WHITE STAR RECORD BREAKER: R.M.S. TEUTONIC

 

Long and  uncluttered, the Teutonic was  one of  the  first  ships to abandon masts  supporting  sails in favor of  short  masts  that  served  merely  as flag  poles. Consequently  her silhouette was meticulously    modern,  and her  power  and  interior  refinements  quite beyond anything the  Emperor  had ever  seen. His  Imperial Highness  spent an hour and a half roaming through the ship's  interior. Then, with  with the casual  covetousness of  a man who  spots a  new  brand  of  cigar and  golf  ball, he was  overheard to  say 'We must have some of  these.'

The  Sway of the  Grand Saloon.

The White Star Teutonic, one of  the most successful  ships ever built for the Atlantic Ferry, and one which had an  exceedingly interesting  career, is an example of  difference that  always exist between sisters.  To all intents and purposes she was an exact sister to the Majestic, built at the same yard at the same time  in order to meet the competition of the new clipper-stemmed Inman liners, and in their  performance there was very little to choose between them, yet with passengers and sailormen alike, the  Teutonic was always a very much more popular ship than  the  Majestic,  and she  had a much longer and profitable  career.

Frank C. Bowen,  Ships and Ship Models, March  1933. 

Supreme among  their famous 10  to  1 length-to-beam liners, fine in form and fleet in speed, Belfast-built by Sir  Edward Harland  and designed  by  Alexander Carlisle, to capture  the cream of  the trans-Atlantic trade of The  Gilded Age, R.M.S. Teutonic of 1889 ushered in the heyday of  The White Star Line.   Famous at her introduction as  the  first purpose-built liner cum armed merchant cruiser,  her appearance  at the  Spithead  Review  in August 1889 and visit by  Germany's  Kaiser Wilhelm spurred  the  evolving naval  race between Britain and Germany. Built for speed and  luxe as much  as  war, Teutonic did not disappoint  in either quality, garnering  for White Star  their  last Atlantic records  in a remarkable series  of  head  to head  races with  Inman's  City of  New  York that were  legendary.  

The records were typically fleeting but more enduring was  Teutonic's undoubted popularity  with passengers and no ship's passenger  lists were more evocative  of  The Gilded Age than hers: the Astors, Vanderbilts, Marshall Field, Joseph  Pulitzer, Guglielmo Marconi,  Rudyard Kipling, Winston Churchill, Paderewski and J.P.  Morgan. Indeed, Morgan sailed in Teutonic a  dozen or more times  and, as  events proved, liked  the ship and White Star so  much, he  bought them in 1902! John  Philip Sousa  composed The  Star Spangled Banner aboard  the ship and Andrew Carnegie  wrote  letters of praise  about  her to the newspapers.  

Worthy  to serve under the Blue Ensign of  the Royal Navy  Reserve, her captains were legendary as were her  stout seamen and strapping  stokers who toiled  in her 140 deg.  furnace rooms to  have her cleaving the  North Atlantic at 20 knots and throwing  spray over her open bridge as the last of  the White Star  greyhounds.    

In her dotage, Teutonic    still won  ocean races with Caronia and  Royal George and had, in her 24 years of commercial service, more  adventures than most  any  liner  of  her  age.  Teutonic  even managed to  finally  fulfil her  role as an armed  merchant cruise a quarter of a century after her first appearance  at Spithead  and now fighting  the  very fleet that the Kaiser's visits  helped  to inspire.

Of all White  Star liners, none  had  a more successful or wonderful  career than Teutonic, the total  opposite of  that  other White  Star liner beginning with T and ending in  -ic.  Discover then,  the once and forever  pride of The  Ismay  Line:

R.M.S. Teutonic, 1889-1921.  

R.M.S. Teutonic. Photograph by John S. Johnston. Credit: United  States Library  of  Congress.  

Gilded Age Bon Voyage from New York as Teutonic  sails.   Credit: Harpers

R.M.S. Teutonic by Antonio Jacobsen. Credit: The Mariners' Museum.

Since 1874 the White Star fleet has made no special effort to shorten the time in making the passage across the Atlantic; but the important subject was by no means lost sight of. Eight years ago Messrs. Ismay, Imrie & Co. agreed upon the model and general features of a new and advanced type of marine architecture, quietly awaiting an opportune period for their project to become an accomplished fact.

The carefully-prepared and well-matured plans for twin-screw steamships were put in the builder's hands during the Summer of 1887, and the Teutonic is the result of Messrs. Harland & Wolff s handiwork. It is with no small sentiment of pride that the firm point to the fact that they have built fifteen steamships for the White Star Company, which enjoys the reputation of being the most efficient and best appointed service in the transatlantic trade.

Credit: Ocean, Magazine of Travel, September 1889. 

There is a magnificent  fleet of British  Merchant Ships, possessing the most valuable elements of  warlike  efficiency,  viz, high  speed, coal endurance, strength of superstructure and seaworthiness.

Admiralty Report, 28  March 1876.

Born of  an age when the commercial enterprise and engineering genius  of the British  Race knew  no  bounds nor limited  to mundane business considerations or  mere capital constraints, the origins of  R.M.S. Teutonic were  stirred by the geopolitics defined on the pink  bits on maps and the blue tracery  of the routes of British merchantmen  coursing to new horizons.   

Wider and wider still… was more  than patriotic verse and rousing  exhortation upon  the completion of that greatest of all Victorian transportation triumphs and artery  of Empire-- the Suez Canal-- in November  1869.  The  oft  sought  "short cut" to India was just  that but even more, it  re-oriented the strategic map of  British interests to protect the hinterlands of  the waterway in the  Mediterranean,  Red Sea, Near and Middle  East and with it, made more  established powers in the  region, specifically the Ottoman Empire  and Russia,  potential rivals or  indeed threats.  

The sheer scope  of protecting the routes to  and from Suez put enormous  pressure on a long  neglected  Royal Navy and specially exposed a critical  shortage of that made all work, the light  cruiser.  The Suez Canal, built  primarily as a commercial artery  for  the  greatest Mercantile  Marine in the world whose  rapid expansion in the Age of  Steam exceeded  that  of the Navy  and  it seemed a propicious time to  look towards greater cooperation  if not  co-opting  merchantmen, specifically fast mailships, for  potential use as  auxiliary cruisers.

In March 1876 the British  Admiralty  issued a report that, in effect,  advocated a return  to 25  years earlier when mailships were designated as potential armed cruisers or  auxiliaries.   Such plans were dismissed  by wiser  naval experts who  pointed out the  obvious structural weaknesses,  insufficient compartmentation and exposed engine  spaces of early steamships.  Now, with the  development of  the modern torpedo,  the report  noted "has given, to  the  weakest of these ships, the  power of  inflicting  swiftly and secretly, fatal blows upon Ships of  War, clothed with  armour, and defended by powerful  guns. 

H.M.S. Hecla, Britain's first armed merchant cruiser.  Credit: Naval History and Heritage Command

As an experiment, the 6,400-grt, 391.5 ft. by 39 ft.,  12-knot sail and steam merchantman British Crown  was purchased by the  Admiralty and converted by Harland & Wolff, Belfast into the first British  armed merchant cruiser H.M.S. Hecla,  commissioned on 7  March 1878. Armed with five muzzle-loading guns and one  breech-loading 40-pounder.  She was sufficiently  successful that  the Admiralty had 24 sets of  her armament made and sent  to foreign  stations to be held in store in readiness to  be  fitted on suitable merchantmen.  The Admiralty compiled a list  of  no  fewer than207 ships considered as  potential armed merchant cruisers.  In addition, mail contracts began to require that newbuildings be  approved in terms of their suitability  for use as  merchant cruisers.  

As Hecla demonstrated,  Harland  & Wolff were at the forefront of the development of the merchantmen as a potential  armed merchant cruiser.  The  yard's already close relationship  with  Thomas Ismay's  Oceanic Steam Navigation Company Ltd., founded  on 6 September 1869, and beginning a Liverpool-Queenstown-New  York service as The White Star Line in March  1870 with  the 3,707-grt Oceanic, followed by sisters Atlantic,  Baltic and Republic, came into play as well.   These ships were credited as being  the first  "modern" passenger liners with such innovations as the saloon extending  the  width of the ship, a promenade  deck and even larger portholes affording more light and air  in the accommodation.  Their immediate  success  led  to the  construction of  two  larger  variants, the twin-funnel  5,000-grt Britannic and Germanic in 1874.

What White Star had  started,  the  competition for the  cream of the  North  Atlantic trade, began a remarkable period of  expansion and innovation by  their rivals  Inman and even  the moribund Cunard were   aroused  to  compete. And soon it  was  White  Star that was being left in their  wake.

Thomas Henry  Ismay, c. 1889.   Credit: Mary Evans Picture Library

At a dinner held in the liner, while on her trial trip, Sir A. B. Forwood, speaking as Secretary to the Admiralty, acknowledged that the idea of armed mercantile cruisers did not originate with the Government, but was suggested to them by Mr. Ismay, who had pointed out that in the event of the Suez Canal being closed a vessel such as his firm proposed to build could land troops in India by way of the Cape, He added that no war cruiser afloat could approach her in speed.

Liverpool Daily Post, 13 August 1921.

Four years after the introduction of  Germanic, war scares with  Russia renewed the development of the armed merchant  cruiser building on the relative  success of Hecla.  Thus, the timing  was perfect for Thomas Ismay,  inspired by patriotism  as much as profit, and Sir Edward Harland, to  conceive of two new  Atlantic  liners for White  Star  that would, for the first time, incorporate into  the  basic design and construction essentials for  naval use in the  way  of siting  of  engine and boilers spaces  below  the waterline,  duplicate essential system  such  as steering,  warship like compartmentalization and enormous bunker capacity  to provide  extended steaming range at  sustained  high speeds and prepared, strengthened  deck platforms for  naval guns, and do so without impacting on the utililty  and profitability  in their primary  commercial roles.  In exchange, the Admiralty  would pay  White  Star a "retaining  fee"  per  annum to offset the  additional expenses incurred in their  construction.  Critically,  it  was also  arranged that  a per cent of their officers and  crew would be  in the Royal Navy  Reserve to provide  the nucleus of  a well-trained crew that could  man what was a liner and converted into an auxiliary cruiser in  the space of 48 hours.   

It should be noted that Ismay did  not limit the ships' military potential to armed merchant cruiser alone  and the specification also  envisaged them as serving as fast armed transports capable of  steaming, without  refuelling, to  essential way ports of the British Empire like Bombay and Cape Town, as many as 2,000 infantry  men or a brigade of cavalry and their mounts. 

Interest in the subject waned with  war threats and White  Star turned their  attention to developing a  new  and very profitable  live cattle  trade from America to  England and building  a specialised fleet for it. 

Then in March  1885, the  Russian invasion of  Afghanistan threw Britain  in a war panic with  fears "the  Russian  Bear"  had  ambitions on India. The Admiralty  quickly  chartered the  Cunarders Oregon and  Umbria  which  had  been  built with  some of  the  Admiralty specifications in mind as armed merchant cruisers but  in  the  end,  it  was a  bit of a  shambles with delays in the  conversion and arming and especially  finding experienced  crew.  

From this experience, in  1886 the Admiralty compiled lists  of specific  ships  from Cunard, Inman, P&O and White  Star, ten in all,  to be  "reserved" for potential AMC  use  which  would also have half their  crews  in the  Royal  Navy Reserve, stored their  designated armament   (4.7" naval guns and Nordenfelt machine guns)  and guarantee they  could be converted within one week of  being called up.  For  this,  the lines would receive an annual stipend and for example,  for  their Umbria,  Etruria  and Ascania,  Cunard received 20,000 per annum. Of White Star's fleet,  Germanic, Britannic,  Adriatic  and  Celtic were reserved under similar  terms. 

Mr. Ismay was  still saying nothing, although  he  admitted there had  been protests 'against what  some  were pleased  to term our  rest-and-be-thankful  policy.'  

What he  did not  reveal  was  that  the  scene  was  set for  a  dramatic  new  break  through  on the  part  of  the  White Star  Line. The  gloomy  international situation, in  particular  the  Russian  war  scare, paved the  way, and the  result was  the Teutonic, which  will always  be  remembered as the  first  armed merchant  cruiser, pioneer  of that  gallant band of ships  which  patrolled  the  sea lanes in  the two  world  wars to  come.

White  Star.

Alexander Carlisle (1854-1926). Credit: wikimedia commons.

In mid 1886, the plans Sir Edward  Harland had prepared six  years  earlier for  a liner specifically designed  for conversion into an armed  merchant cruiser  were dusted off and completely  reworked by Harland & Wolff's chief naval architect Alexander Carlisle  (1854-1926).    In a 40-year career with Harland & Wolff in which he served as chief draughtsman,  shipyard manager, general manager and finally as chairman of the board of directors, Carlisle (1854-1926) more than anyone defined the modern Harland & Wolff liner during the c. 1885-1910 period which in many respects represented the heyday of the yard's innovation and output, not just for White Star, Royal Mail, Union Line, Union Castle, Leyland, Atlantic Transport, and foreign flag lines like Holland America and HAPAG.   So complete were  the  revised plans that Carlisle  presented to the Admiralty in August 1886 that  they  were not only  accepted immediately but  remarked  upon for being as perfect a set of specification for new ships as ever received by  the Navy. 

"By Their Works They Shall Be Known": The men responsible for  the construction of Teutonic: Left to right: Gustav Wilhelm Wolff, Walter Henry Wilson, William James Pirrie aand Edward Harland. Credit: Mary Evans Picture Library

1887

Addressing the members of the Institute Naval Architects on 30th March, 1887, upon the 'Merchant Service and the Royal Navy,' Sir N. Barnaby, late  Director of  Naval Construction, referred to the arrangement which then had  been recently completed between the Admiralty  and the White Star and other companies for the retention of their  steamers for war purposes, and pointed  out that 'this seed, for  have to thank Mr. Ismay, was planted  at the Admiralty  nine  years ago… the outcome of proposal made by Mr. Ismay as far  back as  1878,' when he  urged upon the attention  of the Admiralty  that  a  fast mail or passenger steamer may be as efficient a  factor in a naval war as an ordinary  war  cruiser, and offered to make an agreement to hold at the disposal of  the Admiralty upon  terms then specified certain ships  for  the  purposes of the State in time of  war. The matter lay dormant until August, 1886, when Messrs.  Ismay, Imrie, & Co. revived  it by offering on  behalf of  the White Star line to build two  ships, with engines  below water, complete subdivision by bulkheads,  fittings for  guns built in during construction, and manned by half crews of naval reserve men.  An agreement was come to, and the plans for these  ships were  submitted and approved by the Admiralty  from their very  inception, and  the progress of work has been watched  by practical advisers of the Admiralty to the present time. 

Belfast News-Letter, 21 January 1889.

As summarised by the  Belfast News-Letter on the occasion of the  launch  in 1889 of the first  of two new ships for White Star Line's  New  York express  service:

Eight years ago the  outlines of  a new and advanced type  of ship were agreed upon, but for eight years the owners  held their  hands, conscious of  the superabundance of tonnage which  was in the same. But  circumstances in the meantime had  changed, and showed  conclusively  that  the had  arrived when,  unless  the company  was prepared to see itself dropping behind its competitors, a long step must  be taken, and  work of construction commenced. The well-matured  plans  for  twin screw steamers were, there,  put in hand  in the middle of 1887. 

It was reported by  the  Belfast News-Letter, 2 February  1887, that   "the  Admiralty have  made an arrangement with  the White  Star Company by  which  the  service of  their  fleet has  been secured  in the  event of transports  being  required at any  time. It  is  also provided that new vessels shall be constructed by  the  company  of  a type to meet  naval requirements as  armed cruisers. For  these vessels an annual subvention  is to be  paid  in consideration of their  being constructed in accordance with  the Admiralty  designs. Messrs. Harland & Wolff, of  Belfast, are to build the new ships, which  are to be  amongst the largest  and fastest ships afloat."  It  was  added that similar  arrangements  had  been entered into with Cunard and Inman Line.

A statement published elsewhere with respect to the Admiralty serves to show that the government are alive to the importance of the subject of naval defence. It may be depended upon that while Lord Salisbury is at the head of affairs the condition of our first line of defence will at any rate not become impaired. A great deal has recently been heard about the necessity of providing armed cruisers. It will be seen from the report referred to that while the Admiralty have made arrangements whereby the services of the vessels of the White Star Line Company have been secured in the event of transports being found particularly necessary at any time, it has also been provided that new vessels shall be constructed by the company of a type to meet naval requirements as armed cruisers.

The new ships, which will be built at Belfast by the firm of Messrs. Harland & Wolff, are intended to be among the largest and fastest afloat, expedition of movement, it need scarcely be stated, being essentially necessary for the purposes they are designed to serve. The announcement that an arrangement of a similar nature will be made with other companies does not alter the fact that a well-deserved compliment has been paid to Belfast and to the eminent firm whose members have gained a world-wide reputation as the builders of as tine a line of steamers as any that ply the deep: and the news of what has done by the Admiralty ought, therefore, to be received with special gratification in this town. 

Belfast News-Letter, 2 February 1887.

At the same time, the Postmaster-General concluded contracts with Cunard and White Star to carry  the America mails from March 1887 onward, Cunarders on Saturdays and White Star  on Wednesdays from Liverpool to New  York with arrival there on Fridays, in time for reply by the  Saturday departure from the American port. R.M.S. Adriatic took the first Wednesday sailing from Liverpool on 2  March and resumed White Star regular calls at Queenstown the following  day.  

The Belfast News-Letter, 18 May  1887, reporting the release of a parliamentary  paper the previous  day, quoted a letter contained therein from Mr. Thomas Ismay  to Mr.  Forwood regarding  the mail contract and arrangements with the  Admiralty:

The company have determined to build one or two vessels of high speed, and they agreed to constructs these vessels. oi such type and speed as shall render them specially suitable for service ae armed cruisers, and in accordance with the plans and specihcations already anbmitted and approved by the Admiralty. In consideration the Admiralty agreed to pay to the company for the vessel or vessels so approved an annual subvention, payable half-yearly, at the rate of 10 s. per gross registered ton per annum, such subvention to commence from the date on which the vessels respectively start out their first voyage with the mails, and to be continued yearly for a minimum period of live years, terminable at the end of live years or thereafter, on twelve months' previous notice, always provided that no subvention is payable to any vessel after the 1st January, 1894, if the Admiralty shall have given the twelve mouths' previous notice. In order that the vessels receiving a special subvention may be ready for service as armed cruisers at the shortest possible nuotice, the company shall afford to the Admiralty every facility, compatible with the use of the vessels as mercantile ships, for fitting on board during the construction of the steamers such permanent fittings and arrangements for their armament, on plans to be approved, as will entitle them to be prepared for service within a week of arrival and discharge of cargo at Liverpool. The Admiralty, in reply to Mr. Ismay, intimate acceptance of the proposals.

It is oft asserted that construction of Teutonic commenced in "March 1887," with  no  evidence to the fact and perhaps confusing it with the  date of her contracting.  In fact, had  she been laid  down in March 1887, her  construction would have set  a lamentable record  indeed  given she was not launched  until… January  1889! Instead,  it appears she was, in fact, not started until late in 1887 and the lag time  between contracting and construction deliberate so as to ascertain the qualities of  what would her main  rivals from the  onset:  Inman's City of New York and City of  Paris. Indeed, never  in the history of the North Atlantic Ferry  were  there four  of the most potent rivals yet almost perfectly matched in quality, speed and acme  of design than Teutonic/Majestic and City of  New  York/City of Paris and  which began  literally with their construction in the great competing centres of  British  shipbuilding:  Belfast  and The  Clyde.

On 8 November 1887 the Belfast News-Letter reported  "Harland &  Wolff will shortly  commenced the  building of a  gigantic steamship for this  line. Her length is  to be 565 feet, breadth 52 feet, and is to be supplied with  twin screw and with engines of 15,000-horsepower. The plans, which have  occupied attention  for  a considerable time, have been  frequently altered in accordance  with new developments  in marine  architecture and engineering. The name of  the  vessel will be Majestic. Belfast is to  be congratulated on obtaining  such a fine order."  So it was that  work finally appears to have been started at Belfast, Queen's Island  yards  on hull no. 208 in November-December 1887.

Early Currier &  Ives print of Teutonic  whose  name was revealed in August 1888. Credit: National Maritime Museum.

1888

Harland & Wolff  were  reticent  about  providing  details  about the ships  themselves or the progress of  the construction and the pair  disappeared from press and public attention through the  first  three  quarters of 1888. The Institution of Mechanical  Engineers held their summer session of meetings in Dublin in August,  occasioning a site visit of  Harland &  Wolff's Belfast yards which  yielded the first vaguely  detailed reports of  the  construction of the new  ships:

Credit: The Herald, 4 August 1888.

The two vessels are fairly well advanced, but it is quite evident the builders did not commence their construction when the order was booked. The reason given by some is that they wished to hear a little about the Inman Liners which they are to compete against. That, however, is by the way. One of the two vessels, to be called Majestic," is all but plated. The other ship is in frames.

Even the most careful observer cannot speak authoritatively of the dimensions of the vessels, and as the officials on Messrs. Harland & Wolff's staff did not care to be pressed for information on the subject, only an imperfect calculation can be made, but this is sufficient to establish the fact that the vessels are certainly the longest in the world, excepting of course the Great Eastern. Their length over all will be nearly 570 feet, breadth between 52 and 53 feet. The City of New York--the new Inman Liner--is 560 feet, but her beam is very much greater, and the tonnage of the White Star Liner is not therefore nearly so great as the Inman Liner. There are several novel points in the construction, which can be soon from careful observation of the hull. Both vessels have small bar keels, about 4 inches deep and about 18 inches across. The frames amidships, instead of being of ordinary angle iron, are of channel iron. The plating, too, is not of the usual type. The plates are thinned at the ends for overlapping. They are, besides, of unusual length. The vessels are extensively subdivided by transverse bulkheads, and there is  middle line fore and aft bulkhead extending the greater part of the length of been the vessel amidships.This arrangement has advocated for years by a class of naval constructors, but it has met with a considerable amount of opposition. 

One of the arguments against  its adoption is that should a couple of water-tight compartments--  say on the port side--be  water flooded as the result of collision, over 1000 tons of  would be lodged in one side of the boat, which would very materially affect her trim. Indeed, a  corresponding quantity of water or ballast would be required to placed on the  starboardboard side to right the vessel, and in this way the advantage of the longitudinal bulkhead would be minimised. Besides, it has if been shown by the mathematician that even couple of' goodly sized side compartments, of the ship, extending were flooded there would be sufficient sideboard to keep from port to starboard the vessel afloat and to maintain her trim and buoyancy. However, Messrs. Harland & Wolff may have devised some means of  taking full advantage of the longitudinal bulkhead. The have devised vessels have a turtleback deck forward and  aft, the latter being about the 90 feet triple-expansion long. typo machinery will be of driving twin screws, but the power expected has not been made known. 

The arrangement the screws is probably the distinctive feature the ships. At the stern there is an aperture, resembling that in which the single screw works in ordinary steamers, but unusual  as the twin screw is concerned. This aperture  is evidently made to allow the starboard screws to propeller overlap. The shaft aft tube  of  the starboard propeller is  carried further aft than that of the port propeller, so that the former will work outside of the carried further latter. The screws being so close together in the athwartships direction  allows of a very short length of stern tube, and there are no stern tube  brackets as in ordinary twin-screw propellers. In fact the tubes are attached to the deadweight at the extreme afterpart, there being a thin  web of plating.  The stern frames composed are a novel construction, and are apparently of large castings, admit of a longer throw and no doubt of steel. This yet arrangement will  overcome  the likelihood of the propeller blades coming  in contact with a quay wall.  From the details I have given of the ship the reader may  appreciate the eve of a great that the Clyde naval architects will require  to work steadily to maintain their will require high position in the science.

The Herald (Glasgow) 4 August 1888.

The chief objects of interest in the yard at the present time are naturally the two White Star liners. One of these is at present fully plated, whilst the second is in frame. It is not our purpose at present to describe these vessels, but we hope at the proper time, when they are more advanced, to deal with them fully in these columns. A few particulars, mostly such as may be gleaned from a casual inspection, may, however, be given. The ship that is most forward is to be called the Majestic.

We believe the owners have not named the second yet. The length on the water line is 565ft. and the width 52 ft. Several novel features appear to have been introduced in the construction.

Belfast  News-Letter, 16 August 1888.

Interestingly, the  initial names  that  were  associated  with the pair  were  Majestic  and  Olympic,  the  name for  the second ship was first revealed to be Olympic in a report in the Toronto  Daily  Mail of 22 August 1888:

Two magnificent White Star vessels, the Majestic and the Olympic, are rapidly rising on the stocks in Wolff & Harland's yard at Belfast. The Majestic will be larger than the City of New York, with the same improved machinery and twin screws, and possibly some added wrinkles. Sir Edward Harland says they will both cross the ocean in nearer five than six days. Messrs. Harland & Wolff, shipbuilders, of Belfast, have closed their yards owing to a partial strike of their employees. Five thousand hands affected by the shut down. 

On reporting of  the launch of  Cufic at Belfast on 10 October 1888, The Herald (Glasgow) reported: "Another vessel for the White Star Line will be launched at an early  day  from the Queen's Island. This vessel,  which is for  the passenger  trade, will be  named Majestic, and be another  vessel of  very extensive dimensions."  Keeping on the story  more than other British  papers, The Herald  on 21 December reported; "The two very large vessels which have been in course of. construction. for a length of time by Messrs.  Harland & Wolff for the White Star Company, and which it was generally believed would have been launched some time since, will not leave the stacks until 1889 has commenced. It is probable that the first launch will take place about the 5th of January."

Teutonic just after her launch, lying at  the Abercorn basin fitting out pier with Majestic on the ways at the left. Credit: oceanic1899, Reddit oceanlinerporn.

1889

Buried in a story  about  the visit of the Marchioness of  Londonderry to  Belfast and a tour  of  Harland & Wolff, and received by Sir E.J. Harland, W.H.  Wilson, W.J. Pirrie and Mrs. Pirrie, was  the previously unrevealed name of the  first  of two ships: "Her Excellency and  party  were conducted through  the turning, erecting, and fitting  shops, much interest  being taken in  the large engine which  are being constructed for the Teutonic and Majestic, the former of which  will  be  launched next  week."  (Belfast News-Letter, 11 January 1889).

The choice of Teutonic is a curious one, given White Star already had  a  Germanic and as a word, Teutonic, even in 1889, was more employed in the press in a  pejorative  manner at  a time when Anglo-German relations were already  being tested especially  in rival ambitions  in Africa.  It was doubly  ironic given Teutonic's potential role as an armed merchant cruise and her ensuing and significant role in the evolving Anglo-German competition at sea,  both naval and mercantile.  It also gave history a commissioned Royal Navy warship named Teutonic at war with Imperial  Germany and a ship which would end a remarkable career in a German scrapyard, the first  and only  time the ship  visited  the  region that  inspired  her  name. 

At  11:25 a.m. on 19 January 1889, Teutonic  went down the ways at Queen's  Island, Belfast, without  christening or ceremony as per yard custom, but hardly  without  notice, either  in the  yards of  Harland & Wolff or in  the general press and it was  estimated that some 20,000 spectators witnessed  the launch  of  the longest  ship in the world and the largest yet built  at Belfast. Mr. Alexander Carlisle, Harland & Wolff manager, and the man who designed  her, "was most  actively engaged in superintending the arrangements for the launch," and among those witnessing it  were Mr. J. Bruce  Ismay  and Mrs. Ismay; Sir Edward Harland; Mr. W.J. Pirrie and Mr. W.H. Wilson of  Harland & Wolff, Mr. G.W. Wolff not being present as he was abroad at the time.  Once afloat in the  Lagan, Teutonic was  taken in charge of  by  the steam paddle tugs Wrestler  and Pathfinder which had  been sent over from Liverpool for the purpose, and she  was towed to  the  Abercorn Basin for  fitting of her machinery and  completion. 

The weather  was everything that could  be desired. The morning  was  dark  and gloomy, but  at  11.30 the sky was clear, and sun shone with unwonted splendour. Even that most fickle of all personages, the clerk of the  weather, smiled genially  on the proceedings, relaxing his wonted severity for  a moment in the general movement to promote  the success  of the undertaking. 

Belfast Weekly Telegraph, 26 January 1889.

Every eye was  fixed upon the  immense  craft, and as prop after  prop was knocked  away the excitement increased, and culminated in hearty and enthusiastic  cheers when at twenty-five minutes past  eleven the  world to 'stand clear' was  given, and the Teutonic passed  gracefully  down the slips  and sailed majestically down the river. The  task  of launching  such  an immense vessel is a work of no little difficulty, and cheer after cheer was given as it was seen that not the slightest mishap had  occurred to mar the success  of the event. The Teutonic presented a splendid appearance on the river, and her beautiful lines, giving the idea  of combined  strength and grace, were subject of much  admiration from the spectators.

Belfast News-Letter, 21 January 1889.

On Saturday morning, at a quarter past  eleven, this  magnificent vessel was launched by Messrs. Harland  and Wolff from her slip  at the northeast end  of  Queen's  Island,  Belfast.  The fact  that the Teutonic is  the largest vessel ever built by the well-known firm was in  itself  sufficient to arouse widespread interest manifested in Saturday  morning's work. At the  invitation of Messrs.  Harland and Wolff,  a large company of ladies and gentlemen  were accompanied on the bow of twin vessel in course of erection adjoining on the  Teutonic.  Amongst those present:-- Sir J.P.  Corry, Bart., M.P.; Sir Edward Harland, Bart; Captain McCalmont M.P.; General Wiseman Clarke, Captain Archdale, Messrs. W. P. McEldowney, J.P.; W.H. Dixon, J.P.; R.J.M. Connell, J.P.; H.H. McNeill, D.L.; E.G. McGeorge. J.P.,  W.H. Dixon, J.P.; J.B. Houston, J.P.; J.C. Bretland, C.E.; and Charles W. Black. Tens of thousand of people thronged the Albert quay and the approaches to the  Twin Islands, and the utmost excitement as to the success of launch prevailed. So great  has the interest in the launch been that for weeks past thousands have visited the Albert quay for the purpose of beholding the vessel, and on Saturday morning from eight o'clock numbers began to assemble and secure good positions.

The  arrangement effects were perfect, and not the slightest hitch occurred. The Teutonic floating  the red ensign at her bow and the Union Jack astern, slipped from the stocks at exactly a quarter past eleven, and, amidst ringing cheers, glided gracefully into the river. The  prolonged cheers proceeding from the  bank on  either side, a well as from the  distinguished party on board, testified to the existing feeling in the community that the noble vessel, designed solely by Sir Edward Harland, should be an unparalleled success. 

Dublin Daily Express,  21 January  1889.

Fitting  out of Teutonic proceeded at a rapid pace. After her machinery  had been installed alongside the Abercorn Basin, she was towed by  the  tugs Ranger and Lion, and "swung into the river in order to facilitate the putting in of the masts. The  swinging of the  great  vessel was a work of some difficulty,  and was witness by  large crowds lined alone both sides of the Lagan." (Belfast News-Letter, 25 March  1889). 

Teutonic nearing completion along  the  Abercorn fitting out  berth.  The structure behind  her bridge  is  a crane  under construction for the  adjoining  Alexandra Graving Dock.  Credit: National Library of Ireland.

The model shop of  Harland & Wolff completed a magnificent model of  Teutonic/Majestic in April 1889.  The 12 ft. x 14 in. model, made of  yellow pine, showed the ship in her merchant cruiser rig complete with armament and so detailed, even fire  fighting buckets were crafted  in miniature. The model would be shipped to Paris for display at  the  Paris  Exposition that summer, more famous for introducing  the  Eiffel Tower to the world's landmarks.

Teutonic and Majestic poster. Credit:  Elwin  Eldredge collection,  Mariners'  Museum. 

The builders were given almost a free hand as to cost. And as a result the  ships were magnificently built, nothing  being  spared to make  them the safest and finest ships afloat, with excellent  subdivision and all  equipment and furnishing of the  very  first  grade.

J.H. Isherwood, Sea Breezes,  July 1953. 

...the Teutonic is  the finest piece of naval architecture ever executed here-- a credit  to Belfast and a credit to Messrs. Harland & Wolff, whose name is all the world a  synonym for pluck, perseverance, enterprise, and success.

Belfast  News-Letter, 21  January  1889. 

The critics  gasped at her incredibly splendid profile. She was  slim and graceful, giving  an immediate  impression of speed, and one veteran White  Star  traveller  used  to say: 'Give me the old  Teutonic  in a winter  gale; you  know you are at  sea then.'

White Star. 

Curiously  overlooked,  if for  her very  success  achieved  over an enduring three-decade long career,  by  those who prefer to view  the history of the White  Star through the  distorted  prism of misfortune, disaster and  hubris tempering audacity, Teutonic  of  1889 is indeed the anti-Titanic.  Bold in  design, confident in execution, pleasing in  profile, fleet  in performance, she  impressed at her introduction literally  on the world's  stage and went on to gratify  legions of trans-Atlantic  travellers for  a  quarter of  a century of  faithful service.  Nailing  the  White Star burgee  to  the highest  masthead of  the  North  Atlantic  Ferry,  Harland & Wolff gave Mr. Ismay his  last  record  breaker and Britain its first  true Ship  of  State: R.M.S. Teutonic.    

Perfection in Profile, Teutonic  shows  off her matchless lines in  the  Mersey. Credit: Merseyside Maritime Museum.

Few Atlantic liners introduced  so many  innovations and novel  new features in their design, construction, method and materials as did  Teutonic and Majestic, the  first White  Star  liners with  twin-screws and built of  steel. Reflecting and anticipating normal  commercial requirements on the fast evolving North  Atlantic run but, uniquely at  the  time, their potential military  purposes.  That they could fulfill both simultaneously and without  hindrance  to either, was one of their  singular achievements. Teutonic served commercially,  largely  unaltered, for a quarter of  a century and realised her potential as a naval auxiliary  after all those years, a true testament both her  original design and construction. 

Teutonic  outward  bound  in the Mersey.  Credit:  mediastorehouse.com

With a gross  tonnage of 9,686 (16,740 tons displacement, 4,245 nett), dimensions of 565 ft. 8 ins. length (b.p.), 582  ft. (overall), beam of 57 ft. 8 ins., depth of 39 ft. 4 ins. and loaded draught of 22 ft., Teutonic was impressive in these most  fleeting of  statistical bragging rights at the onset of an era of remarkable development of  the size  and scale  of  passenger vessels and when Great Eastern remained still   the supreme comparison.  Even so,  Teutonic was smaller than her great  rivals,  City  of New York and City of Paris, at 10,508, 560 ft. by  63 ft.) owing to her most immediate physical characteristic as an exemplar of Harland & Wolff's "long ship" 10 to 1 length to beam design philosophy that  held that the most  efficient  hull was  that longest at the waterline.  Indeed, Teutonic worked  out  to  a remarkable 9.7:1 ratio compared to the Inman City ships' 8.3:1

Teutonic clearing New  York. Credit: Leslie Jones Collection, Boston Public Library.

She was certainly a splendid  looking ship, slim, graceful,  and giving  a  great impression of length  and speed.  The hull lines were fine,  with a good  sheer, the  long  forecastle and  the poop were slightly turtle-backed,  and though  she  had not the clipper bow of  the Inman ships, her two funnels were larger and better spaced than their three and gave her  a more balanced  profile. 

J.H. Isherwood, Sea  Breezes,  July 1953. 

The lines of the Teutonic have all the preciseness and grace usually possessed by a yacht. The straight cutter stem has a very business-like air about it; while the tapering sheer, rounded counter and shapely stern presents as perfect a picture of marine architecture as any nautical expert will allow.

Credit: Ocean, Magazine of Travel, September 1889.

Teutonic. Credit: Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives

It is doubtful that there were a more pleasing yet  completely  different quartet of  arch rivals in appearance  than  Teutonic/Majestic and City of Paris/City  of New  York.  The  Inman liners masked their remarkable innovations under  that most classic  of clipper ship hull and masts with steamship funnels, all at perfect rake  and symmetry and simply splendid in appearance.  As a complete yet no less attractive opposite,  the  White Star pair literally revolutionised the profile  of  the  passenger  liner and indeed  created its modern day appearance that, in its essence,  remained in place until late 1950s.  

Habits died hard  and  this early depiction  of  Teutonic shows her fully  rigged and under sail.  Credit: National Maritime Museum. 

Though similar in hull and outline to the remainder of the fleet, and having two funnels, like the Britannic and Germanic, but set some sixty feet apart, the masting of the Teutonic is entirely different, and is a direct departure from the methods formerly in vogue. Three large, symmetrical pole masts, without yards, take the place of the familiar four masts possessing full sail power and cumbersome top hamper. The application of twin-screws has emphatically struck a death blow to sail power and the use of heavy spars aloft.

Credit: Ocean, Magazine of Travel, September 1889.

Credited with  being  the first  liners to dispense with  sail for propulsion purposes, Teutonic  and  Majestic had  instead the  traditional  three-mast profile but with gaffs only and no  yards and whilst  initially fitted with  sails for steadying purposes, they, together  with the gaffs, removed by  1895.  The  funnels, too, two in all, were widely  placed to  site the main dining  saloon amidships between the uptakes for  maximum comfort at sea, and the modernity  of forced-draft in the  engine spaces, meant  they were far shorter than usually found.  

Missing  was the anachronistic artifice of clipper bow  and bow sprit, replaced by a simple yet  graceful  raked  straight stem and neat counter  stern.  The superstructure, whilst ample by  contemporary  standards,  was  neat and well proportioned. Its uninterrupted length, amply providing for  covered promenade  decks, enhanced rather than  detracted from the "long and lean" look these ships perfected.  That and the  singular absence of clutter of unsightly  ventilator  cowls, heavy  working rigging and  other visual impedimenta, gave these  ships that distinctive "clean look" that became a Harland and Wolff trademark.   Indeed, the  world's third  largest ships more  resembled  the latest torpedo  boat  destroyers than  ocean liners.   

Still showing  canvas but in her as completed gaff rig.   Credit: National  Maritime  Museum.

Victorians, at odds perhaps with contemporary appraisal of their sensibilities, were in fact far more receptive to  and disposed to  change in form and function than we give them credit  for. Indeed,  they lived through and introduced far  more of it than even today's generation. So that the novel, even pace-setting  appearance of  Teutonic  aroused  enormous appreciation and praise and there was little in  regretting the  consignment of the last vestiges of the  sailing  ship to  the past. "Her outside appearance is decidedly  striking," (Liverpool Journal of  Commerce),  and their grace of line and perfect proportions, so  admired by  Victorians on both sides of the  Atlantic, was held in considerable esteem. 

R.M.S. Teutonic in the Mersey.  National Maritime Museum.

To an eye accustomed to ships, even to the great dimensions and graceful proportions of the fleet of ocean greyhounds, no finer sight has ever been presented in this harbor than that offered by the Teutonic as she lies bow on at her wharf at Tenth-st. So graceful are her lines that her great bulk is not at first emphasized, but grows upon one gradually, as he involuntarily compares her with the surrounding objects and with the wharf itself. A visit to the ship. a thorough inspection of her decks, saloons, engines, and stoke-room, and a glance down the wide hatch into the capacious holds, where the stevedores are already at work breaking out the cargo, are required to bring home to the senses her actual dimensions. 

Mere bigness, however, is at no time nor in any part the leading impression conveyed to the mind, but rather a conviction of perfect proportion, of orderly arrangement, of long and careful study of detail on the part of every one in any way connected with designing and executing this masterpiece of marine architecture. If one did not know already that shipbuilding is the highest of the mechanic arts, in one direction approaching the dignity of a science and in an almost entitled to rank as a fine art, here would be the place to learn this.

