RMS Umbria
Encyclopedia
RMS Umbria and her sister ship RMS Etruria
were the last two Cunard
ers that were fitted with auxiliary sails. RMS Umbria was built by John Elder & Co at Glasgow
, Scotland
in 1884. The “Umbria” and her sister “Etruria” were record breakers. They were the largest liners then in service and they plied the Liverpool
to New York
Service. RMS Umbria was launched by the Honourable Mrs Hope on Wednesday 25 June 1884 with wide coverage by the press, the reason being that she was the largest ship afloat, apart from the Great Eastern
, but by this time that ship was redundant.
s which gave the outward impression of huge power. She also had three large steel masts
which when fully rigged had an extensive spread of canvas
. Another innovation on “Umbria” was that she was equipped with refrigeration
machinery, but it was the single screw propulsion that would bring the most publicity later in her career. The ship epitomized the luxuries of Victorian
style. The public rooms in the 1st class were full of ornately carved furniture, heavy velvet curtains hung in all the rooms, and they were decorated with the bric-a-brac
that period fashion dictated. These rooms and the 1st class cabins were situated on the promenade, upper, saloon and main decks. There was also a music room, a smoking room for gentleman, separate dining rooms for 1st and 2nd class passengers. By the standard of the day 2nd class accommodation was moderate but spacious and comfortable. By early October 1884 “Umbria” had completed her sea trials and on 1 November 1884 she set off to New York
on her maiden voyage. She was commanded by Captain Theodore Cook. He was Cunard’s senior captain, having served his apprenticeship in the days of square-rigged sailing ships.
from Liverpool
but the clouds of crises were looming and by the New Year of 1885 a crisis involving Russia
's threat to invade Afghanistan
was coming to a head. This was to bring “Umbria’s” North Atlantic service to a halt temporarily. On 26 March “Umbria” and her sister RMS Etruria
found themselves chartered to the Admiralty. Shortly after this date the dispute with Russia was settled and RMS Etruria was returned to the North Atlantic service, but the “Umbria” was retained for a further six months as a precaution. She had been fitted with 5 inches (127 mm) guns and it was thought that should the need arise she would have been a powerful auxiliary to the new ironclad Navy
of the era. In September 1885 Umbria
was released from government
service and resumed the Atlantic service. She worked for the next few years without any major incident.
” when on 29 May she beat her sister ship's record of the year before. She set off from Queenstown (Cobh
) to cross the North Atlantic, westbound. She got across to Sandy Hook
on 4 April, in 6 days 4 hours and 12 minutes, averaging a speed of 19.22 knots (37.7 km/h) and covering a distance of 2848 nautical miles (5,274.5 km). Her sister RMS Etruria
regained the blue riband the following year. On 10 November 1888 RMS Umbria was outward bound from New York when she collided with and sank the trading steamer SS “Iberia” of the Fabre Line, near Sandy Hook. The stern part of the “Iberia” was completely cut off. The blame for this accident was placed upon the RMS Umbria, which it was said was travelling at a dangerous speed, said to be 17 knots (33.3 km/h).
