WHITE STAR GOES TO WAR The first White Star liner to be called up for active service was RMS Oceanic (Yard No. 317). When war was declared on Germany the former White Star flagship was on passage to Southampton. The news was received on board by wireless from the White Star liner Cedric and the Cunarder Mauretania. Captain Harry Smith had already doubled the firemen and trimmers in the boiler rooms, working Oceanic up to 21 knots, now orders were issued that all deck lights were to be extinguished, including the mast head lamp, her port and starboard lamps and deadlights to be put down on portholes. A notice was also posted warning that anyone caught smoking or striking matches on deck, before daylight, would be severely dealt with. Oceanic arrived at Southampton on the afternoon of 8 August with £3.5m (approximately £175m in todays money) in gold, stored in 150 kegs and over a ton of silver ingots on board. She was the first steamer from America to reach a British port since the declaration of war. On docking the Admiralty took control of the vessel and issued orders that no members of the crew were allowed on shore without permission. Four of the ships crew and stewards department were arrested as enemy aliens and sent to Winchester Prison. German and Austrian passengers, mainly travelling in 3rd Class, were also detained by the authorities. The following day (9 August) Oceanic was commissioned as an Armed Merchant Cruiser. Harland & Wolff had built the liner with a specially strengthened deck in places in order to support gun mountings and now over the coming days and weeks they transformed the passenger vessel into a ship of war. Her funnels were quickly, and rather inexpertly, painted with two deep white bands indicating her new status as a flotilla leader. Her new commander was Captain W. F. Slayter, RN. Captain Smith, her former commander, was keep on in an advisory role that later proved to be a disastrous decision by their Lordships at the Admiralty. Discover more at titanicbelfast (Top) Not until the 17,274-ton liner is compared with structures on land is it possible to comprehend the size of Oceanic. Originally conceived as the first in a pair of giants belonging to the Oceanic class, her sister ship Olympic was cancelled after the death of T. H. Ismay; the name instead reserved for a new class of giants tens years later. (Bottom) HMS Oceanic leaving on war patrol from Lerwick in the Shetland Isles. Images courtesy White Star Line Archive
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 11:00:01 +0000
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