New York Tribune, 16  August  1889.

Builders half models of Oceanic (I),  Teutonic and Oceanic (II) showing their respective sizes and  lines.  Credit: National Museums NI. 

Here, the modernity  of  Teutonic and Majestic's profile  was literally not  skin deep,  indeed their "skins" introduced  innovation in themselves. First steel-built White Star liners, even the basic construction of their hulls and the arrangement and means of riveting their plates, made them  both unique  but  successful in that the novelty  became standard  building practice:

The hull of the  Teutonic has been constructed  on a system which, if not absolutely new, had not before so  far as we are  aware, been adopted in large Atlantic steamers. In the normal  method  of building, the vertical joints of the skin plating are made up of single butt straps  inside, double,  single, or treble rivetted, according to circumstances.  The rivets are in  a single shear, and it is well known that  there  is a  tendency to open manifested  by the  joints.  To get over this  objection the builders  of the  City of  New York used double butt straps on the vertical joints, thus putting the  rivets in double  sheer and getting great  strength. The  external appearance, however,  of  the hull  is spoiled, and there  can be  no doubt but that the  external straps tend powerfully  to retard the progress of the  ship through the water. 

Messrs. Harland and Wolff unite the  ends  of  the  plates by simple lap  joints,  the most forward plate always lapping  over  the plate  next  sternwards, so  as to  prevent increase of resistance. The joints are treble, quadruple, and, in some plates, quintuple  riveted. The skin plates are of unusual dimensions, being 24 ft. long and 3  ft. wide. We have here a remarkable contrast with  the old  Atlantic steamer Persia, built  more  than  thirty  years  ago, which  had not  a  plate  in her  hull more than  6 ft. long, the normal width  being 24 in. The hull of the Teutonic is  cut  up into sections by  watertight  compartments in a way  to secure the maximum of safety, and all the  doors  can be closed from the flying deck by pulling  wire rope lines, which release hooks holding the  doors up.

'London Engineer', The  Engineer (New York) 17 August 1889.

She is built throughout of Siemens-Martin steel, the framing and plating being according to the Admiralty   specification. To gain the necessary longitudinal strength, the plates are made very long, and to avoid the increase of resistance due to outside butt straps the plates are made to overlap. The lines of the ship are very fine, and she presents' a most beautiful and graceful appearance. Below the water line very great care has been taken to diminish skin friction as much as possible, and to attain this end the skin plating has been thoroughly cleaned and scaled and coated with Suter Hartmann's and Rahtjen's well-known composition. So well has this been done that this skin of the ship is as smooth as the hull of a racing yacht, the composition presenting a beautifully hard, smooth, and enamel like surface. Much of the speed that fast vessels attain is due to the amount of care bestowed on the outside of the hull.

Liverpool Journal of Commerce, 30 July  1889.

Aft deck scene from stereograph card. Credit: eBay auction photo. 

With three continuous decks and two superstructure decks and an orlop deck forward, Teutonic's hull was divided by  13 transverse bulkheads and, reflecting her naval requirement,  also featured a longitudinal bulkhead  dividing the furnace and engine rooms.  Interestingly, though, no double bottom was fitted:

One of the many momentous questions which had to be answered in the design of this ship was whether it was better to assure safety by building the ship with a double bottom with the sacrifice of considerable freight. earning space or to give equal strength and safety by fittings longitudinal bulkhead?  The latter course has been followed. The Teutonic has no double bottom, but numerous transverse bulkheads, and a longitudinal bulkhead extending the greater part of the length of the ship, and carried up from the keelson to the deep load-line plate. The ship is thus enabled to carry a rather large amount of cargo—very much more in fact than might be supposed, seeing the space taken up by bunkers and propelling machinery. The subdivision of the ship is very carefully arranged, and the Teutonic can float and possess stability with any two compartments flooded. Thus safety has been secured without the sacrifice of other valuable and necessary qualities.

Liverpool Journal of Commerce, 30 July  1889.

Great attention has been given to safety of the vessels against all contingencies. The boilers in connection with each of the sets of the main engines are not only in watertight compartments formed by transverse bulkheads, but longitudinal bulkheads at the centre line also intersect six of the largest compartments of the vessel, including the engine-room. The transverse watertight bulkheads are eleven in number, and although in the stoke-holes they are pierced with doors, very special precautions have been made to ensure their being closed in an emergency. In each case the doors are duplicated, the duplicate door being under the control of the captain or officer in charge on deck. Again, in the event of water flowing into a compartment, by an adaptation of the domestic ball-cock the doors will close automatically. The fore and aft bulkhead is only pierced by one door, which is locked, and the key held by the chief engineer. Some objection has been raised against longitudinal bulkheads, viz., that if one side of the vessel filled with water, capsizing would inevitably ensue. It has, however, been experimentally demonstrated that on these vessels, if the two largest compartments on one side of the fore-and-aft bulkhead were filled the list would only be 12°, while arrangements are at hand to correct the list.

Nautical Magazine,  July 1890.

Teutonic's bridge looking  forward  to  the  crow's nest and foremast. Note her twin  naval  guns forward, as  this  was taken during her  cruise  to Spithead  for  the naval review  there. Credit: Mary Evans Picture Library.

The Teutonic may be  described as a flush deck ship, with  a poop, bridge  house, and topgallant forecastle, promenade and shelter decks,  the  poop and forecastle being open at  the  ends.  In the poop is the steam steering gear, warping engines —which work the two capstans on the poop deck—the entrance to the steerage, hospital. & etc. Forward of the poop house is the after hatch. Forward of this is the second class dining saloon—most handsome and commodious, equal in every respect to the usual first class saloon in many ocean liners. Forward of this salon is a cargo hatch, and forward of this is the long 'midships deck house, which contains the steerage galleys, engineers' mess and berth rooms, entrances to engine room and stokeholes, first state rooms, smoking room, and grand dining saloon. Abaft the dining saloon are the pantries and entrances to the sleeping rooms on the main deck: On the foreside of the dining hall is the hatch; forward of this  deck house containing the mess-room and cabins of the ship's officers, all most comfortably furnished. Forward of this is the forecastle containing the rooms of the petty officers and wind lass.

Bridge, wheelhouse and promenade deck.  Ocean, Magazine of Travel, September 1889. Credit: Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives.

A fore-and-aft flying bridge connects the whale back to the officers' house, and two other flying bridges give communication to the promenade deck. This deck is supported by frames from the ship's side, and also forms the roof of the dining hall. On the promenade deck, which is 245 feet long, there are the captain's room, state-rooms, library, ladies rooms, etc., on each side of which there is a clear width of 18 feet. The roof of these rooms on the promenade deck is extended to the sides supported by angle frames carried up from the ship's side. and thus passengers on the promenade deck are protected from the weather. The roof of the promenade deck forms a shelter deck, on which are carried the boats, there being no less than 14. On the after part of the promenade deck are flying bridges which give access to the second class smoking room, situated just above the same class's dining saloon. 

Liverpool Journal of Commerce, 30 July  1889.

Proving to be the  last White Star liners designed and built  for  speed if  not  deliberate record  breaking, and as  such, also the last Harland & Wolff ships,  so constructed  for the  North  Atlantic  run, Teutonic  and Majestic added to the  already  established  novelty of twin screws (being the first White Star  liners with  them),  further  advances also  in the equally  evolving new concept of  forced-draught fed firerooms for performance and economy and novel, for large liners,  arrangement  of  their  twin  screws to accommodate their fine stern  lines and narrow beam.  Both  ships  more than  fulfilled their expectations as true  record breakers, garnering  for White Star "The Blue  Riband"  for the last time and indeed even before the term was widely applied to North Atlantic records.  More importantly, Teutonic,  always  the faster of the two,  proved her valuable and enduring  qualities as a remarkably steady steamer which served her well over  a career of  32 years and, unlike  her sister, with her original boilers.

One of Teutonic's two main triple-expansion engines in the erecting  shop,  Belfast. Credit: alamy

Emulating Cufic (1888/4,639 grt), which had  introduced triple-expansion machinery  to the  fleet, Teutonic and  Majestic's main machinery  comprised two sets of three-cylinder (43 in., 68 in. and 110 in. dia.) triple-expansion engines driving twin  screws.  At 82 r.p.m., 17,500 i.h.p  gave a speed  of 20 knots and 19,500 i.h.p. produced 21 knots and she burned about  320 tons  of  coal  a  day. 

Teutonic starboard engine layout. Credit: The Engineer, 19 December 1890.

The  ship is propelled by  two  sets of  triple-expansion engines,  the  cylinders being 43 in. + 68 in. + 110 in. x 60 in. The annexed sketch, which is not drawn, will serve to indicate the  arrangement of each engine. All the cylinders have piston valves, two each to  the intermediate and low-pressure cylinders, and one to the high-pressure cylinder. The cylinders are not steam-jacketed,  a  very extended experience  serving to convince Messrs. Harland and Wolff  that nothing is  to be gained from jacketing,  at sea, unless  the  steam is permitted  to blow through  the  jackets, so as to be constantly  renewed.  The intermediate and low-pressure pistons have tail rods, but  the  high-pressure piston has not.  All the pistons are covered to impart  strength,  and have been made as light  as consistent with strength. Each cylinder  is carried on cast-steel frames. In  front  is an A frame, and at the back a  single frame, so  that  the cylinders  are  carried each on  three points of support, and 'three-legged stool' principle is called in to give stability, which  it  does in the fullest degree.  The condenser is separate from the  engine. It is cylindrical, of  brass,  some 20  ft. long, and  7 ft. in diameter. The water passes through  the tubes  three  times. There  is an air  pump at each  end , worked by back levers by  the  high and low-pressure  engines. These  levers also activate the  bilge  and sanitary  pumps. The  boilers are fed Weir's vertical pumps, but Worthington pumps  are also provided.

The engines  are separated  by the  longitudinal bulkhead, which rises a few feet above  the  water line to  a point about  level  with  the  cylinder  covers. The  whole  of the upper part of the engine-room is  common to both  engines. The  engines are placed close together, and  the arrangement o the  engine-rooms are  exceedingly good. Access is obtained by winding  stairs of ample proportions, and are vast improvement on ladders.

The crank shafts are of Whitworth  steel, the crank pins being 22 in. by  22 in.. The main bearings are not of extravagant  length.  Indeed, they  look short, but it is a noteworthy  fact that they  have  never yet needed a drop of water on them,  or  heated in  the slightest degree to give trouble. The thrust blocks stand in a large open space abaft the engines, and under  the platform. The valves of the main  engines are driven by  the ordinary link motion, with double bar links. Reversing is effected  by  Brown's hydraulic gear. 

London Engineer', The  Engineer (New York) 17 August 1889.

Sketch of  Teutonic's aft engine room and boiler room from original plans. Credit: dubbi_io,  Reddit ocean liner architect.

General View of  Port and Starboard Engines from  Top Platform. Credit: The Engineer, 19  December  1890.

Starboard Engines Starting Platform. Credit: The Engineer, 19  December  1890.

Starboard Engines-- Middle  Platform-- from Forward Starboard Corner. Credit: The Engineer, 19  December  1890.

Starboard Engine Room, Looking Aft from Stokehold Door. Credit: The Engineer, 19  December  1890.

Starboard Engines-- Middle Platform-- Looking Forward. Credit: The Engineer, 19  December  1890.

The steam plant of Teutonic comprised eight double ended boilers 12 ft. 6 in. dia. by 17 ft. long, with six furnaces in each and four single ended boilers 12 ft. 6 in. dia. by 10 ft. long, with three furnaces in each; and four double ended boilers 12 ft. dia. by 17 ft. long, with four furnaces in each. There were a total of 84 furnaces with  having a total heating surface ofs  40,968 sq. ft.; and grate surface 1,111 sq. ft..  

Steam is supplied at 180 lbs. by twelve boilers, with seventy-two  furnaces, and a grate area of 1,163  square  feet. They  are with  so-called forced  draught, on a modification of Howdens's  system, heated air being supplied both above  and below the  grates  by fans. The  productions of  combustion rise  through two chimneys oval in section, each 14 ft. on the major axis by  11 ft. 6 in. side. Notwithstanding these great dimensions, they look  very small compared with  the gigantic  structure below them.

'London Engineer', The  Engineer (New York) 17 August 1889.

The funnels are oval, 13 feet 3 inches by 10 feet 1 inch, the height above bars being 89 feet 5 inches; the coal bunker capacity is 2,250 tons; average coal consumption 260 tons per day; average speed 17.8 knots, and total I.H.P., 15,700.

Journal and Record of Transactions, Vol.20.

Teutonic is oft referenced for her forced-draught  system of  firing  her boilers and whilst  still a comparatively  new technology, it  had been introduced in White  Star ships some two years previously:

An experiment of great importance to the shipping world has just been made on board the Celtic, one of the White Star fleet. About three months since she arrived in Belfast, and was put into the hands of her builders for the purpose of getting forced draught on board. Hitherto 'forced' draught has been confined to her Majesty's warships, bat it was not adopted by them for purposes of economy, but merely to secure for exceptional purposes, such as chasing an enemy, the highest possible speed, regardleas of expense. It is, however, likely to be now adopted by the mercantile marine, for, thanks largely to the efforts of Mr. Howden, of Glasgow, who has made the economising of fuel on board whips a special study, a saving can now be effected by it not only in the actual consumption of coal in the furnaces and in the increased speed obtained with smaller boiler power, but also in the additional space thus gained in the hold for the storage of cargo.

Messes. Ismay, Imrie, and Co., of the White Star Line, decided to try the experiment in the Celtic, and the  forced draught arrangements were completed by Messrs. Harland and Wolff. The vessel left Belfast on her trial trip to Liverpool, on Monday, and the results of the experiments made during the voyage were in the highest degree satisfactory.

Evening Express, 10 February 1887.

Teutonic incorporated  the   latest example  of  the  "forced  draught" enhanced combustion of  coal  through means of fan-induced  air (in her  case, pre-heated)  into the  closed fireboxes, developed by  James Howden (1832-1913), a Scottish engineer, who devised the concept  in the  1880s. In Teutonic huge steam driven-fans induced  the  heated air into the furnaces: Two 84-inch stokehold fans in No 1 stokehold, driven by engines 7 inch by 5 inch, and one 108-inch fan in each of the other three stokeholds, driven by engines 9 inch by 6 inch. It was claimed that  the system reduced daily coal consumption of the  ship by  10 tons to  310-320 tons.  

Deck fans. Credit: The Engineer, 19  December  1890.

On the bridge deck, at each side  of the funnels, there are four  double fans, driven by compound engines, these  have been supplied by  Messrs. Allen and Co.,  engineers,  York Street, Lambeth. They  drive  air into the stokeholds, supplementing the supply  drawn through  the  fiddley  gratings. Below  these are fourteen fans,  driven by  Chandler engines, and constructed by  Messrs. Bumstead and Chandler, Hednesford, Staffordshire. These  fans are double, and 5 ft. in diameter. Each  fan-- of which there are fourteen in each ship--  is able to pass about 18,000 cubic feet per minute at a plenum of 3 in. of water, the revolutions being 350 per minute. The fans give from their  construction a high  efficiency relatively to the blade tip speed, and up  to date have  worked to  the entire satisfaction of all concerned. They draw the air from the hottest places in the  stokehold  and force it  into  chambers in the uptakes at the base  of the chimneys. There are fifty  vertical tubes in each chamber, and through  these tubes the products of combustion pass, while the  air from the fans circulate around them, and passing down the sides of the smoke boxes, is  finally delivered into the  closed  ash-pits at a temperature  of about 250 deg.  About one-fourth of the  whole air supply is admitted over  the fires. The  combustion is very perfect, and it  is only  under exceptional circumstances before the fires are fairly  away that such volume of smoke as that seen in our  engraving is  given off. In addition to the eighteen fans we have named, two for keeping the  dynamo rooms cool, and one  for  ventilating the firemen's quarters are fitted.  

The Engineer, 19 December 1890.

Chandler engines and fans. Credit: The Engineer, 19  December 1890.

Mitigating the  undoubted efficiency  of the Howden system was  that  it generated enormous additional heat in the already rigourous  conditions  of coal burning  stokeholds whose average  temperature of  95° F.  rose as high  as 145° F. in Teutonic's.   It was not  uncommon for her  stokers, as tough  a lot of  Merseyside firemen every  to go to sea,  to stagger on deck at the end  of  their shift and collapse on reaching the sea air.   The  longtitudinal subdivision of her  furnace  and boiler rooms added  to the pressure  cooker environment  and even in an age where "health  and safety"  was  an unknown concept, steps  were immediately taken to improve venting  of the stokehold  to bring the temperatures  down to closer to the still  oven-like normal.  

The feat of the White Star steamer Teutonic  is deemed by leading naval architects and marine engineers in this city a striking proof of the efficiency of the closed ashpit system of forced draught. The Teutonic has stuck to this system despite the adoption of more recent methods by such fliers as the City of Paris and others of recent date. When seen yesterday Mr. Horace See declared that the Teutonic's work was magnificent showing. Mr. See's remarks sum up those of nearly every other leading naval architect in New York. 

When the record-smashing run of the City of Paris was made in 1889 this vessel forced her fires on the closed-fireroom principle. Since new engines have been given her, following the great breakdown in the Spring of 1890, the City of Paris has operated her fires on the Howden system of forced draught. On the airtight-fireroom system the fireroom kept airtight, the air being forced into the fireroom and taken direct from the fireroom  into the furnaces, On the Howden system the hot gases passing through the furnace tubes are confined in a box, and returned through duet to under the grate bars. The idea underlying the principle  that in forcing the free with hot air less heat is lost than in the case of using cold air. It is known that when Mr. Horace See advised  closed firerooms for the new war ships he argued that it was oxygen that was needed to force  fires, and that the proper amount of oxygen was only obtainable from comparatively cool draughts. 

The  Majestic, the Teutonic's sister, forces her fires in the  same manner the Teutonic, air being  conveyed to the grate bars from blowers operating on deck. The communication is affected by deemed means of  ducts.

The one last mentioned system is deemed the easiest one on firemen, for Mr. Thomas Sewall, the chief engineer of the Majestic, declares that the temperature in the fireroom is usually 95°. Formerly the Teutonic's fireroom registered seldom less than 135°, and under this heat it no uncommon sight to see firemen taken exhausted from the fireroom and stretched out on the upper  decks to  recover. 

Firemen when formerly working on the Teutonic made a practice of laying off for two or three trips after every run. In this way they  managed of to recuperate. The introduction of  blowers in the Teutonic, working by the compound engines of on affairs deck, aboard has greatly bettered the condition of affairs aboard that vessel. In all, the Teutonic works nearly 200 men in the engine and fire rooms, and this force disposes of some of 300 tons of coal every day. 

Forcing fires on the closed-fireroom principle, Mr. See admits,  is  hard  on firemen, but  he thinks they can readily become accustomed to the strain. As a matter of fact, there are many coastwise steamers running on the American coast with fireroom temperatures seldom below 140°. It  is well known that the Leona of the  Mallory Line and sisterships, built  only  during the past  few years by the Cramps, contain firerooms registering right  along 140°  and 145° of  temperature. It seems incredible, engineers say, that  men stand  this heat, yet  they  do, and no  matter how badly  used up never seem the worse for the strain.  

The New York Times, 23 August 1891.

N.B: Horace See (1835-1909) was the principal naval architect of William Cramp shipyard, Philadelphia. 

Circulating Pumps. Credit: The Engineer, 19  December  1890.

There are two air pumps, 28 inches diameter by 30 inches stroke, in each engine room, worked from main engines. The feed pumps (Weir's) are four in number, diameter of cylinders 15 inches, diameter of pump 11 inches by 24 inches stroke. There are two centrifugal pumps with engines 8 inches and 15 inches by 14 inches; four Worthington pumps, diameter of cylinders 9 inches; diameter of pump 6 inches by 6 inches stroke. There are also four fire and bilge pumps of the same size as the Worthington pumps; four plunger bilge pumps, 6 inches diameter by 21 inch stroke, worked off main engines, and two plunger pumps, 4 inches diameter by 21 inches stroke, worked off the main engines, for fire and sanitary purposes. 

The Junior Institution of Engineers' Journal and Record of Transactions, Vol.20.

Starboard Thrust  Block. Credit: The Engineer, 19  December  1890.

Starboard  Shaft Tunnel. Credit: The Engineer, 19  December  1890.

The thrust shafts are fitted with eleven rings, giving a thrust surface of 2,960 square inches. The intermediate shafting is in four lengths, 19 inches diameter; of the tail shafting the port shaft is 28 feet 7 inches long by 23 inches diameter; and the starboard shaft 34 feet 10 inches long by 21 inches diameter. 

The Junior Institution of Engineers' Journal and Record of Transactions, Vol.20.

Credit: The Atlantic Ferry.

One of the more interesting aspects of Teutonic's twin-screw machinery, other  than being the first  of its  kind in a  White  Star ship,  was the arrangement  of  the propellers.  So fine  were her lines and so narrow her beam, requiring the twin engines to be very closely  spaced, that the screws (with a diameter of 21 ft. 6 in.) overlapped by 5 ft. 6 in.  To accommodate this, the starboard shaft was extended 6  ft. further aft of that to port one shaft  199 ft long and the other 205  ft. long. Careful work by her engineers at her introduction devised a method to counter the  torque of the asymmetrical screws by running the port propeller at 82 r.p.m. and the starboard one at 79 r.p.m..

Close-up of  Teutonic's overlapping  screws, possibly  the replacement smaller diameter  ones  fitted  after her first  season. Credit: Reddit oceanlinerporn.

This practice was pioneered   in  ships built by Messrs. Duncan, Port  Glasgow. Here  it  worth noting that screw design was  a remarkably imprecise one  at  the time and indeed a  decade  into the  20th century and it was found these  extra large  diameter screws were  not as  efficient  as  they were intended  so   Teutonic was fitted with  new smaller  (by  one-foot in diameter)  ones  shortly  after  entering service and  these  proved capital and the ship really found  her  speed  afterwards.  Another novelty in large twin-screw liners was  the  absence of external brackets  for the  exposed shafts, which instead were  housed in extruded bossings  to the  hull proper, a practice first being  found in the twin-screw Cosmos of 1865,  built by John Inglis, and overlapping  twin screws featured  in  ships built by Messrs. Duncan, Port  Glasgow.

In service, the screw arrangement, unusual  as it doubtless was imminently satisfactory in service, both in producing  record  breaking speed and being  remarkably  free of vibration, a most  elusive  quality  with  early multi-screw steamers.

Teutonic's overlapping screws, rudder and beautifully modelled stern displayed  in Alexandra Dock, Belfast. Credit Mary Evans Prints. 

The screw shafts are placed so close together that  the screws overlap 5  ft.  6 in., and the starboard  propellers is  astern of the other  by 6 ft.  The propellers revolve 'outboard.' A large  opening is  made in the  dead wood  to allow  of  this  system of construction. There are no stern brackets, the hull being worked out round  the  screw  shaft, and fitted with a  strong spectacle casing in steel, which  carries the stern bearings. There is no screw alley  in the ordinary sense of the word. Each screw shaft-- one  199 ft. and the other  205 feet long-- runs along a wide  chamber, close to  the outer side, which  is  the  skin of the  ship. At the  other side is  the longitudinal bulkhead, and the space between this and the shaft are placed ice-making machine, and the cold  air storage holds are supplied with  cold air by fans from this  department.

'London Engineer', The  Engineer (New York) 17 August 1889.

Teutonic's overlapping screws and slender  lines shown in Alexandra Dock, Belfast. Credit Mary Evans Prints.

The propellers are of manganese  bronze,  21  ft.  6  in. diameter and 28  ft. 6  in. pitch, four bladed, modified Griffiths'  true  screw, with  a surface of  128 square feet each. If  there  were no slip, the screws would make 2125 revolutions nearly  to the  know. A little  over  sixty-seven revolutions per minute would  give nineteen knots an hour. The ship actually  travelled through  the water at something over nineteen knots with  sixty-eight  revolutions, so that  there is very  little slip. It is  a remarkable fact that, with all the  boasted  knowledge  of resistance  and of  the  work of propulsion, no  one is able to design  a screw propeller, the  precise results to be obtained from which he can predict  with certainty.  It is  trial and error always, alike in the navy and the mercantile  marine. After all, however, to  change  a  propeller is a comparatively small matter; but this  does not effect  the question of what theoretical science can and cannot do for  the shipbuilder.

'London Engineer', The  Engineer (New York) 17 August 1889.

Specification for Teutonic's revised  set of  screws  fitted in late 1889:

The propellers are each 19 feet 7 inches diameter, with three blades; surface 100 square feet, and pitch 31 feet 6 inches.

The Junior Institution of Engineers' Journal and Record of Transactions, Vol.20.

In the arrangement for the propellers Messrs. Harland and Wolff have taken a step which is at once novel, and, we should say, effective. The Teutonic has an aperture in the stern similar to a single screw ship. To enable the necessary size of propeller so be used, and at the game time to avoid all chance of damage through the projecting blades when docking, etc., the propeller shafts are made one longer than the other, and the propellers themselves overlap. This arrangement permits of the line of shafting being placed more amidships. The blades of each propeller as they revolve thus extend beyond the vertical 'midship plane. The aperture is in itself a source of efficiency, as it facilitates turning, and as the Teutonic is built, like all the White Star liners, with little or no forefoot, she is, notwithstanding her immense size, an extremely handy vessel.

Liverpool Journal of Commerce, 30 July  1889.

The steering of the Teutonic is done by means of a rudder hung in the ordinary way. The rudder area is,  however, very large. The steam steering rear is situated on the poop, and possesses some novel and ingenious features. It consists of a duplicate set of horizontal engines. These are so arranged—the cylinders lying one over the other—as to drive vertical shafts, which, by means of pinions, &c., turn the huge circular framing on the rudder head. The arrangement is, perhaps, rather complicated, but it is very effective and quick in its action.

Liverpool Journal of Commerce, 30 July  1889.

Starboard Electrical Engine  Room. Credit: The  Engineer, 19 December  1890.

The electric light is fitted throughout the ship, even to the masthead and side lights. On the upper bridge is a "projector," or search light. To supply current there are two sets of engines and dynamos, each set being capable of lighting the entire ship. The dynamos are by Crompton, of Colchester. They are compound wound of the double pole type, giving 240 amperes at an E.M.F. of 100 volts, or each machine gives 24 unite. They run at 200 revolutions, and are coupled direct to the engines, which are compound horizontal, by Tangye. The main switchboard and fittings are by the Liverpool Electric Supply Company. The hull of the ship is used as the return lead. 

Liverpool Journal of Commerce, 30 July  1889.

Refrigerating Machinery. Credit: The Engineer, 19  December  1890.

Teutonic could carry 4,000  tons of  cargo in four  holds of  which  an important  40,000  cu. ft. of reefer space,  arranged after between the twin shafts, accommodated an average of 2,250 lbs. of meat on each eastbound crossing. There were two  separate  reefer compartments  and cooled  on the Linde ammonia system. 

Quick-Fire Gun And Crew: Credit: The Engineer, 19  December  1890.

What then of Teutonic's planning, pretension and ultimate purpose  of  an "armed merchant cruiser" and indeed  the first passenger liner specifically designed  to fulfill  this  dual role?  Here,  history validated  it and  indeed  a quarter of  a century  later, but  much of  her initial planning, begun so  far in advance of  her actual construction, was contradictory, and  all the remarkable she  fulfilled  both  competing roles envisioned by Ismay  and Harland  as a  fast troop transport able to take  2,000  men  or 1,500  and their  horses and equipment, from England to India via  Cape  Town without having to refuel or, alternatively, act as commerce raider as  an armed  merchant cruiser.   The  design and specification to satisfy  both  were not  exclusionary and indeed  did little to detract from the  ship's primary role as an express passenger  liner on the most competitive  and demanding route  on the ocean highway.

An efficient steam plant  and  ample bunkers  gave Teutonic the  ability  to steam, at  full  cruising speed, to Halifax in  five  days, to  Cape Town in 12½  days and to  Bombay, via  Suez in  14  days or  Southampton to Cape  Town (in the advent of the  Suez Canal being blocked by  enemy  action) in 17 days.  Critical systems like her pumping and piping systems and steam steering gear were duplicated in case  of  battle damage, her boilers and main machinery  were  sited  below  the waterline and most importantly,  her  compartmentalization, including critical  longitudinal bulkheads in the  whole of her engine  and boiler rooms as well   as predetermined and stiffened gun platforms, reflected and anticipated Teutonic's  role as an naval  transport or  cruiser.  Indeed, few  ships  more did  so than Teutonic  and Majestic.  

Armstrong  4.7" Naval Guns. Credit: The Engineer, 19  December  1890.

The main battery of Teutonic was to comprise 12 newly developed 4.7 in. naval guns built by Sir  William Armstrong, Mitchell and Co..   These fired a projectile of 45 lbs.. Only four of these were fitted  to the ship  during her famous appearances  at  Spithead in 1889 and 1897, two forward and two  aft. And in active  service, only eight were fitted as well as two  six-pounders.  

Dinner menu card,  26 August 1900. Paul Louden-Brown White Star Line Collection, National Museums NI.

Coming now to the merits of the Teutonic as an 'armed cruiser,' it will be observed that her engines are very nearly below the load water line, the boilers wholly so. Each set of engines and each group of boilers are in separate water-tight compartments. A fair amount of coal protection is assured so long as the bunkers are full. We believe, however, this question of defence has been carefully considered both by the owners and the Government, and in a short time, if necessary, a still further protective deck could be worked over the vitals, of the ship. It would also be necessary to protect the steering gear in the poop.

For means of offence the Teutonic has twelve 34-pounder Armstrong guns; four of these are mounted in position, two on the whale-back and two on the poop. Each gun has an armour shield to give protection to the gun crew. Of course, on war service she would have several rapid firing guns in addition. While the Teutonic is not our ideal of an armed merchant cruiser, is a very great advance towards this consumation. It must not, however, be forgotten that she is but the third vessel constructed in which the gun question has been considered as a factor in the design of the ship. There is no doubt that now the Admiralty—thanks to the efforts of such patriotic men as Mr. lsmay—is beginning to be alive to the fact that the mail steamer is in every case, whether armed or not, a valuable auxiliary to a fleet, we shall see, doubt,  increased encouragement given to shipowners to put in heavier scantlings for the purpose of enabling their vessels to be readily armed and partially protected. The amount the Admiralty pays as a  retaining fee is not by any means excessive, nor in our opinion even adequate, and we do not think it right that the patronage of our shipowners should be severely taxed, as  we doubt very much ' whether, even in ordinary times, the lose of freight caused by the heavier materials worked into the ship is compensated by the sum offered by the authorities.

Liverpool Journal of Commerce, 30 July  1889.

With the United  States Navy soon to  commission two specially  designed and built "protected cruisers,"   U.S.S. Columbia and  U.S.S. Minneapolis, in 1890-91, to deal with  fast ocean liners as commerce raiders, Teutonic  and Majestic  were  taken seriously  in  their potential military capacity, but not without  a degree  of  doubt as to the ultimate effectiveness in the  role:  

There has been much said about the new White Star steamer Teutonic as a passenger ship. Little remains to be told concerning her interior decorations and fittings, while as to her principal dimensions they were long ago made public.

It has been casually mentioned now and then that the Teutonic was a subsidized vessel of the British Government, that in time of war she would act as a commerce destroyer and form part of the mobilized fleet of Great Britain. Further than this little has been said of the newcomer as a fighting ship, it evidently being difficult for the lay mind to separate the Teutonic as a subsidized cruiser from the Teutonic the passenger ship. In point of fighting efficiency, in point of excellence in the positioning of gun batteries and type of armament provided, the Teutonic is without doubt at the head of all the subsidized cruisers of the British Navy engaged in the transatlantic trade. 

When the British Admiralty, some years ago, commenced putting in the gun fittings of all new vessels designed for future use as commerce destroyers it was not without considerable trouble and labor that certain ships were rendered available for the reception of heavy guns. So many different designs of construction were met that it was found impossible to hit upon any one buttery type for all merchant vessels. Accordingly, to avoid difficulty it was decided that the designs of all new vessels intended for cruiser work should be first presented to the Admiralty for approval or alteration before the work of construction was commenced. Under this ruling all the cruiser ships launched within the last ten years have been built in part from Admiralty designs, received their structural strengthening pieces, and were fitted with all the battery appurtenances excepting the guns and carriages before launching. Not even at this late date has any one design been decided upon by the Admiralty, it being agreed by the latter to attempt improvements with each new ship.

The Teutonic as she appears when carrying passengers will not differ greatly from the Teutonic as a fighting ship. The whole of the awning deck running fore and aft the vessel's main deck will be torn down, while much of the "gingerbread work" about the rails, along with some of the main deck boats and davits, will be gotten rid of, permitting a clearer run and train for the broadside guns. The battery of the Teutonic will consist of twelve thirty-three-pounder rapid firing guns. These guns will ail be mounted on Vavasseur carriages, four on each broadside, one on each bow, and one on each quarter. The broadside and the forward and aft pivot guns will all have the same type of carriage mount. So far only four platforms are in place, namely, those on the bow and those on the poop. The strengthening frames for all the gun positions were of course built in as the hull was constructed, but the platforms themselves for the broadside guns have yet to be placed. Standing on one of the bow platforms there is observed a magnificent range for firing. A gun here has an unobstructed fire right ahead and directly aft, and might, it necessary, fire across the bow in the event of its opposite becoming disabled. Judging, however, from the magnificent manoeuvring qualities of the Teutonic, the gun captains will have little cause to complain of the ship not readily throwing the different pieces into action. 

The Vavasseur carriage, on which the Teutonic's guns are to be mounted, is the type of carriage now peculiar to the whole British service. It admits of the gun being run out after the recoil by the action of cylinders placed under the carriage. The length of the recoil in made as great as practicable. It is usually from three to four times the calibre of the gun on the mounting. A high slide and low top carriage are used, hydraulic compressor cylinders being made as part of the top carriage, and placed as close beneath the trunnion bearings as possible. Protection is afforded the gun crews by large circular shields, which are carried by the carriage slide. The gun projects through an aperture in the shield. These shields are destined to afford protection only against small-arm and machine-gun fire.

The Teutonic's type of rapid-fire guns is the first issued to any  British vessel. Only four of the guns are ready, and these are kept stored conveniently at hand for taking aboard on the first receipt of orders. The bow and poop guns were mounted when the Teutonic appeared among the mobilized fleet off Spithead. Notwithstanding the admirable fittings of the Teutonic's battery there is reason to believe that the bow gun crews will find it troublesome serving their pieces in anything of a seaway. These two guns are well below the bridge, yet in her recent passage across the officers on watch were compelled to wear oilskins the better part of the time. If spray and water can reach the bridge,situated as it is forty-two feet above the twenty-foot water line, we can imagine how wet it must be below on the forecastle. Yet it will be while running at full speed in chase that the guns must be served. The battery of the Teutonic is powerful enough to warrant her engaging a regular cruiser vessel, and we doubt seriously if the Yorktown, or any vessel not provided with heavier guns than six-inch rifles could succeed in sinking the big Teutonic before she was down upon her with a rush and a ram. There is much worthy of consideration when it is recalled that vessels such as the Newark and Philadelphia are receiving only six-inch rifles. As one British naval officer recently remarked: "Give me command of a vessel of the City of Paris type, arm her with efficient rapid-fire guns, and I will not hesitate to engage partially-protected cruisers of less speed power, even if they are provided with slightly heavier ordnance."

The subsidy paid by the British Government for the privilege of calling into service the Teutonic on the outbreak of hostilities is $15,000 a year. All of the vessels of the White Star Line are subsidized by the British Government, and all of the ships are liable to compulsory purchase on the likely approach or immediate outbreak of hostilities. All of the White Star ships have a fixed price set on them by the British Government, plus 10 per cent for compulsory sale, namely: Britannic, £130,000; Germanic, £130,000; Adriatic, £100,000; Celtic,£100,000. Of this 10 per cent. increase, however, there is to be an abatement of 6 per cent. per annum on the depreciated annual value for the period that might elapse between the 1st of January, 1887, and the data of purchase by the Government. In the event of the vessel being merely hired the Government is to pay 20s. per gross registered ton per month, the White Star people furnishing the crew, or 15s. per mouth, the Admiralty finding the crew. Similar arrangements are in operation with the Cunard Line and Inman Line people.

The New-York Times, 18 August 1889.

R.M.S. Teutonic. Credit: The Engineer, 19  December  1890.

Design and specification were one thing, actual performance another  and the ultimate testimony to  both  was Teutonic's record, both as shown on trials, and  especially on during her 1891 record breaking season.

On trials:

On her trial the  engines  were gradually  worked up  to sixty-five revolutions,  but  no attempt whatever  was made to  drive  her. There  were no  warm bearings, no  water was needed, and there was practically no vibration. We anticipated that  the peculiar position of the  screw would cause a good deal of thrashing and give  a broken wake,  but  there was nothing of the kind. In our  experience  we  have  never  seen a wake with  so little  disturbance--  indeed it would probably have presented very  little difference  had  the ship been towed,  instead  of  driven by  screws. It  was not  easy  to realize the fact that  something like 10,000 or  11,000  h.p. was  being  exerted. The performance of  the bows was very beautiful,  the  waves  thrown to port and starboard being  comparatively  small,  the  surface  water being rolled over  that  below it without much  disturbance. 

It  is  proper to explain here  that  the ship  has  not been design to attain  excessive speed  in  smooth water. She is made rather  full  below  water at the bows and sharp above, the  object being  to make her buoyant forward, so  that  she may not bury herself on a head  sea, while she is sharp above the water line to reduce resistance to breaking waves. It  is common to build a ship  sharp  below and full above, with  the  idea she will lift  when  she gets fairly  into the wave. So she will; but  Messrs. Harland and Wolff  hold  that it  is better to let her bury  herself first and then lift. It is intended that the Teutonic shall  be driven through head  seas, and that, although she may not  be the fastest fair weather boat on the Atlantic,  her  average  speed will be as great as that  of  any other  steamer; and we see no reason  why this end should not  be attained in the  fullest manner. The Teutonic ran down Channel all right, and racing through  the water at  some 22 miles an hours, the  engines making 67 and 69 revolutions per minute.

'London Engineer', The  Engineer (New York) 17 August 1889

The Manouvering Power of  the  Teutonic and City of  Paris

A correspondent, whose letter appears elsewhere, asks us a few questions on this subject, and the following note may be of interest to hint and to our readers. To ensure the possession of great manouvering power, so far as it depends upon the rudder, or, as sailors term it, to ensure that a vessel is "quick on her helm," it is necessary that the under-water section should be fine, the draft moderate, and the moment of inertia not too large. As regards the first, bluff-bowed, full-lined cargo boats seldom steer well. A very light vessel and a very deep vessel will not steer well. As the cube of the half-breadth is the principal factor in determining the moment of inertia, narrow, but finelined vessels will steer bettor than very broad ones. To ensure good manoeuvring power the lateral resistance must be as small as possible. This is effected by cutting away the forefoot and deadwood. 

The talented designers of the Majestic and Teutonic have proceeded on exact scientific principles in ensuring great manouvering power to these vessels, and the result amply demonstrates that it is possible to make a long vessel as handy as a short one. The Teutonic and Majestic are 565.8 on the water line by 57.8 beam. This gives nearly 9.8 beam to length. The City of Paris and City of New York are 527.6 on the water-line by 63.2 bean. This gives 8.3 beans to length. In other words, the White Star boats have a relatively small moment of inertia as compared with the Inman boats, and other things being equal the former will manoeuvre and steer better. Everything is done conducive to this end, and lateral resistance is diminished by cutting away the forefoot in the manner peculiar to Belfast practice, and in the deadwood is a large aperture as in single-screw vessels; hence, with twin-screws a rudder of comparatively small sectional area is found ample. 