with 655 passengers aboard. Five days out, in mid-Atlantic she came across the stricken Norwegian barque
“Magdalena” (see Link below). She had struck an iceberg
and was waterlogged. Captain Gunderson and his crew of eight were very lucky to have been spotted by the “Umbria”, who rescued them after Gunderson had finished the “Magdalena” off by setting fire to her. Four days later all were landed safely at Liverpool
. On 17 December 1892, RMS Umbria left Liverpool with, after stopping at Queenstown (Cobh
), Ireland
, 400 passengers aboard along with a large amount of mail. She was due to arrive in New York on Christmas Day. By the 28th of December she still had not arrived and speculation as to what had delayed her was growing. News came on 29 December from the steamship “Galileo” who had passed her on Christmas Day. She appeared disabled. The master of the “Galileo” also reported that she displayed three red lights, indicating that she was unmanageable, but did not require assistance. The weather was said to be foul with a severe north-westerly gale. Another steamer called the “Monrovian” had also passed her but reported the Umbria to be in good shape. On 30 December the steamship “Manhanset” reported that again the RMS Umbria did not require assistance and that she was carrying out repairs to a broken shaft. In fact the “Umbria’s” troubles had started on Friday 23 December at around 5.25 p.m. Her propeller shaft had fractured at the thrust block. Her main engines were stopped immediately and the Umbria drifted helplessly in gale force winds and a heavy sea. The chief Engineer worked relentlessly with his staff to make repairs to the shaft. Later that day at 8.15 pm the steamship “Bohemia” had agreed to tow the ship to New York, but the line broke around 10 p.m. in the severe storm and visibility was nil. Next morning there was no sign of the “Bohemia” and once again the Umbria was drifting helplessly. Then came the encounters with the other two steamers but by the 26th the Cunarder “Gallia” and the “Umbria” had established contact with each other and after some communications between masters, the Gallia had refused to stand-by, and carried on her voyage; the Umbria was left to make repairs. The chief engineer achieved this on 27 December and very slowly she set of for New York
. She arrived there at 11 pm on Saturday 31 December 1892 and her arrival was witnessed by thousands of New Yorkers who had gathered to cheer her safe arrival. When the excitement had died down the recriminations started which ended when Cunard prepared a statement explaining why the “Gallia” had continued on without assisting the Umbria. Further repairs were carried out on the Umbria and she returned to Liverpool on 4 February 1893. By 1 April she was back on the service.
laden barge “Andrew Jackson”. This incident had no connection with the RMS Umbria, but she would become involved in an incident as a consequence of this collision. At 9 am on Saturday 28 June 1896 the “Umbria” left her pier at the foot of Clarkson Street on the North River. After one hour she was in the ship channel near the turn into Gedney Channel, two miles (3 km) from Sandy Hook
. It was here that Umbria struck the sunken hulk and became stuck fast. All day she remained stuck until the combination of a flood tide and the service of seven tugs managed to pull her free of the wreck, to the cheers of the Yale
rowing
crew who were aboard “Umbria” on their way to take part in the Henley Regatta. She dropped anchor and divers reported no damage to the ship and she continued on her voyage.
on 12 October 1899, and two months later on 22 December RMS Umbria was chartered by the government and was prepared to carry troops and armaments to South Africa. She set sail on 11 January 1900 on her first voyage in her new role. On board were troops of the Warwickshire
, Derbyshire
and Durham
Militia
. They arrived in Cape Town
on 29 January and after calls at Port Elizabeth and other ports she returned to Southampton
with wounded troops. In April she again was back in South Africa and during the relief of Mafeking she was in Port Natal (now Durban
) for the celebrations. She left Cape Town for the last time on the 7 June, carrying 600 wounded soldiers. She arrived back at Southampton
19 days later on 26 June and she was then returned to Cunard
to resume her normal role. She was given a complete refit and returned on the New York run on 21 July.
” returned to the Liverpool to New York service. In 1903 RMS Umbria hit the headlines again. On 9 May, the New York
police
department received a letter that explained that a bomb
had been loaded aboard the RMS Umbria. The letter went on to say that the bomb had been intended for the White Star Line’s RMS Oceanic
, but that the bombers had changed their minds because there were a large number of women and children aboard that ship. At noon that day the Umbria was still at her berth and she was due to sail. Immediately the police sealed off the pier
head and told the captain to delay the sailing. The police searched the ship and found the bomb. It was in a box 3 foot (0.9144 m) long by 2 foot (0.6096 m) wide and had been placed close to the 1st class gangway. One of the police officers tied a rope around the box and lowered it in to the sea. When the box was lifted back up and opened .it was found to have 100 lb (45.4 kg) of dynamite
attached to a crude timed fuse. If the bomb had exploded on the ship it would have caused considerable damage. The letter that the police had received also explained that the bomb plot was the work of the Mafia
, whose aim was to destroy the British shipping interest in the port of New York. To corroborate this information the police had descriptions of two “Italian
” men placing the bomb on the pier and the police eventually traced the manufacturer of the bomb back to a Chicago
Lodging house. Happily the ship eventually got under way to Liverpool on 16 May.
