RMS Majestic (1914)

SS "Bismarck", later renamed RMS "Majestic", was launched in 1914 and was, at 56,551 gross tonnage, the largest ship in the world until the completion of the SS|Normandie in 1935. Originally slated to be the third and largest member of German HAPAG Line's trio of transatlantic liners, her completion was delayed by World War I. Following the war, she became the White Star Line flagship "Majestic." After her White Star career, she served the Royal Navy as the training ship HMS "Caledonia". This was the second White Star ship to use the name, the first being SS|Majestic|1890.

Construction and handover

The "Majestic" was built by the Blohm & Voss shipbuilders in Hamburg, Germany and was launched on 20 June 1914 by Countess Hanna von Bismarck, the granddaughter of the 19th century German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. The ship was to have been the flagship of the Hamburg America Line and the final of Albert Ballin's "Big Three" (the other two being the SS|Imperator|3=2, which later became the RMS "Berengaria", and the "Vaterland", which later became the SS|Leviathan). However, the First World War was to completely alter the ship's fate, and she never sailed under the German flag except om her sea trials in 1922. After being ceded to Britain under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, the as-yet uncompleted ship was purchased jointly by the White Star and Cunard Lines, together with Imperator. The two ships remained jointly owned until 1932, when Cunard terminated the joint ownership agreement. [The New York Times, 25 August 1932.)]

However, the ship's handover went far from smoothly. Furious at being forced to complete the ship for British owners, the shipbuilders completed the ship in the colours of the Hamburg-America Line and with the name "Bismarck" painted on her bow and stern. The workers even used the Captains cabin (White Star lines Bertram Fox Hayes) as a storage closet.

Career history

The ship served as the flagship of the White Star Line from 1922 until 1934. After her May 1922 maiden voyage "Majestic" became one of the most popular liners afloat and in 1923 she carried more passengers than any other Atlantic liner. In 1924, 1926, 1928 and 1930 she carried more passengers than her sister ships. She earned the affectionate nickname 'Magic Stick'.

Due to a structural defect in the topsides, "Majestic" suffered a 100-foot crack in December 1924 and underwent permanent repairs and strengthening along B-deck before returning to service in April 1925. (Small cracks were noted on her sister "Leviathan" around the same time but only minor repairs were carried out and she suffered a similar 100-foot crack five years later.)

In 1925, she completed an eastbound crossing at 25 knots, which was the fastest she ever managed, and faster than either of her sisters' best efforts. However, her older sister Leviathan often had a slightly higher average speed each year than "Majestic".

In 1928, "Majestic" was extensively refitted and modernised and enjoyed a boom year for passenger lists, but numbers fell slightly in 1929 and then the Great Depression set in by 1930.

Following the merger between the White Star Line and Cunard in 1934, "Majestic" served the new company until 1936. In 1935, it was announced that her sister "Berengaria" would be retired first after several fires onboard caused by the original wiring and Cunard arguing with the American Board Of Trade who stated that the ship was no longer fit for American travellers, but the decision was reversed and "Majestic" was retired instead.

HMS "Caledonia"

After being laid up at Southampton, she was sold on May 15 1936 for scrap to TW Ward. However, due to a stipulation in her original agreement of being a prize of war handed over to the White Star Line as compensation for lost tonnage, she could not be sold to the Admiralty, so an exchange was set up where the shipbreakers were given 24 outmoded destroyers as compensation for the equivalent scrap value of the "Majestic". In July 1936 the ship was converted into a Cadet training ship and renamed HMS "Caledonia".

The conversion of the "Majestic" was undertaken at Southampton and comprised the shortening of her masts and funnels so that she could fit beneath the Forth bridge and a reduction in the number of life boats.

On April 8 1937, the "Caledonia" departed Southampton for her new base in Rosyth and was commissioned on April 23, 1937, with a capacity of 1,500 cadets.

After the outbreak of World War II, the cadets were removed to accommodation ashore and the ship's berth was emptied for Naval use, "Caledonia" being temporarily anchored in the Firth of Forth pending a decision as to her disposal.

On September 29, 1939, "Caledonia" caught fire and burnt out, sinking at her moorings. The wreck was sold in March 1940 to Thomas W. Ward for scrap, but it was not until July 17, 1943, that the hulk of the "Caledonia" was raised and towed to the scrapyard.

References

http://www.greatoceanliners.net/majestic2.html

Further reading

* [http://www.tempus-publishing.com/bookdetails.php?isbn=0752438778 RMS Majestic - The 'Magic Stick', by Mark Chirnside]
* [http://www.atlanticliners.com/atlantic_liners_book.htm Bismarck/Majestic in "Atlantic Liners: A Trio of Trios", by J. Kent Layton]
* Miller, William H. Jr., "The First Great Ocean Liners in Photographs", 1984, Dover
* Fox, Robert, "Liners, the Golden Age", 1999, Könemann
* McAuley, Robert, "The Liners", 1997, Boxtree

External links

* [http://markchirnside.co.uk/RMS_MAJESTIC.htm Mark Chirnside's "Majestic" Page]
* [http://www.atlanticliners.com/bismarck_home.htm "Majestic Home" at Atlantic Liners]
* [http://wslhistory.webs.com/majestic2.htm "Majestic" at the White Star Line History Site]