RMS ''Britannia'' was an
ocean liner of the
British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, later known as Cunard Steamship Company. She was launched on Wednesday 5 February 1840, at the yard of Robert Duncan & Company in
Greenock, Scotland. The ship and her sisters, ''Acadia'', ''Caledonia'', and ''Columbia'', were the first ocean liners built by the company.
Description and service
''Britannia'' was a large ship for the period, 207 feet (63 m) long and 34 feet (10.3 m) across the beam, with three masts and a wooden hull.
She had paddle wheels and her coal-powered
two-cylinder
side-lever engine (from
Robert Napier) had a power output of about 740
indicated horsepower with a coal consumption around 38 tons per day.
She was relatively fast for the time: her usual speed was about ,
but she could do better if the winds and currents were favourable. She had a
tonnage, or carrying capacity, of 1,154 tons (by the
Builder's Old Measurement). She was capable of carrying 115 passengers with a crew of 82.
[Lavery, Brian. "SHIP: The Epic Story of Maritime Adventure", p. 209. ''DK Publishing'' 2004.]
On her maiden voyage, starting on 4 July 1840, she made
Halifax, Nova Scotia, from
Liverpool, England, in 12 days and 10 hours, continuing on to
Boston, Massachusetts. The Britannia transported numerous types of cargo alongside its passengers. The cargo included 600 tons of coal; mail due across the Atlantic; livestock for food and milk; and cats to control the rat population. There were 115 first class passengers, with 89 crew members on board.
Her first homeward run from Halifax to Liverpool was made in just under 10 days at an average speed of about , setting a new
eastbound record which lasted until 1842.
She was joined by her sister ship ''Acadia'' in August 1840, by ''Caledonia'' in October 1840 and by ''Columbia'' in January 1841, each constructed by a different shipbuilder.
All four ships could carry 115 passengers and 225 tons of cargo. The dining saloon was a long deck-house placed on the upper deck and there was also a 'ladies only' saloon. The fare to Halifax was 35
guineas (2,964 GPB in 2015)
which included wines and spirits as well as food.
[Bernard Dumpleton, "The Story of the Paddle Steamer", 1973, The Uffington Press, ]
In January 1842
Charles Dickens and his wife travelled to the United States on ''Britannia''. The weather was bad, he was seasick for most of the voyage and returned home on a sailing ship.
[MaritimeQuest- SS Britannia/Barbarossa](_blank)
Retrieved 1 June 2014.[Dickens, Charles (1850)]
Chapters 1, 2 and 16. Project Gutenberg. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
As ''Barbarossa'' in German service
In March 1849 she was sold by Cunard to the
revolutionary German Empire Navy and was renamed SMS ''Barbarossa''. She had nine guns fitted, and was the flagship of the
Reichsflotte under
Karl Rudolf Brommy in the
Battle of Heligoland. In June 1852 she was transferred to the
Prussian Navy and used as a barracks ship at
Danzig. In May 1880 she was decommissioned from the Prussian Navy and in July 1880 she was sunk as a
target ship.
Film depiction of RMS ''Britannia''
The funding and first crossing of ''Britannia'' were key plot elements in a
Warner Brothers film released in 1941 as ''
Atlantic Ferry'' in the U.K., and ''Sons of the Sea'' in the U.S.
References
External links
*
''Britannia'' on thegreatoceanliners.com* SMS ''Barbarossa'' http://www.janmaat.de/m_dfbarbarossa.htm
* ''Britannia'' on Chris' Cunard Page https://www.chriscunard.com/history-fleet/cunard-fleet/1840-1900/britannia/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Britannia, RMS
Category:Ships of the Cunard Line
Category:Victorian-era passenger ships of the United Kingdom
Category:Victorian-era merchant ships of the United Kingdom
Category:Steamships of the United Kingdom
Category:Paddle steamers of the United Kingdom
Category:Ships built on the River Clyde
Category:1840 ships
Category:Ships of the Prussian Navy
Category:Maritime incidents in 1880