SS ''Baltic'' was an
ocean liner
An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships).
Ca ...
owned and operated by the
White Star Line
The White Star Line was a British shipping company. Founded out of the remains of a defunct packet company, it gradually rose up to become one of the most prominent shipping lines in the world, providing passenger and cargo services between t ...
. ''Baltic'' was one of the first four ships ordered by White Star from shipbuilders
Harland and Wolff
Harland & Wolff is a British shipbuilding company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It specialises in ship repair, shipbuilding and offshore construction. Harland & Wolff is famous for having built the majority of the ocean liners for the W ...
after
Thomas Ismay
Thomas Henry Ismay (7 January 1837 – 23 November 1899) was the founder of the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, more commonly known as the White Star Line. His son Joseph Bruce Ismay was managing director of the ''White Star Line''; and, in ...
bought the company, and the third of the ships to be delivered.
Name
Originally, the ship was to be named ''Pacific,'' and was launched under this name, but was changed to ''Baltic'' during her fitting out so as to avoid association with the
Collins Line
The Collins Line was the common name for the American shipping company started by Israel Collins and then built up by his son Edward Knight Collins, formally called the New York and Liverpool United States Mail Steamship Company. Under Edward C ...
r of the
same name, which had vanished with all hands in January 1856.
Career
![SS_Baltic_(1871)_(14773373512)_(cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/SS_Baltic_%281871%29_%2814773373512%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
On 17 October 1871, ''Baltic'' ran aground on the Jordan Flats, in
Liverpool Bay
Liverpool Bay is a bay of the Irish Sea between northeast Wales, Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside to the east of the Irish Sea. The bay is a classic example of a region of freshwater influence. Liverpool Bay has historically suffered from redu ...
whilst on a voyage from
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
to
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
. Her passengers were taken off. She was refloated and taken in to
Birkenhead
Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...
,
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
.
On 20 November 1872, ''Baltic'' rescued the crew of ''Assyria.''
On 19 November 1875, ''Baltic'' rescued the crew of the
full-rigged ship
A full-rigged ship or fully rigged ship is a sailing vessel's sail plan with three or more masts, all of them square-rigged. A full-rigged ship is said to have a ship rig or be ship-rigged. Such vessels also have each mast stepped in three se ...
''Oriental'', which had become waterlogged in the Atlantic Ocean.
On 17 August 1880, the steamship ''Longford'' collided with her in the River Mersey and sank.
In 1889, after
RMS ''Teutonic'' entered service, ''Baltic'' was sold to the
Holland America Line
Holland America Line is an American-owned cruise line, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States.
Holland America Line was founded in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and from 1873 to 1989, it operate ...
and renamed ''Veendam''
after the Dutch
city of that name. On 6 February 1898, ''Veendam'' hit a derelict ship and sank, with all on board saved.
References
External links
Info from website "Titanic: Voyage of Discovery"
Ocean liners
Ships built in Belfast
Steamships of the United Kingdom
Ships of the White Star Line
1871 ships
Ships built by Harland and Wolff
Maritime incidents in October 1871
Maritime incidents in 1898
Ships sunk in collisions
Ships sunk with no fatalities
Shipwrecks
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