.png) MVBritannic seen duringsea trials. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | MVBritannic |
| Namesake | HMHS Britannic |
| Operator |
|
| Port of registry | Liverpool |
| Route | |
| Ordered | 1927 |
| Builder | Harland and Wolff,Belfast |
| Yard number | 807 |
| Laid down | 14 April 1927 |
| Launched | 6 August 1929 |
| Completed | 1930 |
| Maiden voyage | 28 June 1930 |
| In service | 1930 |
| Out of service | 4 December 1960 |
| Refit | 1947-48 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Scrapped 1961 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Ocean liner |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 712 ft (217.0 m)overall |
| Beam | 82 ft 6 in (25.15 m) |
| Draught | 35 ft 2 in (10.72 m) |
| Depth | 43 ft 9 in (13.34 m) |
| Installed power | 20,000NHP |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 19.5 knots (36.1 km/h; 22.4 mph) |
| Range | 6,500 nautical miles (12,000 km; 7,500 mi) |
| Capacity |
|
| Sensors & processing systems |
|
| Armament |
|
| Notes | Running mate:Georgic |
MVBritannic was a Britishtransatlanticocean liner that was launched in 1929 and scrapped in 1961. She was the penultimate ship built forWhite Star Line before its 1934 merger withCunard Line. When built,Britannic was the largestmotor ship in theUK Merchant Navy. Her running mate ship was theMVGeorgic.
In 1934 White Star merged withCunard Line; however, bothBritannic andGeorgic retained their White Star Line colours and flew thehouse flags of both companies.
From 1935 the pair servedLondon, and at the time they were the largest ships to do so. From early in her careerBritannic operated oncruises as well as scheduled transatlantic services. Diesel propulsion, economical speeds and modern "cabin ship" passenger facilities enabledBritannic andGeorgic to make a profit throughout the 1930s, when many other liners were unable to do so.
In theSecond World WarBritannic served as atroop ship, transporting more than 170,000 troops during the duration of the war, and she ultimately emerged unscathed. In 1947 she was overhauled, re-fitted, modernised and returned to civilian service. She outlived her sisterGeorgic and became the last White Star liner still in commercial service.Britannic was scrapped in 1961 after three decades of service.
She was the last of three White Star Line ships calledBritannic. The firstBritannic was asteamship launched in 1874 and scrapped in 1903. The second was launched in 1914, completed as thehospital shipHMHS Britannic and sunk by amine in 1916.
On 1 January 1927 theInternational Mercantile Marine Company sold White Star Line to theRoyal Mail Steam Packet Company (RMSP). At the time White Star had one new steamship on order,Laurentic, and was discussing designs withHarland and Wolff for aproposed 1,000-foot liner, but overall theWhite Star fleet needed modernising.[2]
Motor ships were more economical than steam, and in the 1920s the maximum size ofmarine diesel engine had increased rapidly. RMSP had recently taken delivery of two largemotor ships,Asturias (1925) andAlcantara (1926), and chose diesel to replace White Star's"Big Four" liners. The replacements were to be slightly larger than the Big Four and more luxurious.[3]
On 14 April 1927 Harland and Wolff laidBritannic's keel[4] on slip number one in itsBelfast yard.[5] She was launched on 6 August 1929, started three days ofsea trials in theFirth of Clyde on 25 or 26 May 1930,[4][5] and was completed on 21 June 1930.[6]
Britannic had twopropellers installed, each driven by a ten-cylinder,four-stroke,double-acting diesel engine. Between them the two engines developed 20,000NHP[7] and gaveBritannic a speed of 20.5 knots (38.0 km/h).[8] When new,Britannic was the largest motor ship in the UK Merchant Navy[9] and the second largest in the World, second only to the Italian linerAugustus.[10][11]
Britannic was built as a "cabin ship" with berths for 1,553 passengers: 504 cabin class, 551 tourist class and 498 third class.[12] She had a gymnasium, a swimming pool, and her cabin class dining saloon was inLouis XIV style.[13] She had eight holds, one of which could carry unpackaged cars. Two holds wererefrigerated,[12] and her total refrigerated capacity was 72,440 ft3 (2,051 m3).[14]
12 bulkheads divided her hull into watertight compartments. Their watertight doors could be closed either electrically from thebridge, or manually.[12] Installed were 24 lifeboats, two motor boats and two backup boats.[15]
Britannic had two funnels. As on many early Harland and Wolff motor ships they were low and broad.[11] Only heraft funnel was a diesel exhaust. Her forward funnel was a dummy that housed two smoking rooms:[16] one for her deck officers and the other for the engineer officers.[13] It also contained water tanks and, later in her career, radar equipment.[17]
