SS Teutonic (1889)

The "SS Teutonic" was a steamship built for the White Star Line in Belfast and was the first armed merchant cruiser.

History

In the late 1880s, competition for the Blue Riband, the award for the fastest Atlantic crossing, was fierce amongst the top steamship lines, and White Star decided to order two ships from Harland and Wolff that would be capable of an average Atlantic crossing speed of convert|20|kn|km/h. Construction of the "Teutonic" and the "Majestic" began in 1887. When "Teutonic" was launched on January 19, 1889, she was the first White Star ship not to have square rigged sails. The ship was completed on the July 25, 1889 and participated in the Spithead Naval Review on August 1, commemorating Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee.

"Teutonic" was built under the British Auxiliary Armed Cruiser Agreement, and was Britain's first armed merchant cruiser, sporting eight 4.7" guns. These were removed after the military reviews, and on August 7, she left on her maiden voyage to New York City, replacing the "SS Baltic" in White Star's lineup. In 1891, "Majestic" brought the Blue Riband to White Star, and in 1891, "Teutonic" took it from her sister with an average crossing speed of convert|20.25|kn|km/h. She later bested her own record with a speed of convert|20.5|kn|km/h, and it was another year before another ship, the "City of Paris" took the honor away, and a White Star ship would never achieve it again.

In 1897, "Teutonic" reassumed her military role for a review commemorating Victoria's 60th anniversary. In 1898, she had a minor collision in New York Harbor with the United States Lines' "Berlin", but neither ship suffered major damage.

During the Boer War in 1900, she served as a troop transport. In 1901, "Teutonic" encountered a tsunami, which washed two lookouts out of the crows nest, but survived. Fortunatly the tsunami hit at night, there were no passengers up on deck.

In 1911, she was transferred to sister company Dominion Line for Canadian service. In 1913, she was now old enough that she didn't attract the top-class passengers, and so was refitted to carry only second and third class travelers. In 1914, with the start of World War I, "Teutonic" became a merchant cruiser once again, being commissioned into the 10th Cruiser Squadron. In 1916, she was refitted with 6" guns, and served as a convoy escort ship during as well as for troop transport.

In October, 1918, the ship had a narrow escape from meeting the same fate as the Titanic when it ran so close to an iceberg 172 miles east of Belle Isle, off Newfoundland coast, that it was prevented from crashing into it only by reversing its engines and putting the helm hard aport. According to the October 29th, 1918 issue of the Chicago Tribune, "the liner passed within twenty feet of the iceberg. The fog was so think that even at that small distance the berg could scarcely be distinguished. It was so close that there was danger that the propeller of the ship would strike it as the vessel went around. The passengers were not aware of their peril until it had been averted. They signed a testimonial to the captain and his officers expressing their gratitude and admiration for the care and skilll displayed by them."

In 1921, she was scrapped at Emden.

References

* [http://www.titanic-whitestarships.com/Teutonic_1889.htm White Star Ships]
* [http://www.greatoceanliners.net/teutonic.html Great Ocean Liners]
* [http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_ship.asp?sh=teuto Detailed record of sailings on Norway Heritage]
* [http://www.titanic-titanic.com/teutonic.shtml Historical overview]