Featured Article: The New York Incident

Titanic had an exciting send off from Southampton dock, but no one anticipated the events that were about to occur. Just as Titanic left the dock and began to move through the channel, she almost suffered the same kind accident that Olympic had with the HMS Hawke less than a year before. As Titanic left the dock and made the turn to head for open sea, she passed the steamer SS New York that was tied to the dock along with SS Oceanic. Titanic began to pick up speed and caused some suction to occur in the crowded channel. The suction pulled the New York toward Titanic. The New York's lines snapped like rubber bands with sounds like gunshots. With the New York free in the water, nothing could stop her from ramming Titanic's hull. If it wasn't for the fast actions of the tugs and Titanic's harbor pilot who had quickly reversed Titanic's engines, the two ships would have collided. The tug boats that had just recently cast off their lines from Titanic, were able to secure their lines and pull back the New York, stopping her from hitting Titanic with only feet to spare. The New York was towed around the corner of the dock and was secured. Once everything was clear Titanic received permission to proceed. One hour behind schedule she began to make way for open sea. 

Efforts to secure the New York and pull her away from Titanic.

Titanic proceeding after the New York had been secured.

White Star's Oceanic is visible on the far left.

Illustration of the incident.

 "As the Titanic moved majestically down the dock, the crowd of friends keeping pace with us along the quay, we came together level with the steamer New York lying moored to the side of the dock along with the Oceanic, the crowd waving "good-byes" to those on board as well as they could for the intervening bulk of the two ships. But as the bows of our ship came about level with those of the New York, there came a series of reports like those of a revolver, and on the quay side of the New York snaky coils of thick rope flung themselves high in the air and fell backwards among the crowd, which retreated in alarm to escape the flying ropes. We hoped that no one was struck by the ropes, but a sailor next to me was certain he saw a woman carried away to receive attention." "And then, to our amazement the New York crept towards us, slowly and stealthily, as if drawn by some invisible force which she was powerless to withstand. On the New York there was shouting of orders, sailors running to and fro, paying out ropes and putting mats over the side where it seemed likely we should collide; the tug which had a few moments before cast off from the bows of the Titanic came up around our stern and passed to the quay side of the New York's stern, made fast to her and started to haul her back with all the force her engines were capable of; but it did not seem that the tug made much impression on the New York. At first all appearance showed that the sterns of the two vessels would collide; but from the stern bridge of the Titanic an officer directing operations stopped us dead, the suction ceased, and the New York with her tug trailing behind moved obliquely down the dock, her stern gliding along the side of the Titanic some few yards away." "It gave an extraordinary impression of the absolute helplessness of a big liner in the absence of any motive power to guide her. But all excitement was not yet over: the New York turned her bows inward towards the quay, her stern swinging just clear of and passing in front of our bows, and moved slowly head on for the Teutonic lying moored to the side; mats were quickly got out and so deadened the force of the collision, which from where we were seemed to be too slight to cause any damage. Another tug came up and took hold of the New York by the bows; and between the two of them they dragged her round the corner of the quay which just here came to an end on the side of the river." "We now moved slowly ahead and passed the Teutonic at a creeping pace, but notwithstanding this, the latter strained at her ropes so much that she heeled over several degrees in her efforts to follow the Titanic: the crowd were shouted back, a group of gold-braided officials, probably the harbour-master and his staff, standing on the sea side of the moored ropes, jumped back over them as they drew up taut to a rigid line, and urged the crowd back still farther. But we were just clear, and as we slowly turned the corner into the river I saw the Teutonic swing slowly back into her normal station, relieving the tension alike of the ropes and of the minds of all who witnessed the incident." 

Second Class Passenger

-Lawrence Beesley 

It was a close call, but many passengers thought it was bad luck to start the maiden voyage in such a way. Ironically, if Titanic and the New York had collided, it would have delayed the maiden voyage and Titanic may not have struck the iceberg later during the voyage.

Featured Article: The Coal Strike / Titanic's Second Class Passengers

The Becker Family

Many of Titanic's Second Class passengers hold First Class tickets on ships like Oceanic or Majestic. Less elegant White Star liners whose voyages had been canceled because of a coal strike that has affected Britain since February. The coal supplies as well as the passengers of the other ships were transferred to Titanic. 

Many of the Second Class passengers are educated middle class people, some are on vacation and some are returning home. Among them are Lawrence Beesley, a science professor from London. Also, the Becker Family, American missionaries returning from India. Their accommodations on Titanic will be just as comfortable as a First Class cabin on any other ship. Before the ship sets sail, these passengers are allowed to tour the luxurious First Class sections of Titanic.

More About the Coal Strike

The national coal strike of 1912 was the first national strike by coal miners in the United Kingdom. Its main goal was securing a minimum wage. After 37 days, the government intervened and ended the strike by passing the Coal Mines Act, establishing a minimum wage for the first time.

The dispute centered upon an attempt made by the Miners Federation of Great Britain, the main trade union representing coal miners, to secure a minimum wage for miners in their district and replace the complicated wage structure then in place which often made it difficult for a miner to earn a fair day's wage. The same issues had caused a major dispute the previous year in South Wales and had become a national issue. The strike was a repeat of the unsuccessful strike of 1894 which also sought a minimum wage.