Britannic was painted in White Star Line colours:[11] black hull with a gold line, white superstructure and ventilators, redboot-topping,[18] andbuff funnels with a black top. BothBritannic andGeorgic kept their White Star colours after White Star merged with Cunard in 1934.[19]
In 1930Britannic was delivered from Belfast toLiverpool amid enthusiastic press coverage. When she left Liverpool on 28 June to begin her maiden voyage an estimated 14,000 people turned out[20] and gave her what was reported to be the "greatest send-off known toMerseyside". She called at Belfast andGlasgow to load mail, and then continued toNew York.[21]
On 8 JulyBritannic entered New York harbour,dressed overall.[13] Over the next few days, 1,500 people paid $1 each to go aboard her while she was in port,[22] and on 12 July a crowd of more than 6,000 came to see her leave New York forCobh and Liverpool.[23]
For her first three tripsBritannic's speed was limited to 16 knots (30 km/h) until her engines were run in.[24] Thereafter her speed was increased, and at the beginning of October 1930 she averaged17+3⁄4 knots (32.9 km/h) on a westbound crossing.[25] On an eastbound crossing in July 1932 she averaged19+1⁄4 knots (35.7 km/h), beating her own record.[26]
By the timeBritannic entered service, theGreat Depression had caused a global slump in merchant shipping. Several White Star Line steamships operated cruises for at least part of the year to make up for the fall in transatlantic passenger numbers. ButBritannic's lower running costs enabled her to make a profit on the route.[27] In 1931 White Star Line operated ten ships, but only four made a profit on scheduled routes.Britannic being the most profitable by far.[28]
Between some scheduled transatlantic crossingsBritannic fitted in short cruises from New York. White Star Line offered four-day weekend and midweek cruises. In 1931 the tourist class fare for these onBritannic was $35.[29] She also attractedcharter trade, such as a 16-day cruise to theWest Indies in February and March 1932 to raise funds for theFrontier Nursing Service.[30][31]
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In summerBritannic shared the route with the olderRMS Adriatic,Baltic andCedric.[32] In 1932 her running mateGeorgic entered service[33] and joined her on the route.[28]
In her first 15 months in serviceBritannic averaged only 609 passengers per voyage, which was less than 40 per cent of her capacity.[34] And two cruises from New York to theMediterranean that she was due to make in spring 1932 were cancelled for lack of enough bookings.[35]
By 1932 bookings for cabin class was still slack, but demand forBritannic's tourist class exceeded the number of berths available. On a sailing onBritannic from New York on 4 June that year White Star allocated cabin class berths to a number of tourist class passengers to meet demand.[36]
In May 1932 White Star Line organised afashion show of travel clothes aboardBritannic when she was in port in New York[37] in a bid to earn extra income.
In 1933 the largest number of passengers onBritannic on a single crossing was 1,003, which was less than 65 per cent of her capacity. But it was the highest number of any transatlantic liner that year.[11][38]Britannic's luxury and well-appointed public saloons attracted enough passengers for her to pay her way when other ships did not.[16]
On 15 December 1933Britannic ran aground on a mud flat offGovernors Island inBoston Harbour and the ship was refloated the next day with the aid of sixtugboats.[39]
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On 20 July 1931 theRoyal Mail Case opened at theOld Bailey, which led to the collapse of White Star Line's parent company.[40] On 10 May 1934 White Star Line merged with Cunard, with the latter holding 62 per cent of the capital.[41] By 1936 the resultingCunard-White Star Line sold most of the former White Star fleet exceptBritannic,Georgic andLaurentic.[42]
In April 1935Britannic andGeorgic were transferred to the route between London and New York viaLe Havre,Southampton and Cobh.[43][44] This made them the largest ships to visit London.[45]
In June 1935Britannic'sMaster,Captain William Hawkes,RD,ADC,RNR, was made aCBE.[46][47] On 22 July two passengers got married aboardBritannic just before she sailed on a cruise toBermuda. Captain Hawkes did not conduct the ceremony, but he did give the bride away.[48]
