RMS Britannia
Encyclopedia
The RMS
Britannia was an ocean liner
of the British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, later known as Cunard Steamship Company. She was launched on 5 February 1840, at the yard of Robert Duncan & Company in Greenock
, Scotland. The ship and her sisters, Acadia, Caledonia, and Columbia, were the first ocean liners built by the company.
) had a power output of about 740 indicated horsepower. She was relatively fast for the time: her usual speed was about 8.5 knots (17 km/h), but she could do better if the winds and currents were favourable. She had a tonnage
, or carrying capacity, of 1,154 tons (by the Builder's Old Measurement
). She was capable of carrying 115 passengers with a crew of 82..
On her maiden voyage, starting on 4 July 1840, she made Halifax, Nova Scotia
from Liverpool, England in 12 days and 10 hours, continuing on to Boston, Massachusetts. Her first homeward run from Halifax to Liverpool was made in just under 10 days at an average speed of about 11 knots (21.6 km/h), setting a new eastbound record which lasted until 1842.
She was joined by her sister ship Acadia in August 1840, by Caledonia in October 1840 and by Columbia in January 1841. All four ships could carry 115 passengers and 225 tons of cargo. The dining saloon was a long deck-house placed on the upper deck and there was also a 'ladies only' saloon. The fare to Halifax was 35 guineas
, which included wines and spirits as well as food.
In January 1842 Charles Dickens
travelled to the United States on Britannia. He was seasick for most of the voyage and returned home on a sailing ship.
Navy and was renamed SMS Barbarossa. She had nine guns fitted, and was the flagship of the Reichsflotte
under Karl Rudolf Brommy
in the Battle of Heligoland
. In June 1852 she was transferred to the Prussian Navy
and used as a barracks ship at Danzig. In May 1880 she was decommissioned from the Prussian Navy and in July 1880 she was sunk as a target ship
.
in the U.K., and Sons of the Sea in the U.S.
Royal Mail Ship
Royal Mail Ship , usually seen in its abbreviated form RMS, a designation which dates back to 1840, is the ship prefix used for seagoing vessels that carry mail under contract by Royal Mail...
Britannia was an ocean liner
Ocean liner
An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. Liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes .Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as...
of the British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, later known as Cunard Steamship Company. She was launched on 5 February 1840, at the yard of Robert Duncan & Company in Greenock
Greenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
, Scotland. The ship and her sisters, Acadia, Caledonia, and Columbia, were the first ocean liners built by the company.
Description and service
The Britannia was a large ship for the period, 207 feet (63 m) long and 34 feet (10.3 m) across the beam, with three masts. She had paddle wheels and her two-cylinder side-lever engine (from Robert NapierRobert Napier (engineer)
Robert Napier was a Scottish engineer, and is often called "The Father of Clyde Shipbuilding."-Early life:Robert Napier was born in Dumbarton at the height of the Industrial Revolution, to James and Jean Napier...
) had a power output of about 740 indicated horsepower. She was relatively fast for the time: her usual speed was about 8.5 knots (17 km/h), but she could do better if the winds and currents were favourable. She had a tonnage
Tonnage
Tonnage is a measure of the size or cargo carrying capacity of a ship. The term derives from the taxation paid on tuns or casks of wine, and was later used in reference to the weight of a ship's cargo; however, in modern maritime usage, "tonnage" specifically refers to a calculation of the volume...
, or carrying capacity, of 1,154 tons (by the Builder's Old Measurement
Builder's Old Measurement
Builder's Old Measurement is the method of calculating the size or cargo capacity of a ship used in England from approximately 1720 to 1849. It estimated the tonnage of a ship based on length and maximum beam...
). She was capable of carrying 115 passengers with a crew of 82..
On her maiden voyage, starting on 4 July 1840, she made Halifax, Nova Scotia
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
from Liverpool, England in 12 days and 10 hours, continuing on to Boston, Massachusetts. Her first homeward run from Halifax to Liverpool was made in just under 10 days at an average speed of about 11 knots (21.6 km/h), setting a new eastbound record which lasted until 1842.
She was joined by her sister ship Acadia in August 1840, by Caledonia in October 1840 and by Columbia in January 1841. All four ships could carry 115 passengers and 225 tons of cargo. The dining saloon was a long deck-house placed on the upper deck and there was also a 'ladies only' saloon. The fare to Halifax was 35 guineas
Guinea (British coin)
The guinea is a coin that was minted in the Kingdom of England and later in the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom between 1663 and 1813...
, which included wines and spirits as well as food.
In January 1842 Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
travelled to the United States on Britannia. He was seasick for most of the voyage and returned home on a sailing ship.
As Barbarossa in German service
In March 1849 she was sold by Cunard to the German ConfederationGerman Confederation
The German Confederation was the loose association of Central European states created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to coordinate the economies of separate German-speaking countries. It acted as a buffer between the powerful states of Austria and Prussia...
Navy and was renamed SMS Barbarossa. She had nine guns fitted, and was the flagship of the Reichsflotte
Reichsflotte
The Reichsflotte was the first all-German Navy. It was founded on 14 June 1848 during the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states by the Frankfurt Parliament to provide a naval force in the First Schleswig War against Denmark.-History:...
under Karl Rudolf Brommy
Karl Rudolf Brommy
Rear Admiral Karl Rudolf Brommy was a German naval officer who helped establish the first unified German fleet, the Reichsflotte, during the First Schleswig War which broke out just before the Revolutions of 1848 in the German...
in the Battle of Heligoland
Battle of Heligoland (1849)
The first Battle of Heligoland took place on 4 June 1849 during the First Schleswig War and pitted the fledgling all-German navy known as the Reichsflotte , which had been founded less than a year prior, against the Royal Danish Navy, which had blocked German naval trade in North Sea and Baltic Sea...
. In June 1852 she was transferred to the Prussian Navy
Prussian Navy
Throughout the centuries, Prussia’s military consistently concentrated on its land power, and never sought a similar power at sea. Yet historically there were always Prussian naval forces , beginning in the days when "Prussia" meant only the Margraviate of Brandenburg.- The Navy of Electoral...
and used as a barracks ship at Danzig. In May 1880 she was decommissioned from the Prussian Navy and in July 1880 she was sunk as a target ship
Target ship
A target ship is a vessel — typically an obsolete or captured warship — used for naval gunnery practice or for weapons testing.-Rationale:Sinking redundant warships is an effective way of testing new weapons and warships in as realistic a manner as possible. Whilst practice torpedoes are fired...
.
Film depiction of RMS Britannia
The funding and first crossing of the Britannia were key plot elements in a Warner Brothers film released in 1941 as Atlantic FerryAtlantic Ferry
Atlantic Ferry is a 1941 British film starring Michael Redgrave and Valerie Hobson. It was made at Teddington Studios...
in the U.K., and Sons of the Sea in the U.S.
External links
- Britannia on thegreatoceanliners.com
- SMS Barbarossa http://www.janmaat.de/m_dfbarbarossa.htm
- Britannia on Chris' Cunard Page http://www.chriscunard.com/britannia.php