RMS Umbria

RMS Umbria on Queen Victoria's Birthday in 1896
History
Name:	RMS Umbria
Owner:	Cunard Lines
Operator:	British & North American Royal Mail Packet Company (Cunard Line)
Port of registry:	British
Route:	Liverpool-Queenstown-New York
Ordered:	1883
Builder:	John Elder & Co., Glasgow
Yard number:	285
Launched:	25 June 1884
Christened:	Wednesday 25 June 1884 by the Honourable Mrs Hope
Maiden voyage:	1 November 1884
In service:	1 November 1884
Out of service:	1908
Fate:	Scrapped in 1910
General characteristics
Class and type:	Ocean liner
Tonnage:	7,718 gross tons
Length:	158.2 m (519 ft)
Beam:	17.43 m (57.2 ft)
Decks:	6
Installed power:	9 double-ended boilers consuming 320 tons of coal per day 6 three-crank compound engines
Propulsion:	single propeller
Speed:	19 knots (35 km/h)
Capacity:	1885-1892: 550 First Class 800 Second Class 1892-1909: 500 First Class 160 Second Class 800 Third Class
Crew:	560 Crew members

RMS Umbria and RMS Etruria were the last two Cunarders that were fitted with auxiliary sails. RMS Umbria was built by John Elder & Co. at Glasgow, Scotland in 1884. The Umbria and her running mate Etruria were record breakers. They were the largest liners then in service, and they plied the Liverpool-to-New York City service. RMS Umbria was launched by the Honourable Mrs. Hope on Wednesday 25 June 1884 with wide coverage by the press, the reason being that she was the largest ship afloat, apart from the Great Eastern, but by this time that ship was redundant.

The Umbria had many distinguishing features that included two enormous funnels which gave the outward impression of huge power. She also had three large steel masts which when fully rigged had an extensive spread of canvas. Another innovation on Umbria was that she was equipped with refrigeration machinery, but it was the single-screw propulsion that would bring the most publicity later in her career. The ship epitomized the luxuries of Victorian style. The public rooms in the 1st class were full of ornately carved furniture, heavy velvet curtains hung in all the rooms, and they were decorated with the bric-a-brac that period fashion dictated. These rooms and the 1st class cabins were situated on the promenade, upper, saloon and main decks. There was also a music room, a smoking room for gentleman, separate dining rooms for 1st and 2nd class passengers. By the standard of the day 2nd class accommodation was moderate but spacious and comfortable. By early October 1884 Umbria had completed her sea trials and on 1 November 1884 she set off to New York City on her maiden voyage. She was commanded by Captain Theodore Cook, who was Cunard’s senior captain.

RMS Umbria started her regular service to New York City from Liverpool, but the clouds of crises were looming, and were to bring Umbria's North Atlantic service to a halt temporarily.