On 4 January 1937Britannic suffered slight engine trouble on arrival in New York. She was held atEllis Island for 45 minutes for temporary repairs before proceeding to dock.[49]
In October 1937 theBBC experimented with atelevision receiver in one of the state rooms onBritannic's A deck. After she left London on 29 October, BBC technicians tested the reception of "telephotograms" transmitted from theAlexandra Palace television station in London asBritannic voyaged away from the capital and down theEnglish Channel. The experiment continued for 24 hours, untilBritannic was 30 nautical miles (56 km) south ofHastings. The receiver's screen was 10 by 12 inches (250 by 300 mm).Britannic's Master, Captain AT Brown, watched the experiment and said that both the picture and the sound were clear.[50]
Britannic andGeorgic faced modern competition fromUnited States Lines'Manhattan andWashington andCGT'sChamplain andLafayette (fr). In 1937Britannic carried 26,943 passengers,Georgic carried a few hundred more, butChamplain carried more than either of them.[51]
In 1938Britannic carried 1,170 passengers on one eastbound crossing in June, which was 75 per cent of her capacity.[52] However, on a westbound crossing in October she carried only 729 passengers.[53]
On 27 August 1939, a few days before the Second World War began,Britannic was requisitioned as she was returning from New York. She was converted into a troop ship at Southampton. A few days later left she embarkedBritish Indian Army officers and naval officers,[54] whom she then took fromGreenock toBombay.[55] While in Bombay[54] she was fitted with oneBL 6-inch Mk XII naval gun for defence against surface craft and oneQF 3-inch 20 cwt high-angle gun foranti-aircraft defence[56] to make her adefensively equipped merchant ship.
Britannic loaded cargo, returned to England and then returned to commercial service[54] between Liverpool and New York.[57] By January 1940 her superstructure had been repainted from white to buff, and apillbox had been built on each wing of her bridge as protection for the deck officer onwatch.[56]
By January 1940, UK passenger ships, includingBritannic, displayed posters warning passengers "BEWARE. Above all, never give away the movements of His Majesty's ships." Crews were warned that disclosing information such as ship movements violated theDefence of the Realm Act 1914.[58]
But in the US, which remained neutral until December 1941, newspapers continued to publish the arrival and departure of everyAllied passenger liner.[59] In April 1940The New York Times even published how many UK Merchant Navy seafarers arrived onBritannic and the Cunard linerRMS Cameronia to join whichcargo ships, and even gave some idea where those cargo ships were.[58]
On 20 February 1940 an anonymous telephone call to theNew York City Police Department warned that a bomb would be planted aboardBritannic. NYPD officers searched the ship but found nothing.[60]
Britannic's westbound crossings carried many refugees from central Europe,[61] including Germans fleeing Nazism.[56][58] She also carried manyUK children sent to North America[61][62] by theChildren's Overseas Reception Board. The overseas evacuation of children was terminated after a U-boat tragically torpedoed theEllerman Lines shipSSCity of Benares on 17 September 1940, sinking it within 31 minutes, and killing 258 people, including 81 of 100 children on board.
In January 1940 the pianistHarriet Cohen travelled onBritannic to begin a concert tour of the US.[56] On the same voyageBritannic also carried eight racehorses that had been sold to US buyers. Five of the horses had belonged to theAga Khan.Louis B. Mayer bought four of the horses,Charles S. Howard bought two, andNeil S. McCarthy and a Gordon Douglas ofWall Street each bought one.[56]
In June 1940Britannic's westbound passengers included theEarl andCountess of Athlone, who disembarked atHalifax, Nova Scotia as the Earl had just been appointedGovernor General of Canada. On the same voyageJan Masaryk, who had been Czechoslovak ambassador to the UK and was about to becomeForeign Minister of theCzechoslovak government-in-exile, travelled to New York.[61]
On an eastbound voyage in summer 1940Britannic carried "hundreds" of obsolescentFrench 75mm field guns to the UK, to reinforce defence against thethreat of German invasion. One of her officers later recalled that they were stowed on herpromenade deck.[63]
In JulyBritannic's tookNoël Coward to New York. He said theUK Minister of Information,Duff Cooper, had sent him to meetLord Halifax, theUK ambassador in Washington.[62] In fact he was working for the UKSecret Intelligence Service to influence public opinion in the then-neutral US to support the Allied war effort.