which was temporarily laid up and later caught fire, RMS Umbria had a reprieve until 1910. Her last voyage started on 12 February 1910 and her return crossing on the 23 February. She arrived in the Mersey
for the last time on Friday 4 March 1910 and as soon as her passengers had disembarked, work began on dismantling all her fixtures and fittings. Within days she was sold for scrap for £20,000 to the Forth Shipbreaking Company and she was taken to Bo'ness
, Scotland
. There is no doubt that RMS Umbria and her sister were considered, in their day, to be giants of the North Atlantic. In all she made 145 round trips to New York.
RMS Etruria
RMS Etruria and her sister ship RMS Umbria were the last two Cunarders that were fitted with auxiliary sails. RMS Etruria was built by John Elder & Co of Glasgow, Scotland in 1884. The Etruria and her sister Umbria, by the standards of the time, were record breakers. They were the largest liners...
were the last two Cunard
Cunard Line
Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century...
ers that were fitted with auxiliary sails. RMS Umbria was built by John Elder & Co at Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1884. The “Umbria” and her sister “Etruria” were record breakers. They were the largest liners then in service and they plied the Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
Service. RMS Umbria was launched by the Honourable Mrs Hope on Wednesday 25 June 1884 with wide coverage by the press, the reason being that she was the largest ship afloat, apart from the Great Eastern
SS Great Eastern
SS Great Eastern was an iron sailing steam ship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and built by J. Scott Russell & Co. at Millwall on the River Thames, London. She was by far the largest ship ever built at the time of her 1858 launch, and had the capacity to carry 4,000 passengers around the...
, but by this time that ship was redundant.
Construction
The “Umbria” had many distinguishing features that included two enormous funnelFunnel
A funnel is a pipe with a wide, often conical mouth and a narrow stem. It is used to channel liquid or fine-grained substances into containers with a small opening. Without a funnel, spillage would occur....
s which gave the outward impression of huge power. She also had three large steel masts
Mast (sailing)
The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall, vertical, or near vertical, spar, or arrangement of spars, which supports the sails. Large ships have several masts, with the size and configuration depending on the style of ship...
which when fully rigged had an extensive spread of canvas
Canvas
Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, and other items for which sturdiness is required. It is also popularly used by artists as a painting surface, typically stretched across a wooden frame...
. Another innovation on “Umbria” was that she was equipped with refrigeration
Refrigeration
Refrigeration is a process in which work is done to move heat from one location to another. This work is traditionally done by mechanical work, but can also be done by magnetism, laser or other means...
machinery, but it was the single screw propulsion that would bring the most publicity later in her career. The ship epitomized the luxuries of Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
style. The public rooms in the 1st class were full of ornately carved furniture, heavy velvet curtains hung in all the rooms, and they were decorated with the bric-a-brac
Bric-a-brac
Bric-à-brac , first used in the Victorian era, refers to collections of curios such as elaborately decorated teacups and small vases, feathers, wax flowers under glass domes, eggshells, statuettes, painted miniatures or photographs, and so on...
that period fashion dictated. These rooms and the 1st class cabins were situated on the promenade, upper, saloon and main decks. There was also a music room, a smoking room for gentleman, separate dining rooms for 1st and 2nd class passengers. By the standard of the day 2nd class accommodation was moderate but spacious and comfortable. By early October 1884 “Umbria” had completed her sea trials and on 1 November 1884 she set off to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on her maiden voyage. She was commanded by Captain Theodore Cook. He was Cunard’s senior captain, having served his apprenticeship in the days of square-rigged sailing ships.