The advantages of a small rudder in reducing the torsional strains on the rudder head are so obvious that we need not enlarge upon them. What the exact rudder area of the White Star boats is and what proportion it bears to the underwater longitudinal section we are unable to say. If we might hazard a guess we should think the rudder area does not greatly exceed 180 square feet. The Cities are beamy boats, and hence have a rather large moment of inertia, but the resulting defect is amply compensated for by fitting a very large balanced rudder, the area of which is 250 square feet. Of the two forms of rudder the balanced is preferable for mechanical reasons. There is or should be little torsional strain in the rudder bead, and therefore the rudder is easily moved, and within certain limits the area can be as large as is wanted. The City of Paris and her sister are well known for their excellent manoeuvring powers, but we are unable to say what is the tactical diameter of them or of the White Star boats. The literature on rudders is very scarce and most builders and naval architects proceed on purely tentative methods in fixing area, shape, etc.  and out of all the qualities that a shipowner , specifies that of good manoeuvring is the least considered, and probably by the majority of owners, builders, and captains the least understood. 

Liverpool Journal of Commerce,  19 May  1891.

Teutonic vs Inman's "City" ships:

The widespread impression that the steamship Teutonic of the White Star line is larger than the City of New York of the Inman line has made men marvel at the superior speed of the Teutonic, with nominally 1,500 or 2,500 horse power less than her rival. The relative speed of the two boats involves no such paradox. The Teutonic is the longer boat but not the larger. The gross tonnage of the City of New York is 10,499, or a fraction over 638 tons more than the tonnage of the Teutonic. The Inman ship is broader than her rival by about seven feet, and 18 several feet deeper, but she measures 17 feet less in length over all, or 566. 

Comparisons of the mechanical forces in the mighty hulls of the two ships cannot be made with absolute assurance of accuracy. because the sources of Information about the Teutonic are closed to the public. The mystery surrounding her is nearly as impenetrable as that which enshrouded the Keely motor.

In her case a few basic facts. supplemented by intelligent conjecture. may serve the purpose. The public is familiar with the details of the City of New York's best runs, because her ingenuous commander, Capt. Watkins, is always ready to tell the truth about her. The commercial value of a steamship depends largely on the horse power she develops and maintains steadily, and the quantity of coal she consumes. The City of New York in a run of twenty -four hours burns  335 tons of coal, which produces about 18,500 horse power, with boiler pressure of 150 pounds to the square inch. The Teutonic's furnaces consume in a day about 300 tons of coal, creating about 17,500 horse power (which she is  credited with keeping up steadily throughout voyage), with boiler pressure of 160 pounds to the square Inch. The high pressure, intermediate and low pressure cylinders of the City of New York's triple expansion engines are 45, 71, and 118 inches in diameter. respectively. The Teutonic's cylinders are 48, 68 and 110 inches in diameter. The piston rods of both boats have stroke of 60 Inches. The twin propellers of both ships are three-bladed. The Teutonic's are 21½  feet in diameter and the City of New York's are 22 feet in diameter. 

From these figures the reasons for the Teutonic's superiority are obvious. For every ton of coal that is shovelled into her  furnaces her boilers generate  5,833 horse power. The City of New York gets 3.11 horse power less from a ton of coal. On a voyage of six days to Queenstown the Teutonic burns probably 210 tons of coal less than the Inman ship.  It is said that the Teutonic can get more out of her coal because of a peculiar arrangement of her furnaces, by which a very large boiler surface is presented to the  fires. The Teutonic has more than fulfilled the expectations of her owners. She has developed 17,500 horse power and kept it up with little fluctuation for six days.

Until recently the City of New York has been unable to keep what Capt. Watkins even pressure of steam. She has a nominal horse power of 20,000 but her average indicated horse power on six days' voyage has never exceeded 18,500. Her sister ship, the City of Paris, has done better than this by 500 horse power. The City of New York is a growing boat. She will, her commander thinks, attain the full capacity of her steam and excel the record of the made  of the City  of Paris, made in August 1899. As for City of Paris, she will, Capt. Watkins predicts, lower  her  own best run by about four hours before she has  been  in service three months.

The Sun, 9 November  1890.

Teutonic in  New York  Harbor.  Credit: William  B.  Taylor,  Mariners' Museum.

R.M.S.  TEUTONIC

Rigging & General Arrangement Plans

courtesy Bob Fivehouse

(For full-size scan, LEFT CLICK on image)

Teutonic/Majestic rigging plan dating  from Majestic's 1903 refitting showing her new two mast profile as well Teutonic's  three-mast arrangement.  Credit: Transactions of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers.

Teutonic Sectional Elevation and Half-deck Plans. Credit: Ships and Models March  1933. 

Teutonic partial deck plan. Credit: The Atlantic Ferry, Arthur J. Maginnis, 1892, courtesy  Bob Fivehouse.

Teutonic First and Second Class Deck Plan. Credit: eBay auction photo

Teutonic Second Class plans. Credit: norwayheritage.com

With  two full length  superstructure  decks, Promenade  and Upper and an awning or Boat  Deck  above, and two hull decks, Saloon  Deck and Main  Deck, Teutonic's layout  was  simple and compact although  her length contributed  to  a sense  of fore and aft spaciousness  with  250  ft. of  clear covered promenade on either  side  of Promenade and Upper  Decks.

Teutonic's open bridge. Credit: Queensland State Library.

Boat Deck had the wheelhouse forward,  topped  by  the open bridge, and 10  lifeboats, five on each side, at radial davits,  with  a further  two  pair aft, for  a  total  of  14. 

Promenade Deck  had the captain's quarters  forward of the  forward funnel uptake.  Amidships  was the  First Class entrance, fitted with settees  and accessing the magnificent main  staircase and  the library which was arranged around the central light  well to  the  dining saloon deck deck  below, and topped  by its  own skylight.  The central well was  glassed over  to provide  a "table"  in the centre as well to  let  light  into the  saloon.  The library  was furnished with a large  bookcase on the forward bulkhead, writing decks ringing the centre  table and settees and easy chairs on the  sides. Aft, in its  own deckhouse, were four  de luxe  staterooms-- A, B, C  and D.  The  aft  deckhouse  contained the Second Class smoking room and lounge.  

Upper Deck  had six de luxe  staterooms (L, M, N, O, Q, P) forward and 13 First Class cabins amidships (E,F, G, H,  U, W), all outside,  and  featuring  casement windows  facing out onto the covered promenade. Amidships was the First Class entrance, its perimeter furnished  with  settees and the  main staircase in the centre. Further  aft was the barbershop, First  Class  lavatories  and baths.  The First  Class smoking room was situated  right  aft.  Further aft,  in its  own deckhouse,  was the  Second Class  dining saloon.

Saloon Deck  had the bulk of  the regular  First  Class cabins  forward to  amidships, 28  outside ones and  38 inside ones. Amidships was the magnificent  First Class dining  saloon, seating 300,  and  measuring 60 ft. long by 58 ft.  wide and with a central full deck high  dome with  skylight. Aft on the starboardside  were 10 outside First  Class  cabins and four inside ones.  The galley and pantries were on the portside.  Second Class accommodation, comprising 21 outside four-berth cabins, 21   inside four-berth  cabins and nine inside two-berth, was situated  aft. 

Main Deck amidships had 23 large  First  Class staterooms, all outside.

An exemplar of  the  Aesthetic Movement (c. 1860-1890), Teutonic was one of, if  not  the  first  passenger  ship whose  interiors  were  rendered by   established interior  designers  and  artists.  Indeed,  an association  unconventional  enough that  it  did  not elicit public announcement but rather referenced  in the  personal diary  of  Mrs.  T.H.  Ismay:   

16 July 1888: "To Trollopes [J. & G. Trollope, an important firm of  interior decorators of the  era] and  a saw  a panel for  new steamer's saloon.  Then went and met Mr. &  Mrs. Pirrie at Heatons,  to  see  proposed decorations for  Smoking  Room on new  steamer." 

Mrs. Ismay, with  Thomas Ismay,  then  inspected  the new Inman liner City  of New York on the 26th and wrote in her  diary  that day: "Met Thomas at Liverpool,  and  we went aboard the  City of  New  York, her saloon is important looking with  a large  dome, but  the other  part is  very  low. Library  and Ladies  Dressing Room pretty, but the  State Rooms very complicated, and  dark,  and I  was not favourably  impressed  with  her."  

This was perhaps the first tangible evidence of the  wife of a shipping executive taking  a keen interest in the decoration and fitting out  of  a passenger liner, something  that  would go on to influence liner  interiors to  varying degrees to  the present day.  Here, the involvement of the Pirries in Teutonic's interiors  cannot be overlooked, either.  Indeed Mrs. Pirrie, the former Margaret Montgomery Carlisle (1857-1935), was the sister of  H&W naval architect and designer  of Teutonic, Alexander Carlisle, who also took a keen interest  in the decoration and fitting out  of  his  ships. 

The early  association with Heaton was doubly  important given that  his  work on Teutonic  would be  so  successful that the  firm would go on to  design, furnish  and fit  almost  all of Harland  &  Wolff's  passenger liners  up  the beginning of the  Second  World War, when known as Heaton,  Tabb &  Co. 

Though little known today, John Aldam Heaton (1830-1897) was regarded as one of the leading interior designers of the late 19th century. He was particularly renowned for his church decorations. Initially he was a cloth manufacturer living near Bingley with a mill in Bradford. It is likely, therefore, that he was a longstanding acquaintance of the Fosters, whose textile firm was at Queensbury near Bradford. His firm supplied cloth to the famous firm established by arts and crafts designer William Morris. By the early 1860s he had connections with pre-Raphaelite artists like Dante Gabriel Rossetti, who stayed at his house, where he  designed a stained glass window and painted a portrait of Heaton's  wife, Ellen. Heaton was instrumental in getting Morris’s firm the contract for the installation of stained glass windows in Bradford Cathedral.

https://www.tathamhistory.org.uk/

John Aldam Heaton (1830-1897). Credit: tathamhistory.org

John Aldam Heaton (1830-1897), artist, designer and businessman, designed furniture, stained glass, wallpaper and textiles, with  important work  for churches and notable residences. A member of the Arts and Crafts Movement, an associate of William Morris and a friend of Pre-Raphaelite artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti, he contributed materially to the  applied arts  and ethos that defined  the Aesthetic Movement. In the  1870s Heaton established  his  interior  designer business in London and specialised in wallpaper  and fabric  design and  embroidery. Heaton went on to establish  a partnership with Richard  Norman Shaw (1831-1912) and what had  originally been Pease,  Heaton and Co.,  (Leeds)  was renamed Aldam Heaton &  Co.. Heaton authored   Furniture and Decoration in England During the Eighteenth  Century in 1892 and Beauty and  Art in 1897.

In the Teutonic and Majestic, everything that  art and science can do  has been done to render the ship at  once beautiful, luxurious and safe. The general arrangement of the  promenade and after decks will be gathered  from our view of the ship when under steam. The library is placed immediately immediately above the saloon amidships. The  'skylight' for this last, rising through  the floor of  the library, forms  a vast table of ground glass. We  cannot  do better than reproduce  here  the description of the ship provided  by  her builders.

In the general deck arrangement the  characteristics which has so long successfully  prevailed, and which  the White Star were the first to introduce, are but  little changed, while each class of passengers will  find that nothing has  been left undone which experienced and forethought could suggest for their comfort.  In the  Teutonic  and Majestic the saloon and sleeping  accommodation  have been placed in  the very  middle of the  ship, where  there  is  the minimum of movement. 

The hurricane and promenade  deck is 245  ft. long, with  a clear  width of  18  ft. on each side  of  the deck houses,  and is  free of all obstructions, the boats  being place on an awning deck on top  of  this  again, which serves as a  permanent shelter instead  of the  canvas  hitherto  used for this purpose. On the promenade deck, besides the usual accommodation for  the commander, there  are  good  state-rooms for  passengers' use, having direct communication  with  the deck  below.

The Engineer, 19  December  1890.

Perhaps the most striking feature of the passenger arrangements is the superb promenade deck, with room enough for every one and to spare: with no narrow gangways  to be preempted by careful people and fenced in by the long chairs so familiar to sensitive shins. 

New York Tribune, 16 August 1899.

A clear space extending from 10 to 12 feet beyond the swell of the deckhouse enables passengers to promenade completely around the deck structure without break or interference of any kind, thus placing at their disposal, for the purpose of exercise and pleasure, 600 feet of space, or nearly one-eighth of a mile. This is a feature that will at once commend itself to the weary and ennuied traveler, who, braving storm and hissing squalls, prefers to remain on deck where there is plenty of room, in lieu of the closer atmosphere below.

On no other steamship afloat do the accommodations exist that are here devoted exclusively for the pleasure and use of the restless, vigorous and thoroughly-seasoned tourists. On this deck are the quarters of the commanding officer, which are unusually roomy and luxurious in character.

Every facility for communicating instantly with those entrusted with important duties are at the commander's hand; while charts, books, instruments, and all the paraphernalia of a nautical commander find place within allotted spaces. Staterooms A, B, C and D, are also located on this deck, and from their freedom from obstructions of all kinds, with an uninterrupted view of the ocean in all its moods, and with an unlimited supply of ozone and health-giving salt air they are, therefore, specially desirable.

Ocean: Magazine of Travel, September 1889.

First Class Library. Credit:  Topfoto. 

First Class Library. Ocean  Magazine of Travel, September 1889.  Credit:  Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives

First Class library showing the revised centre skylight/table with  a  raised section. Credit: shipsnostalgia.com dlongly

The library on the  promenade deck;  the  great central table is  of ground  glass,  as  already  explained, giving  light  to the saloon  below. It  is  a  large and  cheerful  apartment, with nooks  and corners in which it  is  easy  to find comparative  seclusion. It  is panelled throughout  in light oak, carrying a novel  ornamentation, produced by  burning the design into a gilt ground, relieved by finely -worked  carvings  and hand-made panels in varied coloured  crewels on a pale  blue  satin ground. The room is lighted  at the sides  of windows,  covered  with  glass  shutters of Italianesque design, that admit a  subdued  light. Additional light is furnished by the stained-glass dome. Every device and appliance  that could possibly add to  the  comfort and luxury of  the inmates have  been furnished. Revolving  chairs, that, while inviting  rest and contentment, occupy but  little  space, are here found in conjunction  with small separate writing  tables. The library is  the only  general room on the  promenade deck, and is  entered from the main entrance to the saloon. The main entrance  and the  flights of staircase, with  four solitary  exceptions, lead to  all the state-rooms. 

The Engineer,  19 December 1890.

Adjoining the main entrance on this, the promenade-deck, is the library, containing bookcases filled with a careful collection of the choicest works published. The apartment is particularly light and attractive, being paneled in light oak, the wood of which was carefully selected on account of grain, color and texture, carrying a novel ornamentation produced by burning the design in a gilt ground, varied by carvings exquisitely executed, and hand-made panels in varied colored crewels on a pale-blue satin ground.

The room is lighted at the sides by windows, covered with glass shutters of Italianesque design, that admits of a subdued and mellow light, particularly adapted for those making use of the magnificently appointed apartment. Additional light is furnished by the richly stained glass dome. Every device and appliance that could possibly add to the comfort and luxury of the inmates has been furnished. Revolving chairs that, while inviting rest and contentment, occupy but little space, are here found in conjunction with individual writing tables.

In the center of the apartment is a massive sheet of opaque glass, in the form of a table, from the edges of which rise fluted columns, carved, decorated and adorned with the highest art of the carver's handicraft. Overhead, the eye is greeted with panels, large and artistically covered with intricate and quaint patterns of delicate tracery, relieved by colorings and effects that tend to deceive the eye and add entranced height to the noble proportions of the ornate library.

Seductive chairs, covered with warm and costly stuffs. stand invitingly forth from quiet nooks, while the effect of light and shadow on carvings, massive oak decorations, distant alcoves and sequestered retreats, all add indescribable charms to the delighted guest and thoughtful, quiet reader and student.

Ocean: Magazine of Travel, September 1889.

The library is perhaps the most  exquisite room on board the ship. The carvings in it are remarkable. They in themselves would well repay an hour or two investigating the delicacy and skill of workmanship which  have been displayed. In the design of  the oak panelling and the general set up of the whole of the  details that given completeness and effect to this  part of  the  ship's  arrangement, the desire  has evidently been to produce an effect which will not  soon pass away. The collection of books, too, is  the largest and best  yet put on board any  liner; the volumes are elegantly bound and they  are thoroughly representative. 

The  Fleetwood Express, 14 August 1889.

Passing down through the main entrance to the upper-deck the comfortable quarters of the purser is found, and we will now pause for a moment by the grand staircase, which in any steamship is a marked and prominent feature, generally reserved for an elaborate display of ornamentation and carved and polished effects.

Ocean: Magazine of Travel, September 1889.

First Class Grand Staircase. Ocean -- Magazine of Travel, September 1889. Credit: Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives

First Class main  staircase. Credit: Getty images.

First  Class main staircase. Credit: Topfoto.

The  companion-way becomes a grand staircase, leading to the promenade  deck. The steps  and walls are composed entirely of select  English  oak, which, as it becomes tempered  and mellowed  with age, assumes a darker and richer hue, until  it nearly  resembles black walnut. It is the same style  of  oak that for  centuries has made England famous in her  wainscotings in abbeys  and manor  houses. The  stairs  are wide, spacious, and  gradual in descent,  terminating  in a broad, substantial landing,which  is  relieved  by an  inlaid, tinted  rubber  floor  that  contrasts with pleasingly with  the shades of oak.  The  balustrade  is  highly  polished, massive,  and  relieved by   a  deep beading. The upright rounds are correspondingly heavy, fitting into side pieces that  are hand-carved;  while  strong  supporting  pillar,  bearing a special  pattern,  while the  heads  of  the  tritons  added to the  quaintly-wrought  panelling  of the walls, complete  the  structure. 

The Engineer,  19 December 1890.

In addition to the rooms already mentioned, on this deck, further aft, is the gentlemen's lavatory, the barber's shop, and the finely-appointed smoking-saloon. This apartment, as one of the attractive features of the great racer, deserves more than passing attention. 

Ocean: Magazine of Travel, September 1889.

First Class Smoking Saloon. Ocean -- Magazine of Travel, September 1889. Credit: Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives.

First Class smoking room. Credit:  shipsnostalgia.com dlongy

First  Class smoking room. Credit: Topfoto.

First Class smoking room. Credit: Topfoto.

The  smoking saloon is  the most  luxuriously  fitted apartment of  the  kind  to be found  anywhere. It  is fitted with  several 'boxes,' if  we may  use  the word, in which parties of  six or eight can isolate  themselves to  a  certain extent.  The walls of  this  room are covered with  a richly  gilt  embossed leather;  the design  being  a  careful reproduction  of one of  the best patterns  of  the old  Flemish cuir  repousse.  Panels in the sides of  the  room are decorated  with admirable oil paintings, representing shipping from some of its most picturesque and interesting aspects.  1- Represents the Spanish  American Empire, a royal treasure  ship in the seventeenth century, by E.J. Taylor; 2- (to the left of our  engraving) Armed Genoese Galley in  the Harbor  of  Venice, sixteenth century, by  Frank Murray; 4- The Romans in Britain during the Second  Century, by E. J.  Taylor; 5- Viking  Ships in the Nile during  the Tenth Century, by Frank Murray.  Other spaces are filled with  shallow  niches, each containing a figure in high relief, carved in pearwood, after Donatello. The dome and ceiling are works of art in themselves, the latter containing an old  English plaster  pattern in oddly-shaped  panels,  with  finely-modelled rosettes at intervals. Shutters of  stained and ornamented glass fit  each window, and are placed in position as soon as the electric  light are called into requisition, completely obscuring  the  inmates  from all outside observation.  

The  floor of this apartment, like that of the  vestibule at the  foot of the  grand staircase, is a novelty, and decided improvement on anything of the kind that  has heretofore been introduced. It  is composed of rubber, inlaid and artistically coloured and arranged in pleasing designs  and patterns. The  superiority of this over  a wood  floor, or one covered with oil-cloth, or  even the  finest  carpet, is  obvious, as to slip on a rubber floor, when the  ship pitches or rolls is  well-nigh  impossible. 

The Engineer,  19 December 1890.

Nothing  so cosy, nothing so complete, and nothing so elaborate in the way of ornamentation has  ever before been provided  for  smokers  ashore or afloat. The couches are the  springiest and most commodious on order. The very size of the room has given an opportunity for the  artist to step in. He  has been given a free hand here and has produced an art gallery as well  as  smoking  room. 

The  Fleetwood Express, 14 August 1889.

The grand dining-room, or main saloon, is on the main-deck, placed amidships, where there is the minimum of movement, and apart from its great size presents many unique and novel features. In general the decoration is of the Renaissance period, the tints being a subdued ivory and gold.

Ocean: Magazine of Travel, September 1889.

First Class Dining Saloon with plaster relief panels under the  dome. Credit: Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives

First Class dining saloon. Credit: eBay auction photo.

First Class  dining  saloon. Credit: shipsnostalgia.com dlongly

The grand saloon is  illustrated  by Fig.3-- that is to  say, about one half of it. Throughout  the character  of the decoration is the same. It seems to have been built of ivory, relieved with  gold. It  is situated just about mid-length of  the ship, where  the motion is  the least. The walls are mounted in ivory enamel, relieved by a delicate  and elaborate  tracing, slightly shaded with  a filing of gold, while the panels in  the labyrinth of artistic  design, wrought in a glyphic material, exhibit  tritons, sea nymphs, and other ocean symbols, all gracefully grouped and executed.  The  figures in relief  are finished in an ivory-like surface, and the groundwork  of the panels  is of gold.  The ports are  lined  with  dark repoused  brasswork of the same Renaissance character as the  walls, and are fitted with stained-glass shutters, emblazoned with  the arms of the  different States, and cities of America,  Canada, and Europe, behind which are placed  electric lights, so that  the brightness  of the  design is apparent by night  or day. The  decoration of the ceiling  corresponds with the  walls in tints of ivory and gold, the electric lights peeping forth  from numerous niches and artistic  corners. Tables of polish wood extend the entire  length of  the saloon, flanked on either side by  revolving chairs. There in all 300 chairs  and, as the Teutonic only carries 300 passengers, the annoying relay  system of dining has been avoided. Light is supplied through the stained-glass dome as well as trough  the side-ports.

The Engineer,  19 December 1890.

The saloon itself is in every way an improvement on its predecessors. There is a chair and a place at table for every passenger. The decoration is a work of art: the upholstery is a study of comfort. The effect of the ivory  and gold panels, with emblematic marine figures in relief, is admirable. The general result is bright and cheerful.

New York Tribune, 16  August  1889.

The accommodations are such that three hundred passengers can be seated at one time, and as the Teutonic is not intended to carry more in the first-class quarters, the inconvenience and vexatious delays occasioned by dining in relays will be avoided. This feature will undoubtedly commend itself to the patrons of the line.

Although she is much larger than the Etruria and Umbria, still she carries only about half the number of saloon passengers, the limit having been placed at three hundred, and there is abundance of room for all this number to dine at one time in the saloon, which is 60 feet long by 58 feet wide. The rule limiting the number of saloon passengers is a good one, as it obviates the necessity of serving double meals. The great aim of the company is to furnish incomparably the finest cuisine, and served in a luxurious manner.

Ocean: Magazine of Travel, September 1889.

Few details of Teutonic escaped notice and praise in the  Victorian press, right  down to the "domestic arrangements" of the  saloon accommodation.

The pantry is conveniently placed, and is furnished like the pantry of a high-class hotel. The service of plate was supplied by Elkington and Co., Churchstreet, Liverpool, and consists of a complete outfit in their best A quality of electro-plating. It is all of a special design. The entree dishes, soup tureens, and sauce tureens, vegetable dishes,etc., have bead antique mounts, and richly engraved scroll bands going round the plain or exposed parts. The coffee and teapots, sugar basins and cream ewers are made of a new patented pattern, every part being as it were rounded (no projecting surfaces)) so as to get an even surface for hard wear. The galley, or rather the kitchens, are very completely furnished for their purpose by Messrs. H. Wilson and Co., of Liverpool. 

Liverpool Journal of Commerce, 30  July 1889.

First  Class cabin no. 13. Credit: Mary Evans Prints.

First Class Stateroom. Ocean -- Magazine of Travel, September 1889. Credit: Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives.

Stateroom  "Q". Credit: Ocean Liner Architect Reddit, Artistics

On this deck, forward of the grand staircase, are some of the choicest staterooms in the ship, furnished with baths and every possible convenience. They are unusually large, with handsome brass bedsteads. They are lighted with windows, which open onto the promenade around the deckhouse, giving fresh air in abundance; they are also connected by electric bells with the necessary departments of this great floating city. Nothing finer or more complete in every detail has ever been placed at the disposal of the public.

Forward of the grand saloon, and directly below it, on the main deck, are the regular staterooms, handsomely decorated, furnished and provided with every comfort and luxury that good judgment and discernment could suggest. A large proportion of these are two-berthed only, and so arranged that there will not be both upper and lower berth in same room. Numerous rooms of large size for families are provided, as well as rooms suitable for a single passenger.

The stateroom curtains are of art muslin, which produce a particularly fine effect. All the woodwork in the passages and hallways are beautifully modeled in artistic designs, showing on the part of the builders the greatest care, even to the minutest detail. In short, so far as the interior of the Teutonic is concerned, nothing has been left undone that good judgment and a lavish expenditure of money could produce.

When domiciled in one of the Teutonic's spacious staterooms, seated in a luxuriously-upholstered easy chair, with finely-polished brass bedstead occupying one part of the room, the electric light revealing the richly chaste design of the tapestry covering the walls and the artistic folds of the art muslin draperies—it would be hard to realize that one was really afloat.

In point of size, the rooms are superior to those generally allotted to transient customers at the average hotel. In some of the larger staterooms on the upper-deck the fluted tapestry draping is varied with an oak paneling, relieved with gold, which is both soft and pleasing to the eye, and rich and appropriate in design. While dwelling upon the comfort and elegance of the Teutonic's sleeping accommodations, mention should be made of some of the staterooms which are fitted with bedrooms and sitting-rooms en suite.

Adjoining the grand saloon are elaborate bath and toilet arrangements, which the guests of the steamship will appreciate on account of their generous proportions and perfect ventilation.

Ocean: Magazine of Travel, September 1889.

Teutonic introduced "second cabin" to White Star Line, something pioneered some years earlier by Inman and a reflection of the maturing and broadening of  the market for  travel among the  upper middle classes.   Accommodating  175, it assumed in  the  manner  of the  decoration and finish  of  the  public rooms  and cabins the  character, if not  the spaciousness  and luxe of  First Class, although tellingly  there seems to have  not been a  single photograph taken of  any  of  it or  least ones  that  survive.

Occupying what became its traditional situation in liners,  Second Class was  sited  after of  First  Class  and its public rooms were in the  separate aft  deckhouse, consisting  of  a dining saloon on Upper Deck and a small library and even smaller smoking room on Promenade Deck with  adjoining  covered deck space.  

Second Class accommodation, consisting  of four-berth outside and inside cabins as well as some inside  two-berth  ones, was  aft on Main (Saloon) Deck. 

Here, for the first time that pariah of the sea, the  unfortunate second-class passenger, too good for the steerage, yet too poor for the saloon, has adequate provision made for him. This, then, is the next thing that strikes one, that the second-class passenger is to be as well off in every way as the saloon passenger was a few years ago. In some respects better, for he has his dining room on the deck, cheerful, comfortable, nicely furnished and admirably ventilated, his smoking room and his bath.

New York Tribune, 16 August 1890.

The second-class department is a distinctive feature of the great ship, and provides for the comfortable accommodation of one hundred and fifty passengers. There is included a roomy, finely-equipped dining saloon on the upper-deck, with a smoking and lounging-room on the promenade-deck above. All the fittings are handsome and substantial, corresponding in point of appearance with the general fittings met with throughout the steamship.

The staterooms compare favorably with the first-class accommodations generally met with on passenger ships of to-day, and are fitted with every comfort usually found in a first-class hotel. A promenade-deck is devoted exclusively to the use of those desiring a less expensive trip across the Atlantic, with bath-rooms, lavatories, and many comforts that will not fail to win the approbation of those patronizing the line.

Ocean: Magazine of Travel, September 1889.

Rather less  was said  of the accommodation for  855 Third Class or, as it was still called up to c. 1900,  Steerage.    This was accommodated aft for women and children and forward  for men on Main  Deck as well as  open berths  aft on Lower Deck. 

The steerage passengers are provided for on substantially the same scale as the older White Star steamers. The same arrangements for the separation of sexes, for the accommodation of families, for food, and for ample breathing space on deck, are preserved and in some respects improved. The bath-room for women and children is not the least of them. The smoking-room for men is another. One is only tempted to ask whether there is no way of getting rid of that old-established and sometimes dangerous nuisance, the steerage mattress, stuffed with loose straw, which has to be brought aboard br the passenger at the beginning of the voyage and thrown into the sea at the end, as every Coney Islander has reason to remember.

New York Tribune, 16 August 1890.

Stereoscopic photo of Teutonic's crew. Credit: Paul Louden-Brown White Star Line Collection, National Museums NI.

Teutonic became well known not  just  for her  qualities  and performance  as ship  but  for  the  character and personalities  of  her officers  and  crew.  No fewer than  168 served in her  engine  room including  25 engineers under Chief  Engineer  Currie with 60 firemen and 48  trimmers, the latter having a reputation of  some of the toughest  Merseyside stokers  and had to  be  to work in the  intense heat of her  forced-draught  firerooms.  Teutonic numbered 40 seamen, 25 cooks and 60 stewards  in her  compliment.  In an era that  embraced sport and physical fitness, Teutonic's crew was renown for their  sporting  and athletic  prowess with  several  competitive  teams  in football, cricket and track  and  field as well as  her  famous boxing matches on deck between her firemen and  an inexhaustible  supply  of Irish  lads in steerage vying  for  prize money  put up by First  Class bettors.  Hardly a single  New  York turnaround  did  not feature one or more of  Teutonic's  crew  teams competing  against  rival liners or locals.

Like most ships, Teutonic  underwent  refits and  changes  to her  appearance and accommodation over her  long career and like  so much about her, there is considerable misinformation that, sadly too  typically  get repeated and repeated until they  assume the qualities of  fact.   

Teutonic did,  in fact,  carry  gaff  sails as delivered  which  are plainly  visible  in photos  of  her at  the 1889 Spithead  and these employed  at least  once in  their  traditional role to  steady the ship and were ripped to  pieces in  the process and most  likely  never replaced. The gaffs to  her masts  were themselves removed c.  1895-97. 

Her forward turtleback, originally painted mast colour, was repainted white. c. 1895 and certainly by  1897. 

Teutonic with heightened funnels,  post April 1903.  Credit: eBay auction photo.

Teutonic 's funnels were heightened in  February-April 1903 although details on  by how much  or  any other alterations re. her forced-draught  system are obscure.

One of the more egregious errors  regarding Teutonic  concerns  her supposed  refit "in  Belfast" prior  to her redeployment  to the  Canadian run 1911 which  included plating-on of her  Upper Deck and the  Promenade  Deck from the third lifeboat aft and a new enclosed  wheelhouse, etc.  Not only is  there no listing of  her ever returning to Belfast after completion,  but none of  this  work in fact was  done  to the ship and was, instead,  done in 1918-19 when she owned by  the Shipping Controller and being  refitted as a  fulltime transport ship, the enclosing  of  her  decks etc. to provide  additional accommodation, lavatories  etc., and giving her appearance  that  would  never be associated with White  Star liner  in commercial service.  

Instead, the work to  adapt Teutonic  to the  Canadian route was accomplished at Southampton  almost entirely  internal and  involved combining her  First  and Second  Class into a  single "cabin" (Second) class.  The  former  Second Class  dining saloon, smoking room and lounge  aft went to  Third  Class and to give  Second more public  room space, a large ladies lounge/library was constructed on the starboardside  of Upper  Deck  amidships.  

Putting paid to misinformation re.  Teutonic's appearance when running to Canada  1911-14 is this  photo of her in  Sandon Basin, 15 May  1914, showing her final rig in White Star commercial service.  Credit: Merseyside Maritime Museum.

 

Finally, in the wake  of events of April 1912, Teutonic was given extra lifeboats, comprising  collapsibles under the existing boats and  also fitted  to poop deckhouse. 

H.M.T. Teutonic showing  her final appearance c.  1919-1922 with  her lower promenade  deck and aft upper promenade plated in  and enclosed wheelhouse. Credit: eBay auction photo.

With this splendid ship,  White Star Line would rejoin the competition for supremacy of  The North Atlantic Ferry and when it was quite gloriously a contest  between them, Inman and Cunard, British all, at  the  apogee of a maritime race astride  the  world like  a colossus. Much  was expected of R.M.S. Teutonic and she was destined  not  only  not to disappoint but  to endure  and prosper  in a career spanning  three  decades  plus  and  three monarchs.   It  was beginning of the  career of  arguably  the greatest  ship ever to  fly the white  star burgee  of  The Ismay Line, and an uniquely  royal and imperial one for what  was truly Britain's  first  Ship of  State. 

Teutonic in Liverpool Docks. Artist:  William Lionel  Wyllie. Credit: National Maritime Museum,  Caird Collection.

The proceedings in connection with this ship will constitute an era in the history of merchant shipping. Since the time when the Virgin Queen visited Sir Francis Drake on his armed cruiser little interest in the mercantile marine has been taken by sovereigns, princes, and governors of the earth. A few years back the term a 'mere merchantman' expressed the value that officers in the services attached to vessels and men of the mercantile marine. It strikes one with amazement to see within a few years the total revolution in opinion that has undoubtedly taken place in the official mind. 

The spectacle witnessed on Sunday is unique in itself, and shows that other nations besides our own recognise and fully appreciate the value as a tactical unit of such ships of which class the Teutonic is, perhaps, the finest example. After all, in encouraging shipowners to build vessels capable of offence and defence the Government is simply doing a very necessary duty, and one wonders why the duty has been so long delayed. From ail points of view the proceedings at Spithead in connection with the Teutonic were significant of the deep interest which is taken by all classes in the mercantile, marine. As a society function it was a distinct success. 

Liverpool Journal of Commerce, 6 August 1889.

Introduced at the absolute  zenith of  Great Britain in every  field  of  human endeavour-- The Workshop of the World, possessing  the biggest  Empire in history with the world's greatest navy  to  protect it,  and the supreme  mercantile marine to  link, supply  it  and bind it with the  commerce  of British goods and  imperial raw  materials and the  global communication of  the Royal Mails-- it perhaps was natural that  R.M.S. Teutonic assume  the  role  as  Ship of  State, being at once an exemplar of  the virtues  of an age and possessing the  qualities to maintain  and expand them as trans-Atlantic mailship, record breaker  and potent unit of  a navy that had  no equal on the planet.  Few ships had a more fitting royal  and imperial introduction  or would  influence more contemporary  maritime events of  her age than did Teutonic  that glorious high summer  of 1889; "the dread and envy of them all." 

Credit: Belfast News-Letter, 22 May 1889.

Teutonic participates at  the opening of  the  Alexandra Graving Dock, Belfast,  by  H.R.H. Prince Albert  Victor. Credit: Mary Evans Picture Library

Teutonic enters the Alexandra  Graving Dock, the first ship to do so, for  the fitting of  her  twin  screws. Credit: Mary Evans Picture Library

His Royal Highness seemed greatly pleased at his greeting, not only on landing from the pinnace, but when driving through the city and when on board the Teutonic. The appearance of the ships in the harbour, all their bunting displayed, with the sunlight, tempered by a delicate haze, showing the colours to the greatest advantage, was suggestive of a gala day, and nothing seemed to escape the observation of his Royal Highness.

Belfast News-Letter, 22 May 1889.

Few ships had as immediate connections with royalty,  and not just British, at the very onset  of their  careers as  Teutonic.  Indeed  her  first  such  association  came even before  she  was  delivered when  she participated in the opening, by  H.R.H. Prince Albert Victor (1864-1892), of the new Alexandra  Graving Dock during  a Royal Visit to Belfast on 22 May 1889.  Indeed  Teutonic would  be the first vessel dock there during the Prince's visit  and for the purpose of having her  screws fitted, and  she was extensively  visited  by  the  Prince  as well.

Illustration in The Graphic, 1 June 1889, of  Teutonic opening the Alexandria Graving Dock. Credit: Museums NI, Paul Louden-Brown White Star Line Collection.

The party now proceeded board the White Star  liner Teutonic, recently launched from the Queen's Island Shipbuilding, and which was lying at the entrance to the  dock, gaily ornamented with bunting… The  Teutonic  presented a splendid appearance on the river, and her  beautiful line, giving  the idea of combined strength and  grace, were the  object  of much admiration from the spectators.

 

His Royal  Highness was received at the  gangway by Sir Edward Harland and Mr. Wolff, and on going on board was met at the main entrance by Mr. Thomas H. Ismay, the owner of this splendid vessel, aud to whoso steadfast support the Queen's Island shipbuilding works, and through them the city of Belfast itself, are indebted for so much of their prosperity. Simultaneously the Royal standard was unfurled at the top of tho mainmast, and so remained during the Royal stay on board.

Although the Teutonic is yet in Messrs. Harland & Wolff's hands, it was nevertheless a pleasure to see the officers and quartermasters on board in the uniform of the Naval Reserve. Accompanied by the gentlemen already named, and also by the chairman of the Harbour Board and the other Commissioners, the Prince began a careful inspection of the vessel. 

His Royal Highness first proceeded by the main entrance to the lower deck staterooms, then along the forward staircase, round the large main deck staterooms to the main saloon. From the saloon he next passed to the pantry, the novel arrangements in which the Prince examined. The galley was next visited, and passing the baker's shop, the Prince next inspected the second-class staterooms. The emigrants' quarters were next visited, and then the second-class saloon. Coming out on deck the Prince inspected the steering gear, which is one of the specialties of the huge vessel.

His Royal Highness then proceeded along the main deck to the engine-room, after which he went towards the bow, where he took a look at the arrangements for heaving anchor cables, a seemingly massive structure. Returning along the opposite side of the deck the Prince proceeded to the smoking-room, which, although not in a finished state, seemed very large and roomy. Corning back along the same corridor he inspected the deck staterooms, which have also a novel arrangement of square lights, that seem to be much appreciated for ship use, and, we believe, have been utilised for the first time in a large passenger steamer. The Prince then proceeded up the main staircase, through the library, and out on to the first-class promenade deck.

At this stage Lady Harland and Mrs, Ismay had the honour of being introduced to his Royal Highness. Walking towards the stern the Prince, next passed over the second-class promenade deck, and examined the warping arrangements on the after turtle deck, and the structures upon which the guns of the steamer as an armed cruiser will be mounted. Returning along the opposite side of the promenade deck, he proceeded on to the forward turtle back, and examined the warping gear and the provision for the guns at this end of the ship also. His Royal Highness next ascended to the captain's bridge, where Mr. Walter H. Wilson, who was in charge of the vessel during the docking arrangements, had the honour of being presented to the Prince.

Everything being now in readiness the immense ship was towed into the dock and was made fast, amidst loud cheers. Mr. Musgrave then said 'His Royal Highness will now declare the dock open' and the Prince said 'have much pleasure in declaring this dock open,' which was the signal for renewed cheers. 

