| RMS Umbria | |
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| Career |  |
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| Nationality | British |
| Owner: | British & North American Royal Mail Packet Company (Cunard Line) |
| Ordered: | 1883 |
| Builder: | Messrs John Elder & Co. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Cunard Line is a British shipping company operator of the Ocean liners RMS ''Queen Elizabeth 2'' ( QE2) RMS ''Queen Mary 2'' ( Year 1883 ( MDCCCLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common , Glasgow |
| Launched: | June 25, 1884 |
| Maiden voyage: | November 1, 1884 |
| Fate: | Scrapped |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 7,718 gross tons |
| Length: | 158. Events 524 - Battle of Vézeronce, the Franks defeat the Burgundians Year 1884 ( MDCCCLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Year 1884 ( MDCCCLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year 2 m (519 ft) |
| Beam: | 17. 43 m (57. 2 ft) |
| Propulsion: | 9 double-ended boilers 6, three-crank compound engines turning single screw, Consuming 320 tons of coal per day |
| Speed: | 19 knots (35 km/h) |
| Complement: | 1885-1892: 550 First Class, 800 Second Class 1892-1909: 500 First Class, 160 Second Class, 800 Third Class |
RMS Umbria and her sister ship RMS Etruria were the last two Cunarders that were fitted with auxiliary Sails. Service on the Atlantic RMS Etruria was to start her regular service to New York from Liverpool, but the clouds of crises were looming and by the Cunard Line is a British shipping company operator of the Ocean liners RMS ''Queen Elizabeth 2'' ( QE2) RMS ''Queen Mary 2'' ( RMS Umbria was built by John Elder & Co of Glasgow, Scotland in 1884. Glasgow (ˈglæzgoʊ is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. The “Umbria” and her sister “Etruria” by the standards of the time were record breakers. They were the largest liners then in service and they plied the Liverpool to New York Service. Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary RMS Umbria was launched by the Honourable Mrs Hope on Wednesday 25 June 1884 with wide coverage by the press. Events 524 - Battle of Vézeronce, the Franks defeat the Burgundians Year 1884 ( MDCCCLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year 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. A funnel is a pipe with a wide often conical mouth and a narrow stem She also had three large steel masts which when fully rigged had an extensive spread of canvas. Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric used for making Sails Tents Marquees Backpacks and other functions Another innovation on “Umbria” was that she was equipped with refrigeration machinery, but it was the single screw population that would bring the most publicity later in her career. Refrigeration is the process of removing Heat from an enclosed space or from a substance and moving it to a place where it is unobjectionable The ship epitomized the luxuries of Victorian style. Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities The public rooms in the 1st class were full of ornately carved furniture and heavy velvet curtains hung in all the rooms and they were decorated with bric-a-brac that period fashion dictated. The term bric-à-brac (origin French was first used in the Victorian era. These rooms and the 1st class cabins were situated on the promenade, upper, saloon and main decks. There was also a music room, smoke 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 the 1st of November 1884 she set of to New York on her maiden voyage. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous She was commanded by Captain Theodore Cook. He was Cunard’s senior captain, having served his apprenticeship in the days of square-rigged sailing ships.
Contents |
Liverpool to New York service
RMS Umbria started her regular service to New York from Liverpool but the clouds of crises were looming and by the New Year of 1885 a crises involving Russia's threat to invade Afghanistan was coming to a head. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, This was to bring “Umbria’s” North Atlantic service to a halt temporarily. On 26 March “Umbria and her sister RMS Etruria found themselves charted to the Admiralty. Events 1026 - Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor. Service on the Atlantic RMS Etruria was to start her regular service to New York from Liverpool, but the clouds of crises were looming and by the Shortly after this date the dispute with Russia was settled and RMS Etruria was returned to the North Atlantic service, but not the “Umbria”. she was retained for a further six months as a precaution. She had been fitted with 5 inch guns and it was thought that should the need arise she would have been a powerful auxiliary to the new ironclad Navy of the era. An ironclad was a steam-propelled Warship of the later 19th century protected by Iron or Steel armor plates In September 1885 Umbria was released from government service and resumed the Atlantic service. Umbria is one of the 20 Regions of Italy. The capital is Perugia. For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. She worked away for the next few years with out any major incident.
