SS Majestic (1889)
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom |
|
| Name: | RMS Majestic |
| Namesake: | (Big and impressive) |
| Owner: |
 White Star Line
|
| Operator: | White Star Line |
| Port of registry: | Liverpool, United Kingdom |
| Builder: | Harland and Wolff yards in Belfast |
| Yard number: | 209 |
| Launched: | 29 June 1889 |
| Christened: | not christened |
| Completed: | 22 March 1890 |
| Maiden voyage: | 2 April 1890 |
| Fate: | Scrapped; began on 5 May 1914 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Teutonic class ocean liner |
| Tonnage: | 9,965 gross tons |
| Length: | 582 feet (177.8 m) |
| Beam: | 57.7 feet (17.6 m) |
| Propulsion: | Two triple expansion engines powering two propellers. |
| Speed: | 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) (design service speed) |
| Capacity: |
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RMS Majestic was a steamship built in 1890 for and operated by the White Star Line.
A product of Harland and Wolff, Majestic was launched on 29 June 1889. The ship spent the next nine months being fitted out for delivery to White Star in March, 1890. White Star had sought to fund the construction of both Majestic and Teutonic. Through the British government, a proposal which was accepted, with the stipulation that the Royal Navy would have access to the two liners in a time of war.
On 2 April 1890, Majestic left on her maiden voyage from Liverpool to New York City. There was a strong desire in the White Star management to regain the coveted Blue Riband, the award for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic. The maiden voyage did not produce a time good enough to win the Blue Riband away from City of Paris, but on a west-bound voyage between 30 July and 5 August 1891, she achieved that goal, with an average speed of 20.1 knots. Unfortunately, Majestic held the honour for a mere two weeks, as Teutonic completed a crossing on 19 August with a speed of 20.35 knots (the City of Paris then won it back a year later).
In 1895, Majestic was assigned a new captain named Edward Smith, later notable as the captain of Titanic. Smith served as Majestic's captain for nine years. When the Boer War started in 1899, Smith and Majestic were called upon to transport troops to Cape Colony. Two trips were made to South Africa, one in December, 1899 and one in February, 1900, both without incident. Another Titanic shipmate served under Smith aboard the Majestic; Charles Herbert Lightoller served as a deck officer for Smith. "Lights" - as he was nicknamed was to be the most senior officer of the Titanic to survive the sinking.
In 1902–1903, the ship underwent a refit, which included new boilers (and consequently taller twin funnels), after which she returned to the Liverpool-New York run. Smith left as captain in 1904 to take on the new Baltic, then the largest ship in the world. In 1905, Majestic suffered a fire in her bunker, but the damage was not significant. In 1907, White Star's main terminal was moved from Liverpool to Southampton and, on 26 June, Majestic sailed from these new facilities for the first time.
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