SS Oregon (1883)
The Oregon was a 1883 put into operation in ocean liner of the British shipping company Guion Line, which was bought in 1884 by the Cunard Line and in the March 1886 sank after a ship collision off Long Iceland. The Oregon was one of the fastest ships of her time and was 1884/85 the owner of the coveted Blue Ribbon.
The ship
The Oregon was built in 1883 for the shipping company Guion Line, based in Liverpool. It should serve as a complement of the two vessels Arizona and Alaska in the weekly passenger services from Liverpool to New York. The Arizona and Alaska were the only express liners of the Guion Line, otherwise only older and much slower ships were used on the route. Guion ordered then at the shipyard John Elder & Company in Govan in Glasgow Oregon that would compete with the established by the Alaska records. As usual for Guion, the ship was named after a state of the United States.
The 7375 -ton steamship Oregon was 158.8 meters long and 16.5 meters wide. The construction of the ship cost 1,250,000 pounds sterling (after damaligem monetary value ). The Oregon was a two -funnel ship with four masts and a single propeller made from crucible cast steel, the blade had a diameter of 7.3 meters. She had five decks. The hull was divided by nine in ten bulkhead watertight compartments. The steamer was powered by a three-cylinder compound steam engine with reverse triple expansion, which were flanked by a high-pressure cylinder and two low-pressure cylinders, 12,000 hp rendered and a speed of 18.5 knots ( 34.3 km / h ) enabled. The machines of Alaska contributed compared only 8300 PSi. The steam was produced in nine coal-fired boilers Double Ender brand of Fox. The daily coal consumption was 300 tons, which was 50 tons more than in Alaska and 165 tonnes more than in Arizona.
The vessel was 6.5% greater than four feet and wider than the Alaska, however, had the same length. In this way, the vibration problem should be solved, which had occurred in Alaska and Arizona. The Oregon was originally intended to be built of steel, but at the time steel was very expensive and difficult to obtain. Until then, always iron had been used for steam ships, so it was decided that the Oregon is still to build on the proven way. Steel structures sat down a short time later by. The Oregon was the last record-breaking iron steamship.
The Oregon could accommodate 340 first-class passengers, 92 second class and 1,100 third class. The term Third Class (Third Class ) was compared to the usual designation Steerage ( steerage ) is preferred and the hitherto widespread dormitories for travelers of the 'tween decks were replaced with separate cabins. Thus, the Oregon was a very advanced ship that was equipped with electric lights of the Edison Electric Light Company. The comfortable cabins of the first class were described as spacious, bright and well ventilated. Special attention was paid to the paneled with panels of polished satinwood large salon on the upper deck, which was almost 20 meters long and 16 meters wide. The white and gold decorated ceiling was almost three meters high and was topped by a dome whose tip was located seven feet above the floor. There was also a writing salon on the promenade deck and one with Spanish mahogany paneled and fitted with a mosaic floor, smoking room. Large parts of the wood that was used for the paneling, came from Oregon.
Office hours
The Oregon expired on June 23, 1883 by John Elder & Company in Govan from the stack and completed her sea trials on September 18, 1883 successfully. On October 7, 1883 in Liverpool they put under the command of Captain James Price on her maiden voyage to New York from where she arrived on 14 October. On April 5, 1884, the ship won the Blue Riband, as it (31,7 km / h) covered the route from New York to Queenstown in seven days, two hours and 18 minutes at an average speed of 17.12 knots. On the way back to New York the Oregon also won the Blue Riband for the fastest route to the west, as it the Atlantic to six days, ten hours and ten minutes at an average speed of 18.56 knots (33,3 km / h) crossed.
1884 became the Guion Line because of adverse investment in financial difficulties. As a result, left William H. Guion, brother of the shipping company founder Stephen B. Guion, the company. Guion was not able to pay the installments and gave the Oregon back to the shipyard. At the same time, the RMS Umbria and the RMS Etruria were built for the Cunard Line at John Elder & Company, should the competition, including Guions Oregon gouge. Cunard took the opportunity and bought the Oregon for 616,000 pounds sterling. On May 10, 1884 put the ship on its last voyage for Guion and on June 7, 1884 from his first voyage for Cunard. In August 1884 she beat her own record on the way to the east.
In March 1885, threatened to come to hostilities between Russia and Afghanistan. As a result, 16 line steamers were chartered to turn them work to auxiliary cruisers of the British Admiralty. 13 of these ships were converted, but only two, the Oregon and the Moor ( Year 1881) of the Union Line, were ultimately used by the Royal Navy. Because of their high speed, the Oregon proved to be very useful. The Royal Navy decided that a partial financing of passenger steamers in order to use them in an emergency as an auxiliary cruiser can. On November 14, 1885, the Oregon was back in passenger traffic.
Downfall
After the commissioning of the two new Blue Band record breakers Umbria and Etruria in the years 1884 and 1885, the Oregon was on the route from Liverpool to New York no longer needed. It was planned to lay them on the route Liverpool - Boston. On Saturday, March 6, 1886 by 10 clock put them in Liverpool under the command of Captain Philip Cottier one of its last sailing to New York from, after which they should be used on the Boston route. On board were 186 passengers of the First, Second and 66 of the 395 third class and 205 crew members. On March 7, the Oregon Queenstown ran and then headed to the open Atlantic.
On Sunday, March 14, 1886 at 4:30 clock in the morning the Oregon was only 15 hours away from arriving in New York, when she collided five nautical miles east of Fire Iceland with another ship that sank immediately after the collision. Presumably it was the wooden schooner Charles H. Morse, who was lost on the same day in those waters with all the men on board. It could be clarified beyond doubt, however, never to what ship it was indeed. The wreck of the Charles H. Morse was never found. Passengers of Oregon remembered later the cries of the drowning in the darkness.
The hole that was created by the collision into the side of the Oregon was described as large enough that a coach would have fit through it. An attempt to cover the leak with a leak sail failed. There was no panic; the passengers on board the sinking ship was tea and coffee served and they had enough time to get dressed. Two hours after the collision ordered Captain Cottier abandon ship, but the lifeboats was only room for half of the people on board. The crew then put on light signals which were noticed by the schooner Fannie A. Gorham, the pilot boat phantom and the steamer Fulda of the North German Lloyd. The Fulda took around noon on March 14, passengers and crew of the wrecked ship on.
The purser was able to save a large part of the valuables out of the safe. Captain Cottier tried to put his ship in Iceland Fire on reason, but the boiler rooms were running too fast full and the Oregon fell eight hours after the collision with the bow ahead on position 40 ° 31 'N, 72 ° 50' W40.516666666667 -72.833333333333. For some time after sticking their mastheads from the water. Cunard had divers inspect the wreckage to check whether a rescue would be worthwhile. The hull had been but too badly damaged on impact with the seabed.
The cost, which brought with it the loss totaled after damaligem monetary value to a total of 3.166 million pounds sterling, including £ 1.25 million for the ship, one million pounds for insurance and post office, £ 700,000 for the charge and £ 216,000 for the baggage of passengers. The decks of Oregon are now collapsed, but the machinery still extends about 12 meters above the seabed. The bug, which was probably separated during the crash or during the destruction, lying on its starboard side. The rest of the fuselage is on an even keel with a slight list to starboard. The wreck lies in 38/39 meters.