When the Teutonic had been docked preparations were at once made for proceeding with the work of fitting in the blades of the twin-screw propellers, the magnitude of which may be estimated from the foot that the blades cost the large sum of 3,000.

Belfast News-Letter, 22  May 1899.

Teutonic gets  her screws installed in the brand new  Alexandra  Graving  Dock. Credit: oceanlinerporn Ryan Smith.

Teutonic was undocked on 4 June 1889 when it  was reported by the Belfast  News-Letter  that  "she  is not expected that  she will  be ready  to sail for Liverpool until  about  the middle of  the next month." On announcing that Majestic would be launched on the 29th, the Belfast News-Letter also said: "With regard to the Teutonic, it may be mentioned that  a large number of  men are at present engaged in completing the fitting up of this magnificent vessel, which is expected to be finished and leave Belfast about  the middle of July."  It was announced, in anticipation of her completion, that  Teutonic would be opened for public inspection on 15 July at a nominal charge to benefit the  Belfast  Royal  Hospital. 

Capt.  Henry Parsell,  R.N.R. Credit: Ocean, Magazine of Travel, September 1889, Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives

It was reported  on 6 June  1889  that Capt. Henry Parsell (1833-1909), presently commanding Britannic,  had been appointed master of Teutonic.  

The distinguished and honored Captain Henry Parsell, R.N.R., is her commander. He is a man of 56 years, having been born in 1833, in the town of Sunderland, Durham County, England, which place he must have left at a very tender age, as he received his early education at a college in Wales, and set out, when a mere stripling of fourteen, upon his career as a seaman.

His first experience being on a sailing vessel of 500 tons, trading between London and the East. After a varied and useful career of about twenty-three years, he entered, in 1870, the service of the favorite White Star Line, as second officer of the steamship Oceanic, the pioneer vessel of the line; being subsequently promoted to chief officer of the same ship; and; in due course, with speedy promotion, becoming captain of the Tropic, Gaelic, Oceanic, Adriatic, Coptic, Ionic, Britannic, and Teutonic, respectively.

Prior to the maiden trip of the last-named noble vessel, he received an honorary commission of lieutenant in the British Navy, and therefore hoists the blue ensign on whatever vessel he commands.

As far as incidents are concerned, his career has been most uneventful, being singularly fortunate in having avoided accidents, shipwrecks, or disasters of any kind, which in a great measure accounts for the confidence in which he is held not only by the company and the patrons of the line, but by ocean travelers in general.

He has navigated the Arctic, Antarctic, and all other seas, as well as all important rivers on this planet of ours. He is genial, patient, and painstaking in all he undertakes; has a pleasant word and smile for all he comes in contact with; is devoted to duty; is admired for his kindness; is every inch a mariner, in fact, what we might term an "ocean veteran," and is highly esteemed by everybody as a great sailor.

Ocean, Magazine of Travel, September 1889.

The three big tugs sent over from Liverpool to  assist  with the launching  of  Majestic on 29 June 1889  at 10:00 a.m., would, the  following morning, take  Teutonic  from the  fitting out  berth  alongside Alexandra Dock,  down Belfast Lough  to  the  Carrickfergus  Road when she  would complete  storing  and final preparations for her  departure  for  Liverpool.  Whilst she  was being  towed out to Belfast Lough on 1 July,  Teutonic "took the  ground abreast  of  the Oyster  Band Buoy"  at  noon  and  remained  until the following  high  tide  and  refloated  her  herself.

Elaborate arrangements  were made to  enable visitors to  inspect  Teutonic whilst  she  lay in the  Lough with tenders  laid  on 15-16 July  to convey  visitors  out to  the ship. Arrangements  for this  were  announced on 3  July with a steamer from Barrow leaving there at 11:00  a.m. for Teutonic and returning  at 1:30 p.m; that from Fleetwood  at noon,  returning  at  2:30  p.m., and  from Liverpool at 1:00 p.m.,  returning 3:30  p.m., whilst from Belfast a service  would be  run  at a  flat  fee of 2s. Including  admission to  Teutonic with sailings  from Belfast Quay at 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m. and  1:00 p.m.  

It  was reported  by the Belfast News-Letter on 6 July  1889 that "the fitting up of this  magnificent White  Star liner is proceeding  apace, and we believe  the  vessel, after passing the  Admiralty inspection, will  take place  in the  great  naval review  which  is  to take  place at  Spithead in honour  of  the visit  to England  of the Emperor  of Germany."   It was further  stated that "four  huge Armstrong  guns,  each 15 feet  lng,  have  already been fitted  on her  main deck, two  fore  and two aft. These guns  are mounted on the turret  system, and are  of the  quick-firing  class, capable of  carrying  five miles  and rifling  a  nine-inch armour  plate."

On 3 July 1889 the first sailing lists  were published in  newspapers  showing Teutonic's maiden voyage  to  New  York from Liverpool  on Wednesday, 7 August

All the preparations for  the  public  inspection of  Teutonic  14-15 July  1889 were  cancelled on  the  12th "in consequence of the holidays  interfering  with  their work Harland & Wolff  are  unable to prepare  Teutonic  for  public inspection…"

Plans for  the trial  cruise of Teutonic  proceeded  apace, however, and scheduled to depart Belfast on  27 July 1889 and guests invited to  join the ship  at Holyhead that  day  and ending  at Liverpool the following Monday. She  would depart  Liverpool on 1  August with a party of specially  invited  guests  for  Spithead. 

It  was reported by  the Belfast News-Letter  that the steam tug Wrestler was busy  on 19  July 1889  "conveying articles of outfit to the  Teutonic, now  lying in  Carrickfergus  Roads.. It is not yet  been decided whether  she will be  open to  the public before her departure…".  Making her first  engine  trials  on  the 20th, "she  left the lough  at an early hour,  and in the  several  runs  made  it  is  stated she attained a high rate,  and gave  the greatest satisfaction.   In the afternoon she again return to her anchorage in the Carrick Roads. " (Belfast  News-Letter, 22 July). It was reported  on the 26th that a speed of  almost 18  knots  was achieved at only 60 r.p.m.

Teutonic  was inspected  by the Harbour  Commissioners on  the  25th and the ship to  leave  Belfast Lough  on the next day  for  Holyhead. 

Yesterday, as previously announced in these columns, the Belfast Harbour Commissioners, their officials, and a few friends of the eminent shipbuilders, Messrs. Harland & Wolff, Limited, visited this magnificent ocean steamer. Shortly after three p.m. Captain Lennon had the Lion at Donegall Quay, and the guests having all got aboard full spced ahead' was made for the Teutonic, which lies in the man-of-war roads, off Carrickfergus. The immense ship was reached in an hour, and soon all those with the Lion were aboard, Mr. Wolff, Mr. Pirrie, and Mr. Carlisle present to represent the firm... On deck the magnificent proportions of the ship  are fully  displayed, and any  person who  had  a lingering  doubt that the Teutonic was not as long  as Donegall Place must have had  them dispelled forever yesterday. 

The Teutonic having been fully examined,. even to the twin screws, by all the guests, on the invitation of the members of the firm, 'afternoon tea' and its modern accompaniments were served in the grand saloon, and almost immediately afterwards the Belfast visitors boarded the Lion and were soon on their homeward journey. Just before parting from the Teutonic, which does such infinite credit to Belfast and the firm who have so wonderfully planned her, three hearty cheers were called for and responded to for Captain Parcel, who, sailorlike, doffed his cap in return. The Lion reached Donegall Quay at 6-45 all on board having heartily enjoyed the treat of seeing such a magnificent sight.

Belfast News-Letter, 26 July 1889.

There was, alas, no time remaining  for  any  public  inspection of the vessel  prior  to her  departure but Harland & Wolff, in compensation, sent the Royal Hospital a cheque  for  200. 

Credit: Belfast News-Letter, 30 July 1889.

With G.W. Wolff aboard, Teutonic left Belfast for  the last time at midnight  on 25 July 1889 for Holyhead where  she arrived early on the morning of 26th.  There, T.H. Ismay embarked at 8:00 a.m. and the following  day a large group  of invited  guests embarked  for  the  trial and delivery  trip to  Liverpool. Among those aboard were  Mr. A.B. Forwood M.P., Financial Secretary to  the Admiralty; the Marquis of Stafford, Sir Nathaniel Barnaby, Sir E.J. Reed, M.P.; Mr. Martell, of Lloyd's; Sir Edward Harland, Mr.  G.W. Wolff, Mr. W.J. Pirrie, Mr. W.J.  Pratten; Mr.  James Musgrave, chairman of the Belfast Harbour  Commissioner;  Admiral Bent and Admiral  Sir F.W. Richards.

Liverpool, Monday. The trial cruise of the Teutonic came to a close this morning, when the splendid new vessel entered the Mersey, in brilliant weather, with the two hundred guests who had joined her on Saturday-last at Holyhead. The cruise was enjoyed to the full by all on board, who found a pleasant occupation in inspecting the elaborate and luxurious arrangements with which the vessel is replete. Saturday itself was a bright day, with a pleasant breeze, and leaving. the harbour at Holyhead about three o'clock the Teutonic headed for Queenstown.

Unfortunately Sunday morning set in with mist and rain, and the former continued all through the' day. In such case the intention of visiting Queenstown was abandoned, and afterwards the course was directed for Liverpool, which was reached this morning. Several trials of speed were made, mostly at night, with results which were understood to be fully satisfactory. Twenty-six knots were rumoured to have been attained.

Some complimentary speeches were made at dinner. Sir Edward Harland, replying for his firm of Harland Wolff, said that it always gave satisfaction to a builder to come to the conclusion of his work, and he hoped and trusted that in the case of the Teutonic their work would prove a success. (Applause.) From what he had seen on the trial trip he believed it would. (Applause.) And if any firm of owners desired success that firm was Messrs. Ismay, Imrie, & Co. (Renewed applause.) There were few owners who, like that firm, gave a carte blanche order for a ship. People thought such a thing to be a myth, but for every ship built in the Belfast yard Messrs. Ismay & Imrie had given an absolute carte blanche to the firm which he (Sir Edward Harland) represented. This being so, the owners were put not upon their mettle, but upon their honour. They had all seen how the Teutonic had turned out, and what she was likely to do. So far as her fitting up as an armed cruiser was concerned, he believed that with such vessels as her on active service the next war though he hoped it would be far distant would be  short, sharp, and decisive. (Applause.) Mr. Forwood, in the course of a speech, eulogised warmly the public spirit and enterprise of Mr. Ismay, who had made important suggestions to the Admiralty which had resulted in the construction of the Teutonic as an armoured cruiser. She constituted a valuable addition to the fleet. Mr. Ismay also spoke.

Another correspondent says: The trial trip commenced on Sunday and continued until yesterday, the results being that with three-quarter boiler power a speed of eighteen knots was obtained without any exertion whatever, the engines making sixty revolutions per minute. It is expected that the engines will work up to a considerably higher degree in fact, that they will develop twenty-one to twenty-two knots when fully worked. In ever' respect the trip was most satisfactory, and the praises were general as to the noble specimen of marine architecture turned out by Messrs. Harland & Wolff. 

Belfast News-Letter, 30 July 1889.

Arriving at Holyhead at 6:30 a.m. on 26 July 1889, the special train carrying  over 150 invited guests arrived the next day  at 1:30 p.m. who were then conveyed about to Teutonic by  the new  steam tug Cambria, and sailing for  Queenstown and Liverpool  at 4:00 p.m.. 

Harland & Wolff never released the results of Teutonic's performance on her "trials cruise" but then again seldom did for any  ship and in the  nature of  their  launching  and trials were unique among major British  builders.  The  press  coverage was, therefore scant and  speculative, the Ulster  Echo (30 July 1889) reporting  that  "Several trials of speed were  made,  mostly  at night, with  results which  were  understood  to  be  fully  satisfactory. Twenty-six knots were  rumoured  to  have been attained."  The Liverpool Mercury (30 July)  stated that  "throughout  the  whole of the two days' run the  Teutonic trial proved  highly  satisfactory, and  all the arrangements were  universally  admired. Three quarter speed was maintained during the run on Saturday [27 July]; and the perfect freedom of vibration, the most  admirable ventilating arrangements, the  remarkable  steadiness of  the  vessel, and the completeness of  the  steamer's equipments, won  the heartiest admiration of  the  most skillful navigator on board. 

The ship got underweigh proceeded with the delighted guests for a cruise. The intentions were to see what the ship could do, as Messrs. Harland and Wolff do not in any case when competing for an order guarantee any particular speed, but endeavour to do their best. The hopes of all were, however, disappointed. It was not considered prudent to "let her toil" while in the vicinity of land, and so by daylight on Sunday, when an opportunity would have presented itself, a thick mist and fog came on, which continued with little intermission throughout the day, and on Sunday night it became thicker, rendering it necessary to slow down. It was not till daylight on Monday morning that the weather cleared. However, in a preliminary run on Saturday afternoon, with only 12 boilers being fired and the engines running at 60 revolutions, a speed of 18 knots was attained (by log) with absolutely no effort on the part of the engineers. The engines were in charge of Mr. Sewell. the well-known and respected "chief" of the "White Star" engineering staff. Captain Parsell. lieutenant Royal Naval Reserve, commands the ship, and a very anxious time he had, not leaving the bridge throughout the trip. Notwithstanding that the weather was unfavourable for fast steaming, the guests had a most pleasant time.

Liverpool Journal of Commerce, 30 July 1899.

"

In brilliant weather," Teutonic entered  the Mersey  at 11:00 a.m. on the  morning of 29  July 1889, landing  her guests by  tender off  Prince's  Landing stage and then taken into  Langton  dock.  

Teutonic at Spithead,  4 August 1889  being boarded by H.I.M. Wilhelm II  and H.R.H. the Prince of  Wales. Credit: painting by  William Lionel  Wyllie, Sothebys.

H.M. Armed Cruiser  TEUTONIC

At the Spithead Naval  Review

On the Occasion of the Visit of H.I.M. Wilhelm II

1-5 August  1889

Teutonic departs Liverpool for Spithead, 1 August 1889.  Credit: painting by  William Lionel Wyllie, National Maritime Museum  collection. 

Surely no merchant  ship  was  introduced with such pomp  and circumstance and royal occasion as  R.M.S.  Teutonic  was 1-5 August 1889 amid the self-confidence of Great  Britain at her late  Victorian zenith.  A greatness not born of bluster and brag but earned by the enterprise  of  merchant  adventurers like  Thomas Ismay and  the engineering genius  of her  shipyards  like  Harland & Wolff of which Teutonic shined like a brilliant  new  star in a expansive  and expanding galaxy.   Armed as merchant cruiser,  she headed south  to join the great fleet assembled  off Spithead yet did  so  proudly  still  under  the Blue  Ensign  and  White Star burgee and with the most glittering passenger list  of the Age.  Teutonic,  despite  her  name, was  indeed  Britain's Ship of  State as she cleared the Mersey. 

Teutonic in the  Mersey preparing to depart for  Spithead. Credit: Mary Evans Prints. 

The departure  from the  Mersey was made without any display-- with the business regularity of an Atlantic  voyage. The  vessel exhibited  no  bunting. In fact, there  was nothing  to inform the people on the Landing-stage that  an unusual event was happening. The Teutonic lay  off Woodside, and punctually at ten o'clock the  guests  from Liverpool were conveyed  to her in a tender.

Liverpool Mercury, 3  August 1899.

"Her departure being witnessed by a large crowd of spectators on the Landing Stage and pierheads," (Liverpool Daily Post, 2 August), Teutonic sailed from Liverpool at 11:00 a.m. on 1 August for Spithead.

Teutonic in the Mersey on deparure for Spithead. Credit:  Pamlin Prints. 

Among those embarking  at  Liverpool included:  Sir William B. Forwood, Viscount Wolmer, M.P. and Lady  Wolmer; Lord and Lady Stalbridge, Sir George Baden-Powell, M.P,  Sir E.J. Harland and Lady Harland, Mr. Stephen Williamson, M.P., and Mrs. Williamson;  Colonel McCorquodale, the Hon. Scholberg K.M. Donnell, Mr. and Mrs. Ismay, Mr. E.R. Russell, Dr. Samuel Smiles, Mrs. A.B. Forwood, Mr. John Lovell and Mrs. Lovell and Mr. R. Brocklebank. Famed artist  William Lionel Wyllie (1851-1931) was also  invited aboard  to sketch  and paint scenes from the cruise. Ismay  also engaged  a professional photographer to record the voyage as well as take portraits on deck of  her  famous  personages as well as  her  regular officers and  crew.   These  were published in an album later  given to her guests. 

Mr. Ismay had displayed the  qualities of a true  English gentleman, for while  he  has ministered  to the enjoyment to the enjoyment of his guests he has not forgotten those  in a humbler sphere. For 20  years he has taken a leading part in the direction of the Indefatigable, and on the present occasion he  invited the whole of the boys  on board his  vessel. And Mr. Ismay  may  rest assured  that the boys  will  long  remember their trip to  see the naval review.

Liverpool Mercury, 3 August  1889.

At the invitation of  T.H. Ismay, 213  cadets of the training ship  Indefatigable  including  their  33-piece band, also joined  the voyage and contributed enormously  to  the naval "spit and polish" aboard as  well as  youthful spirit that would  make  such  an impression over the next  few days as the  world's greatest maritime power showed  to Englishman and foreigner alike that  it  was  just  that.

Photographs  of Teutonic's Spithead Cruise as  privately  published an album commissioned by  T.H. Ismay and  given to guests following  their  voyage.  

En route to Spithead, a marvelous view of Teutonic's bridge, superstructure and funnels.  Credit: Mary Evans Picture Library

Teutonic's captain, officers and petty officers. Credit: Mary Evans Picture Library.

Teutonic's captain and navigating officers. Credit: Mary Evans Picture Library.

Teutonic's  Chief Engineer, engineering  officers  and firemen (their jerseys are embroidered: White Star Line Fireman). Credit: Mary Evans Picture Library. 

Teutonic's  Chief Steward and  stewards.  Credit: Mary Evans Picture Library.

Cadets of  the training ship Indefatigable with T.H. Ismay  and their officers aboard Teutonic. Credit: Mary Evans Picture Library.

The band of T.S. Indefatigable aboard Teutonic. Credit: Mary Evans Picture Library.

J. Bruce Ismay (1862-1937) and his American-born wife, Julia, on the  First Class staircase  of  Teutonic. Credit: Mary Evans Picture Library.

Joseph Chamberlain, M.P., (1836-1914) and later British  Colonial  Secretary, and his  American-born  wife, Mary, aboard Teutonic. Credit: Mary Evans Picture Library.

Lord Charles Beresford and Sir Frederic Leighton (artist) aboard Teutonic. Credit: Mary Evans Picture Library.

Lord Claud Hamilton (Director of the  Great Eastern Railway) aboard  Teutonic.  Credit: Mary Evans Picture Library

The Bar Lightship  hove  in sight at a few minutes  past twelve, and then as the  Welsh hills  became visible  through the clear atmosphere, the  general view was pleasing. This  glimpse of land was only  passing, for  the  vessel sped on at a  good  rate, and soon we settled  down to enjoy the  situation--  some comfortably  seated on the upper deck, other  promenading, but  all elevated by  the  cheerful  and comforting  sight of a cloudless sky above and the  gleaming of the broadening sea below, and  then, when the dinner gong  sounded, the  guests filed down to the saloon, where everything to which  the term luxurious can be applied, is to be  found. What appeals  to the mind  is entering the beautifully decorate rooms is  the neatness  and appropriateness of the details. Everything is in its place, there  is a touch of art, and the whole has  a most pleasing aspect, and  provoked the greatest admiration. During the period  of dinner the band of the Indefatigable played selections of music, and afterwards, while the ladies and  gentlemen were on the promenade deck, more music  was given. 

Liverpool Mercury, 3 August  1889.

Teutonic anchored off at Spithead. Credit: National Libraries NI.

We have arrived after a splendid passage, the weather being all that could be desired. Teutonic is without doubt the finest ship afloat, perfect in every detail, and not a single hitch. Her engines are working to the entire satisfaction of the experts on board. The full power has not yet been tried, but the average speed round has been at twenty knots under favourable circumstances, or in case of emergency she will prove herself the fastest mail steamer on the Atlantic.

The other competing vessels will not be in it, for the Teutonic will, doubtless, make the fastest passage to America, and will also afford the greatest comfort to passengers. 'The Teutonic is simply a floating palace. You can only realise the beauty of the ship to be on board, and see how all the minutest details have been studied and worked out. Belfast should be proud of the builders. Sir Edward Harland, Mr. Wolff, and Mr. Pirrie are all on board, and are receiving  the congratulations of everyone, as the ship will be chief attraction as a merchant cruiser in the review to-morrow. Mr. and Mrs. Ismay are entertaining their guests on board in the most hospitable and social manner. All seem to be at their case, and the trip will long be remembered. 

We have a photographer on board who is taking different groups of the people; and 213 boys of the Indefatigable, dressed in their sailor costume, with their brass band, perform. and give selections during the day and at dinner. The first thing in the morning before breakfast, these lads, all in line, their band playing God Save the Queen, with all the guests stand with their hats off, and the ship going through the water at such a great speed, make a sight simply splendid. I look forward to the review tomorrow with great expectation, as the Prince of Wales, the Emperor of Germany, and other distinguished men are to be on board.

The boys of Indefatigable are well trained, and I am sure will be the delight of everyone when paraded before the Royal visitors to-morrow. It was a happy thought of Mr. Ismay to give these lads such a treat, to show us the future sailors for the navy. Any practical shipowner if he were here would at once endorse Mr. Ismay's action by calling our representatives to train boys to be sailors, and reform the present practice of allowing every or any one to go to sea and undertake sailors' duties without  practical training.

Belfast News-Letter, 3 August 1889.

Teutonic anchored off  Ryde, I.O.W. for the Spithead Review.  Credit: shipsnostalgia, dom

Teutonic arrived off Ryde, Isle  of Wight,  on 2 August 1889, and the visit of Prince  of Wales and  Kaiser  Wilhelm II to  take place  the following day. The  Review consisted of  112 warships of all descriptions  manned by 22,125 officers  and men. Teutonic  took her  place with other steamers on the special Admiralty  list. Additional guests from London came out  to  the ship  including  Lord George Hamilton, Mr. J. Merley, M.P., Mr. Joseph Chamberlain, M.P.,  Mr. A.B. Forwood, M.P., Lord Charles Beresford,  Sir Charles Tupper and Mr. Chauncey M. Depew.

Teutonic  arrived just  in advance  of the German fleet and  the Kaiser  aboard  the Imperial yacht Hohenzollern: "The German fleet was not expected to arrive at the Nab before four o'clock, and the Osborne, with her motley escort, having no need for haste, steamed slowly out past the long avenue of British battlehips towards Warren Fort, where the procession was strengthened by a fresh arrival in the imposing form of an Atlantic liner, whose amount of quick-firing guns and milrailleues proclaimed her  as one  of  the reserve cruisers whose aid  to convoys in warfare may render signal service to British commerce. The Teutonic bore on this occasion, however, not merely her ordinary crew, or a fighting contingent of the Royal aloft Navy,  but crowds of spectators, and she  bore aloft no white ensign to  betoken that  she had  been requisitioned  for active operations. The White Star flag still held its place between the blue ensigns." (Daily News, 3 August 1889).

Spectactors atop Teutonic's foremast  house at  the  Spithead  Naval Review. Credit: Mary Evans Picture Library.

This  morning  the weather  was exceedingly fine. Up at  seven o'clock, and promenading  on the deck, one  felt  the beauty  of  the morning  clouds. The charm of the southern landscape  was also in evidence, and shortly  before one o'clock,  as the  Teutonic sailed  through  the  Solent, the Isle of Wight  obstructed  the view with pleasing  effect.

A splendid view of the squadron was  obtained  from the  Teutonic  as  she sailed  along  and anchored near  the forts which protect  the  entrance  to Portsmouth. During  the  afternoon the  Royal  yacht  Osborne, on which  was  the Prince  of Wales, came in sight, and  upon his Royal  Highness being  observed he  was loudly cheered, while  the Indefatigable band played 'God  Save  the  Queen'  and 'God  Bless  the  Prince of Wales.'  The  water  swarmed with craft of  all description, from the splendid steam and sailing  yachts to small tug boats, which were decorated with  bunting, and  crowded  with  excursionists. The  new  steamer attracted much attention, and among the  craft  which  sailed close to her  sides  was  the Exmouth sailing ship, a small barquetine-rigged vessel.

Liverpool Mercury,  3  August 1889.

The crew of the training ship Exmouth cheering Teutonic's First Officer McKinstry who had jumped into the water to rescue a member of their crew who had been knocked overboard.  Credit: Mary Evans Picture Library.

As the brig rounded the steamer, the boys were piped up to man the yards. The officer was standing by the wheel with an opera glass scanning the crowd on the Teutonic. A gust of wind sent the boom of the mainsail round, and swept him into the sea. A strong tide was running, and the man was carried along past the Teutonic. Mr. M'Kinstry. first officer, was standing on the turtle back of the steamer. 'Throwing off his coat, he leaped into the sea, distance of nearly 30ft. The man had by this time succeeded in reaching a life belt thrown over, but, hurt with the blow from the boom, and his strength exhausted, he was sinking when Mr. M'Kinstry reached him, and with great skill supported him till the boats launched simultaneously from the brig and steamer arrived, and picked up the two. Meanwhile there was tremendous excitement on the crowded docks of the Teutonic. Officers, crew, and guests thronged to the side, awaiting the return of the boat, and she came alongside with Mr. M'Kinstry sitting in the stern he was hailed with repeated cheers, the band of the Indefatigable striking up 'See, the conquering hero comes,' When the resoned man had been restored to his messmates, the brig sailed round the steamer, the boys manning the yards, and lustily cheering the gallant Mr. M'Kinstry. This is the second life he has saved within year, holding the Humane Society's medal for life saved last October in Plymouth Harbour. He certainly deserves a clasp for to-day's plucky act.

Liverpool Daily Post, 3  August 1889.

Friday night  (2 August 1889) was devoted to the self-congratulatory post-dinner  orations  that the Victorians exceled at  with fulsome remarks by T.H. Ismay, Lord George  Hamilton, Sir Charles Tupper, Chauncey M. Depew, Sir Charles Beresford and Captain Parsell who said  "he  looked upon the honour  done to  home as reflected also upon his  officers  and seamen. He  was proud to command such  a ship, not only because  the  command was the highest mark of  the  confidence and esteem of  the firm he had the  honour to serve for some years." (Liverpool Daily Post, 5 August). Dinner was followed by  dancing  on deck, "up to a late  hour, the band of  the  Indefatigable supplying excellent music."

Saturday, 3 August  1889 saw,  as it  so often does on the day of  British  occasions saw the  deteriorate  markedly with a "boisterous  wind" that  persisted and grew more pronounced as the  day ensued. At  4:00  p.m.  It was  announced  that the  review would  be postponed  to  Monday (5th) and that H.R.H. The  Prince of Wales and  Kaiser Wilhelm II would inspect  Teutonic on  Sunday.

H.R.H. The Prince of Wales embarking aboard  Teutonic. Credit: Mary  Evans  Picture Library. 

Receiving her royal  visitors  aboard. Credit: Mary  Evans  Picture Library.

At 3.30, the Prince of Wales, the German Emperor, the Admiral of the Fleet, and other notawere reported to be near. The band of the Indefatigable was drawn, up to give them the a Royal musical welcome, while the guests crowded around the bulwarks near the accommodation ladder, in readiness to vent their enthusiasm in loud huzzas. The steam launch which brought the Admiral and his staff aboard the Teutonic immediately went out to meet the Prince of Wales's yacht Osborne, which carried the Royal Standards of both England and Germany. The band then struck up the German National Anthem. The Royal and Imperial visitors, along with whom was Prince Victor, were received ag they stepped aboard by Mr. Ismay, Mr. Graves, and Captain Parsell, and were speedily introduced to some of the more illustrious guests. The German Emperor, I noticed, shook hands with no one, mostly bowing to those to whom he was introduced. To my mind, he seemed a trifle embarrassed under the ardent gaze of 80  Englishmen, His ears had the customary stuffing of cotton, and he seemed a trifle below par, possibly on account of the fatiguing passage and the round of ceremonies. The Prince of Wales expressed himself delighted with the details and ensemble of the Teutonic. Mr. Medrington, of Liverpool, obtained a photograph of the scene in one of its aspects.

Liverpool Daily  Post, 5 August 1889.

One of  Teutonic's four  4.7  quick-firing naval  guns and her  crew. Credit: Mary Evans Picture Library

Teutonic's  royal visitors inspecting one of her two  forward guns. Credit: Mary Evans Picture Library.

T.H. Ismay leads his royal visitors aft of the forward guns  (behind Kaiser Wilhelm II) aboard Teutonic. Credit: Mary Evans Picture Library.

About 20 minutes past three o'clock the royal yacht Victoria and Albert, on board of which was the Emperor of Germany, was observed  steaming across from the German squadron, and, when approaching the Teutonic she hoisted the German and English standards.  The yacht anchored to the stern of the Teutonic,  and, while the steam launch was taken to her, the German and English flags were hoisted. The  Prince of Wales, who wore an admiral's uniform,  and was accompanied by Prince Albert Victor, sat in the stern of the launch chatting to the Emperor who has just been given the rank of honorary admiral by her Majesty the Queen, wore the uniform. In the launch were also Admiral Sir G. Hornby and the Emperor's aide-de-camp.

Upon  the party arriving on board the Teutonic the  Indefatigable band played the German national anthem, and the boys formed a guard of honour. Lord Claud Hamilton  received the Prince of Wales and introduced  Mr. Ismay. The Prince then presented to tbe Emperor Mr. Ismay, Mr. Graves, Sir Edward Harland, Mr. A. B. Forwood, and Captain Parsell. The distinguished party then proceeded to inspect the vessel, in  which the Prince has shown great interest.  After having inspected the various points of interest on the main deck, the Emperor, the| Prince of Wales, and the rest of the party went to  the forecastle and inspected one of she guns.  This took several minutes, the mounting and being explained by a chief gunner from the navy. The interest of the Emperor was very marked. As they crossed the bridge to the promenade  deck today Lady Claud Hamilton was presented to his Majesty. In addition to the names already given, there were of the party Prince Henry of Prussia, Prince Hohenlohe,  and Admiral Schroder, of the German navy. During the hour the guests remained on board the Teutonic was surrounded   by steamers, yachts, and row boats crowded with ladies and gentlemen, but they were crowded obliged  to keep a certain distance away, but many of the sightseers had a  splendid  view of the party. As the party re-embarked on board the launch the band payed 'God Bless the Prince of Wales,' and as the little boat steamed away loud cheers were given by those on  board the Teutonic.

Liverpool Mercury 5 August 1889.

The visit  of the Kaiser to  Teutonic  and he oft  reported  remark "We must  have  some of these,"  was doubtless an important  event  and a great honour  to the  ship  and her  ship's company.  Magnified as  it  sometimes  is  to have planted  the spark of maritime competition  between Germany  and Great Britain, both naval and merchant, has made that  one  August  afternoon the  most remembered moment of Teutonic's ensuing  33-year career, perhaps  unfortunate  and overplayed given that Germany  and Britain were already  competing in the "Scramble for  Africa" and  the very  name "teutonic"  was referenced in a negative light  in British  papers. It  would be a  quarter of  a century  later  when Teutonic would finally serve under the White  Ensign  in her  armed  merchant cruiser  role, and ironies  of ironies,  against the very same Kaiser who so admired her. 

White Star Line poster calendar  for  1889 showing  Teutonic/Majestic at  Queenstown. Credit: National Archives of the  United Kingdom.

One great improvement is the forced draught and proper firing which render the Teutonic almost smokeless. Passengers continually inquired if she was not using anthracite. I never saw anything like it upon the Atlantic. The table, state rooms, and all appointments are equal to the very best hotels. There is an excellent library and most comfortable reading room, desks and writing materials kept in order and equal to the most luxurious club. 

Andrew Carnegie,  New York, 9 March 1891.

The news that a fresh ocean record  had been made soon spread. Along the wharves groups of sailors and longshoremen discussed it, and  other groups listened while one of their number read the accounts of the race from the 'extras.' In hotel lobbies and in the club every one was talking of  the Teutonic's triumph, and the subject seemed, oddly enough, to  be particularly pleasing to railroad men. 

The World, 14 August 1890.

Few ships enjoyed, or indeed created for themselves,  a more  eventful,  memorable and impressive first decade in service  as did  Teutonic.  Even the Kaiser and the Prince  of Wales were soon supplanted in the public awareness of the ship by records aplenty and her dominating the  society pages of The Gilded Age.  That Teutonic  garnered record passages for herself in 1890-91, the last held by  White Star, was accomplishment itself but these were not records won in solitary fashion, clinically measured by  dry log entries of days hours and minutes but rather, and quite remarkably, by a series of  truly  extraordinary head to head trans-ocean races between her and Inman's City  of New York that have never been  duplicated.  It made Teutonic the Toast of New York every bit as much  as it  made her the favourite  of the larger than life, personages that defined The Gilded Age.  

Her passenger lists figured in the society pages of New York and London:   Teutonic numbered among her regulars throughout the  decade  Joseph  Pulitzer, Marshall Field,  and  most notably, J.P. Morgan who made a dozen or more  crossings in her and, indeed, liked her so much  that he famous bought  her along with White  Star  Line!   Just a  few of famous passengers carried (and many were  frequently aboard) during her first  decade were: H.M. Stanley, Colliss P.  Huntington, William Astor, Mr.  & Mrs. John  Jacob Astor,  the Duke and Duchess of Malborough, Joseph Chamberlain, George Baden-Powell, Chauncey M. Depew, Andrew Carnegie, Mr. & Mrs.  F.W.  Vanderbilt,  W.K. Vanderbilt, George Vanderbilt,  Alfred Vanderbilt, P.T. Barnum, Mr. & Mrs. Claus A. Spreckels, I.Z. Paderewski, Marshall Field, James Huddart,  Sir William Van Horne, H.E. Wanamaker, The Earl of Dunraven,  A.J. Drexel, Samuel Plimsoll, John Philip Sousa (who wrote The Stars and Stripes Forever whilst aboard),  George Jay Gould, Alfred Holt,  William  Gillett, Lilian Russell, George Crocker,  Daniel Frohman, Sir. A.B.  Forwood,  Bram Stoker, Mme. Melba, Thomas Dewar, J.J. Hill, Rudyard Kipling,  W.C. Pullman, Seymour Hicks, Joseph Widener, Peter Cooper Hewitt,  Charles M. Hays and  Guglielmo Marconi.

1889

As if almost anxious to be rid of the Prince of Wales and Kaiser Wilhelm II so as to begin her  epic commercial career, Teutonic skipped the postponed  review of 5 August 1889, and as soon as her royal visitors left, she departed  Spithead  early  Sunday  evening (4th),  and rather wonderfully steamed right  through  the lines  of  the visiting  German Squadron, hurriedly bound for Liverpool whence her maiden voyage  to New York would commence on the 7th

 

Credit: Liverpool Mercury, 6  August 1889.

"The Teutonic made a splendid passage, the  weather being  fine until after she had  passed  the Crosby  Lightship." (Liverpool  Mercury, 6  August 1889).  Reported to have  hit  20 knots  en route  up from Spithead, Teutonic  returned  to the Mersey at 6:00 p.m.  on  6 August 1889.  "The guests as  they proceeded on board  the tender  which  conveyed  them to  the  Landing-Stage  shook hands  with Mr. Ismay, and thanked  him for his hospitable attentions." (Liverpool Mercury, 6 August 1889). It would  be quick work indeed to  both  convert  her back into a  liner, principally by  the removal of her armament, and to  store  and load  her  for her  maiden  voyage to New York  commencing the  very next day.  "We understand that  all  the saloon berths are engaged for the  next four voyages  from America," noted the Belfast News-Letter,  of  7 August.  Among those  booked for maiden trip  included Sir  Henry  Loch, Mr. and Mrs.  Thomas Ismay, Sir Lyon and Lady Playfair,  Theresa  Lady Schrewsbury, and Mr. Thomas and Lady Idina Brassey.

The voyage of the Teutonic, starting from Liverpool to-day, is being watched with profound interest by all concerned in shipbuilding. In her voyage from Liverpool to Spithead and back the Teutonic was understood to make her twenty knots an hour, which is remarkably good steaming as ships go, but there is a shrewd suspicion in the nautical world that Mr. Ismay has a little surprise in store, and that in addition to being the stateliest and most richly endowed steamship afloat, the Teutonic is also likely to prove the fastest steamer afloat. Additional interest is given to the first voyage of the Teutonic by the fact that she left the Mersey almost abreast of the City of New York, the sister ship of the City of Paris.

Liverpool Daily Post, 8 August 1889.

With  the arrival of Teutonic in the Mersey, the morning of 7 August 1889, the  great port witnessed a "magnificent spectacle" (Liverpool  Daily  Post, 8  August)  of  her, Inman's City  of New York  and  Anchor's City of Rome lying at anchor in the river. "where they  presented  a very fine appearance, and were a source of  great  admiration to the passengers on the Landing Stage and the ferryboats."

Seldom did  two ships  have a keener or more  visible rivalry than White  Star's Teutonic  and Inman's  City  of  New York whose schedules, from the onset of the  career  of  the  White  Star liner, seemed co-ordinated to inspire their  rivalry  being translated into its most basic  and dramatic form:  racing each other, unofficially course,  across  the North Atlantic. And it would  commence  with  Teutonic's maiden voyage  from Liverpool when  she, together  with City  of New York  and City of Rome, in addition  to British Prince and Sorata, all departed from Liverpool on the late morning tide, together  carrying some 3,500-4,000  emigrants to New York, "Between 10.30 and 11.30 the Prince's  Landing  Stage  was almost impassable," (Liverpool Daily  Post,  8  August).

To-day, the new White Star steamer Teutonic sails on her maiden voyage across the Atlantic. Great interest is being taken in her by shipping people. So far she is a 'dark horse,' but judging from her recent performance, it is safe to predict some astonishing results from her. 

Liverpool Journal of  Commerce,  7 August 1889.

R.M.S. Teutonic  (Capt. H.  Parsell, R.N.R.) sailed from Liverpool on the  evening of 7 August 1889, embarking  her passengers in midstream off Prince's Landing  Stage at 4:00  p.m..  Among the notables aboard were His  Excellency  Sir  Henry Loch,  G.C.M.G.,  K.C.B., Governor of Victoria, B.C., Lady Loch and family; the Right Honourable Sir Lyon Playfair, K.C.B., M.P. and Lady  Playfair; Theresa Countess of  Shrewsbury;  Cicely Countess of Selkirk; Mr. J.W. Barclay, M.P.; Mr.  & Mrs. W.J. Pirrie, Mr.  & Mrs. Thomas J. Ismay and Mr. & Mrs. J. Bruce Ismay.   Teutonic crossed Mersey Bar  at 7:00 p.m. and together with City  of  Rome and City of New York  formed a most magnificent "convoy" heading out into the Irish Sea,  bound for  Queenstown.  City  of New York soon took the lead followed  by  City of  Rome and Teutonic following.

The trio proceeded down the channel at reduced  speed, all keeping within sight  of each other, the Teutonic steaming  only at  a rate of  10 knots, never at any  time  increasing her  speed over  14 1/2 knots. The weather  was beautifully fine, and the  sea calm. The City of Rome was the  first  to  be signalled off  Queenstown. She appeared at 9 a.m., and ten minutes later the City of  New York  appeared, followed  by  the  White Star liner,  after twenty  minutes  had elapsed. The  working of the machinery  of  the Teutonic down the channel was considered most satisfactory. There  was no  stoppage, and no heating of the machinery.  Therefore, it  is expected that  her maiden trip  across  the  Atlantic  will be a successful one in  every respect. In fact, the  great  interested is  manifested  in shipping  circles here on her performance with her two rivals across  the ocean.