| PRICES OF PASSAGE ABOARD R. M. S. UMBRIA, MAY 1895 | ||||||||||
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| From Pier 40, North River, foot of Clarkson Street, City of New York | ||||||||||
| Every Saturday, New York-Queenstown-Liverpool | ||||||||||
| 1st Class | 1st Class | 1st Class | 1st Class Return | 1st Class Return | 1st Class Return | 2nd Class Cabin | 2nd Class Cabin | 2nd Class Cabin Return | 2nd Class Cabin Return | Under 1 Year old |
| $75 | $90 | $175 | $125 | $150 | $315 | $40 | $45 | $75 | $85 | Free outward |
The Blue Riband
In 1887 RMS Umbria gained the prestigious “Blue Riband” when on 29 May beating her sister ship's record of the year before. For use of the related term "Blue Ribbon" see Blue ribbon (disambiguation. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian defeats the Sassanid army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the she set off from Queenstown (Cobh) to cross the North Atlantic, westbound. Cobh (pronounced /koːv/ "cove" An Cóbh is a sheltered seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh (pronounced /koːv/ "cove" An Cóbh is a sheltered seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. She got across to Sandy Hook on 4 April, in 6 days 4 hours and 12 minutes, averaging a speed of 19. Sandy Hook is a barrier peninsula, approximately 97 kilometers (between 6 and 7 miles in length and 800 meters (0 Events 1581 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I. 22 knots and covering a distance of 2848 nautical miles. Her sister RMS Etruria regained the blue riband the following year. Service on the Atlantic RMS Etruria was to start her regular service to New York from Liverpool, but the clouds of crises were looming and by the On 10 November 1888 RMS Umbria was outward bound from New York when she collided with and sank trading steamer SS “Iberia” of the Fabre Line, near Sandy Hook The stern part of the “Iberia” was completely cut off. Events 1444 - Battle of Varna: The crusading forces of King Vladislaus III of Varna (aka Ulaszlo I of Hungary and Wladyslaw Year 1888 ( MDCCCLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a The blame for this accident was placed upon the RMS Umbria, who it was said was travelling at a dangerous speed which was said to be 17 knots per hour
| Records of RMS Umbria & RMS Etruria | |||||||
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| The Blue Riband of the North Atlantic | |||||||
| Westbound | |||||||
| Steamer | Date | Line | From | To | Nautical Miles | Days/Hours/Minutes | Knots |
| RMS Etruria | 1885 (16/8- 22/8) | Cunard | Queenstown]] | Sandy Hook | 2801 | 6/5/31 | 18. 73 |
| RMS Umbria | 1887 (29/5-4/6) | Cunard | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2848 | 6/4/12 | 19. 22 |
| RMS Etruria | 1888 (27/5-2/6) | Cunard | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2854 | 6/1/55 | 19. 56 |
Trouble at sea
On 12 April 1890 the RMS Umbria set of on her usual voyage from New York with 655 passengers aboard. Events 467 - Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 1890 ( MDCCCXC) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Five days out, in the Mid-Atlantic she came across the stricken Norwegian barque “Magdalena”(see Link below). A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel History of the term The word barc appears to have come from Celtic languages She had struck an iceberg and was waterlogged. An iceberg is a large piece of freshwater Ice that has broken off from a snow-formed Glacier or Ice shelf and is floating in open water Captain Gunderson and his crew of eight were very luck to have been spotted by the “Umbria”, who rescued them after Gunderson had finished the “Magdalena” off by setting fire to her. Four days later all were landed safely back at Liverpool. Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary The rest of that decade the RMS Umbria ran the Atlantic service trouble free but at the start of the 1890s would not be so uneventful. On 17 December 1892, RMS Umbria left Liverpool with, after stopping at Queenstown (Cobh), Ireland, 400 passengers aboard along with large amount of mail. Events 546 - Gothic War (535–554: The Ostrogoths of King Totila Year 1892 ( MDCCCXCII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Cobh (pronounced /koːv/ "cove" An Cóbh is a sheltered seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh (pronounced /koːv/ "cove" An Cóbh is a sheltered seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world She was due to arrive in New York on Christmas Day. By the 28th of December she still had not arrived and speculation in to what had delayed her was growing. News came on 29 December from the steamship “Galileo” who had passed her on Christmas Day. Events 1170 - Thomas Becket: Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of King Henry II She appeared disabled. The master of the “Galileo” also reported that she displayed three red lights, indicating that she was un-manageable, but did not require assistance. The weather was said to be foul with a severe north-westerly gale. Another steamer called the “Monrovian” had also passed her but reported the Umbria to be in good shape. On 30 December the steamship “Manhanset” reported that again the RMS Umbria did not require assistance and that she was carrying out repairs to a broken shaft. Events 1460 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield. 1816 - The Treaty of St In fact the “Umbria’s” troubles had started on Friday 23 December at around 5. Events 962 - Byzantine-Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops stormed the city 25 pm. Her propeller shaft had fractured at the thrust block. Her main engines were stopped immediately and the Umbria drifted helplessly in gale force winds and a heavy sea. The chief Engineer worked relentlessly with his staff to make repairs to the shaft. Later that day at 8. 