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Post by Paul Daley on Apr 6, 2005 8:52:06 GMT -5
A quick look at the history of the line:
1850: Found in Liverpool, specialized on trade with australian gold mines. 1867: Thomas Henry Ismay buys the line. 1869: The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company is found to establish the White Star Line in transatlantic service. 1891: The "Tuetonic" wins the Blue Ribbon of the Atlantic. 1899: Maiden voyage of the "Oceanic", the largest ship of the world in 1899. 1901: Maiden voyage of the "Celtic" und "Cedric", who are even larger than the "Oceanic". 1902: The american International Mercantile Marine Company IMM buys the line. 1907: Decision to build three ships of the Olympic-class: "Olympic", "Titanic" und "Gigantic". 1908: July 31st: These ships are ordered at Harland & Wolff in Belfast. 1908: December 16th: Beginning of the construction of the "Olympic". 1909: March 31st: Beginning of the construction of the "Titanic". 1911: May 31st: Launching of the "Titanic", the largest and most luxurious ship of the world in 1912. 1912: April 10th: Maiden voyage of the "Titanic" from Southampton to New York via Cherbourg and Queenstown (Cork). 1912: April 14th: At 11.40pm the "Titanic" collides with an iceberg. 1912: April 15th: At 2.20am the "Titanic" sinks and more than 1500 people die. 1914: Launching of the "Britannic", which should have the name "Gigantic". 1915: The "Britannic" gets a hospital ship. 1916: The "Britannic" collides with a mine. 30 people die, the ship sinks in one hour. 1935: The White Star Line and the Cunard Line combine. Name of the new company: Cunard White Star.
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Post by Xtapolapocet on Apr 6, 2005 12:50:56 GMT -5
"THE WHITE STAR LINE WAS FORMED BY JOHN PILINGTON AND HENRY WILSON IN 1845.THE COMPANY ORIGINALLY CONCENTRATED ON THE AUSTRALIAN GOLD MINING TRADE.THE EARLY WHITE STAR LINE VESSEL'S WERE THE BLUE JACKET ( LATER TO BECOME THE WHITE STAR ) THE RED JACKET AND THE ELLEN.JOHN PILINGTON LEFT THE COMPANY AND WAS REPLACED BY JOHN CHAMBERS IN 1861. THE WHITE STAR LINE MERGED WITH THE BLACKBALL AND EAGLES LINE IN 1863 IN AN ATTEMPT TO EXPAND AND TO INCREASE ITS PROFITABILITY.THIS COMPANY WAS KNOWN AS THE " LIVERPOOL MELBOURNE AND ORIENTAL STEAMSHIP COMPANY ".THINGS DID NOT GO WELL.THE COMPANIES NEW VESSEL " SIRIUS " WAS BEING BUILT, BUT HAD TO BE SOLD BEFORE IT ENTERED SERVICE.JOHN CHAMBERS WAS REPLACED BY JOHN CUNNINGHAM IN 1865 AS PART OF A MANAGEMENT RE-SHUFFLE. IN AN ATTEMPT TO SAVE ITSELF THE WHITE STAR LINE SPLIT FROM THE NEWLY FORMED " LIVERPOOL MELBOURNE AND ORIENTAL STEAMSHIP COMPANY ".THE COMPANIES VESSEL ROYAL STANDARD WAS PUT ON THE LIVERPOOL TO NEW YORK RUN,SHE WAS SLOW AND CUMBERSOME, WHICH DIDN'T HELP THE COMPANIES FINANCIAL SITUATION ( ALTHOUGH A STEAMSHIP SHE WAS REGULARLY OVERTAKEN BY SAIL SHIPS ) IN 1867 WHITE STAR FACED BANKRUPTCY AND WAS PUT UP FOR SALE. THOMAS ISMAY IN 1868 , SIR EDWARD HARLAND ( HARLAND