RMS Saxonia (1899)

Registration Number: 110648

The RMS Saxonia was a 1900 put into operation in ocean liner of the British Cunard Line, which was used in passenger and freight traffic from Liverpool via Queenstown to New York and Boston as well as the Mediterranean. During the First World War the ship served as a troop transport. In 1924 it was decommissioned and scrapped in 1925.

The ship

The keel for the built of steel steamship RMS Saxonia was laid on November 22, 1898 with the hull number 339 at the shipyard of John Brown & Company in Clydebank, Scotland. The Saxonia was 176.78 meters long, 19.57 meters wide and had a side height of 12.71 meters. The Saxonia was powered by eight-cylinder steam engines with vertical quadruple expansion, the (29,6 km / h) allowed a top speed of 16.59 knots. The machine output stood at 10,000 PSI.

She was the sister ship of the already completed in 1899 at Swan Hunter RMS Ivernia, which was slightly smaller with 13,799 GRT. The tonnage of the Saxonia was 14,281 GRT and 9100 NRT. Thus, it was the largest ever ship of Cunard fleet. Both ships had unusually high chimneys. From the exterior design, the Saxonia differed thus from the Ivernia that they had a higher bridge, the lifeboats were ordered differently and that there were two fans in front of the bridge. The ship had a chimney, a double-propeller and four masts. The plane was carrying capacity for 164 passengers of the First, 200 Second and 1600 Third Class.

History

The ship was launched on 16 December 1899 by launching and Emily Arbuthnot, Baroness Inverclyde of Castle Wemyss, the wife of John Burns, 1st Baron Inverclyde of Castle Wemyss, one of the chairmen of the Cunard Line, christened the Saxonia. She was handed over to her owners on 21 April 1900, ran on 22 May 1900 in Liverpool on her maiden voyage on Queenstown to Boston from. On 14 July 1904, the Saxonia arrived on board in New York with the survivors of the sinking of the Danish passenger steamer Norge.

Among the captains of the Saxonia belonged over the years, James T. Charles, with the Mauretania, Lusitania and Aquitania commanded the largest ships of the Cunard Line later; Arthur Rostron, of the Carpathia with the rescued survivors of the Titanic in 1912 and Thomas Potter, who is also on the Ivernia was temporarily on the bridge.

On September 16, 1909, the steamer ran on the Burbo Bank in Crosby Channel at the mouth of the Mersey due. On 16 November 1909, the Saxonia ended her time being last crossing on the route Liverpool - Queenstown- New York. As of November 23, 1909 she was steaming from New York to Trieste, Fiume and Naples until she went back to the original Atlantic route from 10 May 1910. As of November 11, 1910, the Saxonia again drove from New York to Trieste, from 30 September 1911 by Liverpool over Queenstown to New York and on 20 March 1912 to 8 July 1914, she served with the Ivernia the route Trieste - Fiume -Patras -Messina - Naples -Lisbon New York.

On 29 August 1914, the Saxonia from Liverpool traveled to New York and from there to Quebec, where it was converted for the Canadian government in a troop transport. From 1914 to 1915 she also served in London to house prisoners of war. Between May 1915, and in October 1916 she went back in passenger traffic from Liverpool to New York, until it again commuted in 1917 as troop transports and supply ships between Liverpool and New York. On 1 March 1917, she returned for three sailing from London to New York in the passenger traffic in 1917 and served from September the route Liverpool - New York. On December 14, 1918, she put in London for their first ride from after the war. By April 1919, she brought U.S. soldiers from France to the United States.

1920, the passenger accommodation was rebuilt, so now even 472 passengers and 978 passengers First Class Three could be accommodated on board. In addition, the chimney was shortened by 4.5 meters. On October 18, 1924, the Saxonia completed her last journey, she had led from London to Hamburg, Southampton and Cherbourg to New York. In November 1924, the ship was launched in Tilbury. On March 17, 1925, the ship arrived in Hendrik -Ido- Ambacht (Netherlands), where it was scrapped shortly afterwards.