Liverpool to New York service
RMS Umbria started her regular service to New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
from Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
but the clouds of crises were looming and by the New Year of 1885 a crisis involving Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
's threat to invade Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
was coming to a head. This was to bring “Umbria’s” North Atlantic service to a halt temporarily. On 26 March “Umbria” and her sister RMS Etruria
RMS Etruria
RMS Etruria and her sister ship RMS Umbria were the last two Cunarders that were fitted with auxiliary sails. RMS Etruria was built by John Elder & Co of Glasgow, Scotland in 1884. The Etruria and her sister Umbria, by the standards of the time, were record breakers. They were the largest liners...
found themselves chartered to the Admiralty. Shortly after this date the dispute with Russia was settled and RMS Etruria was returned to the North Atlantic service, but the “Umbria” was retained for a further six months as a precaution. She had been fitted with 5 inches (127 mm) guns and it was thought that should the need arise she would have been a powerful auxiliary to the new ironclad Navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
of the era. In September 1885 Umbria
Umbria
Umbria is a region of modern central Italy. It is one of the smallest Italian regions and the only peninsular region that is landlocked.Its capital is Perugia.Assisi and Norcia are historical towns associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and St...
was released from government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
service and resumed the Atlantic service. She worked for the next few years without any major incident.
| PRICES OF PASSAGE ABOARD R.M.S.UMBRIA, MAY 1895 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| From Pier 40, North River, foot of Clarkson Street, City of New York | ||||||||||
| Every Saturday, New York-Queenstown-Liverpool | ||||||||||
| 1st Class | 1st Class | 1st Class | 1st Class Return | 1st Class Return | 1st Class Return | 2nd Class Cabin | 2nd Class Cabin | 2nd Class Cabin Return | 2nd Class Cabin Return | Under 1 Year old |
| $75 | $90 | $175 | $125 | $150 | $315 | $40 | $45 | $75 | $85 | Free outward |
The Blue Riband
In 1887 RMS Umbria gained the prestigious “Blue RibandBlue Riband
The Blue Riband is an unofficial accolade given to the passenger liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean in regular service with the record highest speed. The term was borrowed from horse racing and was not widely used until after 1910. Under the unwritten rules, the record is based on average speed...
” when on 29 May she beat her sister ship's record of the year before. She set off from Queenstown (Cobh
Cobh
Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island...
) to cross the North Atlantic, westbound. She got across to Sandy Hook
Sandy Hook, New Jersey
Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay...
on 4 April, in 6 days 4 hours and 12 minutes, averaging a speed of 19.22 knots (37.7 km/h) and covering a distance of 2848 nautical miles (5,274.5 km). Her sister RMS Etruria
RMS Etruria
RMS Etruria and her sister ship RMS Umbria were the last two Cunarders that were fitted with auxiliary sails. RMS Etruria was built by John Elder & Co of Glasgow, Scotland in 1884. The Etruria and her sister Umbria, by the standards of the time, were record breakers. They were the largest liners...
regained the blue riband the following year. On 10 November 1888 RMS Umbria was outward bound from New York when she collided with and sank the trading steamer SS “Iberia” of the Fabre Line, near Sandy Hook. The stern part of the “Iberia” was completely cut off. The blame for this accident was placed upon the RMS Umbria, which it was said was travelling at a dangerous speed, said to be 17 knots (33.3 km/h).
| Records of RMS Umbria & RMS Etruria | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Blue Riband of the North Atlantic | |||||||
| Westbound | |||||||
| Steamer | Date | Line | From | To | Nautical Miles | Days/Hours/Minutes | Knots |
| RMS Etruria | 1885 (16/8- 22/8) | Cunard | Queenstown]] | Sandy Hook | 2801 | 6/5/31 | 18.73 |
| RMS Umbria | 1887 (29/5-4/6) | Cunard | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2848 | 6/4/12 | 19.22 |
| RMS Etruria | 1888 (27/5-2/6) | Cunard | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2854 | 6/1/55 | 19.56 |
Trouble at sea
On 12 April 1890 the RMS Umbria set off on her usual voyage from New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
with 655 passengers aboard. Five days out, in mid-Atlantic she came across the stricken Norwegian barque
Barque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...