AND WOLFF, BELFAST SHIPBUILDERS ) AND THOMAS ISMAY, BUSINESSMAN BECAME PARTNERS AND PURCHASED THE WHITE STAR LINE AS AN INVESTMENT.THEIR IDEA WAS TO BUILD FASTER MORE DURABLE VESSEL'S ( I.E IRON SHIPS AS OPPOSED TO ONE'S MADE OF TIMBER ) ONE OF THE AGREEMENTS BETWEEN THE WHITE STAR LINE AND HARLAND AND WOLFF BEING THAT HARLAND AND WOLFF WOULD BUILD ALL FUTURE WHITE STAR VESSELS, ALSO THAT HARLAND AND WOLFF WOULD NOT BUILD SHIPS FOR ANY OF WHITE STAR LINES COMPETITORS,AND AT THE SAME TIME WHITE STAR WOULD NOT PLACE ANY ORDERS FOR SHIPS WITH ANY OF HARLAND AND WOLFF'S COMPETITOR SHIP YARDS. IN 1870 THE WHITE STAR LINE VESSEL " OCEANIC " WAS LAUNCHED AND PUT INTO SERVICE A YEAR LATER.SHORTLY AFTERWARD CAME THE REST OF THE ORIGINAL" BIG FOUR " ATLANTIC,BALTIC AND REPUBLIC.IN 1873 WHITE STAR SUFFERED ITS FIRST SETBACK, THE ATLANTIC RAN AGROUND NEAR HALIFAX,NOVA SCOTIA RESULTING IN THE LOST OF NEARLY 600 PASSENGERS.THE SHIPS MASTER WAS FOUND NEGLIGENT IN HIS DUTY AT THE INQUIRY AND HIS MASTERS CERTIFICATE WAS SUSPENDED FOR TWO YEARS. WHEN THOMAS ISMAY DIED IN 1899 HIS SON JOHN BRUCE ISMAY TOOK OVER THE WHITE STAR LINE. THIS PROMPTED A NEW PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN BRUCE ISMAY AND LORD PIRRIE OF HARLAND AND WOLFF ( SIR EDWARD HAVING DIED IN 1895, AND WAS REPLACED BY LORD PIRRIE ) BY THE EARLY 1900'S COMPETITION WAS FIERCE BETWEEN THE SHIPPING COMPANIES, WHICH WAS DOING NO ONE ANY GOOD.AN AMERICAN, MILLIONAIRE, JOHN PIERPOINT MORGAN, DECIDED TO TRY AND CASH IN ON THE SITUATION AND TO BUY ALL THE RIVAL SHIPPING COMPANIES AND RUN THEM TOGETHER WITH A FIXED SHIPPING PRICE.THUS THE INTERNATIONAL MERCANTILE MARINE, OR IMM WAS FORMED. THE BRITISH SHIPPING COMPANIES WERE NOT AMUSED, AND CONSIDERED IT A THREAT TO THEIR LIVELIHOOD WHICH PROMPTED THE CUNARD LINE TO DO SOMETHING, AND FAST. THE RESULT WAS THE LUSITANIA AND THE MAURITANIA.WITH THESE TWO CUNARD LINERS OPERATING ON THE NORTH ATLANTIC ROUTE THE WHITE STAR LINE DECIDED TO ACCEPT THE OFFER FROM JOHN PIERPOINT MORGAN AND BECOME PART OF THE IMM.ONE AGREEMENT THAT MORGAN HAD WITH THE BRITISH ADMIRALTY WAS THAT IN TIME OF WAR THE WHITE STAR LINE SHIPS COULD BE REQUISITIONED BY THE ADMIRALTY.WHICH WAS A BIT OF FORWARD THINKING ON THE NAVY'S PART, AS GREAT BRITAIN WAS LOOKING AT THE POSSIBILITY OF WAR WITH GERMANY SHORTLY. BRUCE ISMAY WOULD REMAIN AS WHITE STAR LINE'S CHAIRMAN AND MANAGING DIRECTOR.LORD PIRRIE ( HARLAND AND WOLFF ) WAS HAPPY WITH THIS ARRANGEMENT AS HIS FIRM WOULD NOW BUILD ALL VESSELS THAT CAME UNDER THE IMM.THE ONLY PROBLEM LEFT NOW WAS THE COMPETITION FROM CUNARD LINE AND FROM SOME OF THE GERMAN LINES, THAT WERE BUILDING SOME VERY LARGE VESSELS AT THE TIME.THE ANSWER WAS TO BUILD SOME EVEN BIGGER , IF SOMEWHAT SLOWER VESSELS.THE " OLYMPIC CLASS LINER ". THE FIRST TO BE BUILT WAS THE OLYMPIC FOLLOWED BY THE TITANIC AND FINALLY THE GIGANTIC ( SHE WAS LAID DOWN UNDER THIS NAME, BUT LAUNCHED AS THE BRITANNIC WHICH WAS CONSIDERED A MORE SUITABLE AND PATRIOTIC NAME AFTER THE TITANIC