RMS Albania (1900)

• Consuelo (1900)
• Cairnrona (1909 )
• Albania (1911 )
• Poleric (1912 )

Registration Number: 110797

The RMS Albania (I ) was a 1900 under the name Consuelo put into service passenger ship that belonged from 1911 the British shipping company Cunard Line, for it opened its new passenger and cargo service between the UK and Canada. But since they did not meet the long term Cunard's ideas, it was in 1912 sold to another shipping company. The ship remained in service until 1929 and was scrapped in 1930.

History

The 6025 -ton steel steamship was built for Thomas Wilson & Sons ( Wilson Line) from Kingston upon Hull. It was launched on February 3, 1900 under the name Consuelo at the shipyard Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson in the northern English town of Wallsend from the stack. The 140.65 meters long and 15.88 meters wide Consuelo was a twin screw steamer with a single chimneys and four masts. It was powered by six-stage steam turbines by T. Richardson & Sons Hartlepool, the (20,4 km / h) allowed a speed of eleven knots. The Consuelo could only carry 13 passengers, First Class. On August 5, 1900, she ran in Hull on her maiden voyage to New York. On March 1, 1908 in Hull put off for their last ride for the Wilson Line to Boston and New York.

1909 Consuelo was sold to the Thomson Line and renamed Cairnrona. From now on, 50 passengers of the Second and the Third Class 800 passengers could be carried. The volume has been extended from 6025 to 7640 GRT GRT. In January 1910, she ran for the Thomson Line from London to Saint John, where she arrived on January 25, 1910 for the first time. In April 1910 broke at Beachy Head off the coast of East Sussex in a coal bunker fire, so that 700 passengers had to be transferred to the cargo steamer Kanawha of Furness, Withy & Co.. While returning to London the fire could be extinguished. On April 16, 1910, the Cairnrona ran again to Quebec and Montreal. On April 8, 1911, she ran for the last time in Saint John to London.

In the year 1911 from the Thomson Line the Cairn Thomson Line, which only in cargo traffic was active from that point on and carried no passengers. The Cunard Line was bought by three ships from the Thomson fleet. From the Consuelo Albania from Tortona (built 1909) and the Ausonia from Gerona (built in 1911) was the Ascania. All three steamers were planned for the new Cunard route London - Southampton - Quebec -Montreal. In this case, the ship was loaded in London, in Southampton the passengers came on board, and after crossing the Atlantic was driven only Quebec and then Montreal. Cunard benefited in this way from an agreement between the governments of Canada and France, due to its for goods from France was incurred a discount if they were imported through a British port to Canada.

On May 2, 1911 laid the Albania as the first of the three ships its first drive for Cunard from. The Ausonia was followed on 16 May and the Ascania on May 23 The Albania was the first ship of the Cunard Line, which drove into the St. Lawrence River, which henceforth became a common practice. If could not be passed in the winter months the St. Lawrence River because of Eisvorkommens, Portland ( Maine ) became a port of call for ships.

Just six months after the purchase of Albania decided Cunard that they are not up to the standard of the shipping company. She was launched on October 17, 1911 for the last time under the Cunard flag in Southampton and was launched after completion of the trip. On 12 June 1912 she was bought for 20,000 pounds sterling from the shipping company Bank Line from London. Under the name Poleric the ship was in service until 1929 and was scrapped in 1930.