1899 - 1907
After Thomas Henry Ismay's death in 1899, his son J. Bruce Ismay takes over as chairman of the White Star Line. Ismay has an extraordinary vision for White Star leading into the 20th century making many innovative decisions in a short amount of time.
The order of a sister ship for Oceanic was cancelled. Instead, resources were transferred to White Star’s new project to build the grandest fleet of ships that had ever sailed the seas. This new class of ships consisted of Celtic, Cedric, Baltic and Adriatic.
In 1901, the White Star Line ordered a series of four ships with the Harland & Wolff shipyard. Calling them the "Big Four", These ships were designed to have a tonnage more than 20,000 tons and rather than being built for speed they were designed to be more luxurious than their rivals.
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| RMS Celtic (1901) |
The first of the four vessels was named Celtic. The second liner of her name, the first, was completed in 1872. Celtic and was launched on April 4, 1901. She made her maiden voyage on July 25th. She was shorter than the Oceanic by only 3 feet but 3,600 tons heavier. At 20,904 tons, she was the heaviest and therefore largest ship in the world.
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| RMS Cedric (1903) |
The second ship was named Cedric, which was launched on August 21, 1902. She made her maiden voyage on February 11, 1903. At the time she was launched she took the title away from Celtic as being the largest ship in the world at 21,073 tons.
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| RMS Baltic (1904) |
The third ship was called Baltic. The second liner of her name, the first, was completed in 1871. Baltic was originally supposed to be the same size as her two predecessors, but a sudden decision was made that this ship was to be the largest ever built as far as dimensions and tonnage. This was no easy task because the hull was already built and closely matched the dimensions of her predecessors. The ship’s hull was cut in two and the rear section set back nearly 30 feet to make room for the enlargement. This ultimately increased her tonnage by nearly 3,000 tons. Baltic’s hull was launched on November 21, 1903, and made her maiden voyage on June 29, 1904. At 23,876 tons and with a length off 729 feet, she earned the title as the largest ship ever built until 1905 when she was surpassed by the 24,581-ton German liner Kaiserin Auguste Victoria later known as the Empress of Scotland.
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| RMS Adriatic (1907) |
The fourth ship was called Adriatic. The second liner of her name, the first, was completed in 1872. Adriatic and was the only one of the four which never earned the title as the world's largest ship. She was the same length as Baltic, but slightly heavier at 24,541 tons. Out of the four, she was the largest, the fastest, and the most luxurious. Being the first ocean liner to have an indoor swimming pool and Victorian style Turkish baths. Adriatic was launched on September 20, 1906, and began her maiden voyage on May 8, 1907.
The "Big Four" ships were popular among passengers and all four had generally successful careers in commercial and war time service across three decades. The "Big Four" are arguably considered the most successful class of ships ever produced for the White Star Line.