On 23 August 1940Britannic was requisitioned again. She sailed viaSouth Africa toSuez and back, then to Suez again in 1941, and thence to Bombay again and back viaCape Town to theFirth of Clyde, where she arrived on 5 May. She then made one round trip to New York via Halifax before leaving the Clyde on 2 August for Bombay andColombo via South Africa. Her return voyage was via Cape Town andTrinidad, arriving in Liverpool on 29 November 1941.[57]
In 1942Britannic made two more round trips between Britain and Bombay via South Africa. From November 1942 she made two round trips between Britain and South Africa.[57] Her capacity was increased from 3,000 to 5,000 troops.[64] In June 1943 she took troops toAlgiers inConvoy KMF 17, and then went viaGibraltar and South Africa to Bombay, arriving on 10 September. From Bombay she sailed through theSuez Canal toAugusta, Sicily, and then returned to Liverpool, where she arrived on 5 November 1943.[57]
Between November 1943 and May 1944Britannic four transatlantic round trips: two to New York and two toBoston. She then took 3,288 troops with Convoy KMF 32 from Liverpool toPort Said inEgypt. She made two round trips between there andTaranto inItaly and then took 2,940 troops to Liverpool, where she arrived on 11 August.[57]
In November and December 1944Britannic made one round trip to New York. In January 1945 she made a round trip toNaples and back, calling at Algiers on her return. From March to June she made two transatlantic round trips from Liverpool to Halifax and back, carrying Canadian servicemen's British brides and children.[65] In June and July she sailed from Liverpool to Port Said and back. In July and August she sailed toQuebec and back. In September and October she sailed from Liverpool via the Suez Canal to Bombay and back. In December 1945 she sailed to Naples.[57] Since the start of the warBritannic had carried 173,550 people,[11] including 20,000 US troops across the Atlantic in preparation for theNormandy landings,[55] and sailed 324,792 nautical miles (601,515 km).[65]
After the war theMinistry of War Transport and its successor theMinistry of Transport heldBritannic in reserve until March 1947. Cunard White Star then had her overhauled and re-fitted at Harland and Wolff's yard atBelfast inNorthern Ireland.[11][66][67] Her re-fit cost £1 million, and was slowed by post-war shortages of wood and other materials.[68]
Her passenger accommodation was simplified from three classes to two, and total capacity was reduced from 1,553 to 993; 429 in first class and 564 in tourist class.[1] Her décor was modernised in post-warArt Deco style. Modern fire detection systems were installed.[69] A significant number of the cabins were equipped with bathrooms and all had hot and cold running water.[70] Her state rooms in both classes were enlarged.[55] On A deck she had two state room suites each with bedroom, living room and bathroom.[70] The refit resulted in a slight increase of her tonnage to 27,666 GRT.[8]
Britannic began her first post-war commercial trip from Liverpool on 22 May 1948 to New York via Cobh.[71][72] As she entered New York harbour, twoNew York City fireboats accompanied her and gave a traditional display with their water jets.[63]
On that first westbound voyageBritannic carried 848 passengers,[73] which meant that her refurbished passenger accommodation was about 85 percent full. On an eastbound voyage six weeks later she carried 971 passengers, meaning that more than 97 percent of her berths were taken.[74] Even on some winter crossingsBritannic had plenty of passengers. On a westbound crossing in January 1949 she carried 801,[75] an occupancy rate of more than 80 percent.