Belfast News-Letter, 9 August 1889.

The "convoy" arrived at Queenstown the morning of  8 August 1889 with City of Rome coming in at 8:30 a.m., City  of New York at 9:50 a.m. and Teutonic at 10:00 a.m., the latter described by the Cork Constitution  as having "dropped  her anchor between the frowning forts of Camden and Carlisle, where  she rode majestically to her massive  cables, until her full complement of  passengers and mails were embarked, before  proceeding on her maiden Western trip  across  the Atlantic Ocean."  

Whilst at  Queenstown, Teutonic  was inspected "at  noon by  a most distinguished number  of  persons, including  Rear-Admiral Erskine, who inspected the armed merchant cruiser from stem to stern with a number of gentlemen. They appeared to be much pleased with the equipment of  the noble vessel," (Belfast News-Letter, 9 August).   Visitors to the ship included General Johnson, K.C.B.,R.A.; Colonel Jones, R.A. : Colonel Davis, A Colonel Yates,; Major Johnson, R.A.: Captain Gould Adams, R.A.; Captain the Hononrable R Tywbill, R.A.; Lieutenant-Adjutant Allen, R.A.; Rear-Admiral Erskine, Commander-In-Chief of the Irish Stations ; the Admiral's Flag-Lieutenant, Sir John Arnott, Lady Arnett, Captain Usborne, R.N., Harbour Master; Mrs Ushorne, Mr. P.A.Scott, Mrs Scott, Captain Christian, General Piatt, United Slates Consul; Mrs Piatt, Mr A. R. M'Mallen, Mrs M'Mallen, Mr T. Crosby, R A Atkins, High Sheriff; and  Mr D. K. Leahy, B A.

Taking on 469 bags of mail and embarking additional passengers, on departure from Queenstown  at 2:15 p.m., Teutonic  went out  with 332  saloon and 480 steerage passengers and 767  bags of  mail. Lowering  expectations of  any  effort at a record, or  even full speed,  from the ship on her first voyage, White  Star's Queenstown agent, Messrs. Scott told the  Cork Constitution (10 August): "there is  no intention of letting  the new  White Star steamer  Teutonic run her  speed  this  voyage."  But the papers, especially  in New York, were having none of it and built up the "race" angle and for a good reason with  the  spectacle of "three of the finest of all the fleet of  'ocean greyhounds,' (New  York Tribune) departing  Queenstown almost together: City of Rome at 10:30 a.m, City  of New York at 1:30 p.m. and Teutonic at 2:00 p.m. plus  the new HAPAG liner  Columbia leaving Southampton the same day, all New  York-bound. 

To-day the foreign steamship interests are eagerly expectant. The White Star steamer Teutonic, whose decks nave been already under the foot of royalty and at whose building and launching all England seems to have been more or less elated, has been over five days on the way to this port If she is to show herself the outset to be a record breaker she must arrive off Sandy Hook as early as 7 o'clock this morning. There were not wanting, indeed, numbers of not-to-be-surprised landsmen who mildly asked last evening at the Barge Office and Castle Garden if the Teutonic was not coming up the bay. They were necessarily disappointed, however. 

Much interest is also felt in the time that the steamship City of New York will make on this trip.The New York left within an hour or so of the Teutonic, and the usual 'ocean race' has as a consequence of that fact sprung up immediately in the mind of the average land man on both sides of the water. The spectacle of the Inman Line steamer, machinery ail in perfect repair for the contest, neck and neck with the now White Star ship over the 2,800 miles which stretch between New York and Queenstown is a vivid mental image with a great portion of the non-aquatic public. It is not probable, however, that the commander of either vessel will pay much attention to getting ahead of the other. Nevertheless great increase of speed on the part of the City of New York may be looked for, it is thought. Her machinery, which has hitherto proved entirely unsatisfactory, as far as speed is concerned, has undergone an extensive overhauling and  is expecited to do much better work than before.

New York Times, 14 August 1889.

Mrs. Thomas Ismay's  personal diaries (as reproduced in The Ismay Line)  provides a day  to day log of the voyage out:

August 8, Thursday. 

Found  some  nice  people on board, Sir Henry and Lady Lock and family, Lady Shrewsbury, Lady  Selkirk,  Sir Lyon and Lady  Playfair. Arrived at Queenstown at 10.30a.m. and left  at 2 p.m., after taking the mails on board.

August 9, Friday.

Rather a bad  night, also stormy this morning, although we went into the Saloon for breakfast. It got worse in the afternoon, and one after another succumbed.  A high wind, and a nasty  sea,  which made the Teutonic pitch.

August 10, Saturday

The wind and sea very high, none of  us  got up for  breakfast. But during the day some of us  got up on deck. About 10 o'clock the  sea came right on board,  and took Sir  Henry  Lock right  off his feet. Fortunately  he was not hurt.

August 11, Sunday

None of us able to go to Service, except Thomas, but got up  and went on deck in the afternoon.

August  12, Monday

The sea and wind  have gone down, but now  we have  a dense fog.

August 13, Tuesday

Still very foggy, but we had a concert, which  would have been a failure but for Mr. York. Thomas was in the  chair and made some remarks which  amused the audience. A collection was  made,  and got 28 for  the  Seamen's Orphanage.

August 14, Wednesday

It appears that Thomas' remarks have given offence to some people on board, although unintended by him. In fact what  they say is  both unfair  and untrue. Made the land late at night, reaching Sandy Hook just  after midnight. Passage 6 days 14 hours  20 mins.

Weather spoilt the  racing prospects and all  three ships  arrived late  at  New  York amid a strong southerly wind and fog prevailing in New York on 15 August  1889. City of New York was finally sighted off Sandy Hook at 11:40 p.m., giving her  a time of 6  days 14  hours  45 mins. with  Teutonic  following 1 hour 15 mins. later at 12:55 a.m. making for  a run 6  days  14 hours 21 mins., averaging 17.59 knots.   This still qualified her as making the  fastest westbound maiden crossing, beating City of Paris' 6  days 15 hours.

There was a palpable sense of disappointment in the New York press that the new ship  did  not  do better but Capt. Parsell was having none of it as  he  patiently  endured countess interviews  over breakfast after  bringing  Teutonic alongside  White Star's pier 45 at the foot of  West  St, North  River:

West street and the new pier of the White Star line were crowded with interested observers this morning studying the points of the majestic Teutonic. The passengers were drifting down the gangway as the reporter crowded up and made his way to the saloon where Capt. Parsell, R.N.R., was discussing fried sole, bacon and eggs and dry toast. 

'I am perfectly satisfied with the boat,' be said. between mouthfuls. 'She has a large reserve of power that has not been drawn on.  I let her go easy most of the way, though at the start, I spurted a little and gained  half an hour on the City of New York. 

We had beastly weather the whole way; head winds, fog off the Banks and a fog here just before we came in.'

The boat is us firm as a rock. You should have seen her swing lightly up to the pier here without the help of a rope, snuggling in as cosily as a chicken gets under its mother's wing. 

She can make ten more revolutions to the minute than she has done,'" continued Capt. Parsell, with pride. am more stuck on what she is going to do than on what she did on this voyage though the machinery gave us no trouble whatever.'

The Evening World, 15  August 1889.

Credit: New York Tribune, 16 August 1889.

An account of the maiden voyage by a passenger was published in the  Belfast News-Letter of 29  August 1889:

The start from Liverpool on Wednesday evening August the 7th, was intensely exciting. All commercial and marine Liverpool was on the qui vive, and the spectacle of four great ocean steamers starting simultaneously was extremely fine. The race between the City of New York, with her recent costly improvements, and the new 'longest ship afloat' was exciting in the highest degree. No such race was ever run on the ocean by such a brace of superb vessels. The official reports of the voyage are now history, but I may possibly be in time with a brief account of it from the passengers' point of view.

We had bad weather almost all the way; a real gale one day, head-winds every day, rough seas nearly every day, and that worst of a seaman's bugbears-- fog for several days. But the stately Teutonic ploughed her way through all and though she did pitch, she did not roll to any serious extent. Her steadiness was an inexpressible comfort to many tender interiors: in a smaller ship, less heavily freighted and less powerfully propelled, we should have had a very bad time of it. But we rode gallantly over the Atlantic rollers, and the magnificent ship stood stiffly up, and so diminished the sufferings of those who suffered, and enlarged the pleasure of those thrice-blessed ones who have no practical knowledge of mal de mer.

Amongst our complement of over twelve hundred souls, we had some passengers who were old hands at ocean-sailing one gentleman was making his sixty-ninth passage and all concurred in the declaration that so steady a ship and one so superbly equipped they had never before seen.

Credit: New  York Times, 17 August 1889.

The maiden trip of the splendid steamer, the Teutonic, of the White Star Line, which arrived this port on Wednesday, seems to have been marred considerably by an unfortunate incident which took place on one of the last days of the voyage. Among the passengers on the vessel were Sir Lyon Playfair and Mr. J. Bruce Ismay, the New York agent of the White Star Line. A little entertainment was given in the grand saloon last Tuesday night and in the speechmaking which usually follows such an affair Mr. Ismay acted as Chairman, or master of ceremonies. 

He made pleasant little speech about the new vessel, told all about what was expected of her, and how the aim of the company was always to please its patrons, and after a while introduced Sir Lyon Playfair to the audience. It was the manner of this introduction which caused the trouble which is now being pretty thoroughly ventilated. There were many Americans among the passengers, and, according to Commodore A. E. Bateman, who was one of them, Mr. lsmay took occasion to talk in sneering manner of American legislators 88 compared with noble British statesmen.

New York Times, 17 August 1889.

Credit: The Evening  World, 9 August 1889.

At a luncheon aboard the ship on 16 August 1889, with J. Bruce Ismay giving the welcoming remarks, he made no mention of the  controversy  although in his own speech to the  attendees, Capt. Parsell "talked most vigorously about  the manner in which  his  employer, Mr. Ismay, had been treated by the American press." (New  York Times, 17  August).  The paper went on to describe the  lunch as "a very pleasant one,"  followed by  a full inspection of the new vessel, and the guests "admired its perfect construction."  The Emigration Commissioners were feted aboard the next day and "were  greatly  pleased with the  accommodations provided … for  steerage passenges  and for  the careful ventilation of  all parts  of  the ship. Thousands  of other visitors took  the opportunity to  inspect  the handsome ship, partake of  sumptuous  fare, and listen to  fine music on  board  of her."  (New York Times, 18 August). Public  inspection followed on the 19th, from 9:00 a.m.-6:00 a.m. with tickets costing 25 cents to benefit local charities.

The performance of the Teutonic on her first voyage to New York has been watched here with great interest. Probably no vessel ever attracted so much attention at home and abroad. English experts regard her run as extraordinary. It was known in Liverpool that she would not be pressed on her first Atlantic voyage, nor was she expected to beat the record of maiden runs, as she actually did.

New York  Tribune, 18 August  1889.

The schedules of White Star and Inman  Line  were a  newspaperman's dream calendar, affording  as  it now would  the  prospect of  a monthly "race"  between Teutonic and City  of New York  from New York on Wednesdays and from Queenstown on  Thursdays. In addition,  Anchor Line's  City of Rome's  comings  and goings were also synched with the White  Star  and Inman flyers, but she  had  never been in  the running  for records, hence  her  winding up with Anchor  in the first place.   It was a  competition discounted by the lines  and officers of course,  but  reveled  in  and  anticipated by passengers, public and  press.

So it was that Teutonic, on her  maiden  eastbound  crossing, and City of New York, sailed within  an hour of one another from New York on 21  August 1889. The  Evening  World,  which  would  prove Teutonic's  best public  relations and news  sources during  her career out  of the  port,  reported:

The two crack boats, the Teutonic, of the White Star and the City of New York, of the Inman line, draw out from their piers, which are next each other on the North River, this afternoon and start on their course across the Atlantic. 

The City of New York people are pretty confident that their big rival will not show the Inman liner her stern during the trip. The Teutonic powers take the air of not racing. 

An Evening  World reporter saw Capt. Parsall this morning. He way walking the magnificent promenade deck wearing a black derby bat. 

'Well, are you going to beat the City of New York. Captain ?' he was asked.

'I don't think we will. I don't intend to race her,' said Capt. Parsall. 'There is plenty of time to beat the City of New York,' he added, with a quiet significant smile.

The Evening World,  21 August 1889.

The public is taking great interest in the race, and there were cheering crowds, at the Inman and White Star piers to see the start. A number of people went down to Fort Hamilton, and saw the rival Atlantic beauties steaming down the bay. There was a good deal of quiet betting on the race, at even money.

New York  Tribune, 22 August 1889.

Teutonic  went out  rather  lightly  patronised, with  125 First, 70 Second and 230  Third whilst  her  rival  had 170 First, 70  Second and 400 steerage,  "both boats looked  in the  pink  of perfection.  Their  beautiful lines, massive  proportions and cleanly appearance  are so good  that  neither  can give points to the other in this  respect." (Evening  World). City  of New  York was the  first  to depart, at 2:00 p.m., followed  by City  of Rome  and Teutonic.  Among  those  aboard Teutonic  were the Ismays.  City of  New  York  passed Quarantine at 2:55 p.m. and  the bar at 3:31 p.m. and Teutonic at 3:10 p.m. and 4:11 p.m. respectively.  And  the  "race"  was on…

The Ismays made the roundtrip and Mrs. Ismay again  recorded the voyage in her personal diary: 

August 22, Thursday

We have about 110 passengers in First Class.  Weather beautiful with a calm sea.

August  23, Friday

Another  calm fine day, no movement at all, which makes it difficult to  realise  one is  on the Atlantic, everything works so well.

August 24, Saturday

Very foggy, but  clear at times,  we saw numbers of  fishing boats. At 1.45  p.m. a poor fireman jumped overboard,  a boat  was lowered  and he was  saved; a wonderful thing in mid-Atlantic, it  occupied 17 minutes before  he  was on board again.

August  25, Sunday

Had a very nice service. It  was very  foggy  all day.

August  26, Monday

Very foggy indeed, the  foghorn going perpetually.

August 27, Tuesday

A nasty beam sea, which  made the  Teutonic  roll very  much, but she rode it gracefully so  that only worst sailor  noticed it. I managed to  go down to dinner, Mrs. Pirrie sang  to us  afterwards.

August 28, Wednesday

During the  night the  rolling ceased, and when we got up  the  sea had  gone down. We sighted land at 10.30 p.m., arrived  at Queenstown 2 p.m. Jimmy  came to meet us.

August 29, Thursday

Breakfasted at 7 a.m. having arrived in the Mersey at 3 a.m. Making our  passage 6 days, 16 hours,  34 minutes. All very sorry to leave  the noble ship.

In the end, it was not much of  a contest with City of New York passing the  Fastnet at 8:50 p.m. on 27 August 1889 followed by  Teutonic at 10:45 a.m. the following  morning.  Total time for City of New York  from Sandy  Hook to Roche's Point was 6  days 3 hours 18 mins. and  for Teutonic, 6  days 16 hours with daily  runs of 336, 395, 414, 420, 400 and 442 nautical miles with slow passage on the  26th owing  to fog.  Teutonic arrived at  Liverpool later on the 28th.

Credit: Liverpool Mercury, 6  August 1889.

Ocean racing for records aside, Teutonic's main purpose,  of course,  was  the more  meaningful  maintenance  of a regular and reliable mail-passenger-cargo service  that  had  no betters on the  ocean highways and initially  she  held down the weekly  New  York service  with Germanic,  Britannic and Adriatic. 

The White Star steamers sail,  under contract with  the  British Government, from Liverpool every Wednesday with  her  Majesty's mails  for the  United States. The hour of embarkation is regulated  by the  tide, but no  later embarkation takes  place  than 4 p.m. Only  a portion of  the  mails is put on board  in Liverpool,  the bulk  being conveyed by the  Irish mail  train leaving  London on Wednesday  night  at  8.20, proceeding by steamer from Holyhead  to Dublin, and reaching  Queenstown at 12.15  p.m.,  where  the  steamer usually  arrived early  the  same morning and waits for  the mails,  and such passengers as may  accompany them. The steamer gets away from Queenstown at about 2 p.m. on Thursday  afternoon, and after a six-day  passage, brings her into New York, and allows  of passengers  landing there during the forenoon of  the  following Wednesday. At New York the  steamer lies alongside the pier, which projects into the  river at right  angles  with  the  street,  and  passengers are able to walk straight  from the  shore on board the ship. The  departure from New  York, as from Liverpool, takes place on Wednesday,  and the hour of  the  embarkation is regulated by the  tide. On  the return  voyage  the  steamers use American coal, some of  the finer qualities  of which are equal  to  the best English coal.

The Engineer, 19 December 1890.

Credit: The Evening World, 12 September 1889.

With City of New York  and City  of Rome  again, Teutonic  left  Liverpool  with 1,300  passengers  on 4  September  1889 on her second  voyage to New  York, clearing Queenstown  the  following  afternoon  at 5:35 p.m., 35 mins. following  the departure of City of New  York.   Both ships   had rough  weather at  the onset but  again City  of  New  York made  it  no contest, arriving off Sandy Hook on the  evening of the  11th, logging 6 days  4 hours 17 mins with  Teutonic  passing  Sandy Hook at 8:23 p.m., logging a still respectable 6  days 7 hours 14 mins. or 7 hours 6  mins faster than her maiden voyage. She logged  348, 438, 443, 466, 481, and 127 nautical miles, the last day out being accomplished  in a cyclone.  When fog settled in, she  anchored  off Quarantine for  the night  and came alongside at 10:30 a.m.  The following morning, "greeted with cheers by  over 500 people who were  waiting  for friends who were  aboard." (The  Evening World, 12 September 1889).

The White Star steamship people, disheartened by the failure of the Teutonic to outstrip the Inman champion City of Paris, have ordered their boat to the dry-docks at Liverpool to be fitted with new propellers and be put in better racing trim.

The  Evening World,  27 September 1889

Credit: The Evening World, 18 September 1889.

In what The Evening World (18  September  1889) called "A Triple  Atlantic  Race" commenced that day  from New York with  the simultaneous  departure  of Teutonic, City of  New  York  and  NDL's  fastest liner,  Saale; "Each  vessel will do its  utmost to outrun its competitor  across  the big  pond…" Also sailing  that day was City of  Rome.   City of New York again beat all comers, getting to Queenstown at 9:00 p.m. on the 24th, clocking 6 days 5 hours 25 mins., and lowering her own record. Teutonic got in at midnight almost  three hours later, logging 6 days 7 hours 55 mins.  She arrived at Liverpool on the 25th on a busy day for the port with City of Paris, Lord Clive, Oruba, Pavonia and City of  New  York making arrival or departures.

White Star Line announced on 26 September 1889 that Teutonic would be fitted new smaller diameter screws to increase her  speed during a drydocking at Liverpool.  That  day she  went into Langton Graving Dock  for  the fitting of  her new smaller diameter (19½ ft. vs. 21½  ft.)  screws which  worked at 79  r.p.m.s or  nine more  than  the  original set. She was opened for public  inspection whilst in dry dock on 28  September 1889 from 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. with tickets costing 1s and proceeds going to Bootle and Stanley Hospitals.  

Teutonic left Liverpool on  2 October 1889,  again  going out  with  City of  New  York and City of  Rome and all sailing from Queenstown about the same time the  next  day, the White  Star  liner having aboard 443 saloon and 701  steerage passengers.  "Anxiously  awaited" in New York, City  of New  York  and  Teutonic  did not arrive at New York  the morning  of  the  9th as expected.  Then, the late editions reported  that  Teutonic had been sighted off Fire  Island  at 2:33 p.m. and reached  Sandy Hook  at 4:40  p.m.,  giving  her a passage time of  6  days 6 hours 27 mins. and her rival,  City of New  York, yet to  be sighted.  Teutonic  logged  daily  runs of 407, 456, 431, 471, 469, 460 and 88 nautical miles up to Sandy Hook.   

Credit: Cork Constitution, 27 September 1889.

The New York  Times, 10 October  1889, gave its readers  a full  account of  Teutonic's splendid passage:

The Teutonic, in command of Capt. Henry Parsell, after leaving Queenstown on Oct. 3, passed Roche's Point at 2:15 p.m., about four hours behind the City of Rome, which had left earlier in the day, and about forty minutes later than the Inman Liner City of New York. The Teutonic remained in sight of the City of New York, which kept to the northward, hugging the shore until near Fastnet Light, when she overhauled her.

The City of New York then veered to the south, crossed the Teutonic's bow, and took position abreast of her on the starboard side. Her lights could be seen all that night, and at 8 a.m., Friday, Oct. 4, it was noted that the Teutonic was slowly drawing ahead of her. At this time they both caught up with the City of Rome which was sighted off the port side of the City of New York.

The three huge ships then ran for several hours almost abreast of each other, with the City of Rome in the middle, until about 2:30 p.m. the Teutonic began rapidly to away from the others, and at 4 o'clock had lost sight of them. 

She had fair weather and light winds until, on Saturday morning, Oct. 5, she was struck by a heavy gale from the northwest, accompanied by a heavy swell and terrific cross seas. This continued until Sunday morning, when the wind veered directly to the west, blowing a perfect tornado and piling the sea up in mountainous waves that dashed against and over the bow of the vessel. This went on until noon, when the wind slacked down and the seas began to get lighter. On Monday, however, the winds from the west-southwest began to blow pretty strong-again, causing a long, rolling swell from the same direction, and continuing until the vessel reached port yesterday afternoon.

On Oct. 7 the engines were worked up to speed equivalent to 520 miles in fair, calm weather, yet the ship did not come within ten miles of her best day's record, made during the trip which ended at this port on Sept. 11. The Teutonic, however, did beat her own best record of an entire trip of 6 days 7 hours and 14 minutes by 47 minutes, having made this trip in 6 days 6 hours and 27 minutes. 

Still Chief Engineer Sewall does not think the steamer has had a fair test, owing to the weather she had to encounter. He says that under favorable circumstances and good weather, with the late improvements in ber screw, she will do much better. Throughout the trip the average speed was kept up to 18½ knots an hour, with 79 revolutions of the screws of 19½ feet diameter to the minute, as against 70 revolutions to the minute with the diameter of 21½ feet of the screw before the reduction of 12 inches in the length of each blade was made. The coal burned averaged 240 tons per twenty-four hours as against 212 tons before the screws were reduced in length, making an average of eighteen and a half knots against seventeen knots per hour under the old system, or a gain of thirty-six knots per day for the additional consumption of twenty-eight tons of coal. 

The  officers of the Teutonic predict that the improvements made in her screws will soon cause her to outstrip the City of New York, although she tailed to do it this time.

New York Times, 10 October 1889.

As for  City  of New York, her race for glory  ended ignominiously  when she grounded on a mudbank in Gedney's Channel on arrival  the evening of 9 October 1889 after  coming over  in the time of 6 days  10 hours  20 mins. including a one-hour  fifteen stoppage of her port  engine for repairs. 

More worrisome  was  that  five  of Teutonic's stokers had  collapsed from  heat  exhaustion during  the voyage.   Here,  her closed  system of forced-draught resulted  in temperatures  of some 140  degrees in her boiler rooms and although it  was suggested that  those overcome "were not as strong as firemen commonly  are," conditions in her firerooms  were  beyond the  limits  even of  the toughest Merseyside  stokers to endure and led to immediate alterations to  the  ventilation  of  her machinery  and boiler rooms.  Duty hours  for  firemen were  reduced  to a maximum of four  hours and firemen given additional leave ashore between voyages. 

The ocean greyhounds, Teutonic and City of  New York, of the White Star and Inman Lines, respectively, got away  again this morning for another record-breaking contest. 

The  Evening World, 16 October 1889.

From the Inman pier at the foot  of  Barrow  Street,  City of New York, sailed at  10:16 a.m., and Teutonic, with 445 passengers,  from White Star's  at the  end of Christopher St.  at 10:35  a.m. on 16 October  1889.  

The commanders of both ships stood at their post of duty on the bridges and telegraphed to the engineer to work the mammoth machinery to its utmost capacity. The propellors of the ocean liners now churned the green waters  into white foam as both ships almost leaned onward, neither gaining the slightest advantage on the other. Darkness soon afterwards set in, and both wore lost to view, never seeing one another afterwards. Strong, adverse winds from the E. and N.E., witl head sea, and at times moderate gales, were encountered during the entire passage.

Belfast News-Letter,  24 October 1889.

Credit: The Evening World, 23  October 1889.

Despite  Teutonic's new screws and her good showing  on her westbound crossing,  she would  again  follow in the Inman racer's  wake.  City  of New  York passed Roche's Point at  5:24 a.m. on  the  23rd followed by  Teutonic  at 12:08 p.m.. The  time for the Inman liner: 6 days 12 hours 46 mins,  that of the White Star ship:  6 days 14  hours 37 mins. or  a 1 hour 51 min  difference.  Teutonic's daily mileage was 390,  384, 420, 422, 427, 419 and 347.  

The remarkable rivalry  between Teutonic and City  of  New  York  would endure as long as the two ships were scheduled to  depart  from Liverpool and New York  on the same dates. The  30th of October 1889 found both clearing Liverpool and Queenstown the following day, City  of New York passing Roche's Point  at 1:54 p.m.  followed by  Teutonic at 2:33 p.m., beginning what The New York Times called "one of the most  exciting ocean races that  has ever been recorded," with  the  two ships, for  the first  time,  in sight  of one another for most of the way  across. This time, Teutonic pipped the  Inman liner by just half an hour, recording  a passage time of 6 days 7 hours 16 mins. vs. 6 days 7 hours  16 mins.  City of  New  York passed the "finish  line" (Sandy Hook lightship)  at 5:05 p.m. on 6 November and Teutonic followed at 5:14 p.m., but as  she passed Daunt's Rock later, the  time difference  gave her  the better  time across.

The  New York papers had  a grand time recording  the  contest with The New York Times giving a rather City of New York perspective of  the  race but The Sun providing a more even handed  account:

The time made by the steamship breaks no record, but the race between them was one of the closest and most exciting possible. They were within a few miles of each other in plain sight all the way across the ocean. They chased madly across the sea, their decks crowded with passengers, who became wildly excited over the contest. They were exactly  abreast of each other at Fire Island at 3½ o'clock yesterday afternoon,  and then gathering themselves for a supreme effort they plunged down the blue stretch of seas to the lightship. It was a tremendous race.

The time   of ocean passage is computed between Roche's Point, the harbor of Queenstown, and the Sandy Hook lightship here. Both ships left Liverpool on the afternoon of Oct. 30, within an hour of each other, the Teutonic being delayed by her malls. The City of New York put into Queenstown at 7 o'clock, the following morning, last Thursday.

Half an hour later the Teutonic arrived. The City of New York again got to sea first. It was just 1:54 p.m. when she strode past  Roche's Point out to sea, she marched right into the face of a head seas and a  gale. She didn't mind  it a bit. The Teutonic steamed past Roche's Point at 2:33 p.m. The 39 minutes headway which the City of New York thus had made her seem a good way oft to the Teutonic's passengers.  Capt. Parsell, on the bridge of the Teutonic, said that the City of New York was not as far off as she seemed. He shook his fist, figuratively, at jolly Capt. Lewis of  the the City of New York and vowed that the Teutonic  would win that race or dreadful things would happen. The wind increased in the wake of the City of New York, and Capt. Parsell had a mighty heavy sea to contend with. But  the Teutonic ploughed ahead just  the same.

When the morning ot Friday dawned the City of New York was nowhere to he seen, and the Teutonic's  passengers were very disconsolate. Along after  9 o'clock on Saturday there was a simultaneous cry from the passengers on the hurricane dock of the  Teutonic. Away on to the eastward, sticking up against the gray sky were the three black smokestacks of  the City of New York. At noon on Saturday the City of New York  was  only fifteen miles ahead  of  the  Teutonic. 

Then the  race  began in earnest. The heavy seas and north and northwest winds continued.   The Teutonic never again lost sight of the City of New York. On Sunday at noon the relative places of the steamships had not changed a bit -- the City of New York was still fifteen miles ahead of the Teutonic. In the latter part of Sunday and on Sunday night the City of New York gained a little. On Monday  noon she was nineteen miles ahead. 

On Tuesday the City of New York was still nineteen miles in the lead. The Teutonic  stopped to clean her machinery,  and then forged ahead with renewed speed. At dawn of Wednesday the Teutonic was nearer the City of New York than ever. She gained on the Inman liner every minute during the forenoon, her passengers shouting and applauding. At noon of yesterday the  Teutonic was only two miles behind the City of New York off the Long Island course, and had made the  great run of 495 miles during the day then just ended.

Then at 3½ o'clock in the afternoon the lookout  man in his eyrie at Fire Island roused all the shipping men in New York with  the  news that the Teutonic and  the  City  of New  York were exactly  abreast  off  Fire Island. It was  a short  but  fiery race  to  the  Lightship. The Teutonic was slightly ahead at one time, but she feel back a little,  and the ships passed the Lightship  at the time as stated.

The Sun, 7 November 1889.

Teutonic's run was just 36 minutes behind her best westward passage time of  6 days 6 hours  46 mins. But still 2 hours 46 mins. behind City  of New  York's best time of 6  days 4 hours 17  mins.   During  the voyage both ships record remarkable exact  daily runs: 461 miles on the  third day and again on  5  November, 482 miles each. Teutonic's best day's run being 495 miles.

Among those aboard was Californian railroad  magnate Collis  P. Huntington and family.

Those great Atlantic racers, the Teutonic and the City of New York, will begin another six days' struggle for glory this morning. The remarkable and mighty close contest between the big ships in their last run from Queenstown to this port showed that they are pretty evenly matched. There will doubtless be more betting between passengers on this trip than has ever occurred in the history of steamship races. About 350 tons of coal will probably go skyward in smoke through the funnels of each ship every day.

The Sun,  13 November  1889.

City  of  New York left New York on 13 November 1889 at 8:50 a.m. and Teutonic at 9:05 a.m., among the latter's 500 passengers were Sir Lyon Playfair and Lady  Playfair;  Countess of Selkirk, Countess  of Shrewsbury, and A. Stavely Hill,  M.P..  Both ships went out in heavy fog and were barely moving by  the time they got off Staten Island,  and had  to anchor for hours  awaiting the fog to lift. 

Those colossal racers, the Teutonic and the City of New York, got away from their docks within a quarter of an hour of each other, the City of New York ahead. They passed Quarantine almost abreast at 9:55, and proceeded seaward slowly and cautiously. The Athos of the Atlas line and the Advance of the States of the Brazilian mail line were coming into Quarantine just as the great racers wore going out. The White Star ship, according to passengers on the Advance, came within a few feet of shaving the stern off the Brazilian ship, and also passed dangerously near the Athos. The fog was so thick that the vessels were invisible to one another until they were a few hundred feet apart. The Teutonic reached the Hook at 1:35 in the afternoon. She stopped apparently to allow her pilot time to take an observation and decide whether or not it would be advisable to go on. She went on. The Inman steamship was not re: ported at the Hook, but she doubtless passed about the same time as her rival.

The Sun, 14  November  1889.

Teutonic cleared  Sandy  Hook at 3:33 p.m.  followed by City of New York finally  passed out of Sandy  Hook  at 7:50 p.m.. Making her fastest eastbound crossing  to date, 6  days  6 hours 19 mins., Teutonic  passed Roche's Point  at 2:14 a.m.. on the  20 November 1889. She  logged  daily  runs of 359, 424,  437, 439, 444, 443 and 270 nautical miles up  to arrival. Leaving Queenstown for Liverpool at 11:25 p.m., she arrived there  the following morning. The  whereabouts of City of  New  York were initially in  doubt until it was reported by the Inman agents that she  had broken a crank pin on her port shaft  in mid  ocean and made the  remainder of the  crossing  on her  starboard engine.   

It will be thus seen than the new White Star liner is improving in speed each passage, according as her gigantic engines are getting into working order. The passengers who disembarked here this morning from the Teutonic said the remarkable and mighty close contest between the big ships in their last run from Queenstown to the far western port showed that they were pretty evenly matched, and consequently more betting took place amongst the travellers on board each ship as they embarked on the present voyage than has ever occurred in the history of steamship races. They estimated that about 350 tons of coal went skyward in smoke through the funnels of the White Star steamship every clay during her trip across the Atlantic.

Belfast News-Letter,  21 November 1889.

City of New  York was off for the rest the  year for  a  much  needed  refit by her builders  in Glasgow so the "racing  season,"  too, was over for the timebeing.  So rather missing the  anticipatory drama of  all her Liverpool departures  since entering service,  Teutonic sailed  on 27  November 1889 but storm conditons entailed  embarking her passengers directly in Alexandra Dock rather than off the Landing Stage:

Yesterday Madame Adelina Patti-Nicolini, the great operatic diva, together with her husband, Signor Nicolini, and a number of distinguished operatic stars, embarked on board the White Star steamer Teutonic for New York. It had been arranged that a special boat have left the Prince's stage at noon with the Patti party on board, but thin arrangement was not carried out owing to the severity of the storm on Tuesday, which prevented the Teutonic and other Atlantic-bound steamers from getting out of dock. Madame Patti, her husband, and company, who bad arrived at the North-Western Hotel about 4.30 on Tuesday afternoon, decided to proceed in carriages to the Alexandra Dock and embark there. Among those on board the Teutonic are Miss Beaumester, Madame Patti's lady companion, Mr. H.M. Bowen, Madame Nordica, Signor Morini, and others. The steamer also carries Mr. J, R. Roosevelt and Mrs. Roosesvelt (of the American Embassy), Mr. Poultaney Bigelow (a member of the New York Press, who was specially invited to Athens by the German Emperor on the occasion of the Royal marriage there) and Mrs. Poulteney Bigalow (a well-known American litterateur). Among others are Count John Good, the Hon. George Duncan and Mrs. Duncan, and others.

Liverpool Daily Post, 28 November 1889.

During the ensuing call at Queenstown from 8:40 a.m.-2:18 p.m. on 28  November 1889, "A few of the saloon passengers who visited Queenstown yesterday from the steamer Teutonic were so struck with the singing of one the street ballad boys, that they induced him to travel to New York with them, paying his passage, fitting him out in a fresh suit of clothes and promising to look after him in New York. The boy’s name is Johnny Ryan, about 12 years of age. " (Cork Constitution, 29 November 1889).  

Expected to arrive at New York on 4 December 1889, Teutonic was a  no show and did not come  off Sandy  Hook  Lightship  until 7:38 a.m.  the following morning and given the time of  year,  the reason  for  her  tardiness  was  as expected: Winter  North  Atlantic. "Westerly storms prevailed the great portion of  the  voyage.  On Nov. 30 the gale  was severe,  with  high  head  seas. On Dec. 2 it  blew  violently, and  a  very heavy  head sea was running. The  ship  was  obliged to  dive  into  the head  seas  and her  decks  were flooded  a number of  times;  but  there was no  accident. The passengers  were obliged  to remain below during  the storm. Owing  to  the  severity of the  gale, the day's  run of  the  Teutonic  was only 305  miles." (New York Times, 6  December).  The  members  of  the  Patti Opera Company were met  by Mr. Henry E. Abbey, New York  director of  the company, on his  yacht Stella and the  steamer Laura M.  Starin, with the 71st Regiment Band, off  Quarantine.   The  band played "Home,  Sweet  Home"  as Teutonic  came alongside her  berth. 

Making her last voyage  of  a most  eventful first year,  Teutonic cleared  New York at 7:55 a.m.  on 11  December  1889, numbering among  her  1,250 passengers William Astor.  It was reckoned to be the  worst weather crossing  the ship  had  yet  experienced and  Capt. Parsall   said "he had  never  known  a  worse passage,"  with the  whole crossing made in a tremendous gales and for three  days passengers were confined below decks.  The  Belfast News-Letter published an abstract of her log: " On the  12th and 13th a strong gale and high sea prevailed with north-west to south-west wind; 14th. South-west to west-north-west breeze; 15th, west-north-west breeze; 17th south-south-west to south-west. From the 12th to 17th  a strong gale with high  seas prevailed. On the  18th, south-south-east wind."  On arrival at Queenstown  on the  18th, it was  so foggy  that she bypassed the port and proceeded  direct to Liverpool, docking  there that evening at 8:00 p.m.. 

On 12  December 1889  The  New  York Times reported  that Teutonic  would laid  up  in Liverpool  until  February, adding that "the  Inman steamship City of New York will probably  again  be at  work by that  time, and a revival of  the  races between these  well-matched  ocean  greyhounds may then  be  looked  for."  The Sun  stated that  "she  [Teutonic] will be put in dry  dock  and groomed  for racing  in  the spring."

In 1889, Teutonic  made 5  westbound   and 5  eastbound  crossings.  

White Star sailing list c. 1889-90. National Museums  NI.

1890

Nearing the end of her winter refitting in Alfred Dock, fire broke out early the morning of 31 January  1890 in a storeroom between the main and lower decks aboard Teutonic filled with mattresses and "the fire  extinguishing apparatus on board the vessel was speedily  got in readiness by Mr. Rinder, the officer on duty, and in less than an hour the  flames were put out. The amount of damage is not known." (Liverpool Mercury, 1 February  1890). Later reports indicated "a good deal of damage  was done"

The emigrant season opened at Liverpool today, when the landing stage represented a very animated appearance. The  White Star  steamer Teutonic sailed  for New  York with over  a thousand passengers, most of  them steerage, the greater portion of  them being Scandinavian.

Belfast Telegraph, 19 February 1890.

Resuming service with  her 19 February 1890 to New York, the Liverpool Mercury  noted she left with "nearly  1,000 emigrants," and on departure from Queenstown the following day, went out with 1,100  passengers, "being a full  complement of  saloon, second cabin, and steerage, probably  an unprecedented occurrence  at this  season of the year." (The Times, 21 February).   She arrived at New York the morning of the 27th, making the trip in the  "excellent time" (New  York Times, 1 March)  of 6 days 7  hours 10  mins.  which even published an abstract  of  her  log:

Teutonic left New  York  on her first eastbound crossing of the year at 5:30 p.m.  on 5 March 1890, going out with £9,600 in  specie, and arriving at  Liverpool on the  13th

When Teutonic cleared Liverpool on 19 March 1890, the Liverpool Mercury said she  left "with the greatest number of passengers  that have  been taken out  by  any  steamer this year. The steamer was full in each class, an unmistakable proof of her popularity." Among her passengers was the American-born  Duchess  of Marlborough, "who has at her disposal on board the most expensive and elaborate suite  on the ship, and is accompanied by  three maids," (Cork  Constitution, 21 March).  Calling at Queenstown the  next day, 8:55 a.m.-2:00 p.m.,  Teutonic reached New York the morning of  the  28th, docking at the foot  of W. 10th street  at 7:58 a.m..

Credit: The Evening World, 9 April 1890.

J.P. Morgan was among  those  sailing  from New  York on 2  April 1890, "his destination is one of the famous health  resorts which he visits with  father every year," (The  Sun, 2  April).  Teutonic gave him her fastest eastbound crossing to date, besting her previous 6 days 6 hour 19 min. mark with a 6  day 4 hour 23 min. passage from Sandy Hook to Daunt's Rock with daily runs of 364, 447, 456, 457, 458, 462 and 276..  On the 6th she reported passing "close to two very large  icebergs." She  arrived  off Roche's Point at 2:53 a.m. on the 8th and landed passengers and mail there and proceeded to Liverpool.  