15 pm the steamship “Bohemia” had agreed to tow the ship to New York, but the line broke around 10 pm in the severe storm and visibility was nil. A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving a Propeller Next morning there was no sign of the “Bohemia” and once again the Umbria was drifting helplessly. Then came the encounters with the other two steamers but by the 26th the Cunarder “Gallia” and the “umbria” had established contact with each other and after some communications between masters, the Gallia had refused to stand-by and carried on her Voyage, the Umbria was left to make repairs. The chief engineer achieved this on the 27th of December and very slowly she set of for New York. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous She arrived there at 11 pm on Saturday 31 December 1892 and her arrival was witnessed by thousands of New Yorkers who had gathered to cheer her safe arrival. Events 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. Year 1892 ( MDCCCXCII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year When the excitement had died down the recriminations started which ended when Cunard prepared a statement explaining why the “Gallia” had continued on with out assisting the Umbria. Further repairs were carried out on the Umbria and she returned to Liverpool on 4 February 1893. Events 211 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus dies leaving the Roman Empire in the hands of his two quarrelsome sons Year 1893 ( MDCCCXCIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common By 1 April she was back on the service. Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne
Stuck
In May 1896 the British steamship “Vedra” collided with, and sunk the coal laden barge “Andrew Jackson”. this incident had no connection with the RMS Umbria, but she would become involved in an incident as a consequence of this collision. At 9 am on Saturday 28 June 1896 the “Umbria” left her pier at the foot of Clarkson Street on the North river. Events 1098 - Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul. Year 1896 ( MDCCCXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year After one hour she was in the ship channel near the turn into Gedney Channel, two miles from Sandy Hook. Sandy Hook is a barrier peninsula, approximately 97 kilometers (between 6 and 7 miles in length and 800 meters (0 It was here that Umbria struck the sunken hulk and was stuck fast. All day she remained stuck until the combination of a flood tide and the service of seven tugs managed to pull her free of the wreck, to the cheers of the Yale rowing Crew who were aboard “Umbria” on there way to take part in the Henley Regatta. GB coxless pair of Toby Garbett & Rick Dunn at Henley Royal Regatta 2004 Henley Royal Regatta is a rowing event held every year on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. She dropped anchor and divers reported no damage to the ship and she continued on her voyage.
The Boer War
War broke out in South Africa on 12 October 1899, and two months later on the 22nd of December RMS Umbria was charted by the government and was prepared to carry troops and armaments to South Africa. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa Events 539 BC - The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon. Year 1899 ( MDCCCXCIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common She set sail on 11 January 1900 on her first voyage in her new role. Events 1055 - Theodora is crowned Empress of the Byzantine Empire. Year 1900 ( MCM) was an exceptional Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar On board were troops of the Warwickshire, Derbyshire and Durham Militia. Geography Warwickshire is bounded to the northwest by the West Midlands Metropolitan county and Staffordshire, by Leicestershire to History The area that is now Derbyshire was first visited probably briefly by humans 200000 years ago during the Aveley Interglacial as evidenced by a Middle Durham (ˈdʌrəm in RP, locally ˈdʏrəm is a small city and main settlement of the City of Durham district of County Durham, England The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary Citizens to provide defense emergency law enforcement or Paramilitary service They arrived in Cape Town on 29 January and after calls at Port Elizabeth and other ports she returned to Southampton with wounded troops. Cape Town (Kaapstad Xhosa: Ikapa) is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the Events 904 - Sergius III comes out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed Antipope Christopher. Southampton ( IPA /ˌsaʊθˈhæmptən/ is the largest city in the county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England In April she again was back in South Africa and during the relief of Mafeking she was in Port Natal (now Durban) for the celebrations. Durban (eThekwini is the third most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the EThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban (eThekwini is the third most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the EThekwini metropolitan municipality. She left Cape Town for the last time on the 7 June, carrying 600 wounded soldiers. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins She arrived back at Southampton 19 days later on the 26th of June and she was then returned to Cunard to resume her normal role. Southampton ( IPA /ˌsaʊθˈhæmptən/ is the largest city in the county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England Cunard may refer to Nancy Cunard (1896–1965 English writer editor and publisher Samuel Cunard (1787–1865 British shipping She was given a complete refit and returned on the New York run on 21 July. Events 356 BC - Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World