DISASTER.THE IMAGE TO THE LEFT SHOWS THE TITANIC'S DESIGNER THOMAS ANDREWS. DURING THE WAR YEARS MOST OF WHITE STAR'S VESSELS WERE TIED UP WITH THE ADMIRALTY ( THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE NAVY AND JOHN PIERPOINT MORGAN'S IMM ).IN 1927 ALL WHITE STAR LINE VESSELS WERE BACK UNDER THEIR CONTROL, AND IT WAS BUSINESS AS USUAL.IN 1936 WHITE STAR WAS TAKEN OVER BY HER OLD RIVAL THE CUNARD STEAM SHIP COMPANY.THE COMPANY WAS NOW KNOWN AS THE CUNARD - WHITE STAR STEAMSHIP COMPANY.IN 1957 THE WHITE STAR PART OF THE NAME WAS DROPPED AND THE COMPANY RETURNED TO ITS ORIGINAL NAME OF CUNARD STEAMSHIP COMPANY.THE WHITE STAR LINE HAD OPERATED BETWEEN 1845 AND 1936 AND HAD APPROXIMATELY 120 SHIPS UNDER HER CONTROL.NOT ALL BEING BUILT FOR WHITE STAR, OR FOR THAT MATTER OWNED BY HER, SOME BEING CHARTERED, MANAGED OR HAD BEEN OBTAINED FROM GERMANY AS WAR COMPENSATION OR JUST PURCHASED FROM OTHER COMPANIES." (Source: www.shawsavillships.co.uk/history.htm) Interesting article on the history of White Star Line.
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Post by Brittanic on Apr 16, 2005 17:05:45 GMT -5
does it exist anymore?
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Post by Xtapolapocet on Apr 20, 2005 15:29:39 GMT -5
Not to my knowledge.
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Post by Brittanic on Apr 20, 2005 15:32:05 GMT -5
That's sad.Such a big company to.
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Post by Paul Daley on Apr 20, 2005 16:04:03 GMT -5
it does still exist, although the locations have changed I think. harland and Wolff are still in business. I will post more info on this soon as i can
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Post by Xtapolapocet on Apr 20, 2005 16:07:30 GMT -5
That's sad.Such a big company to. Examining their history, it isn't surprising they folded up shop.
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Post by Brittanic on Apr 20, 2005 16:17:48 GMT -5
true.THey wouldn't want anything to do with the Titanic at all!!!
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Post by tomdyer on May 17, 2005 16:56:08 GMT -5
The White Star Line operated until 1934 when they agreed to merge with the Cunard line so that the British government would give Cunard/Cunard White Star the money needed to complete the Queen Mary.
The Cunard line was at the top of the merger so the White Star offices in Liverpool were closed and the company was run from the Cunard offices.
After the merger many of the White Star ships were sold off including Olympic in 1935 (by 1937 only 3 remained).
The last White Star shares were purchased in 1949 and the White Star part of the name Cunard White Star was removed.
The last White Star ship in service for Cunard was the MV Britannic (3) which was sold for scrap in 1960.
The Cunard line is still in business today and is the owners of the largest passenger ship in the world, the Queen Mary 2.
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