Departing Liverpool on 16  April 1890 and pausing  at Queenstown the following  day,  Teutonic left at 7:50  a.m. for  New York. Beginning to really find her speed  that season, she  arrived at New York on the 23rd, logging 6 days 5 hours 50 mins. for  the passage from Daunt's Rock  to  Sandy  Hook, just a few minutes off  her existing best westbound  crossing to date, and recorded a best day's run of 508 miles. 

Teutonic left New  York on 30 April 1890, called at  Queenstown 7-8:00 a.m. on 7 May and arrived at Liverpool later that day, safely docked despite  a strong flood tide by Pilot William Owen. 

The ship's  14 May 1890 sailing from Liverpool was marred  by  the  death of an embarking saloon passenger, R.J. Baines of Scotland, aged 60, who suffered an  apoplectic fit on the landing stage as he was about  to board the  tender out to Teutonic anchored  in the stream, and pronounced dead on arrival at  hospital.  Calling the next day at Queenstown, 8:10 a.m.-2:10 p.m., Teutonic proceeded to New York  where she arrived late on the 23rd and docked  the next  morning.

From New York on 28 May 1890, Teutonic made Queenstown at 11:50 a.m. on 4 June and arrived at Liverpool late the same day. 

Clearing Liverpool on 11 June 1890 and Queenstown at 2:00 p.m. the following day, Teutonic got into New York the afternoon of the  18th and made another smart passage of 6 days 7 hours 8 mins. from Daunt's Rock to Sandy Hook despite taking the southern route to avoid ice (Capt. Irving reported still sighting nine bergs of various sizes on the 16th) and facing strong  westerlies the  first half of  the voyage.  Her daily runs across were 442, 461, 440, 456, 490, 478 and 100 miles.  

During her call at New York it was reported that the  New York Dock  Board would  construct new longer piers to accommodation ships  like  Teutonic, Majestic  and City of New York and City of  Paris which were about  100  feet longer  than their  present piers in the  port.  The  piers, nos. 44, 45, 46, 47, were to be built  at the foot of Christopher, W. 10th and Charles Streets.

Teutonic sailed from New  York  at 11:00 a.m. on 25 June  1890, called  at Queenstown on 2 July, leaving  there at 8:30 a.m. for Liverpool where  she arrived later  that  day.

There was great rejoicing  among  the White Star steamship people  to-day. 

The  Teutonic has  outdone herself on the westward voyage,  and if  a  distance  run  be  considered,  has  equalled the  fastest time  of any  ship. 

The Evening World, 16 July 1890.

To the surprise of many of the best-informed persons in shipping circles here the White Star steamship Teutonic put in her appearance early yesterday morning and proved herself very close rival to the celebrated City of Paris.

New York Times, 17 July 1890.

The White Star steamship Teutonic destroyed, yesterday, a very general impression that she never would be able to make six-day trip across the Atlantic. Her best record seemed to justify this belief, and caused many who thought they knew a thing or two about steamships to look upon her something of a twin-screw failure. So everybody but her agents, who have all along declared that she would sometime develop unexpected speed. were much surprised to read that she had made the run from Queenstown in 5 days 21 hours and 55 minutes. This is faster than the record of any steamship in service, aud only 2 hours and 37 minutes slower than the record of the City of Paris.

The  Sun, 17 July 1890.

Credit: The World, 17 July 1890.

Credit: Paul Louden-Brown White Star Line Collection, Museums NI.

Clearing the Mersey  at 4:00 p.m. on 9 July 1890 and Queenstown at 1:52 p.m. the  following day with 313 saloon and 845 steerage passengers, Teutonic was nurturing her greyhound instincts on this trip and finding her new screws to her liking. Passing  Roche's Point at 2:20 p.m. on the  10th, she reached Sandy  Hook at 7:15 a.m. on the 16th in 5 days 21  hours 55 mins., her fastest  westbound crossing yet.   It was still just  short of City  of Paris' existing  record, set the  previous  August, of 5 days 19 hours 18 mins., although  Teutonic's route totalled  2,838 miles or 50 more  than the Inman liner.   She logged daily runs of 474, 490, 482, 494, 494 and 407 with  fair wind and weather all the way across except the last day when she encountered headwinds  and a head sea.   The average speed was 19.99 knots compared to City of Paris' 20.01 knots.   Her  performance put Teutonic second to  City of Paris and ahead  of Etruria (6 days  1 hour)  and  City of New  York's 6 day 4  hour 17 min. best westbound.  "The Teutonic  brought 192 saloon passengers from Liverpool. They might  have lunched  in Liverpool Thursday last  and in New York to-day, for  the beautiful ship  was moored at her pier  before 11 o'clock this  morning." (The  Evening  World, 16 July).

On board the steamship Teutonic, the pride of the White Star Line, there are a lot of jolly good fellows who believe in and live up to the motto that 'All work and no play maxes Jack dull boy.' Consequently they organized an athletic club the object of which is to arrange for a picnic in port at such times as one can conveniently be held. Yesterday was one of these convenient days, and about one hundred and fifty of the men on the Teutonic, together with about an equal number of invited guests, went to Oak Point and enjoyed themselves as only crowd of sailors can when let loose on shore. 

From the White Star Live pier the steamer Fletcher carried the pleasure seekers. A band or an orchestra did not have to be hired. Among the men were a harpist, three banjoists, mandolin player, piccolo player and two operators on concertinas. These furnished all the music that was to their medleys, reels, jigs and hornpipes necessary. were the danced and had ballads the were sung. The players and singers all latest 'catch' songs at their merrily fingers therefore and that tongues' ends. Time passed so merrily therefore that the start  had seemingly just been made when Oak Point was reached.

Arrived at the grounds, the picnickers scattered, as picnickers will do, to find the amusement that  best suited them. The majority went on to the field to witness the athletic contests. The interest in these was intense for the reason that everybody knew everybody else. The games were very creditable. The programme was very long, yet Harry Etobeile, who was master of ceremonies, bandied the men so well that it was finished long before sundown.

After the dinner games the party went to dinner, and after dinner there was an exhibition  sword drill by by H. Hamper, Samuel who J. Woods, and J. Linford, all ex-cavalrymen who had  served  in the  British army. There was also prize contest between singers was of comic songs, which W. Giddens won.  It after 9 o'clock, when the picnickers started for home, and an hour later they were landed  on the White Star pier, singing 'God Save the Queen.'

New York Times, 20 July 1890.

Sailing from New York on 9:30 a.m. on 23 July 1890, Teutonic, again, had  to  skip her call at Queenstown when she arrived there on the 30th in such dense fog  that  she proceeded direct to Liverpool, arriving at 3:00 p.m. on the 31st,  logging  seven days  from departure from New  York.

More  than just the beginning of  another trans-Atlantic voyage, Teutonic's  next departure from Liverpool ushered in another round of  rivalry  between her and the Inman liner City  of New York for speed, abetted by the coincidence of schedules  that conspired  have the two ships departing Queenstown and New York not only  on the same day  of  the  week but at the same  hour.  It encouraged  by a press and public eager for  it, an extraordinary "racing season" between the two ships  that has never been duplicated in trans-Atlantic history and at a time when the ocean liner captured the public imagination more  than any  other period.  It was, too, uniquely, not  a battle of supremacy between nations, and that both ships  were British designed and built, manned by Britons and owned by British firms put the contest in the context of an era when Great Britain literally  did "rule the waves" and  her shipbuilding,  marine engineering and marine mercantile empire  were supreme on the world's ocean highways.  

With a glittering passenger list that included The Right Hon. J. Chamberlain, M.P., Mrs. J. Chamberlain, Mr. and Miss Chamberlain, the Right Hon. Sir Lyon David Playfair, K.C.B., M.P., Lady Playfair, Sir  David MacPherson, Lady MacPherson, Sir James Russell, C.M. G. (chief justice of Hong Kong), Hon. Oliver Ames, Governor of Massachusetts and family, V.A. Nelson Hood, Hon. E. Pelhain, Hon. I. B. Grummond, Mrs. Grummond, Mrr. M. Davenport Macdowell and Mrs. F. Davenport Macdowell,  better known as Miss Fanny Davenport, the well-known American actress, Teutonic sailed  from Liverpool on 6 August 1890 and from Queenstown at 1:47 p.m. the  following  afternoon.

Teutonic was  embarking  on one of the most celebrated of all liner  "races" for she cleared Queenstown 23 minutes after Inman's  City of New York passed Daunt's Rock. From the moment the  two  ships departed for  New York, newspapers  picked up  the story of an epic race in the offing. 

What may be a very lively race between two ocean steamships began yesterday afternoon at Queenstown. The City of New York of the Inman line passed Roche's Point at 1:35 o'clock. and the Teutonic of the White Star line followed her 25 minutes later. This is the first time since the retirement City of Paris that the Teutonic and the City of New York have started from Queenstown together. There is not slightest doubt that the skipper of each racing, craft will do his level best to beat the other fellow, and lots of money will be wagered on the result in the cabins.

The Teutonic has a better record than her rival, having made the run from Queenstown last month in 5 days 21 hours and 55 minutes. The City of New York has covered the course in 6 days 4 hours and 17 minutes, but she has beaten the Teutonic once. She has also made a single day's faster run (502 knots) than the Teutonic, whose best effort has been only 495 knots.

In order to equal the unexcelled trip of the City of Paris (5 days 19 hours and 18 minutes). the racers will have to get past Sandy Hook Lightship before 4 o'clock next Wednesday morning.

The Sun, 8 August 1890.

The spirited rivalry between the Inman and White Star line steamers is well known, but through a change of sailing schedule Spring the lovers of transatlantic racing were disappointed, because none of the fast steamships came in direct competition; but now they are to be gratified. Yesterday afternoon the Teutonic  and City of New York left Queenstown within a half hour of each other. The cable announced that the City of New York passed Roche's Point at 1.35 o'clock, while fact that Teutonic followed her at 2 o'clock. The fact that they had sailed about the same time excited the greatest interest in maritime circles, and the officials or both lines, although they are very reticent about saying anything, are anxiously awaiting the outcome of the vessels' test of their respective  speeding qualities in their 3,000-mile across Atlantic.

The World, 8 August 1890.

It is authoritatively given out that both the City of New York and the Teutonic, before leaving Queenstown, received emphatic orders from their owners to take an extreme southerly course in making this passage, owing to the great prevalence their of icebergs. This will probably delay arrival by a day.

New York Times, 8 August 1890.

Credit: Paul Louden-Brown White Star Line Collection, National Museums  NI.

For Teutonic, her Blue Ensign would be joined by Blue  Riband (in fact years before the term was even used) upon her passing Sandy Hook Lightship at 4:20 a.m. on 13 August 1890,  5 days  19  hours 5  mins. after passing Daunt's Rock. 

R.M.S. Teutonic Daily Runs 

7 August left Roche's Point, 2:15 p.m.

8 August noon  472 miles

9 August noon  496 miles

10  August noon 512 miles

11 August noon 500 miles

12 August  noon 485 miles

13 August noon 340

Arrived Sandy Hook  4:20  a.m. 

Average  speed 20.175 knots

Average coal consumption: 320 tons  a day

Credit: The Sun, 14 August 1890.

City of New York put in her best westbound trip, logging 5 days 22 hours 7 mins. , besting her previous run of 6 days 4 hours 17 mins, eight hours faster. Teutonic's best days run of 512 miles still did top City of Paris'  mark of 515.

Credit: The Evening World, 13 August 1890.

The officers of the  Teutonic as well as the passengers were highly  elated over  the victory that had been won, and as she steamed up the harbor  early this morning from Quarantine, all  her available bunting was flying, and steam whistles tooting vigorously in honor of the great event.

The Evening  World, 13 August 1890.

Teutonic's  Purser T.H. Russell gave  a full account of the voyage to The  Evening  World:

'Everything was in our favor,' said he, 'and we couldn't help knocking all the records sky high. 

'From the first day out the prevailing winds were from the East, and this helped us along. Then, too, the ship behaved beautifully, and altogether it was one of the finest voyages I ever made.

'The interest in this trip was greatly increased by the fact that the Inman steamer City of New York left the harbor of Queenstown almost at the same time we did. 

' We got of an away, about three-quarters of hour later however, than about the City of New York, for we had to lie in inside harbor for the mails, while the latter started from the lower harbor.

'When we passed Roche's Point we saw the City of New York steaming along about eight or ten miles ahead of us. 

'That was last Thursday afternoon, and at sundown we had almost overhauled her. 

'The next morning the New York was on our starboard beam several miles to the northward, and during the day we kept her in sight all the time, though the distance between the two vessels kept widening all the time, and during the afternoon we could just see her off on the horizon.

'Saturday we lost sight of her entirely and did not see her again till this morning, when she came up from Sandy Hook just about three hours after we had passed the light.

' Of course all the passengers were greatly interested in the race at its start. and the excitement was kept up during the whole trip. Judging from the time we were making, however, we knew very well that there was no danger that the City of New York would overhaul us before we reached this side.

The Evening World, 13 August 1890.

Credit: The New York Times, 14 August 1890.

There were several very close and exciting races between the Teutonic and the City of New  York last season, and in the majority of these the latter vessel seemed to be rather the better boat of the two. During the Winter both were laid up. The City of New York's machinery was overhauled and the Teutonic was provided with new screws. The vessels, however, had different sailing dates in the early part of the season. When it was announced last week by cable that the two rivals had left Liverpool together great interest was aroused in shipping circles here and some money was wagered upon the result, Teutonic being a slight favorite owing to the fact that her last westward voyage had been much faster than anything which the City of New York had done.

The racers left Liverpool Aug. 6 and proceeded down the Channel at an easy rate of speed. On board each were a number of distinguished persons, Joseph Chamberlain, the English statesman and his  family; Sir Lyon and Lady Playfair, Sir David MacPherson, Miss Fanny  Davenport, and Adrian Iselin, Jr. were among those on the  Teutonic, while Mrs. Lincoln, the wife of  the American Minister at London, and Miss Maude  Branscombe were among those on the  City of New York.

The morning of Aug. 7 the vessels dropped anchor Queenstown Harbor and took on mails and passengers preparatory to  starting upon the race.  The City of  New  York  was  the first  to weigh her  anchor and to proceed toward Roche's the Point, which was to be the starting place of long course over which the boats were to race. It was about 1:30 o'clock when the City of New  York passed over the line and headed of out the to sea. Shortly afterward the heavy anchor Teutonic came to the surface, and she slowly got underway. Her speed  gradually increased, until  at 2:15 she swept swiftly past  Roche's Point and sped after her rival, which had  the lead of her. It  was a stern chase in which  every soul on board  took a deep interest.

As the afternoon advanced it seemed as if the three huge smokestacks and the masts of the City of New  York were growing larger. The Teutonic was certainly gaining, but the other boat was still a long distance ahead. When darkness settled down upon the ocean the City of New  York was still flying along in the lead, but with the Teutonic in hot pursuit. During the night the lights of each boat could be made out from the other. Shortly after midnight it seemed to the officers of the Teutonic that they were overhauling the City of New York, but when daylight broke Friday morning the latter was still in the lead, although her rival had undoubtedly gained upon her.

At 10 o'clock, however, Teutonic could not be made out from the decks of the City of New York. The vessel hoped that they had gained the people lead.  During Friday night the vessels were able to make out each other's lights. Aft of the Teutonic could be seen the from lights from the City of New York. At daybreak Saturday the Inman boat  The Teutonic had put on a splendid   burst of speed and was rushing through the water at a rate that  caused those on the City  of  New York  anxiety.  At noon the Teutonic  swept by her rival and took the lead.

The Teutonic gradually increased her lead Saturday  afternoon, and at sunset was several miles ahead. At 1 o'clock Sunday morning the lights  of Teutonic were seen from the City of New York  and were estimated to be about  nine  miles ahead. That was the last that the City of New York saw of  the Teutonic until yesterday morning when the vessels were in port. 

The New York  Times, 14 August 1890.

Credit: The Sun, 14 August 1890.

Two giant steamships completed yesterday, abeam of the red light vessel off Sandy Hook, the most magnificent ocean race on record. The City of New York of the Inman line lost but covered herself with glory. and the Teutonic of the Whit, Star line won,  Whatever their commanders may say to the contrary, the mighty craft were run for all they were worth. Each Captain left Queenstown on Thursday afternoon with the distinct idea of getting here first. It was just as much of a struggle for glory as the ante-bellum contests of Mississippi steamboats with niggers on the safety valves.

The Sun, 14 August 1890.

Credit: New York Tribune, 14 August 1890.

Much credit was paid to the stokers of  Teutonic, "they  played a very  important part, generally much underestimated, in helping the  Teutonic  to victory. The White Star ship had  a more experienced  crew of stokers  than the City of New York." (The Sun).  

The race was  headline news in all the  New York newspapers which featured it in last minute extra editions and it was literally  the talk of the town when New York  was indeed the greatest port in the western hemisphere and the waterfronts of the  North River  and East  Rivers the  gateway  to  the continent and the world with a mighty island metropolis between them. "The news that a fresh ocean record  had been made soon spread. Along the wharves groups of sailors and longshoremen discussed it, and  other groups listened while one of their number read the accounts of the race from the 'extras.' In hotel lobbies and in the club every one was talking of  the Teutonic's triumph, and the subject seemed, oddly enough, to  be particularly pleasing to railroad men." (The World, 14 August 1890).

Amid some grumbling by supporters  of the Inman boat  regarding the time Teutonic passed the Sandy Hook lightship, the record seemed at first  fairly her's. Well, not quite…  the object of  endless disputes, it  was eventually not accepted by the Maritime Exchange or Inman Line  and City  of Paris' westbound record (5 days 19 hours 18 mins) was, in the  end, intact  for the time being. 

And, as schedules would have it, both  she  and City of  New  York  would depart  New York for  Queenstown at 8:00 a.m. on 20 August 1890.

New York had never seen quite like it  when  City of New York sailed at 8:07 p.m. on 20 August 1890  followed 38 minutes later by  Teutonic, both bound for  Queenstown, seen off hundreds of spectators and embarking on the most heralded ocean line race  from the  port to date.

Another great ocean race was commenced this morning, and hundreds of people saw the beginning of it from the piers of the White Star and Inman lines. 

The former line had as its representative the graceful and fleet Teutonic, whose last trip westward raised such a furor in maritime circles. 

The Inman line sent to the scratch the City of New York, the twin sister of the holder of the record, the City of Paris. 

The Inman liner was the first to start and the crowd cheered when she backed away from her pier at exactly 8.07 o'clock, and the same crowd cheered the Teutonic when the latter followed her rival just thirty eight minutes later.

Of course time will not be taken until the vessels pass out of the harbor, and then will commence one of the greatest ocean races ever known.

Both vessels will be in plain sight of each other for days, and those of the passengers who used to travel on the Mississippi years ago will have those days of steamer racing brought vividly to mind.

The  Evening World, 20 August 1890.

It  was reported that Capt. Watkins of City  of New York  had engaged "a more  competent crew  of  firemen" than he  had on the westbound  trip.  He went out with 178 saloon and 225  steerage passengers whilst  Teutonic had 373 saloon and 415 steerage aboard. Both were  looking to  beat City  of Paris' eastbound record of 5 days 22 hours mins.  City of New York passed Sandy Hook at 9:46 a.m. and Teutonic at 10:06 a.m. and…  the race was on. 

The Teutonic and the City of New York are now churning the ocean waves as hard as their propellers can be whirled by their gigantic engines, the Captain of the Teutonic determined to be ahead again on the voyage back home, and the Captain of the City of New York fully as determined to defeat him if he can. The knowledge that the two ocean greyhounds would start on another race yesterday, notwithstanding the assurances of the officers to the contrary, attracted large numbers of persons to the piers of both steamers, that are not far apart. Smoke was issuing in thick volumes from the funnels of both racers, and passengers and baggage were hurried aboard.

The New York Times, 21 August 1890.

Credit: The Evening World, 26 August 1890.

This time, City of New York prevailed, arriving off the Fastnet at 12:25 p.m. on 26 August 1890 followed by  Teutonic at 2:30 p.m., although City of New York's 6-day 40-min run did  not  beat  her sister's 5 day 22 hour 50 min. record.  Her daily runs were 461, 441, 439, 457, 460, 461 and 65 (to Queenstown).  Teutonic arrived at Queenstown at 6:16 p.m., logging 6 days 2 hours 45 mins from Sandy Hook to  Daunt's  Rock, 2 hours 30 mins.  Behind her Inman rival, with daily  runs of 457, 436, 434, 468, 458, 440 and 106 nautical miles. It was stated  that she had encountered fog and slowed down on account of  it. 

With Sir George Baden-Powell, K.C.M.G., M.P; The Most Rev. Dr. Corrigan, Archbishop of New York and the Hon. and Mrs. Chauncey M. Depew among her 300  First, 191  Second and 989 Third Class passengers, Teutonic sailed from Liverpool on 3 September 1890.  Teutonic cleared Queenstown at 2:58 p.m. on the 4th and City of New York at 2:45 p.m.. So  that the prospect of another  race westwards between them was in the offing and "cable dispatches say there is much betting among the passengers of the two ships," (The Sun, 5 September).

It was  the White Star line's turn to brag and feel well  to-day, for the Teutonic has turned the tables upon the fleet City of New York and beaten the Inman liner from Queenstown to Sandy Hook by two hours and forty-five minutes.

The Evening World, 10 September 1890.

From the way the Teutonic hurries over to this country one might think that she was more than half American. Going the other way, the City of New York manages to beat her.

The Sun, 11 September 1890.

Credit: The New  York Times, 11 September 1890.

In this  epic see-saw struggle, it  was Teutonic's clear triumph.  Passing Daunt's Rock at 3:11 p.m. on 4 September 1890, she arrived  off Sandy  Hook lightship at 7:05 a.m. on the 10th, logging 5 days, 20 hours and 54 mins. With daily runs of 424, 480, 470, 494, 509 and 397 nautical miles.  She came in  2 hours 45 mins.  ahead  of  City of New York and had her  passengers  coming down the gangways at W. 10th Street at 9:50 a.m.  Southwest winds and heads seas the first three days  out foiled any proper record run but the  race was  decidely won in her  favour.  City of New York clocked 5 days 23 hours  49 mins. Teutonic's crossing made the total number  of "less than six-day" runs  stand at 13 altogether. 

To say that Capt.  Irving is pleased with the performance of his ship is  putting it very mildly. The  Teutonic has  now won two heats out  of three from the City of New York this  season. 

This evening the passengers gave  a  concert in the saloon, Dr. Chauncey M. Depew presiding. Gen. Horace Porter  delivered an oration, concluding with  a eulogum on the management of  the ship.

The Evening World, 10 September  1890.

Credit: The Evening  World, 17  September 1890.

The occasional newspaper reader in  summer-autumn 1890 might  have confused the trans-Atlantic mail  services of White Star and Inman  Lines to  rather  be competing stables  at some race course and on 17  September 1890 it  was "Ocean Racers Off Again, Teutonic and New York  Sail Neck  and Neck  Together,"(The  Evening  World), as both  ships cleared  New York  that morning, the Inman liner passing out  of Sandy Hook at 8:36 a.m. and Teutonic at 8:57 a.m..  

Apparently City of  New York wanted  nothing more  than to get as far away  from her namesake as her engines and stokers could achieve and, once again, she won the eastbound  contest, getting to Daunt's Rock on  23 September 1890, 5  days 23 hours and 14 mins vs. Teutonic's 5 days 23  hours  and 35  mins. City  of Paris' eastbound record of 5 days 22  hours 50 mins. set on Christmas Day 1889 still standing.  This most recent contest by City  of New York  and Teutonic was decided by a mere 14 minutes: "There has  never been a closer contest in the history  of transatlantic hustling." (The Sun, 24 September). 

With another passenger list populated by "notables," including the  Duke  and Duchess  of Marlborough, Mr. A.B. Forword, M.P,   Baron  R. de Vriere, the  Hon. Kenneth  Bowes-Lyon; and Mr. & Mrs. Joseph  Pulitzer, Teutonic sailed from Liverpool on 1 October 1890 and cleared  Queenstown at  1:45 p.m.. Of  course, City  of New York, too, was outbound from the Irish port,  departing at 1:27 p.m. and the  New York papers were already  onto another race. The Evening World repeating the  Dunlap  Cable News Special  of 2 October: "Queenstown, Oct. 2.-- The City  of New York left here at 1:27 p.m. , to-day, and the Teutonic at 1:45 in good  trim  for  their race across the Atlantic. The weather was  splendid."  Racing seemed good for business with Teutonic going out with 284 First, 192 saloon and 1,007 steerage  and City of New York with 508 First, 191 Second and 405 steerage passengers.  

The race just ended was one of the most exciting of the series for the two big steamships were within sight of each other during a great part of the passage. 

They left Roaches Point within nine minutes of each other early in the afternoon of last Thursday. At the beginning of the voyage there was good deal of rough weather and head winds, and during Friday heavy fog shut out the view. 

They were both making every effort to stake the lead, but when the fog lifted Saturday morning it was seen, that the City of Now York was still in the lead, the distance between the two vessels being not more than six miles. 

Their relative positions were held until late Sunday night. when the big Inman liner began to draw away from her competitor, and on Sunday morning nothing could be seen of her. 

The City of New York was sighted off Sandy Hook this morning at 6.19, and the Teutonic came up at 7. 44.

The fog was so thick off the bar, however, that nothing could be seen of the latter when the City of New York left Quarantine at 8.15 this morning.

The Evening World,  8 October  1890.

The fifth of these remarkable trans-Atlantic  races was won by City of New  York,  her  first  westbound triumph, which arrived at New York the  morning of 8  October 1890, having  crossed from Daunt's Rock to Sandy  Hook in 5 days 21  hours 19 mins. vs Teutonic which  logged 5 days 22 hours 19 mins. or  exactly  one  hour more  to the minute.  "Capt. Irving, of  the  Teutonic, had  no excuses to offer and acknowledged that he  had been fairly  beaten." (The Evening World, 8 October). 

Credit: The Evening World, 8 October 1890.

When the Teutonic  got to her pier  at  the foot  of Christopher Street, she was greeted by  the  cheers of hundreds of enthusiastic people who were assembled  on the  deck, and the Teutonic's  passengers returned  cheer for cheer as the big steamer moved  majestically to her berth.

The World, 9 October 1890.

She is a magnificent boat in every way. She is not only capable of attaining remarkable speed, but one feels not the least vibration when she going at a twenty-knot gait. The service and the discipline of her officers and crew are simply perfect and worthy of  emulation of every other transatlantic line. I have travelled on many  ships,  but none has ever given me more pleasure than in travelling than the Teutonic. She is, indeed, a grand vessel.

U.S. Senator  Leland Stanford (California, Republican), The World, 9 October 1890.

Credit: The Evening  World, 17  September 1890.

Another ocean race was started this morning, when at 6 o'clock the City of New York sailed on her eastern voyage. The  Teutonic was moving within ten minutes, and as soon as they passed Sandy Hook full speed was put  on, and the beautiful racers quickly  disappeared from sight.

The Evening  World, 15 October 1890.

Before the bar at Sandy  Hook was sufficiently and regularly dredged, the big liners, like the Inman sisters and Teutonic and Majestic's departure times from New York  were tide dependent.  On 15 October 1890 it  meant both were off at 6:00 a.m. so their passengers (100 and 200 saloon aboard each respectively) embarked the previous  evening.  They went out with NDL's Saale and Red Star's Friesland but no one much cared about  those two, the eyes of the press were focused on  the next eastbound race between the Inman and White Star greyhounds.  City of  New  York  passed out  of Sandy  Hook  at 7:40 a.m. followed by  Teutonic  at  7:45 a.m. and the  race eastwards was on. 

Interest in these  races was extraordinary, even for the era, and New  York paper featured "progress reports" based on sightings  of  the two from passing  liners just  arrived at New  York:

Interest in the eastward race of the steamship flyers, the City of New York and the Teutonic, is greatly heightened by the reports of incoming ships which have sighted them. The Teutonic and the City of New York got away from this port last Wednesday morning, the former ship being five minutes ahead at Sandy Hook. They were sighted Thursday morning by the Normannia, the White Star liner about twelve miles in the lead. The Edam saw them later the same day, when the City of New York had cut down the gap to half a mile.

Before midnight of Thursday, when the Suevia passed the racers, the conditions had been reversed. The City of New York was at least three miles farther eastward than the Teutonic, both steaming on the same parallel of latitude, 43 degrees 48 seconds They were then about 650 miles out, and should reach Queenstown about 9 o'clock to-morrow morning.

The Evening World,  20 October 1890.

The first news of the results of  the race were flashed by  telegraph from the  station at Brow Head that Teutonic  had  passed  there at 9:27 a.m. on  21 October 1890 and City  of New  York at 11:39 a.m. and then 9:30  a.m.   Despite  a mishap to her starboard engine when the pin to  the eccentric  gave way  and had  to replaced, entailing the vessel steaming only on the port  engine  at 13 knots  for  five  hours, Teutonic still  beat  her  rival and logged 5 days  23 hours  57  mins. from Sandy Hook to Daunt's Rock, the difference  being 2 hours 52 mins., the  Inman liner clocking 6 days  2 hours 27 mins. The official  times for  Teutonic  was  passing out  of  Sandy Hook at 7:51 a.m. on the  15th and arriving  off  Roche's Point at 12:45 p.m. and for  City  of  New  York, from Sandy  Hook at 7:35 a.m. and passing Roche's Point  at 2:30 p.m..  Teutonic's daily  runs for  the crossing were  77, 461,  450, 448,  457, 454 and  442 and those of  City of New  York  were 72, 442,  431, 439, 443, 440, and 455.   Another record was set in the delivery of  the English mails by R.M.S. Teutonic via  Queenstown  which were despatched by the 1:40 p.m. mail train and delivered in London the following morning. 

Here, it should be noted  that  initial reports put  Teutonic's run at  5 days 19 hours, thus breaking City of Paris' record for the eastbound passage but  was corrected and the Inman liner still  remained supreme in that respect. 

On leaving the American shores there was, as usual, much excitement amongst the passengers, each traveller laying dollars on the vessel he was taking passage by. For the first day they were in sight of each other, the  City of New York maintaining  the lead she obtained in starting first until night-time, when darkness shut the ship out of view of the other. and next morning they had separated so widely one did not sight the other, and remained apart during the rest of the voyage. The only incidents occurring on the passage of the steamers was that the starboard engines of the Teutonic were stopped for five live hours this morning when nearing the Irish coast by the pin of the eccentric having given way, during which time the big ship was only able to steam thirteen knots an hour by the aid of the port engines. On the 18th, the Inman liner ran into a dense fog,  and for one hour she was stopped in consequence. Fine weather  was experienced by each ship all the way across the Atlantic, light l winds prevailing from the north-west, north-east, and south-west. 

Belfast News-Letter, 22 October 1890. 

Teutonic continued  to feature the  great personalities of the age  in her passenger lists. Among those embarking at Liverpool on  29  October 1890 was famous American African explorer H.M. Stanley, and Mrs.  Stanley, who had been guests of  T.H. Ismay at Dawpool, Thurstaston, prior  to leaving England. Others  aboard  included Lady Arthur Wellesley, Mr. Burdett-Coutts, M.P. and the  Hon. George Hoadlby, ex-Governor of  Ohio.   Teutonic cleared Queenstown the next day  at 2:00 p.m., about ten minutes after City of New  York left. 

There  was little in the  nature  of racing for either  ship. Teutonic, expected to arrive at New  York the morning of 5 November  1890  and indeed a party of  friends and associates of H.M. Stanley  had gone down to  the Bay  by  steamer to welcome him, was  a no  show by 2:00 p.m. when the evening  editions were printed. Similarly late was City of New  York, but she was spotted off  Fire Island at 2:10 p.m. and made it to her pier  by that  evening.  Passing Fire  Island at 9:00  p.m. Teutonic arrived off Quarantine at midnight,  too late to undergo inspection and docked  the following morning and  H.M.  Stanley  greeted by  "eager, admiring  friends,"  although  it  was  said  he  had  suffered  from seasickness during  a  rough crossing featuring a westerly  gale and head seas.  As for  the  "race" with  City of New  York, Teutonic  was  soundly thrashed by  a good seven  hours  by  the fleet Inman liner. But  she  did not  have H.M. Stanley aboard and largely  ignored by  the press as a consequence. Indeed, her 7 hour 3 min crossing time was her  slowest  of the season. For Teutonic, it was an eventful voyage in myriad not too satisfying ways. 

Although not up to the high standard of speed already established by the Teutonic, the trip was not without its exciting features. The rough seas gave the passengers a more than ordinary tussle with seasickness, and during a part of the time debarred all but the hardiest from on deck. Then there was an electrical promenades display on board which officers the passengers called fire, although the refused to call it so. In The Times not long ago attention was called to the methods of wiring the fast steamships for electric lights, and it was pointed out that danger was to be feared from the imperfect insulation adopted for sake of economy. This danger was made still more apparent by a blaze from an electric-light wire on the Teutonic last Monday morning.

Fortunately for those on board, the imperfect insulation led to the logical result in place easy of access, and early in the morning. when the passengers were not crowded about to be thrown into a panic by even a little thing. There was no actual danger, owing to the conditions as none to place and time, but the incident ought the less to impress on the minds of those responsible the fact that cheapness in electric lighting is not to be desired. The matter  was talked over among the passengers, and they were considerably exercised over the demonstrated fact that a fire might be started from the wires on board and the possibility of its not being subdued with such ease that not half dozen persons should know of it at the time. 

After passenger had told a  Times reporter what he knew about the facts, the purser was  asked if there had been little fire on board, No, he replied, there had not been, except under the by boilers.  He  was then told the story as related by the  passenger, and said:  'Oh, that wasn't a fire. Only a little piece of the insulation gave out. That was all. No fire; nothing of the sort.'  It had apparently never  impressed the purser that the giving out of 'little pieces of insulation' might be fraught with danger.

New York Times, 7 November 1890.

The voyage  had also  witnessed the  tragic accidental  death of  a little baby girl in steerage when her mother,  Mrs. Krums, "an Austrian Jewess," had smothered  the child by rolling  on it in her  sleep.  She was unaware of  the child's death initially and left her apparently sleeping to go on deck and a stewardess discover the  baby  was dead.  She was  buried at sea "secretly" but  word got out  and "caused a lot  of whispering and gloom in the steerage." (The  Sun, 7 November 1890). 

Credit: The New  York  Tribune, 8 November 1890

Ocean races  apparently  do not  pay in the long run and the quick  run, in addition to which they are coming to bear a similitude to the  fruit  which  Italians  sell at street  corners at  this season of the  year. An arrangement has  been entered  into by  the Inman and White Star lines by  which the weekly  races of the  Teutonic and City  of New York will cease after 1 January.  In March the  Inman steamer City  of  Paris to  resume her place on the  line  and then there  would  have been, had the present  arrangement been adhered to, the Teutonic and  City of  New York sailing against each other. Ocean races are  expensive, too. For the  sake of  bearing  another vessel,  it  does not  pay  to  drive  a great ship  at full speed  against  heavy head seas. So the two lines have cried truce,  and after January 1 a fast ship  of each line will leave Liverpool on alternate Wednesdays.

New York Tribune,  8 November 1890.

Intended to improved the delivery  of the  trans-Atlantic  mails, the announcement on 6 November 1890 that for  1891 White Star and Inman Lines  had  agreed to  stagger the sailings of the their fastest boats:  Teutonic, Majestic, City of  New  York and City  of Paris to provide a  weekly departure  every  Wednesday,   would also put  an end  to  "racing" between the rivals in a literal match-up going forward. "The announcement  gives intense  satisfaction to the travelling public and business men who  are  interested in the prompt delivery  of the mails,"  noted The  Sun the next day. 

So  it was that  12 November 1890  witnessed the last but one dual departures  of Teutonic and  City  of New York for Queenstown and Liverpool, curiously ignored  by  the  New York papers whose encouragement of  the racing  season seems  to have  run its course.  Among those aboard  Teutonic (191 First and 170 Second Class and "a  full complement of  steerage passengers)  were Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Chamberlain and she went out with $295,000  in silver specie and over 600 bags of mail. Victory was again  City of New York's and she  got into Queenstown at 1:25 p.m. on the  18th, credited with  a crossing of 6 days 1 hour 13 mins. with  Teutonic  following  at  5:00 p.m., logging  6 days  4  hours  30 mins., "having experienced strong easterly winds and fogs." (Northern Whig,  19th).    She was further delayed getting  away from Queenstown until 8:10 p.m. owing to  fog.  She arrived at Liverpool the following  morning.  

Those hardy  racers, the Teutonic and the City of New York, had more  weather than racing on their last trip.

The Evening World, 5  December  1890.

Teutonic left Liverpool on 26 November 1890 and cleared  Queenstown the following  day  at 2:30 p.m.,  behind City of New York which sailed at 1:45 p.m..  Poor Teutonic seemed  have lost  her passion for racing by year's end, and she again lost to City of  New  York which got  into her namesake city the morning of 4 December, logging 6 days 21  hours 45 mins., bearing "evidence of having battled with raging  seas." (The Evening World, 4 December). For Teutonic, which finally  straggled into New York that evening (passing  Sandy  Hook  at 4:00 p.m.), it was her worst trip since  entering service, taking 7 days 6 hours 25 mins., "both ships ran into three heavy  storms and their decks were frequently washed  by the tallest  seas that  have been seen by Atlantic voyages for many seasons." (The  Sun, 5  December 1890).

The Teutonic never made a longer trip. The worst of the storm struck the  big ship on Sunday. The steel doors opening from below decks were closed and bolted all day and no passenger was allowed to come out and see the tumult and take a chance of being washed overboard. A sea that leaped high over the port bow  at 5 o'clock on Sunday morning smashed a lifeboat to splinters  and tore out a big section of the port rail. The passengers were mighty glad to get into harbor last night. Nearly everyone was seasick. Purser  Russell  said it was the toughest series of storms he had ever passed through.

The Sun, 5  December  1890.

Few passengers sailing from New  York had the privilege of  sailing  past their own skyscraper, let alone  one  dedicated the  previous evening and proclaimed as "the greatest newspaper building in the  world," or  have  one's passing it acknowledged by the dipping of its flag  and the salute returned by one's ship's also dipping her colours, but few were Joseph Pulitzer,  owner of The  World, and a "regular"  aboard Teutonic.  He was among those sailing from New  York in her on 10 December 1890, together with Mr. William Astor and  the Duke and Duchess  of Marlborough.  They part  of a record 1,438 passengers embarking  aboard her, the "largest number  of passengers ever carried  from New York to Liverpool" (New York Times, 12 December).   It also marked the last dual departure  of  Teutonic and City of New York which passed Sandy  Hook at 3:07 p.m. and  4:45 p.m.  respectively.

It was a worthy a last "race" between the two adversaries and as close a contest as imaginable. Teutonic passed Browhead at  8:00  pm. and  arrived at Queenstown at 10:27 p.m. on 17 December 1890, logging 6 days 1 hour 57 mins. from Sandy Hook to Daunt's Rock and  City of New York which passed Sandy  Hook an hour  later, managed  to  pass Daunt's Rock  just  an hour  after Teutonic. The White Star liner had daily runs of 362, 436, 440, 438, 450, 460 and  193.  She landed 667  bags of Christmas mail, including all of the English  mails,  and this was sent to London by special train and delivered the following evening,  "a feat only once before performed." 

There was a most exciting race during a portion of the passage between the two great leviathans. On Saturday last the Inman steamer caught up to the Teutonic, and they both steamed in company together during the entire day, which caused much speculation amongst the passengers as to which steamer would outsteam the ether; but as darkness came on, the White Star liner left her competitor astern, and next day and Monday the Teutonic was so far ahead that the New York appeared only a speck in the distance, and on next morning she was out of sight altogether.

Witness, 19 December  1890.