Mafia bomb plot of 1903
Both the RMS Umbria and her sister ship “RMS Etruria” returned to the Liverpool to New York service. Service on the Atlantic RMS Etruria was to start her regular service to New York from Liverpool, but the clouds of crises were looming and by the In 1903 RMS Umbria hit the headlines again. On 9 May, the New York police department received a letter that explained that a Bomb had been loaded aboard the RMS Umbria. Events 1457 BC - Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC between Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Police are agents or agencies usually of the executive, empowered to enforce the law and to effect public and social order through the legitimatized use of force A bomb is any of a range of devices that typically rely on the Exothermic Chemical reaction of an Explosive material to produce an extremely The letter went on to say that the bomb had been intended for the White Star Line’s RMS Oceanic, but the bombers had changed their mind because there were a large number of women and children aboard that ship. At noon that day the Umbria was still at her berth and she was due to sail. Immediately the police sealed of the pier head and told the captain to delay the sailing. A pier is a raised Walkway over water supported by widely spread Piles or pillars. The police searched the ship and found the bomb. It was in a box 3 feet long by 2 feet wide and had been placed close to the 1st class gangway. One of the police officers tied a rope around the box and lowered it in to the sea. When the box was lifted back up and opened . it was found to have 100lb of dynamite attached to a crude timed fuse. Dynamite is an explosive based on the explosive potential of Nitroglycerin, initially using Diatomaceous earth (kieselgur US Spelling kieselguhr If the bomb had been loaded on to the ship and had exploded it would have caused considerable damage to the ship. The letter that the police had received also explained that the bomb plot was the work of the Mafia, who’s aim was to destroy the British shipping interest in the port of New York. The Mafia (also known as Cosa Nostra) is a Sicilian Criminal Secret society which is believed to have first developed in the mid-19th century To corobarate this information the police had descriptions of two “Italian” men placing the bomb on the pier and the police eventually traced the manufacturer of the bomb back to a Chicago Lodging house. The' Italian people' are a Southern European Ethnic group located primarily in Italy, Switzerland, France and by virtue of a wide-ranging Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Happily the ship eventually got under way to Liverpool on 16 May. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire.
Last voyage
By 1908 the careers of the two sisters “Umbria” and “Etruria” was coming to an end, however because of mishaps to, first RMS Etruria and then to Umbria’s replacements RMS Campania and RMS Lucania who were temporarily laid up, RMS Umbria had a reprieve until 1910. Power plant and construction Campania and Lucania were partly financed by the British Admiralty. Power Plant and Construction and Lucania were partly financed by the British Admirality. Her last voyage started on 12 February 1910 and her return crossing stared on 23 February. Events 1429 - English Forces under Sir John Fastolf defend a supply convoy carrying rations to the army besieging Orleans from attack by the Year 1910 ( MCMX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Events 1455 - Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western Book printed from Movable She arrived in the Mersey for the last time on Friday 4 March 1910 and as soon as her passengers had disembarked, work began on dismantling all her fixtures and fittings. Events 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title Princeps iuventutis (head of the youth Year 1910 ( MCMX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Within days she was sold for scrap for £20,000 to the Forth Shipbreaking Company and she was taken to Bo'ness, Scotland. Ship breaking or ship demolition is a type of Recycling involving the breaking up of Ships for Scrap. Bo'ness, properly Borrowstounness, is a town in the Falkirk Council area of Scotland, lying on a hillside on the south bank of the Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. There is no doubt that RMS Umbria and her sister were considered, in their day, to be giants of the North Atlantic. In all she made 145 round trips to New York.
External links
| Records | ||
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| Preceded by Etruria |
Holder of the Blue Riband (Westbound) 1887 – 1888 |
Succeeded by Etruria |
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