montreal route. Since Owen Philipps, 1st Baron Kylsant took over the White Star Line, the Canadian route had been operated by two ships from the company in 1927, and , as well as the older ''Doric'', and ''Regina''.

Over time, however, as passenger traffic diminished, ''Regina'' was sold to another company, ''Calgaric'' was assigned to cruises, and ''Albertic'' was assigned to the New York route. When ''Doric'' was in turn assigned to cruises in 1932, ''Laurentic'' remained the last White Star liner assigned to the Canadian route. On 3 October that year she collided with ''Lurigethan'' of the Mountain Steamship Co, in the Strait of Belle Isle. Both ships were damaged above the waterline but were able to continue their voyage. An inquiry determined that ''Laurentic'' was "55 percent responsible" for the accident.

On 25 February 1934, she made her last crossing on a regular route for the White Star between Boston, Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Liverpool. She was then assigned to cruising. In March of that year, she took 700 pilgrims from Dublin to Rome for the Easter. For this voyage, ten altars were installed aboard for priests to celebrate Mass, plus a cinema to entertain the pilgrims. That same year, shortly after ''Laurentic''s pilgrim voyage, White Star Line merged with its rival, Cunard Line. Many surplus ships were sold as a result, but ''Laurentic'' was kept and temporarily assigned to the Montreal route, before returning to cruising.

In 1933 or 1934, there was a worldwide revision of the code letters of merchant ships. ''Laurentic''s code letters KWPV were superseded by the new call sign GNJT.

In summer 1935, ''Laurentic'' made several cruises in Scandinavia, with fares as low as £1 per day. One of them, however, quickly turned into a disaster. On the night of Sunday 18 August, as ''Laurentic'' crossed the Irish Sea with 620 passengers aboard, Blue Star Line's refrigerated cargo ship ''Napier Star'' collided with her. ''Napier Star''s bow penetrated deep into ''Laurentic''s hull, instantly killing six crew members and injuring five others. The passengers were ordered to their boat stations, until the Master finally decided that the danger was past and sent them back to bed. ''Laurentic'' returned the next morning to Liverpool. Passengers were offered berths on a cruise aboard ''Doric'', but she experienced a collision a few days later, ending her career.

The damage to ''Laurentic'' was not severe, but was estimated to have cost £20,000. Repairs were immediately made, as the ship was scheduled to take pilgrims from Dublin to Lourdes on 6 September. Harland & Wolff completed the repairs in time for her to be able to cruise. This proved to be her last commercial voyage. From December 1935, the ship was laid up in the River Mersey.

After nine months laid up, in September 1936 ''Laurentic'' was dry docked in Gladstone Dock in Liverpool to return her to working order. She then sailed to Southampton to embark British troops on 14 September to take to Haifa in response to the Arab revolt in Palestine. She then returned to Southampton where she was again laid up. In 1937 she took part in the Coronation Naval Review of George VI at Spithead carrying government guests. From April 1938 she was laid up again, at first at Southampton and later at Falmouth.

Armed merchant cruiser

On 26 August 1939, a few days before the World War II, the Admiralty requisitioned ''Laurentic''. Her conversion into an armed merchant cruiser (AMC) for the Royal Navy was completed on 15 October. Her armament included BL 6-inch Mk XII naval guns, QF 3-inch 20 cwt anti-aircraft guns, and depth charges. She was commissioned as HMS ''Laurentic'' with the pennant number F51. She was one of the last ships of the Royal Navy to be bunkered with coal.

Loss

At 2140 hrs on 3 November 1940 torpedoed the Elders and Fyffes banana boat ''Casanare'' in the Western Approaches west of Bloody Foreland in Ireland. ''Laurentic'' and another AMC, HMS , responded to ''Casanare''s wireless distress message. When they arrived, ''U-99'' attacked at about 2250 hrs with a torpedo that struck ''Laurentic'' in her engine room.

At 2328 hours, ''U-99'' hit ''Laurentic'' with a second torpedo, but it failed to explode. At 2337 hrs, from a range of only 250 metres, ''U-99'' fired a third torpedo, which struck ''Laurentic'' in the hole made by explosion of the first. ''Laurentic'' sighted ''U-99'' and opened fire.

''U-99'' then attacked ''Patroclus'', which was rescuing survivors from ''Casanare''. Between 0002 hrs and 0118 hrs on 4 November ''U-99'' hit ''Patroclus'' with four torpedoes and two of four rounds from her deck gun. At 0239 hrs an RAF Short Sunderland flying boat passed overhead, forcing ''U-99'' to dive.

At 0404 hrs ''U-99'' resurfaced and resumed her attack. At 0453 hrs she fired a torpedo that hit ''Laurentic'' astern, detonating her depth charges. She sank within minutes. Two officers and 47 ratings of her 416 complement were killed. ''U-99'' then torpedoed ''Patroclus'' at 0516 hrs and 0525 hrs, breaking her back and sinking her.

The destroyer then arrived, drove ''U-99'' away and turned to rescue survivors from ''Laurentic''. ''Hesperus'' picked up ''Laurentic''s commander, Captain EP Vivian, 50 of his officers and 316 ratings. The destroyer rescued survivors from ''Patroclus''.

''Laurentic'' was one of the last four White Star ships, along with the liners and and the tender . ''Laurentic'' was also the last White Star ship to be sunk.

References

Bibliography

*
*
*
*
*
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laurentic (1927)
1927 ships
World War II Auxiliary cruisers of the Royal Navy
Maritime incidents in 1935
Maritime incidents in November 1940
Ocean liners
Ships of the White Star Line
Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II
Shipwrecks of Ireland
Ships built in Belfast
Ships built by Harland and Wolff
World War II passenger ships of the United Kingdom
World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean