The Big Four

 The first decade of the twentieth century saw a series of new vessels designed with the nostalgic, but very practical arrangement of two funnels and four masts.  These ships, among the most notable, HAPAG’s Amerika, were intended to cater to the immigrant trade but also had considerable cargo space.  The four masts had the practical purpose of supporting derricks and booms to handle the freight loaded aboard, but offered a touch of nostalgia for sailing ships. 

In 1901, Harland and Wolff shipbuilders completed the Celtic (1901-1928) for the White StarLine.  At 20,904 GRT and 681 feet in length, she was the largest ship in the world at the time of launch.  As with Oceanic, White Star opted for spaciousness and comfort for passengers rather than speed.    She was the first vessel in a series of similar moderate-speed vessels, dubbed the “Big Four.”  In 1903, the Cedric (1903-1931) joined her sister on the Liverpool-New York run.   

 RMS Baltic steaming out of New York. 1:1250 model by Mercator.

The third ship, Baltic entered service in June 1904 (commanded by Captain Edward J. Smith).  Outwardly, she was identical in appearance to her sisters, but modifications to her design made her 28 feet longer and 2,840 tons heavier.  These modifications made her the largest ship in the world and one of the most popular of the era.

Initially, she was fitted with the same quadruple expansion reciprocating engines as her fleet mates, but these proved to be underpowered due to her increased size.  Modifications were made to the machinery in subsequent overhauls. 

Baltic and tender Magnetic.

The original accommodation was for 425 First, 450 Second, and 2,000 Third class passengers was modified many times throughout her career to keep pace with changing passenger demands including becoming a Cabin-Class Liner in the late 1920s.

Baltic’s career was not without incident and excitement.  In 1907 she ran aground near Sandy Hook and later collided with a coal barge.  In 1909, she rescued survivors from the Republic and Florida collision.  This was the first use of wireless telegraphy to signal distress and receive assistance at sea.  The passengers were transferred in the thick of a foggy night with lifeboats (no mean feat!) and in its own way added to the sense of security that help is never far away in the modern sea lanes. Three years later, Baltic played a small part in the Titanic story.   On April 14, she relayed as message in the afternoon to Titanic warning of ice ahead.  Later that night, Baltic received Titanic’s distress calls and made all possible steam for the location.  However, she was many miles away, and nine hours later she learned of the sinking and thus resumed her original course.

Note the layout of two funnels and four masts.

During the Great War, Baltic was one of the few liners maintained on passenger service early on.  She carried supplies from America to Britain in her spacious cargo holds as well.  In 1915 she was requisitioned as a troopship.  Baltic had a distinguished war record.  She evaded U-Boat attack, carried the first contingent of the US Expeditionary Force, and more than 30,000 US and Canadian soldiers to the trenches in 1918. 

In December 1918, she resumed passenger service from Liverpool and joined her sisters Celtic, Cedric, and Adriatic (the newest and largest of the four).  The ships maintained a steady and popular service throughout the 1920s. 

"RMS Baltic postcard" by Unknown - www.greatships.net. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RMS_Baltic_postcard.jpg#/media/File:RMS_Baltic_postcard.jpg

The Great Depression prompted a slump in passenger traffic and the older vessels such as Baltic were unable to compete with newer modern ships like Britannic and Georgic.   

One by one, the Big Four left service.  Celtic ran aground in 1929 and was declared a total loss.  Cedric was retired and sold for scrap in 1932.  In January 1933, Baltic was sold to Japanese ship breakers and sailed to Osaka for scrapping.  Adriatic was scrapped a year later. 

RMS Baltic (1904-1933) Built for White Star Line by Harland and Wolff, Ltd., Belfast, Northern Ireland.  23,884 GRT; 726 feet long, 75 feet wide.  Steam quadruple expansion reciprocating engines geared to twin screw.  Service speed 16 knots.  As built accommodation for 2,875 total passengers (425 First Class, 450 Second Class, 2,000 Steerage).

Inman Line's Elegant Record Breakers

City of Paris, launched in 1888, sailed under the Red Ensign for the Inman Line and twice won Blue Riband as the fastest ship on the north Atlantic route from 1889 to 1891 and again from 1892 to 1893.  With her sister ship City of New York she was a worthy rival of the White Star Line’s Teutonic and Majestic.  These two ships were the first twin-screw express liners.

Steaming past Bishop Rock.  1:1250 model of City of Paris by Albatros.  Bishop Rock Lighthouse model by Coastlines.

The City liners were a blend of classic features and revolutionary new technologies.  At a length of 590 feet and 10,499 gross tons, the ships were the largest commercial in the world when they entered service (after the Great Eastern was scrapped in 1887, although her record-breaking size would not be challenged until 1899). They were among the first passenger liners with electric lights throughout, to utilize all steel construction, and to be powered by advanced triple-expansion reciprocating engines.

Power was supplied by two triple expansion engines of 9,000 indicated horsepower each that were placed in separate compartments. While the engines for the two sisters were identical, City of Paris produced 1,500 more horsepower.  Single screw liners were prone to shaft failure that forced them to return to port using auxiliary sails.   Twin-screws allowed a vessel to continue under steam in the event an engine or propeller was damaged.  If the rudder was disabled, a twin-screw ship can still maneuver with its engines.

City of Paris quayside.  The racing yacht lines are very evident here.

City of New York and City of Paris remain among the most beautiful liners.  The pleasing exterior lines were coupled with posh public rooms.  The luxuries of hot and cold water, electric ventilation, and electric lighting were brand new in 1888.  First class public rooms, such as the library and smoking room, were fitted with walnut panels and the dining salon had a massive dome that provided a natural light to the passengers.

City of Paris  began her maiden voyage on 3 April 1889. A month later, she won the Blue Riband with an average speed of 19.95 knots on the first westbound voyage under 6 days. She proved to be consistently faster than her sister.

City of Paris passes HAPAG's Augusta Victoria.

In her first year of service, City of Paris suffered a spectacular engine failure that briefly raised doubts about the safety of twin-screw vessels.  The engineers had not properly synchronized the engines and one started to tear itself apart under no-load conditions.  Valves and bearings broke and the engine room began to flood.  The stricken vessel did not sink but had to be towed to port.  The accident was highly unusual and rarely to be repeated.  Once repaired, City of Paris sailed without trouble. 

In 1893 the Inman Line was taken over by the International Navigation’s American Line (later to be absorbed into Morgan’s IMM).   Now sailing for American owners desiring a mail contract, the American Line sought to change the ships registry to New York.  However, under US law, only vessels built in the United States could be registered as American vessels.  After political wrangling, Congress waived this requirement for Inman's two record breakers and enacted a mail subsidy. Under this legislation, International Navigation was required to build two similar ships in the US and make all four twin screw liners available to the government in the event of a crisis.

One of the most elegant designs indeed.

Once transferred to American registry, the ship was renamed Paris and her sister New York (the same vessel that nearly collided with Titanic in Southampton).  transferred to US registry when the Inman Line was merged into the American Line. Alongside the new American built St Louis and St Paul the ships maintained a profitable New York to Southampton service.  Although by this time the Blue Riband belonged to Cunard’s Campania and thus denying America the honor of holding the speed record.

During the Spanish-American War, Paris requisitioned by the US Navy as the auxiliary cruiser USS Yale.  After Paris returned to commercial service, she was seriously damaged in 1899 when she grounded on the Manacles off of the British coast. Rebuilt and renamed Philadelphia, she sailed for the American Line until requisitioned again during World War I as the transport Harrisburg. After the war, she continued with the American Line until 1920 and was scrapped in 1923 after being sold to cash-strapped Italian ship owners.

SS City of Paris (1888-1923) 10,499 GRT, 560 feet long, 63 feet wide.  Two triple expansion reciprocating engines geared to twin screw.  Service speed 20 knots.  As built accommodation for 1,740 passengers (540 First-Class, 200 Second-Class, 1,000 Third-Class).