RMS Britannia

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 5 February 1840, at the yard of Robert Duncan & Company in Greenock, Scotland. The ship and her ''Britannia''-class 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 passengers, with 82 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
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 confederation 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
Ships of the Cunard Line
Victorian-era passenger ships of the United Kingdom
Victorian-era merchant ships of the United Kingdom
Steamships of the United Kingdom
Paddle steamers of the United Kingdom
Ships built on the River Clyde
1840 ships
Ships of the Prussian Navy
Maritime incidents in July 1880