MV Britannic (1929)
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The MV Britannic
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| History | |
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 United Kingdom
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| Name: | Britannic |
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| Builder: | Harland & Wolff |
| Launched: | 6 August 1929 |
| Maiden voyage: | 28 June 1930 |
| Fate: | Scrapped in 1960 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Motor ocean liner |
| Tonnage: | 26,943 gross tons |
| Length: | 217 m (712 ft) |
| Beam: | 25 m (82 ft) |
MV Britannic was a transatlantic ocean liner owned by White Star Line, and was the third company ship to bear the name. Constructed by Harland and Wolff in Belfast, the ship was delivered to White Star Line in 1930 and assigned to the Liverpool-New York line. When White Star Line merged with Cunard Line in 1934, the ship's route changed to the London-New York line, and she later provided winter Mediterranean cruises.
During World War II she was used to transport troops, carrying 173,550 people. Resuming commercial service in 1948 after being overhauled, the ship experienced a number of problems in the 1950s, including two fires. However this diesel-powered ship's career continued until 1960, when she was sold for scrap to Thos W Ward. Britannic was the last ship constructed for White Star Line to remain in service.
In the mid-1920s the International Mercantile Marine Co. (IMM), an American group of shipping companies, announced that it wished to sell its British companies, the most important of which was White Star Line. On 1 January 1927, White Star Line was sold to the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company (RMSPC), making the RMSPC the largest shipping group in the world. At that time the company fleet was ageing rapidly, and Lord Kylsant, chairman of the RMSPC, announced plans to construct new ships.
Two projects then took place simultaneously. The first, which was already vaguely envisioned when White Star Line was still part of the IMM, concerned the construction of a new ship for prompt service of the North Atlantic. This project was never completed. The second project concerned the replacement of the Big Four quartet of ocean liners, the first of which was Britannic. These replacements were designed to be smaller and slower than the Big Four but more luxurious. White Star Line chose a diesel method of propulsion for Britannic, despite previously preferring multiple expansion steam engines, because it required less fuel and was cheaper to operate.
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