“Magdalena” (see Link below). She had struck an iceberg
Iceberg
An iceberg is a large piece of ice from freshwater that has broken off from a snow-formed glacier or ice shelf and is floating in open water. It may subsequently become frozen into pack ice...
and was waterlogged. Captain Gunderson and his crew of eight were very lucky to have been spotted by the “Umbria”, who rescued them after Gunderson had finished the “Magdalena” off by setting fire to her. Four days later all were landed safely at Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. On 17 December 1892, RMS Umbria left Liverpool with, after stopping at Queenstown (Cobh
Cobh
Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island...
), Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, 400 passengers aboard along with a large amount of mail. She was due to arrive in New York on Christmas Day. By the 28th of December she still had not arrived and speculation as to what had delayed her was growing. News came on 29 December from the steamship “Galileo” who had passed her on Christmas Day. She appeared disabled. The master of the “Galileo” also reported that she displayed three red lights, indicating that she was unmanageable, but did not require assistance. The weather was said to be foul with a severe north-westerly gale. Another steamer called the “Monrovian” had also passed her but reported the Umbria to be in good shape. On 30 December the steamship “Manhanset” reported that again the RMS Umbria did not require assistance and that she was carrying out repairs to a broken shaft. In fact the “Umbria’s” troubles had started on Friday 23 December at around 5.25 p.m. Her propeller shaft had fractured at the thrust block. Her main engines were stopped immediately and the Umbria drifted helplessly in gale force winds and a heavy sea. The chief Engineer worked relentlessly with his staff to make repairs to the shaft. Later that day at 8.15 pm the steamship “Bohemia” had agreed to tow the ship to New York, but the line broke around 10 p.m. in the severe storm and visibility was nil. Next morning there was no sign of the “Bohemia” and once again the Umbria was drifting helplessly. Then came the encounters with the other two steamers but by the 26th the Cunarder “Gallia” and the “Umbria” had established contact with each other and after some communications between masters, the Gallia had refused to stand-by, and carried on her voyage; the Umbria was left to make repairs. The chief engineer achieved this on 27 December and very slowly she set of for New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. She arrived there at 11 pm on Saturday 31 December 1892 and her arrival was witnessed by thousands of New Yorkers who had gathered to cheer her safe arrival. When the excitement had died down the recriminations started which ended when Cunard prepared a statement explaining why the “Gallia” had continued on without assisting the Umbria. Further repairs were carried out on the Umbria and she returned to Liverpool on 4 February 1893. By 1 April she was back on the service.
Stuck
In May 1896 the British steamship “Vedra” collided with and sank the coalCoal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
laden barge “Andrew Jackson”. This incident had no connection with the RMS Umbria, but she would become involved in an incident as a consequence of this collision. At 9 am on Saturday 28 June 1896 the “Umbria” left her pier at the foot of Clarkson Street on the North River. After one hour she was in the ship channel near the turn into Gedney Channel, two miles (3 km) from Sandy Hook
Sandy Hook, New Jersey
Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay...
. It was here that Umbria struck the sunken hulk and became stuck fast. All day she remained stuck until the combination of a flood tide and the service of seven tugs managed to pull her free of the wreck, to the cheers of the Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
crew who were aboard “Umbria” on their way to take part in the Henley Regatta. She dropped anchor and divers reported no damage to the ship and she continued on her voyage.