City of New York, however, had a final flourish and on the passage from Queenstown to Liverpool, overhauled Teutonic to land her passengers at  Liverpool a  half hour  earlier. In all, the two ships landed 2,500 passengers at Liverpool on 17  December 1890, believed to be a record in two vessels. 

Thus ended a truly remarkable first full year  for Teutonic and indeed  one for the Atlantic  Ferry and there would never again be the marvelous ship against  ship individual races across the  Western Ocean  as there had been that splendid season between her  and City of New York.   That  they captured the imagination of  the general public is witnessed in this  wonderful letter published in  newspapers in Northern Ireland: 

Sir-- It appears from the current issue of  Engineering and from other sources that we are not going to have any more races on the Atlantic between the pride of our city, the glorious Teutonic, and the great City of New York—at least, after this year. In future those vessels are to sail on separate dates. The City of Paris will be able to go on her station again by next April, and she and the Majestic are also to sail on separate dates, and are not, as there had before been some reason to suppose, to ‘race.' By the new system it will be seen that every week a big, swift, and luxurious steamer may be had at either Liverpool, Queenstown. or New York; and the quartette will form a service which is not equalled, and certainly cannot be excelled, in the world. 

The four leviathans are, speaking practically, all 20-knot boats—that is, they can maintain an average speed of 20 knots for the whole of the Atlantic voyage. The maximum is, of course, something like 25 knots per hour. The best average of the Teutonic for a whole voyage as yet has been 20.18 knots, and there is every reason to believe that next year she will eclipse even this fine average. The renowned City of Paris's up to the present is 20.01 knots—fractionally below that of Teutonic. The Majestic’s best average is, as far as I am aware, 19.87 knots, which is not far from 20; and, of course, next year, when she has got into perfect order, she will improve on this. It took the  Teutonic a year before she broke into the sixth day, and the Majestic has now only been on her station eight mouths, and, yet, when under four months old, she broke into the sixth day. She is, therefore,  obviously better than the Teutonic.  Her best passage yet is 5 days 21 hours 11 minutes. 

As for the City of New York, it will doubtless be surprising to some people to learn that her best average is only 19.63 knots—a little more than 19½. Surely, if her average speed is so much under that of the Teutonic she would not be such a formidable opponent to that vessel as she has proved herself to be. But the secret of it is that she always takes the direct route between Queenstown and New York, or vice versa. covers a shorter distance than the Teutonic, for that steamer goes by a somewhat roundabout or southerly route, avoiding ice-floes, and minimising che danger of collisions with other vessels.  The vast majority of steamers go the direct route, and thus, since there are so many plying between Queenstown and New York, there is considerable danger of  collision. So that, concerning average speed, since the City of New York goes over a shorter route than the Teutonic in about the same time, say, her speed must be less than the Teutonics. 

Regarding racing, it is certain that many persons will regret that it is to cease, but at the same time there will be some who will consider it safer for the vessels to not race. Surely the citizens of Belfast, your readers, cannot but regret that no more long and vivid accounts of exciting races will appear in your columns. It may not  be out  of place just  here to give the 'records' of the four vessels:

Westward.

                                Days.    Hours.   Mins.

Teutonic                   5            19          5

City of Paris            5            19         18

Majestic                  5            21         11

City of New  York    5            21         19

Eastward.

City of Paris            5           23          12

Teutonic                  5           23          14

City of New York     5           23           14

Majestic                  5           23          16

It will be thus seen that the four great racers are exceedingly close in their records, particularly in their eastward passages The reason their eastward passage being so much slower than the westward is that the vessels have to burn American coal when coming home. This coal is of an inferior quality, On the westward trips they burn Welsh coal, which is peculiarly adapted for the purpose, as it allows of their full power being developed.  It is smokeless; so that when going to America at a record-breaking pace there is practically no smoke; but  when coming home dense  black clouds of smoke pour from the smoke-stacks of the steamers.

Speaking of the eastward record, the City of Paris has it; but had not an unforseen accident occurred in the Teutonic’s engine-room during a recent eastward voyage, she would have snatched the laurels again from the City of Paris, and would have, therefore, had the honour of being record- breaker both ways. It was on the eastward voyage The Teutonic had come of October this year. across at a tremendous rate, soon passing the City of New York, which had left New York a quarter of an hour before her. All went well until when near the Fastnet Rock, off the Irish coast. At this point the pin of an eccentric gave way. This is but a slight mishap, but it caused the engines to be stopped for five hours in order to repair the damage. When opposite the Fastnet she had made the voyage from New York to there in 6 days 19 hours. This is the fastest voyage ever made to the Fastnet, and only for the delay she would have reached Queenstown in time to break the record. As it was, notwithstanding the delay, when the eccentric was fixed the Teutonic continued at full speed, and actually succeeded in reaching Queenstown 40 as to beat the City of New York by two hours and thirty-six minutes. The Teutonic’s passage was 5 days 23 hours 51 minutes, and the City of New York’s 6 days 2 hours 27 minutes. Had the Teutonic accomplished the voyage in even forty minutes less time than it took her, she would have broken the eastward record. Her voyage is only two minutes behind the 

One more  thing and I close. Some people  think that racing at top speed on the Atlantic is dangerous. It is not any more dangerous than an express train-- in fact,  not as much. When going full speed a ship answers to her rudder more quickly than when going slow. The safety-valve is locked so as to prevent overcrowding steam. The boilers and engines are fully able to bear the strain put on them by driving. Furthermore (in the Teutonic and Majestic at least), going full speed does not cause vibration, and thus the passengers do not suffer any inconvenience. There is no danger. The magnificent new vessels of the White Star Company go at 25 knots with just  as much  ease as the Britannic goes 17. 

And, now, apologising for the extent to which this encroached upon your  valuable  columns, I  remain yours.

White Star

Belfast, December 10

Belfast Weekly News, 20 December 1890.

Teutonic and City of New York compiled an impressive  set  of statistics during  that  marvelous season. Between May  and December, each crossed the Atlantic  16 times with the average  time for Teutonic per crossing  was 6 days 6 hours 5 mins. and 6 days 4 hours 55 mins. for City of New York. 

In 1890, Teutonic made 11 westbound and 11 eastbound crossings.

White Star Line 22 November 1890 issued sailing for  winter  1891.   Credit: Paul Louden-Brown White Star Line Collection, National Museums NI. 

1891

Having on board an exceptionally large number of passengers, especially in the saloon, the  White Star steamer Teutonic, left  the Mersey yesterday, after her usual winter overhauling, on her  first trip of the  season to New York.  

Liverpool Daily Post, 29 January  1891.

After a most well-deserved drydocking in Alexandra Dock and refit  at Liverpool, Teutonic  resumed service  upon her sailing from Liverpool on 28 January  1891.  On departure from Queenstown the following day, she went out  at 2:28 p.m. with 190 First, 160 Second and "a full complement of  steerage  passengers,"  and 865 bags  of mail,  475 of which were taken on there.  Owning to illness, Capt. Irving  was relieved  on this voyage by Capt.  H. Davison, R.N.R., usually commander of Britannic.  "Being in splendid  condition, it is anticipate that  during the season now commencing, she will eclipse the wonderfully  fast  passages made by her across  the Atlantic in 1890," predicted Northern Whig  the 30th. 

With no City of New York to spur her on and with a  succession of westerly winter  gales to contend with, Teutonic was a full 12 hours late  arriving at  New York at 11:00 p.m. on 4  February 1891. Among those  aboard was William Astor and Sir  Charles Tupper,  Canadian High  Commissioner  in  London and noted chess player, J.H.  Blackburn. 

Among those departing New York aboard  Teutonic at 9:00 a.m. on 11 February  1891 was millionaire Andrew  Carnegie and R. Baden-Powell.  It was one  of the still new ship's  most trying crossings yet  one in she performed  brilliantly.  Hitting a heavy  S.S.W.  Gales on the 14-15th, she shipped  several heavy  seas, which  even  flooded some cabins.  The no. 1 lifeboat on the starboardside were smashed to pieces and  ventilators damaged and a crewman injured. The  fore  staysail was blown away and several passengers were knocked down and slightly injured. During  these  days, she  only recorded 320 miles on each of them. Still, as the Dundee  Evening Telegraph wrote, "During  the  gale the noble ship behaved splendidly, and  exhibited fine seagoing qualities."  Arriving  at Queenstown at 9:00 p.m. on the  17th, she had still put in a fine passage  of  6  days 7 hours 13 mins.  Dense fog on arrival at Liverpool the next day at 10:00 a.m.  kept her  anchored off Mersey  Bar most of the day, "and the task of transferring her passengers, numbering 600,was attended  with so much  difficulty and danger that  it  was abandoned, and  at a late hour last  evening   they still remained on board." (Liverpool Mercury, 19 February  1891). It was  not until 11:30 a.m. on the  19th that the tugs Toiler and Despatch, with  the  tender Snowdrop, were able to get to Teutonic  and 1:00 p.m. before her passengers were landed  at Prince's Stage.

Andrew Carnegie's visit to England  was fleeting and he was  back aboard Teutonic (again commanded by Capt. Davison)  for  the trip home,  from Liverpool on 25 February 1891  and clearing Queenstown the next day  at 3:50 p.m.. She arrived  at New  York at noon on 4 March after  an exceptionally smart  passage  for the time of year of 6 days 1  hour 50 mins..  Mr. Carnegie, enthused by his roundtrip in Teutonic, later told  a reporter  from The Sun that liners will "cross  in five  days most decidely, "  and do so "within two years."  He  contributed a letter to the same newspaper, published on the 11th, that read in part:

Permit me to take this opportunity to recommend to those needing a change during the winter a round trip upon one of the best ships crossing the Atlantic. The difference between winter and summer in greatly exaggerated; with the exception of one blow, which  lasted twenty-four hours, I had a delightful excursion. Indeed, there are many advantages pertaining to such trip in the winter season. The air is cool and bracing: there are no hot nights to encounter, and the ship is not crowded, although the number upon such a favorite as the Teutonic is surprising. One great improvement is the forced draught and proper firing which render the Teutonic almost smokeless. Passengers continually inquired if she was not using anthracite. I never saw anything like it upon the Atlantic. The table, state rooms, and all appointments are equal to the very best hotels. There is an excellent library and most comfortable reading room, desks and writing materials kept in order and equal to the most luxurious club. I predict that the winter trip across the Atlantic and back will soon become a favorite one.

Andrew Carnegie,  New York, 9 March 1891.

The lads of the Umbria United  Athletes gave the Teutonic team a thrashing at St. George's  Park, Hokoben on 6 March 1891, scoring 11 goals to nil, "the Teutonic boys made a heroic defense, but  the White Star flag had to lowered without  a goal being  scored." (The Sun, 7 March).

Teutonic  cleared New York on 11  March 1891 at 6:30 a.m.,  embarking her  passengers the previous  evening.  Arriving off Queenstown at 2:45 a.m.  on the  18th in such rough weather,  she was unable to call there  and proceeded directly to Liverpool, docking there later that day.

If Andrew Carnegie  relished the relaxation of  a round voyage in Teutonic, her  own captain  did as well.  Recovering from an extended  illness, Capt. P.J. Irving embarked  as  a passenger on 25 March 1891, with Capt. H. Davison, R.N.R., still  in command.   Clearing  Queenstown for New York at 3:30 p.m. Teutonic had a  bumpy  ride across the  Atlantic with  a storm on the 29th and arrived on 1 April and coming alongside the following morning.

Returning to his post  in London, Canada's High  Commissioner to England, Sir Charles Tupper,  was among Teutonic's passengers for her  8 April  1891 sailing at 7:00 a.m.. Putting in a fast passage  for her old skipper,  Teutonic got into Queenstown  the evening of  the 14th, logging 6 days 4 hours from Sandy Hook to Daunt's Rock.  The voyage was marred by  the  death of  able seaman Richard Eccleston who fell from the foremast on the 11th in a north-easterly gale and succumbed to his injuries the following day.  He was buried  at sea with  full honours and the passengers and crew assembled on deck and the purser, T.H. Russell, reading the burial service.  Teutonic arrived  at Liverpool on the  15th.

The New York Times reported on 12 April 1891  that the English artist, W.L. Wylie, had painted  for Mr. Ismay  of White  Star  a  depiction of Teutonic  as  she  appeared  at Spithead and  the work was first  shown at the  Royal Academy, London. 

Teutonic passed out of the Mersey  the later afternoon of 22 April 1891 and cleared Queenstown at 2:20 p.m. the next day. She passed Sandy Hook at 2:30 p.m. on the 29th and docked that  evening. 

Among  those sailing  from New York  aboard Teutonic on 6 May 1891 were the wife and daughter of U.S. Secretary of the Navy Benjamin Tracy,  and Sen. Cameron of Pennsylvania.  Teutonic cranked out  a splendid performance, arriving at  Queenstown at 1:15 a.m. on the 13th, she had crossed  from Sandy Hook to Daunt's Rock in 6 days 3 hours 5 mins., her best time eastbound taking the longer  southern route to avoid ice. She recorded daily runs of 349, 448, 458, 465,447, 465 and 257 nautical miles.  One First  Class passenger, Charles A.L. Dunn, a broker from Shanghai, appreciated  the effort as he was doing a "race" against the conventional P&O route home via  Suez by having taken Empress of India to  Vancouver, trans-continental  train to Montreal and then home via trans-Atlantic liner.  He just missed Umbria and even with  a  five-day wait to catch  Teutonic, reckoned  he beat the P&O  boat by 36 hours.

From Liverpool on 20  May 1891 and Queenstown the following day, Teutonic arrived with little notice on the 27th. Interestingly, she  and City  of Paris both docked the same day  from Liverpool but there was  not  even a mention of any  attempt at "racing'  between the two. 

Teutonic left New York on 3 June 1891, numbering Mrs. McKee and Mrs. Russell Harrison, daughter  and daughter-in-law of President Benjamin Harrison, among her 1,507 passengers-- the largest number of passengers for  Britain in a single ship  to date.  Passing three icebergs en route on the 6th, Teutonic arrived at Queenstown at 4:00 a.m. on the 10th having put in a excellent passage of 6  days 5 hours and sailed for Liverpool at 4:40 a.m. where  she arrived that evening. She was attended by the new White  Star tender Magnetic on her first day of service. 

Departing Liverpool at 4:00 p.m. on 17 June 1891 and clearing  Queenstown  at 2:10 p.m. for New York, Teutonic had a full list of 1,473 passengers including 439 in saloon including Mr. and Mrs. F.W. Vanderbilt. On arrival at New York on the 24th, they were met off Quarantine by friends aboard  the New York Central tug C.C. Clark.

The Teutonic's cricket  team won their  match in  Central Park  on 29 June  1891 against the  West Side A.C., 81 to 77.

Teutonic cleared New York on 1 July 1891 with Mr. W.H. Vanderbilt and Mr. C. Vanderbilt among those aboard  ab and got into Queenstown at 12:55 a.m. on the 8th after a crossing of 6 days 3 hours  30 mins. She departed at 1:45 a.m. for Liverpool where she docked late afternoon.

Clearing Queenstown at 1:55 p.m. on 16 July 1891, Teutonic got into New York on the  22nd, making her  fastest westbound crossing so far that season: 5 days 21 hours 14 mins.  Her daily runs were 457, 483, 492, 496, 495 and 398 nautical miles  and  beat a record set recently by Majestic

The Mersey-bound Teutonic sailed from New York on 29 July 1891 with the Hon. and Mrs.J. C. Bancroft Davis aboard, and arrived at Queenstown on 4  August and at Liverpool  the next  day.

The White Star flyers were  heating up by late summer. On 6 August 1891 it  was reported  that Majestic  had just broken the record for  the westbound crossing with a passage  of 5 days 18 hours 8 mins, beating that of Teutonic by 57 mins. 

Back under the command  of Capt.  John R. Irving and with Hugh Currie as  Chief Engineer, Teutonic sailed from Liverpool at 11:00 a.m. on 12  August 1891 and Queenstown the next day at 1:48 p.m., with 290 First, 180 Second and 900 Third Class passengers.   Passing Daunt's Rock at 2:05 p.m.,  Teutonic coursed westward with a  score to settle with her younger  sister and a bone in her teeth.   

Credit: The Evening World, 19 August 1891.

Five days, sixteen hours and thirty-one minutes!

That is the wonderful time made by the White Star liner Teutonic, which arrived in this port this morning after burying out of sight all previous records made by ocean flyers and beating the best record made by her sister ship, the Majestic, by one hour and thirty- seven minutes.

The Evening World, 19 August 1891.

Rendering Majestic's westbound record one of the briefest  (not even a fortnight!) in Atlantic history, Teutonic swept past Sandy Hook at 1:46 a.m. on 19 August  1891, logging 5 days 16 hours 31 mins. from Daunt's Rock. "But  for  adverse head winds she  encountered the  first  two days of her trip Capt. Irving  says  he would have beaten his  time at  least an hour  and placed  the record  to a point which  would be invincible for  a long time to come." (The Evening World, 19  August). But Capt. Irving, back with his  favourite, was  content enough,  telling the Evening World that  "she had  shown herself  to be  the fastest ocean steamer and he  hoped  her  record would not be disputed."   

Teutonic's  daily  runs  were 460, 496,  505,  510, 517 and 290. The three days  of  the fastest  steaming averaged 511½ nautical miles  a day and  she averaged 20.349  knots  across, a quarter of a knot faster  than Majestic on her last record breaking westbound  crossing.  Teutonic burned  320 tons  of coal every  24 hours.

Credit: New York Tribune, 20 August 1891.

Purser T. H. Russell gave an Evening World reporter the story of the trip. It seems that Capt. Irving has been trying tor eight months to beat the record, and when the Teutonic left Liverpool on Wednesday afternoon be determined that his vessel should accomplish the feat.

Head winds during the first two days disappointed Capt. Irving's ambition, but when clear weather appeared on Saturday morning tbe real race began. 

The engines of the big vessel were run at the highest speed,  and the passengers each day made pools on the day's runs. 

The great record-smashing run was made yesterday, when the Teutonic  covered 517 miles, which is two miles faster than was made by the City of Paris. The White Squadron was passed off Nantucket yesterday, sailing to the eastward.

The trip was uneventful. Several steamers were sighted, and when leaving Roche's Point the City of Chicago came along.

The Evening World, 19 August 1891.

Credit: The New York Times, 20 August 1891.

After a voyage that was notable and even marvellous in three respects, the White Star line steamer Teutonic arrived abreast of Sandy Hook Lightship at 1:36 o'clock yesterday morning. She had completed the quickest passage between Queenstown and New York, she had covered more miles than had ever before been covered in twenty-four hours, and she had made the best run for three consecutive days that seafaring folks ever heard of. The long whip pennant that had hoisted to the main truck of the Majestic only two weeks before had been made to droop under her taffrail like the tail of a whipped dog between his legs: the broom the fore royal pole on the Majestic had been knocked to pieces by the aerial wake Teutonic, as she sailed by her so to speak, in the oversea race. The Teutonic has captured both nautical emblems of victory. 

Ever since the month of August, 1890, Capt. P. J. Irving and Chief Engineer Hugh Currie of the big Teutonic have been very much disgruntled with certain nautical sharps of the Maritime Exchange. In that month the Teutonic made a very quick passage. Capt. Irving and Mr. Currie said it beat the record of the City of Paris in that it was made in 5 days 19 hours and 5 minutes. but the nautical sharps would not have it so. Capt. Irving didn't say much, but both he and his engineer have been waiting for August weather to show the maritime sharps what the Teutonic was made of.  They now walk the decks of their ship with heads up. There is no disputing this record. They have vindicated the Teutonic's name.

To the man familiar with steamship races the log of the Teutonic tells a thrilling story. It was at 11:10 a.m. on Wednesday of last week that the last bag of American mail was bustled over the rail at Liverpool. There was no time lost in getting under way, and at 2:29 in the afternoon Rock Lighthouse was abeam.

Thereafter it was a breezy run of 236 miles to Queenstown--a run like the preliminary canter given to a racer to warm him up for the sweepstakes. Queenstown  was reached at 4:50 the next morning. and when her anchor was down the ship lay there until afternoon taking on belated passengers and the mails that had been driven through by rail from London at lightning speed to catch her there. There was sharp work with these. and at 1:45 o'clock, when the last bag tumbled over the rail, the blue jackets were casting off the mailboat's hawsers, and at the steam windlass was snaking in the cable, while Chief Engineer Currie was down in the engine room, having a severe look at the bearings and fittings and the furnaces and coal bunkers. In just three minutes from the time the last bag of mail was received the gong in the engine room rang to go ahead, and the engineer at the throttle valves throw them slowly open. With gradually growing speed the big ship headed around for sea.  Capt. Irving, standing on the bridge with his watch in hand, kept his eye on Daunt's Rock Lightship until a squint along the bridge rail showed the light to be fair abeam. Then he looked at his watch. It was precisely 2:03 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 13, and the famous race was on. 

A strong westerly breeze was driving over the sea to hold the huge ship back, but Mr. Currie was watching the engines and, as he says. thinking they were in just such perfect order that he couldn't see anything to wish for, but he was standing by just to see that things remained as they were there. Down below in the stoke hole the assistant engineers in charge were watching the firemen as a trainer watches the stable boys when rubbing down the racers. The best coal obtainable was there and it was Spread with the utmost care. No men ever worked more willingly than the stoke hold crew and no coal fires ever burned hotter. It was known by every man on board that tremendous effort was to be male to beat the record of the Majestic. and ever man was game to do his level best to make her succeed. The owner of these ships always scout the idea of special efforts being made. but those who know human nature know better. Besides let any doubter go and talk to the men themselves as they sit at their beer in the West street saloons to-night. The passengers knew that a race against time was on and if they couldn't do anything to help her they could make pools on the result and drink no end of healths to the officers and to the success of the voyage, and that they did with a verve and esprit de corps that was pleasing to the pu ser. 

All Thursday afternoon, Thursday night, and Friday, the wind held in the west. It was invigorating to the promenaders on deck, but disheartening to the Captain and engineer. At on Friday the navigating officers figured up the run, and found 460 miles to the credit of the ship. She bad been twenty-two hours on her journey, and it was a good run, but not quite good enough. 

For one more day the wind held west, and the sea unfavorable. The Teutonic, in spite of slender spars, presents a huge surface to a contrary wind. The wind was holding her back. When, noon came next day the crowd gathered in the to see the log posted. It said 496 miles. Almost all were disappointed, but a few of the sharps, pulled out the Majestic's record that showed two days on which but 491 and 497 knots had been covered. There was a right good hope yet. and it gave all bands a good appetite for luncheon to think so.

Then the wind canted to north'ard and be came much lighter. It  was like dropping weight from a runner. Looking over the aide of the ship showed no increase--if anything she seemed to be going slower now that the wind did not drive the white caps past the hurrying ship. but Capt. Irving knew that he was doing better. Nor was that all. Mr. Currie was noting with delight that as the ship drove he was getting more turns from his propellers in a minute. The firemen were burning up something like 310 tons of coal a day, and as the ashes were dumped over the ship rose in the water, and so offered loss  resistence to the screws. 

Naturally the passengers heard of these things during Sunday morning. Some of them remained in the smoking room during preaching time and talked over the race. So when lunch time came again half a hundred men were so much interested that they could not eat until they learned the run. A young man with the log in hand came along and the crowd made way for him and they jammed in around him until he barely bad room to post the paper. Before it was fairly in place some one saw the figures and yelled.

Five and hundred  and five knots, boys. Whoop! 

It was a great run and a crowd rushed off to the chart room, where they found the Captain and shook hands and told him he was a great man, and then went aft and found Chief Engineer Currie and told him he was a great man, too. 

The Teutonic had been gradually increasing her speed. Would she continue to do so? 

Gentlemen, I promise, you that you shall eat breakfast in New York on Wednesday said Capt. Irving, whereat the passengers cheered him and went away to celebrate the anticipated occasion. 

Watching a steamer racing against time is  nerve-racking. The passenger can do nothing during the time between quarter posts so to speak, twenty-four hours. The froth and smother hurry by as telegraph poles and fences seem to hurry by a flying railroad train. To the man thinking only of speed it is monotonous. There is nothing for it but to smokeor to make love to the pretty girls. Even then the anxiety about the speed is forever present. for the pretty girls are so much interested in the race that is the ever present topic.

Monday on found a host in waiting for the posting of the log. and it was with a feeling of exultation that every one saw the figure. 510 knots.  For three days now she bad beaten three of the days of the Majestic's run. If she could  just hold  her own hereafter she would a victor. It was exhilarating. To the of Captain and the chief engineer the success of  the days run open a new subject of  anxiety.  lety. They were in the  race to  bear the Majestic  of  course, but there  was one other  record that  loomed up almost in their grasp.  The City of Paris had covered 502, 503 and 509 knots in three consecutive days when winning her record, and no ship had approached within a  good many  miles of  that record. Could  the Teutonic snatch it?  The query kept Chief Currie out of his bunk for the whole twenty-four hours that followed.

The Teutonic was now flying down the American coast. Sable Island had been left far astern, and Nantucket lightship was, figuratively speaking. under the  starboard bow. A good deal more than thousand tons of coal had gone over  the rail in the form of smoke  and ashes. 

The oilers in the engine rooms found never a sign of  heat or disorder in any bearing. The needle in the steam gauge showed a pressure of 180 pounds in the boiler with no variation. The clockwork that registered the number of turns the engine made showed almost 81 a minute where but 80 had been registered the day before. The diagrams of horse power developed showed within a hundred or so of 20,000. 

In a tremble of excitement the passengers gathered in the saloon at the call of the luncheon bell and sat down, and then came Capt. Irving himself  with the log in his hand. Everyone sat breathless when he said:

'Ladies and gentlemen, the Teutonic has made 517 knots, and broken the record of a day's run.'

With one accord the whole throng rose up and shouted and cheered and howled. Sandy Hook lightship was but 296 miles away: bed time would see the Teutonic under the lights of Long Island coast. They had ordered wine by the bottle in honor of previous days -they took it by the basket now and laughed and cheered hilariously the whole day through.

By 1 o'clock they had Shinnecock Light abreast and at midnight the ground where the old racer Oregon was loss was passed. Then the Seversink lights almost rose out the water, and a little later the two red globes of the old hulk that marks the channel across the bar appeared. Half a thousand people crowded to the rail to gaze at the lights, and at 1:36 a.m. to cheer the ship and the Captain and the chief engineer and all hands over the marvellous result achieved. 

Teutonic may in some minds have been under a cloud but this trip has cleared away the log entirely, She is the queen of the sea.

The records of the Teutonic, the Majestic, and the City of Paris follow:

        City of Paris  Majestic  Teutonic

First day              462                 470          460

Second day          492                 501          496

Third day             502                 497          505

Fourth day           506                501           540

Fifth day              509                491           517

Sixth  day             316               317            293

                                                 2,788           2,777          2,778

The Teutonic travelled at the rate of a mile in 2,959 minutes, the Majestic in 2,944 and the City of Paris in 2,998. The Majestic ran at the rate of 20.104 knots an hour and the Teutonic at 20.357, a good quarter of an knot faster. The City of Paris covered 1,517 knots in three days and the Teutonic 1,532 knots. The best day's run ever made by the City of Paris was 515 knots: the Teutonic's was 517. The Teutonic beats the Majestic by 1 hour and 37 minutes, and the City of Paris by 2 hours and 47 minutes. 

Chief Engineer Currie refuses to talk about his engines, but it was ascertained they developed about 19,900 horse power while making the boat runs. and almost reached 81 turns a minute. The average for the voyage was a bit under 80. The Majestic averaged 78 turns and 19,500 horse power. 

When asked if it was possible to drive the Teutonic faster, Mr. Currie said: Yes, I think 80. if everything favored her. Wait till one of the others gives us something to do, and see. Capt. Irving thinks she can do still better.

The Teutonic brought over 1,500 passengers, one of the largest lists on record. The ship was docked at 6 o'clock yesterday morning and the passengers took breakfast in New York as Capt. Irving had promised. Many people called to congratulate the White Star people yesterday, and  they had quite an ovation. The passenger received a menu card with the record of the ship's voyage printed on it as a souvenir..

The Sun, 20 August 1891.

Credit: The Sun, 20 August 1891.

"August has been a red-letter month for the White Star  people. Never  in the history of  ocean racing has a line won such unexpected and repeated triumphs within so short a time," marvelled The New York Times (20 August 1891) and when so much of contemporary interest surrounding White Star is centred almost exclusively on the "big and slow" era and the ponderous  Olympic-class, it is  indeed worth  recalling this wonderful of  real recordbreaking and with  true ocean greyhounds  twenty years previous. 

Leaflet by White Star's  Chicago agent boasting of Teutonic and Majestic's summer 1891 records. Credit: eBay auction photo.

Leaving  New York  on 27 August  1891 Teutonic and "encountered terrific gales" on the 31st and 1 September.  A passenger, Col. G.H.  Wilson,  died  of  congestion of the lungs  on the  31st. Arriving at Queenstown at  9:00 p.m. on 1  September, Teutonic proceeded  to Liverpool at 9:50 p.m. where she  arrived the following day.  

During  their turnaround at Liverpool, the crew of  Teutonic  held their annual picnic and sports tournament at Woolton on 5 September 1891:

The annual picnic aad athletic sports in connection with the White Star liner Teutonic took place on Saturday at Woolton. The party left Bootle Town Hall, accompanied by the band of the Seamen's Orphanage, in three waggonettes, about ten o'clock, and arrived at the Coffee House Hotel, Woolton, shortly after noon. Having been photographed, and dinner partaken of, an adjournment was made to a field in Doe Park, where long programme of athletic events gone through, much to the enjoyment of both competitors and spectators, amongst whom were a goodly number of ladies. The Seamen's Orphsange Band played a few selections during the afternonn. After the sports a substantial tea in the pavilion attached to the Coffee House Hotel was greatly enjoyed, and Mrs. Thomas Walker having presented the prizes to the successful competitors, the party left Woolton highly delighted with the whole day's proceedings. Messrs. T. Walker, Linford, W. Swan, K. Kirkham, H. Andrews, and E. Headley were indefatigable in their efforts make the gathering a success.

Liverpool Daily Post, 7 September 1891.

Teutonic  nosed out of  the Mersey on 8 September 1891  and swept  past  Roche's Point the following afternoon, and  among the man  returning American tourists aboard was New York Central Railroad  president Chauncey Depew; W.H. Vanderbilt and C.  Vanderbilt.  Making  a  quiet arrival  at New York for a change, she was alongside  her  North River pier on the  16th.  When  Teutonic  came off Quarantine  at 8:00 a.m., the Deprews were met by  a large  party of  New York Central officers and employees aboard  the  steamer Sam Sloan to which were embarked the  Depew party, and the  Vanderbilt,  which preceded  Teutonic up  the North River.  The customs men were  alerted  and ensured  a full examination of  their baggage was made. 

The eastbound  Teutonic took  leave  of a foggy  New York at 11:00 a.m. on 23  September 1891 with 800 passengers (200  First, including  Mr. & Mrs. Bruce Ismay, and 150 Second Class among them) without much notice.  Her arrival  at  Queenstown at 1:50 p.m. on the 29th elicited rather  more  excitement for she just  captured the record  for  the  eastbound trans-Atlantic run which,  ironically, been claimed  by her old rival  City of New York  just  a  fortnight earlier when she broke her sister City  of Paris'  longstanding  record. Teutonic  knocked both into  a cocked hat, logging 5 days 21 hours  22 mins. from Sandy Hook  to Daunt's  Rock, 1  hour  28 mins. faster  than City of New  York.  She recorded  daily runs of 447, 456, 462,  466, 456, 465  and 39 (to Daunt's Rock).  Her record was more impressive  given she experienced "some boisterous weather," during the last  few days of the passage, "but escaped without anybody on board having sustained the slightest  injury, and all who landed here were  loud in their praise of the seagoing qualities of  this noble  vessel." (Cork Daily Herald, 30 September).  After  landing  143 passengers and 129 bags  of the 450 bags  of mail aboard, Teutonic resumed passage to Liverpool where she arrived late on the 30th. Among those landing there included 160 German immigrants, en route to Hull, who  had left  America to  return home. 

The remarkable accomplishment of the  Teutonic in making the passage from New York to Queenstown in 5 days 21 hours 22 minutes indicates that for the time being the blue riband of the Atlantic is to rest with the White Star Company. On August 5th this honour was won from the Inman Line, the Majestic having completed her westward run in 5 days 18 hours minutes, and thereby beaten by fully one hour the best record of the City of Paris. fortnight later the Teutonic sustained the reputation of her line by finishing the same passage in 5 days 16 hours 31 minutes, and now she has eclipsed all former records on the run from New York. How long the White Star Line will continue to maintain the supremacy must depend upon the enterprise the companies concerned and the scientific skill the shipbuilders.

Dundee Courier, 30 September 1891.

The above article is notable for being one of the earliest newspaper references to a "blue riband of  the Atlantic," preceding that  of American  papers which first employed  the term with  onset  of  the first of  N.D.L.'s four-funnel greyhounds c. 1895. 

"The  White  Star people believe  they have  in the  Teutonic  the fastest steamer afloat." (New York Tribune, 30 September 1891).  Indeed, and for the  last time in its storied  history, "The  Ismay  Line" held the undisputed record for the fastest crossings  in both directions of the North Atlantic. 

American sailing list reference to Teutonic  and Majestic's record passages.  Credit: ebay auction photo.

The champion of  the  Atlantic departed Liverpool on 7 October 1891 and from Queenstown at 2:55 p.m. the next day but not before an elopement was foiled:

An exciting scene was witnessed to-day on board the White Star line steamer Teutonic, which left Liverpool yesterday for New York, When the Teutonic dropped anchor here this morning in order to take mails and passengers on board, a gentleman of clerical appearance was to be seen on the company's tender as she approached the steamship. He seemed to be in a state of considerable excitement, and upon boarding the Teutonic asked after a young lady and gentleman whose description he furnished to everybody, right and left, with the result that he was soon placed in communication with a young couple, who seemed dreadfully frightened and ashamed when confronted by him. No than sooner he did he catch, sight of the young lady seized her violently by the arm, dragged her from her companion  at whose head he hurled a shower of abuse, and then literally by force dragged the young lady down the steamer's side and on board the tender. 

The gentleman was the Rev. Bartley Ellis of Wigan, Lancashire, near Preston, and the young had was his daughter, Harriet Ellis, who eloped with a young man named Arthur Mottram. The Captain of the Teutonic, upon being made aware of the facts of the case. interposed no objection to the removal of his passenger, especially as the young lady did deny the truth of the allegations made and could only sob in reply to questions put to her. Mottram also landed amid the jeers of the passengers.

The Sun, 9 October 1891.

Teutonic arrived at New York on the evening of 14  October 1891, a large delegation being on the pier to greet Lady Henry  Somerset, president of the British Woman's Temperance Association, who "was too sick, however, to see any one or leave the ship last night." (New York Tribune, 15  October). The ship also brought in $300,000 in gold.

The White Star liner Teutonic might be now well termed the greyhound of the Atlantic.

Belfast News-Letter, 28 October 1891.

Credit: Paul Louden-Brown White Star Line Collection, National Museum NI.

Clearing New York at 8:30  a.m. on 21 October  1891, Teutonic was  not quite done with her  ocean racing and well "out  of season, " too. Despite westerly  gales all the way across, Teutonic passed Browhead at 9:55 a.m. on the 27th and surprised everyone by beating her own eastbound record by 19 minutes, crossing from Sandy Hook to Daunt's Rock in 5 days 21 hours 3 mins at an average speed of 19.82 knots. With daily runs of 483, 468, 460, 460, 448, 457 and 14 nautical miles.  Her mail, too, was despatched in record time and arrived in London the following morning by 9:00 a.m.. 

It was a handsome sight to view the great leviathan ship steaming full speed down the Queenstown Harbour from the Old Head of Kinsale. She sent a sea of white foaming water away from her handsome prow, and volumes of black smoke issued from her two buff funnels. Her numerous passengers  were loud in their praise, not alone of the ship's fast steaming qualities, but of the great comfort and attention experienced on board the White Star ship.

Belfast News-Letter, 28 October 1891.

The quality of coal mattered at least as much as the skill of the stokers and trimmers and White Star, appreciating that eastbound passages were often slower compared to  westbound and attributing some of this to the poor quality  of American coal vs. the  Welsh steaming coal bunkered "on the other  side," had recently decided to make exclusive use of "Pocahontas coal,"  a semi-bituminous coal from West Virginia, which was so superior  that it was specified by William Cramp shipbuilders for use  in trials of  naval warships. 

But to an ocean steamship smooth water is so much more favorable for speed than even a propitious wind that probably nobody had the least expectation of seeing the record broken. This is the feat, however, which the Teutonic has just performed, the record being her own. If she bad come within a few hours of her own best passage, the performance would have been very remarkable. By beating her record, even by nineteen minutes, she shows that her capabilities have not yet been brought out, and gives promise of a much greater reduction under entirely favorable conditions.

The  New York Times, 28 October 1891.

Credit: North British Daily Mail, 29 October 1891

This is as unmistakeably the year of the Teutonic as 1889 was the year of the City of Paris, and as next year may be the year of the as yet unnamed Cunard fleetest grey-hound. The Teutonic has now two east- ward passages and one westward faster than the runs made by any other steamer, and by her latest passage she has made the work to be done by any Clyde-built steamer which will beat her record all the greater. The best eastward passage of the Teutonic is now 1 hour and 47 minutes better in time—or, say, about 40 statute miles in distance —than the best east-ward run of any Clyde-built steamer, and her best westward passage is two hours and forty-seven minutes better in time, or about sixty-three statute miles in distance better than the best of the Clyde-built steamers. 

The difference in space and time may not amount to much, but it is without doubt in favour of the Belfast-built steamer, so that we on the Clyde have to accept the fact as best we may. As yet the Majestic, the sister ship of the Teutonic, has not made an eastward passage quite equal to the best of the Clyde-built steamers; but as she has beaten their best on the outward passage by more than an hour, it is every way probable that when wind and weather help her she also may beat them on the inward passage as well. 

To have two steamers better than the best turned out from the Clyde in point of speed is a condition of matters to which the Clyde has, to say the least, not had time to accustom itself in years past, and therefore there is all the greater reason for making an effort to this abnormal state of matters to ad end when the chance comes round again to the Clyde next year.

North British Daily Mail, 29 October 1891.

From Liverpool on 4 November 1891 and Queenstown  the  next day, passing out  at 2:50 p.m., for New York, Teutonic docked there  at noon  on the 11th, landing more than 300 saloon class passengers, including opera star Mme. Albani.  The New York Times (12th)  reported: "the voyage was a comparatively  uneventful one for this season of  the year, only  one stormy day, Saturday, having been encountered. However, fogs at the  end of the voyage  prevented the ship from making an exceptionally  fast trip."  Even so, Teutonic made the run across in 6  days 42 mins and with an easterly  gale behind her on the 10th, she logged 514 nautical miles that  day. 

Leaving New York at 7:00 a.m. on 18 November 1891 with an impressive compliment of 1,100 passengers (200 in the saloon), Teutonic got into Queenstown at 11:40 a.m. on the 24th, departing at 12:20 p.m. for Liverpool where she docked the following morning at 9:00 a.m.. Among those on her fully booked  steerage  was a large party of Danes returning  home for Christmas who, on arrival, proceeded to Hull and thence by Wilson Line's Cameo to Copenhagen where  they  arrived  on the  28th, just ten days  after departing  New  York. 

Cover to passenger  list  for  Teutonic's 2  December 1891 Liverpool to New York crossing.  Credit:  eBay auction photo.