The strike began at the end of February in Alfreton, Derbyshire and spread nationwide. Nearly one million miners took part. It ended on 6 April after 37 days. The strike caused considerable disruption to train and shipping schedules.

Timeline Article: J. Bruce Ismay and the "Big Four"

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Timeline Article: Oceanic - "The Ship of the Century"

RMS Oceanic (1899)

1897 - 1899

By the late 1890s the White Star Line's Majestic and Teutonic had quickly become outdated due to the rapid advances in marine technology. White Star’s chief rival, the Cunard Line, had introduced the Campania and Lucania in 1893, and other competitors such as the German Norddeutscher Lloyd Line, began introducing four new Kaiser Class ocean liners by 1897. To compete with these ships, White Star needed to produce a new flagship which could rival them.

Oceanic under construction
at Harland & Wolff

A new ship was conceived by White Star and construction would take place at the Harland and Wolff shipyard at Belfast, as was the tradition with White Star Line ships. Her keel was laid down in 1897. Hull number 317 was named after the first successful ship of the line, Oceanic of 1871. The hull was launched on January 14, 1899, and the fitting out process began thereafter. 

Construction on Oceanic was completed on August 26th that same year.

At 704 feet, Oceanic was to be the first ship to exceed the length of the largest ship to have been built at that time, Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Great Eastern (1859 - 1889). However, only in length but not in tonnage.

SS Great Eastern (above). RMS Oceanic (below).

At 17,272 tons, the Oceanic would cost one million pounds and require 1,500 shipworkers to complete. However, Oceanic was not designed to be the fastest ship afloat or compete for the Blue Riband, an award given to ship that achieves the fastest transcontinental record, as it had recently become the White Star Line's policy to focus on size and comfort rather than speed.

She was powered by two triple expansion engines, which were the largest of their type constructed at that time and could produce 28,000 horsepower which gave her a service speed of 21 knots or about 24 miles per hour.

Her maiden voyage from Liverpool to New York began on Wednesday, September 6, 1899. The following November, White Star’s chairman Thomas Henry Ismay died leaving the responsibilities of chairman to his son J. Bruce Ismay. Oceanic would be the last ship ordered by Thomas Henry Ismay as well as the last British ship built in the 19th century.

Thomas Henry Ismay (left) and
Bruce Ismay (right)

A sister ship for Oceanic to be named Olympic was proposed. However, following the death of Thomas Ismay, the order was postponed and eventually cancelled. Instead, the company decided to deploy the resources to produce a set of larger liners which would become known as the "Big Four" class. The name Olympic was later given to first ship of the Olympic Class which also included Titanic and Britannic.

Timeline Article: The Beginning of the White Star Line

Oceanic (1871)

1868 - 1871

The North Atlantic is one of the harshest oceans on the planet. In the early days of overseas travel the passengers were exposed to awful unsanitary conditions and were likely to die of disease or to be shipwrecked and drowned. These were the days of sail, and it would take weeks or even months to get from continent to continent. While traveling to Boston, Charles Dickens wrote about his ship and described it as being like "a gigantic hearse with windows in the side." And of his bunk he wrote: "Nothing smaller for sleeping in was ever made, except coffins." Even though ships sailed on fixed schedules, out of every 100 ships to set sail 16 would never make it to their destination, some vanishing without a trace. Towards the late 19th century travel across the North Atlantic was increasing. Ships needed to be more comfortable, stylish, and fast. Shipbuilders advance to meet these needs and with each advance the voyage across the Atlantic or the Transatlantic run takes less time. Not only did ships need to carry passengers they also needed to carry mail. Ships were needed and so the era of the of the North Atlantic shipping lanes had begun.

Thomas Henry Ismay

On January 18, 1868, Thomas Henry Ismay, a Liverpool businessman, purchased the house flag, trade name, and goodwill of a bankrupt shipping line called the White Star Line that was originally founded in 1845. It was a fleet of clipper ships that operated between Britain and Australia. Ismay's intention was to establish a service of large steamships on the North Atlantic between Liverpool and New York.

One night during a game of billiards at a pool hall in Liverpool, Ismay was approached by Gustav Schwabe, a prominent Liverpool merchant, and his nephew, Gustav Wolff. Schwabe offered to finance the new shipping line only if Ismay had his ships built by Wolff's shipbuilding company, Harland and Wolff in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Ismay agreed, and the beginning of a long-lasting partnership between White Star and Harland and Wolff was created.

The agreement was that Harland and Wolff would build the ships at cost plus a fixed percentage and would not build any vessels for the line's rivals.

In 1870, Ismay and his longtime friend William Imrie form a new managing firm called Ismay, Imrie and Company. Ismay incorporates the White Star Line as the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, Ltd. Despite this complex organization, the shipping company was known publicly throughout its existence as the White Star Line.

White Star places an order with Harland and Wolff for a class of six revolutionary liners. They will be called Oceanic, Atlantic, Baltic, Republic, and then followed by the slightly larger Celtic and Adriatic. The first ship of the class, Oceanic, will set sail on her maiden voyage in 1871.