The Boer War
War broke out in South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
on 12 October 1899, and two months later on 22 December RMS Umbria was chartered by the government and was prepared to carry troops and armaments to South Africa. She set sail on 11 January 1900 on her first voyage in her new role. On board were troops of the Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
and Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
Militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
. They arrived in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
on 29 January and after calls at Port Elizabeth and other ports she returned to Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
with wounded troops. In April she again was back in South Africa and during the relief of Mafeking she was in Port Natal (now Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
) for the celebrations. She left Cape Town for the last time on the 7 June, carrying 600 wounded soldiers. She arrived back at Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
19 days later on 26 June and she was then returned to Cunard
Cunard Line
Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century...
to resume her normal role. She was given a complete refit and returned on the New York run on 21 July.
Mafia bomb plot of 1903
Both the RMS Umbria and her sister ship “RMS EtruriaRMS Etruria
RMS Etruria and her sister ship RMS Umbria were the last two Cunarders that were fitted with auxiliary sails. RMS Etruria was built by John Elder & Co of Glasgow, Scotland in 1884. The Etruria and her sister Umbria, by the standards of the time, were record breakers. They were the largest liners...
” returned to the Liverpool to New York service. In 1903 RMS Umbria hit the headlines again. On 9 May, the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
department received a letter that explained that a bomb
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
had been loaded aboard the RMS Umbria. The letter went on to say that the bomb had been intended for the White Star Line’s RMS Oceanic
RMS Oceanic (1899)
RMS Oceanic was a transatlantic ocean liner, built for the White Star Line. She sailed on her maiden voyage on 6 September 1899 and, until 1901, was the largest ship in the world...
, but that the bombers had changed their minds because there were a large number of women and children aboard that ship. At noon that day the Umbria was still at her berth and she was due to sail. Immediately the police sealed off the pier
Pier
A pier is a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water, typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars...
head and told the captain to delay the sailing. The police searched the ship and found the bomb. It was in a box 3 foot (0.9144 m) long by 2 foot (0.6096 m) wide and had been placed close to the 1st class gangway. One of the police officers tied a rope around the box and lowered it in to the sea. When the box was lifted back up and opened .it was found to have 100 lb (45.4 kg) of dynamite
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
attached to a crude timed fuse. If the bomb had exploded on the ship it would have caused considerable damage. The letter that the police had received also explained that the bomb plot was the work of the Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
, whose aim was to destroy the British shipping interest in the port of New York. To corroborate this information the police had descriptions of two “Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
” men placing the bomb on the pier and the police eventually traced the manufacturer of the bomb back to a Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
Lodging house. Happily the ship eventually got under way to Liverpool on 16 May.
Last voyage
By 1908 the careers of the two sisters “Umbria” and “Etruria” were coming to an end, however because of mishaps to, first RMS Etruria and then to RMS LucaniaRMS Lucania
RMS Lucania was a British ocean liner owned by the Cunard Steamship Line Shipping Company, built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company of Govan, Scotland, and launched on Thursday, 2 February 1893....
which was temporarily laid up and later caught fire, RMS Umbria had a reprieve until 1910. Her last voyage started on 12 February 1910 and her return crossing on the 23 February. She arrived in the Mersey
Mersey
Mersey may refer to:* River Mersey, in northwest England* Mersea Island, off the coast of Essex in England * Mersey River in the Australian state* Electoral division of Mersey in the state of Tasmania, Australian...
for the last time on Friday 4 March 1910 and as soon as her passengers had disembarked, work began on dismantling all her fixtures and fittings. Within days she was sold for scrap for £20,000 to the Forth Shipbreaking Company and she was taken to Bo'ness
Bo'ness
Bo'ness, properly Borrowstounness, is a coastal town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on a hillside on the south bank of the Firth of Forth within the Falkirk council area, north-west of Edinburgh and east of Falkirk. At the 2001 census, Bo'ness had a resident population of 13,961...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. There is no doubt that RMS Umbria and her sister were considered, in their day, to be giants of the North Atlantic. In all she made 145 round trips to New York.