On 4 July 1949Britannic rescued twoEstonian refugees in mid-Atlantic. They had built a 33-foot (10 m) sailing yacht calledFelicitas, begun their voyage from theBaltic coast of theSoviet occupation zone of Germany, followed the coast of Europe to northern Spain, and then tried to cross the Atlantic to Canada. On 1 JulyFelicitas' auxiliary motor had failed, and at some point her mast had been broken by heavy seas. On 4 JulyFelicitas was about 750 nautical miles (1,390 km) west of Ireland when her crew sightedBritannic and attracted her attention by firingdistress flares. Her Master said that about an hour after the rescue fog closed in, in whichFelicitas andBritannic would have been unable to see each other.[76]
In November 1949Britannic lost one of her anchors in bad weather in theRiver Mersey, the ship's departure was delayed for her spare anchor to be fitted.[77]
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In 1949 Cunard bought out White Star's share of the business, and at the end of the year discontinued the White Star name, butBritannic andGeorgic continued to fly both house flags.[18]
On 1 June 1950Britannic and United States Lines' cargo shipPioneer Land collided head-on in thick fog near the Ambrose Lightship.Pioneer Land's bow was damaged but she reached New York unaided.Britannic sustained only minor damage and continued her voyage to Europe.[78][79]
In May 1952Britannic transported the US women's golf team to Britain to play in theCurtis Cup atMuirfield.[80]
In Liverpool on 20 November 1953Britannic suffered a small leak from what was at first described as a fractured collar on her seawater intake.[81] The next day the problem was described as a fractured injection pipe in her sanitary pump. Her sailing was delayed for 24 hours for repairs.[82]
In January 1955 Cunard withdrewGeorgic from service, leavingBritannic as the last former White Star liner in service.[65]
In 1953 and 1955Britannic suffered fires, both of which were safely extinguished. The 1955 fire was in her number four hold on an eastbound voyage in April. Five hundred and sixty bags of mail, 211 items of luggage and four cars were destroyed, partly by the fire and partly by water used to extinguish the fire.[83][84]
In December 1956 Cunard announced that from January 1957 it would transferBritannic to the route between Liverpool and Halifax via Cobh, due to increased passenger demand and increased migration to Canada.[85]
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In July 1959 Cunard dismissedBritannic's Master, Captain James Armstrong. He was only months away from being promoted to commandRMS Queen Mary. His trade union, theMercantile Marine Service Association, said it was preparing legal action against Cunard. Armstrong said Cunard had given him the choice of resignation or dismissal. Both sides refused to reveal why he had been dismissed.[86]
Transatlantic passenger traffic was seasonal. In the 1950s, as in the 1930s, operators of passenger liners used seasonal cruises to try to keep their ships fully occupied through the year.
On 28 January 1950Britannic left New York on a 54-day cruise from New York toMadeira and theMediterranean. Tickets ranged from $1,350 to $4,500 per person.[87] Shortly after departure, only 80 nautical miles (150 km) east of theAmbrose Lightship, she suffered engine trouble and turned back for two days of repairs. Her passengers seemed not to mind the two-day extension of their vacation,[88] and a long winter cruise from New York became a regular part ofBritannic's annual schedule.
By February 1952Britannic's winter cruise was a 66-day tour to the Mediterranean.[89] On that occasion she carried only 459 passengers, which was less than 44 per cent of her capacity, but it was enough for Cunard to repeat the cruise each year.Britannic's 1953 Mediterranean winter cruise was 65 days. Tickets started at $1,275, which was less than in 1950.[90]
Fares forBritannic's 66-day Mediterranean cruise in January 1956 also started at $1,275,[91] the same as in 1953, but she sailed with only 490 passengers,[92] making her slightly less than half-full. The cruise was to include a visit toCyprus in February, but this was cancelled due to thestate of emergency asGreek Cypriot separatists fought againstBritish rule.[93]
Cunard planned a similar 66-day cruise for January 1957.[94] But in December 1956 it cancelled the cruise and saidBritannic would remain on the transatlantic service for those two months, due to "The unsettled situation in the Mideast".[95] Cyprus was still under a state of emergency,Israel, the UK and France had invaded Egypt in October and November 1956, and the region remained tense.
In 1960Britannic made her annual 66-day cruise from New York to the Mediterranean as usual.[96] Cunard had scheduledBritannic for 19 transatlantic crossings in 1961. But on 9 May 1960 the crankshaft in one of her main engines cracked, forcing her to stay in New York for repairs until July.[97] These took two months, cost about $400,000 and caused her to miss three voyages.[98] She returned to service,[99] but on 15 August Cunard announced thatBritannic would be withdrawn from service in December 1960.[5][11]
In November 1960 Cunard announced that it would transferRMS Sylvania to its New York route to replaceBritannic.[100] On 25 NovemberBritannic began her final eastbound crossing from New York via Cobh to Liverpool. Cunard marketed the voyage toIrish Americans wanting to spend Christmas in Ireland.[101] She reached Liverpool on 4 December,[102] with 353 passengers aboard.[1]
Britannic left Liverpool on 16 December 1960 and reachedInverkeithing on theFirth of Forth[103] on 19 December to be scrapped.Thos. W. Ward Ltd[6] began to break her up in February 1961.[5] She was fully scrapped by the end of 1961.
Many ofBritannic's interior fittings were auctioned off.[5]Britannic'sbell is now an exhibit inMerseyside Maritime Museum, Liverpool.
Media related toBritannic (ship, 1930) at Wikimedia Commons