The hardworking Teutonic  got  in  another  roundtrip  to  New  York in  before a  very  eventful  year ended.  Sailing  from Liverpool on 2 December 1891, with J.P. Morgan  again aboard along  with his daughter Julia,  she arrived at Queenstown promptly at  9:40 a.m. only to be held  there when the mail train  was three hours and ten minutes late and did get away until 5:25 p.m., having embarked New York Mayor Hugh J. Grant, who  at age  31, was the youngest mayor in  the city's  history.  He and everyone else aboard  had a slow,  rough  trip across.  Due  to  arrive  at  New  York first  thing on the  9th, Teutonic  was  finally sighted off  Fire  Island at 1:35 p.m., "proceeding  at full steam," and docked at 5:30 p.m..  She came up into the  harbour at a good enough  clip  to swamp and sink three coal laden barges, among a  string of  29  being towed by the tugs Raritan and  Jessie, off Governors Island.

Sadly, a young seaman, Charles F. Hammond,  belonging to Teutonic  tried  to commit suicide aboard the ship on 10 December 1891 by slitting his  throat  with a razor.   Taken to St. Vincent's  Hospital immediately, he succumbed the following  day.

Teutonic's 16  December 1891 sailing  was well populated with passengers and post, being the last from New York to  arrived in Ireland and England in  good  time for Christmas, "with a cabin list  as large as during  the busy  days of Summer," said  The  Evening  World.  They all boarded the previous  evening  as  the  fleet White  Star liner was off at dawn to  catch the tide.  She  reached  Queenstown on the  22nd and Liverpool the next  day. 

In 1891, Teutonic made 12 westbound and  12  eastbound  crossings.

Record Crossings:

Westbound 12-19 August 1891

5 days 16 hours  31 mins

Eastbound  23-30 September  1891

5 days 21 hours 22 mins

Eastbound 21-27 October  1891

5 days  21 hours  3 mins

Teutonic featured on an engraver's sample card. Credit: eBay auction photo.

1892

Repeating her prolonged Queenstown  call from the  previous month, Teutonic (from  Liverpool 6 January 1892) arrived there the next day at 8:30 a.m. and again the mail  train was three  hours late and  she did not sail until 5:25 p.m., going out with  186 First, 179 Second  and 336 Third Class passengers. Other  than a northwest  gale the first day  out, she had good  weather for the passage which was accomplished in 5 days 20 hours and 42 mins. including 511 miles run on the  11th,  Due to dock at New York on the morning of the 12th, she arrived off Sandy Hook at 8:48 a.m. but off a harbour  completely fogbound which brought all activity to a standstill. "Her  officers said  yesterday that  it  was  densest fog  they had  ever  encountered, and was  so  thick  at times that  objects five feet  distant were invisible." (New  York  Times, 15 January). 

When the mist veiling the vista through the Narrows lifted yesterday morning the crack White Star steamship Teutonic  was described as coming in. For twenty-three hours she had lain at anchor outside the bar, with her deep-toned fog horn tooting. Nobody knew of her nearness to the port lightship, until just  one the day after making the excellent winter time of 5 days, the 20 hours and 40  minutes. Her purser says the fog  was  so dense at  the Hook that objects were Invisible ten feet away. With several other steamships of less tonnage, Teutonic dropped  anchor outside the bar. 

On Jan.  11 the  Teutonic made the  fine run  of 511 knots, six knots less than the best on record. She brought 365 cabin passengers, among whom were Senhor T. de Sonza Loza, Portuguese Minister to the United States.

The Sun, 15 January 1892.

In the end, she  did not into  Quarantine until 9:05 a.m. until the next morning and finally got alongside until noon, some 24  hours late. 

Departing New York  on 20 January  1892, Teutonic called at Queenstown 8:38-9:25 p.m. on the  26th and arrived  at  Liverpool the next  day.

Embarking her  passengers   in Langton Dock  rather  than off the Landing Stage,  Teutonic  sailed from Liverpool at 4:00 pm.  on 3 February  1892 and  finally  made an on time departure from Queenstown at  2:20 p.m. the  next  day, with   396  saloon and 469 steerage passengers, including Mr. & Mrs.  Rudyard Kipling).  It proved a miserable winter  crossing, "from the day  of departure  from Queenstown the Teutonic encountered  a series of howling gales  and mountainous  seas. Last Sunday she  was compelled to  slow down because of the heavy  cross  sea." (The Evening World, 11 February).  On the  7th,  she  hit an  especially heavy  head  sea and passengers were not allowed  out on  deck.   "After a long  and  tedious  voyage," (New York Times) and doubtless to the  relief of all  aboard, Teutonic docked  at  New  York  the morning of the 11th after making the second longest voyage from Queenstown  so far  in her short  career: 6 days 18  hours 45 mins. 

Mrs.  William Astor was among those sailing in Teutonic  the morning of 17 February 1892 and see off by Mr. & Mrs.  John Jacob Astor, Mr. & Mrs. Bradley Martin and Mr. & Mrs. Orme Wilson as Teutonic  comings and goings out of  the Port of  New York  featured as much  in the society pages of  The Gilded Age more than the shipping columns.   She  also  carried, in the custody  of two policemen, "Samson the  Strong Man,"  who being  extradited to Britain  after  having been charged  with stealing a quantity of  jewellery during his last stay  in London. After calling at Queenstown the  morning  of the  24th, Teutonic arrived at  Liverpool on the  25th.

Meanwhile, her sister ship took Teutonic's westbound  record by arriving  at  New York  on  24 February 1892, logging 5 days  20 hours  22  mins.  Actual steaming time  from Daunt's  Rock but  as Majestic (Capt. H. Parsell) had  taken the longer  southern course,  her  adjusted time was reckoned to be 5  days 15 hours  45 mins., better  than Teutonic's 5  days 16 hours  31 mins over the shorter northern route. She averaged 20.41 knots  across.  It was doubly impressive  having  been accomplished  in winter.  White Star were  more  than happy  to have their  two flyers compete for supremacy on the  North Atlantic and no finer  pair of sister  ships  were to be found on the ocean highway. 

Pulling off  from Liverpool's Prince's  Landing  Stage  at  4:00  p.m. on 2  March 1892 and passing  out  of  Queenstown at 2:15 p.m. the following day,  Teutonic was  once  again  New York bound. Among her passengers was Mr. Foxhall Keene,  "the  young  sportsman, who has gained an international reputation as  a cross-country  rider.  He  brings  with  him eight  new horses for  his stable."  (The  Evening  World,  9  March 1892).   Teutonic, first  sighted off Fire Island at 11:00  a.m. on the  9th, reached  Quarantine at 12:12 p.m., and came up the  harbour at  12:37 p.m. and alongside  about  an hour  later. 

Among  those sailing from New  York  in Teutonic on 16 March  1892  were  seven of the contestants of the  big cycling tournament in Madison Square  Garden: Lamb, Wood, Lumsden, Howell,  O'Flannigan, Arthur and Alfred Robb, but one,  Ashinger, the winner of  the 72-hour race failed to  board  in time  and missed  the boat. Taking the southern route  to avoid ice, and hitting  easterly  winds  the  whole way across, Teutonic still put  in  a fine performance, coming into Queenstown at 10:30  p.m. on the 22nd, logging 6  days 5 hours  30  mins  from Sandy  Hook to Rochespoint.  The trip across was marred  by two  deaths:

About 10 o'clock on Friday night a saloon passenger, named F. J. Flagg, a New York merchant, was sitting on the  liner's port rail, talking to some friends, the night being beautifully fine. In impressing the force of his observations on his friends, he made a sudden gesture, and losing his hold of the rail, the unfortunate gentleman toppled overboard into the water. An alarm was immediately raised, and though the steamer was going at a great rate of speed, she was quickly stopped and reversed. Life buoys were thrown overboard in the hope that he may be able to grasp one of them. A lifeboat was promptly lowered and manned and rowed to the but all efforts were completely futile, as it would appear that the poor gentleman was not seen after falling overboard to rise again to the endue of the water. After remaining for time fruitlessly searching for him, the liner continued on her course. On the same day a saloon passengers, named W E. Field, an Englishman, died on board of natural  caused. His body  was preserved and taken on in the liner  to  Liverpool, when it will  be conveyed  to Crewe where, it  appears, the  deceased  belonged to.

Cork  Daily  Herald, 24  March 1892. 

Whilst Teutonic  was coaling in Langton Dock at Liverpool  on 26 March 1892, the American steamer  Indiana, whilst  docking, collided with  the coaling flat alongside, sinking it  as well as denting  her  forward plates.  

Departing  Liverpool on 30 March  1892,  Teutonic's passenger list  featured Lord and Lady  Arthur Butler; the famous Punch  artist Harry  Furniss; the well-known tenor Edward Lloyd and Mrs. P.T. Barnum.  Clearing Queenstown at 2:15 p.m.  on 1 April, Teutonic  coursed  westwards and did so in capital fashion,  arriving  at  New  York  the morning  of  the  6th  after  a 6-day 5-min. crossing. 

Credit: The Evening World, 13 April 1892.

With the biggest cabin passenger list  (235 First and 139 Second Class), with  Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Pulitzer  once again aboard, from New  York  so far  that  season, Teutonic cleared her North River  pier the  afternoon  of 13 April 1892, passing out of Sandy Hook  at 7:50 p.m.   Upon her  arrival  at Queenstown at 12:10 a.m. on the 19th, the Cork  Daily  Herald reported:  " The noble liner on this occasion took the southerly route, and covered a distance altogether of 2,900 miles. Nevertheless, she accomplished the passage from Sandy Hook to Rochespoint in five days 23 hours and 29 minutes, which appears to be the fastest on record. Her average steaming during the passage was 20.21 knots per hour. She had a large number of all classes of passengers, several of whom landed at Queenstown, and spoke most favourably of the liner in every respect. "  It was indeed  a  new eastbound record and Teutonic  logged impressive daily  runs  of 312, 450, 470, 491, 471  and 245 up to Queenstown.  A cabin passenger, Mr. Edward  Wylde, died aboard, and his body  taken on to Liverpool in the company  of his  wife  and child. Teutonic arrived at Liverpool on the 20th.

Arriving at Queenstown from Liverpool (sailing the previous day) at 9:40 a.m.  on 28 April 1892, Teutonic sailed at 2:20 p.m. for New York. Among those  aboard was Charles Emory  Smith, U.S. Ambassador to  Russia.  "After a very fast  trip," (Evening World), Teutonic passed  Sandy  Hook at  10:50 a.m. on 4 May  and was docked  by 2:30 p.m..  On arrival, Ambassador Smith  told reporters  of  the  great welcome the American ship Indiana, carrying grain in relief  of the famine in Russia received on arrival at Libau; this being  the same vessel  that collided with Teutonic's coal barges at Liverpool  earlier. 

The big news in May 1892 was the re-flagging of the Inman flyers and great rivals  to Teutonic and Majestic, under the  American flag, and the merging of  the Inman firm with  American Line.  Effected the next year, it reintroduced nationalism into the  potent rivalry among the fastest ships on the  Atlantic and led to the  construction of  two American-built express liners, St. Louis  and St. Paul.  That month, the Germans entered the  "20-knot club" with HAPAG's new Fuerst Bismarck which set a new record between New  York and Southampton of 6 days  12 hours 33 mins at 20.076 knots  average or a quarter of  a knot  under  Teutonic's  best  performance. 

Credit: The Evening World, 10 May 1892.

Teutonic left New  York  on 12  May 1892, numbering  J.P. Morgan, Lord Arthur and Lady Butler, Lord Alexander Paget, Mr. & Mrs.  C.A.  Spreckels, George  Peabody  Wetmore, Fred W. Vanderbilt  and J.F. Mackay among those aboard. When arriving off Rochespoint on the 18th, the fog  was so dense that no attempt was made to call at Queenstown and Teutonic made direct for Liverpool at 1:40 a.m., arriving there later  that day. 

Credit: The Evening World, 2 June 1892.

From Liverpool on 25 May 1892 and Queenstown the following day, Teutonic passed an iceberg on the 29th and several more  the following day en route  to New York where she arrived on the  afternoon of  1 June after  a smart crossing of  6 days  45 mins. Less efficient and expeditious  was the reception afforded to her  900 steerage passengers  by the immigration officials. Even though Teutonic was at her pier  by  1:00 p.m.,  they refused to accept  their transfer by ferry  to Ellis Island for processing until the following day. White Star  filed a complaint with Washington over the matter and her poor passengers  had to spend the night aboard at  company  expense. " It was a cruel and disheartening first experience of a new world which fell to the lot of the 900 immigrants who were left to stifle all last night in the Teutonic's steerage, though the steamer was docked at 1 o'clock in the afternoon. Somebody at Ellis Island was so much to blame for this that it should cause trouble there." (The  Evening World, 2 June 1892).

The crew  of Teutonic held their annual picnic and field games outing on 4 June 1892 at Oak Point.

The British  Ambassador  to the United States, Sir Julian Paunceforte, Lady Pauncefort and daughters were among those embarking Teutonic  on 8 June 1892 for Liverpool.  She gave her passengers  a quick passage over,  logging 6 days 5 hours 30 mins., arrriving at Queenstown at 2:05 a.m. on the 15th and off  for Liverpool at 5:40 a.m.  where she docked afternoon. 

Passing out  of  Queenstown at 2:50 p.m. on 23 June 1892, Teutonic made New York on the  afternoon of the 29th, docking at 4:00 p.m..   The customs  men discovered some $3000 in jewelry  secreted  in the  luggage  of one family from Glasgow.  

Teutonic  departed New York on 6 July 1892 at 3:00  p.m. with a capacity list of 1,450 and making the run across in 6  days  6 hours in  fine weather, arrived at Queenstown the morning of the 13th.  She landed 325 passengers there, more from any one steamer in recent memory. 

The Teutonic left Mersey on Wednesday, under the command of Captain Irving who is a lieutenant in the  R.N.R., and an old Conway boy. Captain Irving was born in Cumberland in 1849, and after leaving the school ship was apprenticed to Messrs. T. H. Ismay and Co., and afterwards passed through the various grades of his profession on board the fine clipper ships of the White Star Line, one of which he commanded. In February, 1878, he obtained command of one of the mail steamers, and has since worked his way up with remarkable success to his present responsible position. Under his command the Teutonic in 1891 made a record passage west of of days 16 hours 31 minutes, and other eastern passages made have been 5 21 3, 5 21 22. and 5 21 46, again showing the uniformity which has always characterised the passages of the White Star steamers.

Liverpool Mercury, 30 July 1892.

Having just  lost her westbound record  to City of Paris (which logged 5 days 15  hours 58 mins at 21.02 knots on her first crossing under the U.S.  flag) Teutonic sailed from Liverpool  on 27 July 1892 and clearing Queenstown at 2:15 p.m. the next  day,  with 248 First, 267 Second and 966 Third Class passengers,  with a score  to settle. Teutonic seemed a certain record breaker again when she  was barely discerned in heavy  fog off Sandy Hook  at 1:45 a.m.  3 August  and Capt. Irving knew  he would have  to  get  to  Sandy Hook before 2:02 a.m. to reclaim the record. But it was not to be and she actually passed Sandy Hook some three hours  later  than reported.  She sure made  a good effort despite bad weather and machinery troubles, logging 5 days 18 hours 46 mins. at average of 19.99 knots, setting a new record for single days run of 528 nautical miles. 

The Teutonic distinguished herself: however, by breaking the record for single day runs. She made in the nautical day of nearly 25 hours, from noon on Monday until noon on Tuesday, the marvellous run of 528 knots. This exceeds by 11 knots her best previous  single day's run, and is 8 knots better than the great run of the City of Paris made on the trip she completed at this port last week. The average hourly speed of the Teutonic on her record day was about 21.40 knots.

The ship not only had bad weather but her port engine got out of order on Tuesday night about 9 o'clock, and she came into port under steam from her starboard engine only. Her daily runs for the voyage were 477, 490, 500, 484. 528, and 290 knots. She had three hours of dense fog off the Banks on Monday, and on the two preceding days she had strong head winds and seas.

The Sun, 4  August 1892.

Never did a steamship make a braver effort to regain her laurels as the Queen of Ocean Racers, and never did a ship have harder luck than the White Star liner Teutonic, which came up to her dock at the foot of West Tenth street at 8.45 o'clock this morning.

She left Daunt's Rock Light, from Queenstown, at 10 p.m. Thursday last, and at 8.56 this morning poked her nose through fog at Sandy Hook, completing her passage in 5 days, 18 hours and 40 minutes, or just  2 hours and 48 minutes behind the best of all record, made by the Inman liner City of Paris, which came into this port last Wednesday alter a trip or 5 days, 15 hours and 08 minutes. Teutonic logged daily runs of  477, 490, 500, 484, 528 and 296 nautical miles. 

 It exasperating, and to add to Capt. P. J. Irving's grief the big White Star boat had not only failed to beat her rival, the City of Paris, but bad also dropped two hours and fifteen minutes behind her best record of 5 days 16 hours and 31 minutes, which enabled her to hold the record-breaking championship for nearly a year until the City or Paris smashed it by thirty-three minutes last week. 

Little wonder that the City of Paris, at her dock adjoining that of the Teutonic, stood a trifle more erect than usual this morning, and that Capt. Watkins walked with a firmer and more elastic step than ever. His ship had fittingly inaugurated her debut as an American vessel by promptly seizing the pen nant as a racer, and he meant to hold onto it.

Little wonder, too, that Capt. Irving, of the Teutonic was not inclined to talk or his ship's failure to break the record.  But Purser T. H. Russell was is an excellent humor in spite of the hard luck that bud attended the trip.

On the next to the last day of her trip the Teutonic made 528 knots, beating the record for a single day's run, and Purser Russell dilated on this point, which, he held, conclusively showed that her failure  beat the record was not the Teutonic's fault but the result of unfortunate circumstances. 

'We had terrible, luck all the way over,' said Purser to an Evening World reporter. We started out under favorable auspices but at once fell in with strong head winds and head seas. 

On Monday we ran into a heavy fog off the banks of Newfoundiand and lost three straight hours because we didn't dare to do more than crawl along at a snail's pace.

Even then We might  have had a ghost of  a show had we not met with an accident last night. At  9 o'clock the port engine broke and we had to work one engine  alone during the last 296 knots. 

Yesterday we scored 528 knots, guess it'll  be a long time before you see that record broken or even equalled. If we hadn't broken down last night we would have run the 296 knots in thirteen hours, instead of  the sixteen and a hair hours it took us. 

We didn't break the record, but under the circumstances we made a wonderfully quick passage. But we don't give up yet. This ship hasn't finished her career, and she'll surprise everybody before long.

The Evening  World, 3  August 1892.

Teutonic left New York  at 7:00 p.m. on 10 August 1892, called at Queenstown on the 17th and arrived at Liverpool on the  18th.

It was tough month  for  the  erstwhile White  Star champion for on 23  August 1892 City of New York  swept  into  Queenstown after breaking Teutonic's eastbound record by a full 1  hour  6 mins,  logging  5 days 19  hours 57 mins from Sandy Hook to Daunt's Rock. 

The next day,  now bereft of records, Teutonic bravely went about her business, sailing  from Liverpool  on 24  August 1892  for  Queenstown and New York.  She arrived  on the 31st at the  American port  already jittery with the  threat  of cholera  reported among  Russian immigrants bound for the city.  New  regulations were put  in force to bathe  all  arriving steerage passengers  and fumigate all luggage. Teutonic arrived  off  Quarantine at 10:35 a.m. with 300 First,  205  Second and 997 steerage passengers. Her mails (527 bags plus 216  sacks of newspapers) were  fumigated aboard  the steamer George  Starr before being landed and cabin passengers had to sign  affidavits they had not been cholera infected  areas prior to embarking and steerage passengers' baggage fumigated. She was not permitted to berth  until 11: 15 a.m.  On 1 September. Among Teutonic's passengers was Lottie Collins, "made famous in two continents by her  unique  rendition of  'Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay', (The Evening World) coming to New York under  the management of Charles  Frohman.

The Teutonic's  cricket  team played the Albion cricket  team on 3 September, losing 117 to  64. 

Among those sailing from New  York aboard Teutonic on 7 September  1892  was Alfred Dietrick,  "chief  constructor of the  Imperial German Navy." Calling at Queenstown  at 11:50 p.m.  on the  14th, she sailed for Liverpool at 1:10 a.m. and arrived there later on the  15th. 

The Teutonic Amateur  Athletic Club held  their  annual picnic  and sports meet  on 17 September 1892 at Doe  Park, Wooton; "the weather proved  all that could be desired,  and a capital afternoon's sports was  the result,"  (Liverpool Mercury, 19 September).

At the invitation of Mr. T.H. Ismay,  the children  of  the  Deaf and Dumb School and some adults of the  Deaf  and  Dumb Institute toured  Teutonic on 20  September 1892 followed by an excursion  on  the Mersey  aboard Magnetic, all enjoyed in fine  weather. 

The New York-bound Teutonic left  Liverpool on 21 September 1892, clearing  Queenstown the following day  at 2:05 p.m., with 285 First and 223 Second Class passengers as well as full complement of Third Class. On the  22nd, the ship's chief  cook, Joseph Gough, aged 58,  died of heart  failure. Passing  Sandy Hook at 6:12 a.m. on the 28th, she did the  crossing over in 5 days 21  hours 8 mins., arriving off Quarantine at 7:37 a.m., and  still undergoing rigourous  health protocol there, did  not dock until early that afternoon.  Among those aboard was Frank C. Ives,  the billiard champion. 

Departing New York on 5 October 1892,  Teutonic put in another good performance,  arriving off Roche's Point at  11:49 p.m. on the  12th and logging  6 days 34 mins.  From Sandy Hook to Daunt's  Rock. After landing some passengers and all her  mails-- 570 bags-- there, she resumed passage to Liverpool  where  she  arrived the next morning. 

Teutonic  was off again  for America on 19  October 1892 and left Queenstown at 1:57 p.m. the next  day, beginning what would be a long  and rough crossing  over. Due at New York on the 26th, she was  a no show, disappointing The Evening World which stated "It  was  expected that  the Teutonic would try on this trip  to break the eastward  [sic]  record and recover the laurels lost  her to rival, the City of Paris." Instead, she did not dock until the following morning, having reached Quarantine at 8:20  p.m. the previous night, "after  her most stormy voyage," and logging a decidedly  unrecordly  6 days 9 hours 51 mins. across. "The weather was so rough that  the  passengers  had to keep below  decks most of the time, and there was much  seasickness." (The Evening World).   The New York Times reported she had braved "boisterous seas and heavy, adverse gales," across and on the morning of the 23rd, hit a heavy gale from the southwest that  raised such a high sea that Capt. Irving  had to  run her at reduced speed  for eight hours, so that  she did only  360 miles that day. "The Teutonic behaved admirably in the storm, and came  out of it uninjured,"  added The Times. 

Credit: The World, 28 October 1892.

She landed a most distinguished and varied passenger list that included J.W. Mackay, Marshall Field, the actor Wilson Barrett and his leading lady Miss  Maud Jeffries, the renown English comedian, actor and singer George Grossmith and wife; and prize fighter Peter  Jackson. The day before  arrival,  some of her famous passengers entertained their fellow travellers with a "grand concert in the saloon,"  and "Purser Russell says it was the finest concert ever given aboard Teutonic." (New York Times). 

Among the 200 saloon passengers sailing to  England in  Teutonic on 3 November 1892 was a Canadian delegation, led by Sir  Charles Tupper and the Hon.  Edward  Blake,  Canadian Liberal leader, members of the Behring Sea Commission.  On the 4th, Teutonic passed the disabled National Line steamship  England, under  shortened sail, in heavy seas and with her  engine  broken down. A boat was sent  over but  as no immediate  assistance was requested, she proceeded, and England eventually  resumed passage. Teutonic arrived off  Queenstown at 10:00 p.m. on the 8th in such heavy fog that  she could not  come in and proceeded direct  to Liverpool  where she arrived  at 2:00 p.m. on the  9th. 

What had  been a momentous  year for Teutonic, begun with records won and ending with records lost, also witnessed an extraordinary  change  of  command for the  ship  and a demotion of  the  man who  most championed Teutonic as a recordbreaker.  

On arrival at Liverpool on 9 November 1892, Capt. P.J. Irving was relieved  of  duty after 30 years of White  Star  service.  As commander of  Teutonic, he was replaced by Capt. George Cameron, formerly of Germanic, who  was, in turn, replaced  by the promoted  Capt, Nicol,  formerly  master of the cattle boat Bovic.  The change was not announced, either, and only  came to  the attention of the New York papers with  the  arrival of Germanic there on 18 November 1892 and extensively reported:

News of these changes reached this side yesterday upon the arrival of the Germanic in command of Capt. Nicol. It was a surprise to the steamship people and to everybody interested in maritime affairs. Capt. Irving was one of the best known of the transatlantic commanders, and the personal friend of thousands of ocean travellers. He had been in the service of the White Star line continuously for thirty years, and has a splendid record. Although no reason for his retirement accompanied the news of it yesterday, it was declared that the steamship company disapproved of his ' record-breaking' attempts and dispensed with his services on that account. 

Capt. Irving bad an insatiable ambition to command the fleetest ship afloat. A little over a year ago he had a controversy over the logs of one of his trips. He claimed that  be had materially reduced the record of the Inman liner City of Paris. This was disputed, and Capt. Watkins demonstrated that, according to the log of the Teutonic, it would have been impossible to make the record claimed. Again this year Capt. Irving alleged that in one of  his voyages, the Teutonic made 528 miles in one day, which, if true, would have given the Teutonic the record for the fastest day's run. This record was also questioned, but Capt. Irving stoutly defended its accuracy.

These disputes, it is said, brought the Teutonic's commander into disfavor with the White Star management. The agents on this side, however, profess to doubt that this had anything to do with the company's action. 

Capt. Irving's urbanity made him very popular with all his travellers. He was  a  brave and cautious officer. He has commanded every steamship in the line excepting the Majestic, and next to Capt. Parnell, was the senior captain. He has been exceptionally fortunate, too, and the only serious mishap he ever met with was the Celtic-Britannic collision. The brunt of the responsibility for this disaster fell upon Capt. Perry, of the Britannic, who lost his certifcate through the court's verdict.

'The official information of Capt. Irving's removal from the Teutonic,'said Cashier Adams, of the White Star line, 'came to us to-day by the Germanic, which arrived in command of Capt. Nicol, of the Bovic. Our advices merely said that the Teutonic, which is  due here next Wednesday, is in command of Capt. Cameron, and that Capt. Nicol had been promoted to the Germanic. No reasons were assigned for the changes. We know of no cause of complaint against Capt. Irving. He is a good officer  and has a good reputation. The change was, made by the company in Liverpool and they alone can explain their action.'

'I am the commander of the Germanic," said Capt. Nicol. I was promoted. I obey orders without asking any questions. I know nothing about the changes, except that 1 have taken  Capt. Cameron's place in this ship.  I believe that he is now in the Teutonic.'

The World,  19 November 1892.

Capt. P. J. Irving. formerly of the swift twin-screw steamship Teutonic, has not only been relieved of his command, but is no longer in the service of the White Star line. The local office received a despatch yesterday announcing that Capt. Irving had been superseded by the former skipper of the Germanic, Capt. J. G. Cameron. The Germanic, which arrived here yesterday, is commanded by Capt. Robert Nicol. formerly of the Bovic. 

Capt. Irving is one of the youngest navigators in the transatlantic service, not being more than 43 years old. He is a veteran. However, having been the skipper of a fine British sailing ship when he was only 19. At 22 he commanded a steamship. He has been in the service of the White Star line since its existence. He was born in Cumberland. England. and served an apprenticeship on the British training ship Conway. 

The New York office was silent yesterday in regard to the cause of Capt. Irving's dismissal. It is known, however, that he has not been in favor with his employers for several years. It was insinuated that he doctored his log two years ago to eclipse the record of the City of Paris, then 5 days 10 hours and 18 minutes. He declared that he arrived off the Sandy Hook lightship in the dark hours of the morning. The observers at Sandy Hook and the Highlands said that he arrived later. The time of the Teutonic on that occasion was, according to Capt. Irving, just eleven minutes better than the record of the City of Paris. The Teutonic made an undisputed run of 5 days 10 hours and 31 minutes last year, which, was the record until July. when the City of Paris made days 15 hours and 58 minutes. Her last day's run was 520 knots, which Capt. Irving put in the shade on his next trip by eight knots. The City of Paris beat this splendid run of nearly twenty-live hours in October by two knots, and lowered her record to 5 days 14 hours and 24 minutes.

The Sun, 19 November 1892.

Capt. J.G.  Cameron, R.N.R. Credit: Ocean, Magazine of Travel.

Under Capt. J.G.  Cameron,  Teutonic cleared  Liverpool on 16 November  1892, and making  an early call at Queenstown the  following morning,  departed there at 1:15 p.m. for  New York where she arrived on the 23rd.  

H. Maitland Kersey, the agent for the line, said that Capt. P. J. Irving, the former commander of the Teutonic, has retired ftrom the Service only temporarily and at its own request. He was thirty years in the service, and was in command of a vessel at the age of twenty years. It was reported that Capt. Irving, who is a widower,  is going to marry a wealthy New York woman. He is  said to be a passenger on board the Teutonic.

The  Evening World, 23 November 1892.

White  Star denied the whole story much less  Capt. Irving being aboard, although  there was a "J.B. Irving" on the passenger list but accompanied by his wife and two daughters. What was not doubted was that Teutonic had a  "rather boisterous" crossing with "high  seas and  fierce gales," and took 6 days 4 hours  hours from Daunt's  Rock to Sandy Hook.  It seemed  Teutonic's racing days were indeed a thing  of the past. It was  a  difficult voyage with  the  death of a cabin passengers, Edwin C. Peebles, from heart  disease, and a the same day another passenger, James Frank, was stricken with smallpox, and quarantined in the hospital, and later taken to Reception Hospital off Quarantine.

Horseman Foxhall Keene would not  be embarking  on Teutonic on 30  November 1892 as planned and cancelled his passage, "as he prefers  to  sail on a steamer with a captain whom he knows personally, and there has been a change  in the captains  of  the Teutonic. He has given up his stateroom and will make the journey on some other of the ocean racers."(New York Tribune, 30 November).  White Star's Maitland Kersey  did  sail as did Vice-Admiral Sir Michael Seymour and Marquis Imperall and Teutonic went out with a good list of 170 First, 70 Second and 870 Third  Class passengers. Enjoying rare fine weather for the season, she got into Queenstown at 11:30p.m. on 6  December after a good passage of 6  days 1 hour. Leaving  there just after midnight on the  7th for Liverpool, Teutonic docked later that  day.

Making  his first of several trips aboard her, I.J.  Paderewski was among those  sailing aboard Teutonic on her final  voyage that year, from Liverpool on 14 December 1892. "Who would not like to be a passenger on board the Teutonic on Wednesday next? On this vessel Paderewski will take his passage to Now York. To him constant practice on the pianoforte is as essential as food itself, and he evidently does not intend to allow his fingers a rest daring the voyage, as he is having a new Steinway grand placed in his state-room." (Evening Herald, 13  December).  Mr. Paderewski also took two harps, "and will give concerts on the voyage."  (The  Evening World, 14 December). One passenger made  an extraordinary  effort  to  make  the  sailing:

Much  excitement was caused  in Queenstown to-day  by  a saloon passenger Mr. J.S. Piza, a member  of  the firm Messrs. Piza, Nephews, and Co., general merchants, who had booked  a passage  in the Teutonic,  bound for New York, and lost  the mail train  from Dublin. Without  a moment's delay  the enterprising  American paid £40 for  an engine and carriage  to run him to Queenstown, a distance  of  180 miles. This journey  was accomplished in  the  fast time of 3  hours 20 mins. A special steamer was  then hired, and Mr. Piza  chased the Teutonic out  of the harbour and boarded her  before  she passed Roche's Point. He  was loudly  cheered  by  his fellow-passengers.

Scottish Leader, 16 December 1892.

With Mr. Piza safely aboard, Teutonic passed out of Queenstown at 2:20 p.m. on 15 December  1892 with  275  saloon passengers aboard.  Expected at New York at  dawn on the  21st,  Teutonic was  hours overdue  and did not dock  until  10:30 a.m. the next morning, clocking 6 days 13 hours 21 mins. from Daunt's Rock to  Sandy Hook,  some 12 hours slower than her usual  performance.  Her daily runs  showed how  rough  the trip was:  409, 378, 410, 439, 440 and 477 nautical miles. 

She left Liverpool on Thursday and on Saturday encountered gale that did not abate until she way within a few hours' run of this port. 

On Friday she had strong southwesterly winds and a heavy sea. Some of the passengers  went out on deck for a moment, but the wind blew so fiercely that they speedily sought the shelter of the saloon. That day the steamer made 375 miles, her usual run being 500 miles a day. 

The next day the winds kept increasing in force and before noon a terrific gale was blowing.

Mountain like seas broke over her bow and sides. None of the passengers ventured on deck, which was constantly flooded.

Lifeboat No. 9 was crushed by a wave and carried away.

The  Evening World, 22  December 1892.

The Teutonic's storm-tossed passengers were not sorry when the gangplank was over the side and the long voyage was at an end. It had been one continuous roll, tumble, and pitch  over times seas  whipped into froth by gales blowing hurricane violence. The wind would hold steady for a few hours and then burst upon the ship in a wild outfly from  another direction, rolling up a confused sea, and one as dangerous as it was disagreeable.

 The first day out from port was marked by a struggle against a heavy south west gale,which a  dashed seas over the port bow and beam in such quantities as to make that part of the deck untenable  for either  passengers or crew. The following day saw no abatement to the storm. 

On the third  day  out from port  the storm culminated in a  furious hurricane. The  Teutonic's officers say that  whose height from hollow to crest was greater than  any had ever witnessed before. The force of the wind was  so great that  the  crests of the billows were  off by the  gale  and hurled  across the ocean in a laterally  flying Niagara. 

While struggling through the smother of  spray and foam, the big liner was beset by waves  which continually dashed over the decks. One  that was literally  'dished'  over  the  starboard side  carried away  the forward lifeboat and did  other damage to some of the deck  fixtures.

 The storm slightly abated that night but was doing  business  at the old stand on the  following day. It did no damage  to the ship, however,  and the one which with the breath of the Arctic the  day  after, rolled  a heavy  beam sea against the liners, but beyond making the passengers  very sea-sick it  did no  harm.

There was  a brief  respite on Tuesday  and then a last, long lingering  blast, the day preceding  arrived.

New York Times, 23 December 1892.

Among the  few  who did not  succumb to  seasickness during  the crossing, Paderewski, who occupied  stateroom P.,  pronounced himself  in "glorious  health," and enjoyed  the  company of his fellow passengers, "On Monday night, just  after  the worst  of the blow was over, Paderewski  treated the passengers to a concert  in  the dining room." (The Sun, 23  December  1892).

When Teutonic  cleared  her  North  River berth on 28  December  1892  her  refrigerated  cargo space was partly  occupied  by  60 quarts of Maillard's best ice cream which was ordered directly by Mr. J. Bruce Ismay. It was believed  to  be  the  first export  of  American ice cream.  Her passengers included Mr. Robert T. Lincoln, American  ambassador  to Britain.

In 1892, Teutonic  made 13 westbound and 13 eastbound crossings.

Teutonic in New York  Harbor, 1 December 1892. Credit: Nathaniel L. Stebbins photograph,  Historic New England.

1893

Ringing in the New  Year at sea, Teutonic  called at  Queenstown on 3 January  1893 after a 6-day 3-hour  run,  and arrived at Liverpool on the following  day.  Heavy fog in the Mersey greeted her off Mersey  Bay at  noon, and "the tender Magnetic, which conveyed the passengers from the  steamer to the Landing-stag,  only  arrived at  half-past four  in the afternoon, the  thick fog making navigation very  dangerous." (Liverpool  Mercury, 5 January).

Lying at her berth, Teutonic was slightly damaged when she was struck by the  steamer Lisbon, arriving  from her namesake port on  5 January 1893, which brushed her, coming alongside.  Damage to Lisbon was  confined  to one or two plates  on her starboardside  and "slight" damage sustained by the  White  Star liner.  A further accident occurred on the 17th when a worker, John Roberts, fell  from one of  her masts and killed instantly by the fall. 

Credit: The Evening World, 3 February 1893.

Following  her  winter drydocking,  Teutonic resumed service on departure from Liverpool for New York on 25 January  1893. Clearing Queenstown the next  day at 1:55 p.m.,  she had an almost predictably  stormy passage of 6  days 16 hours 36 mins to reach New York on 2 February, 24 hours late.  Indeed, the eastbound Majestic went through  the same gale.  One sea shipped  on Teutonic actually went over the  crow's nest and she again lost one of her  forward  lifeboats.

Teutonic left  New  York on 8 February 1893, among those  aboard was Mr. M. Hess, of Bloomingdale's department store, on a buying trip to  Europe.  This  time, fine weather was enjoyed across despite "variable  winds," and she  put  in a smart passage of  6  days  4 hours 32 mins., arriving at Queenstown at 11:00 p.m. on the 14th "When the tender alongside the liner the passengers highly delighted and cheered lustily for 'Old Ireland' on hearing that Mr. Gladstone had the previous evening, in a very able speech in the House of Commons, introduced his Home Rule Bill for Ireland." (Cork Daily Herald, 16  February).    

The Cork Daily Herald 10 February 1893 tempted its readers with  the news  that "the year 1893 is  likely to  be  one of record making  and record  breaking  on the  Atlantic," and noting that schedules that month would see Majestic  and City of  New  York sailing the same day from Liverpool for New  York and  on 22  February,  City of Paris and Teutonic likewise. 

Teutonic did indeed depart Liverpool on 22 February 1893 on the afternoon tide but  City of Paris, on her  last sailing from the port (she and her  sister being  transferred to Southampton) missed the tide owing to some  delaying loading luggage, and did not leave until the following morning, but she eventually  caught  up with Teutonic at  Queenstown.  Clearing  Queenstown at 1:20 p.m. on the  23rd, among her passengers was Princess Kailulani, heiress to the throne of Hawaii. City of  Paris followed at 2:00 p.m. and what The  Sun called the "Last of  the Queenstown Races"  was on. 

It proved  a final triumph for City of Paris on her  last voyage from Liverpool,  arriving off  Fire  Island on  1 March 1893 at 10:59 a.m. and, clocked  6 days 2 hours 39 mins. for  the  run and averaging 20.70 knots with  the  best day's run of  530.  She beat Teutonic by almost  three hours which logged 6  days 5 hours 41 mins. It was the last classic  trans-Atlantic race and wonderfully covered  by the  New  York  press:

Never has there been a more glorious ocean tussle between the giants: never have decks been so swept by the wind-frayed crests of seas, and never have engines throbbed and grimy stokers sweated and passengers betted on this the last contest between White Star and Inman ships.

It was early on last Thursday afternoon that the City of Paris steamed out of Queenstown harbor for the open. She had Daunt's Rock, where the westward races begin, abeam at 2:55 o'clock. The Teutonic had preceded her an hour and forty minutes, and was invisible behind the leaden horizon. But she left her smoky autograph written on the sky, and the City of Paris steered by it until dark.

 At noon on Friday the clipper bow of the American liner had churned into frosty foam 469 knots of sea. She was gaining very slowly on the Teutonic. Nobody aboard her knew, but all the patriots hoped it might be so. The Teutonic's run, with an hour and forty minutes in her favor, was 493 knots, or 24 knots better than that of the City of Paris. 

The engineer's log on the American showed at the end of the nautical day on Saturday she had made 502½  knots while the Teutonic was making 489 knots. Very early on Sunday morning there was a stir in the smoking room of the City of Paris, and much smothered feeling of a jubilant kind in the heart of her Yankee skipper. Capt. W.G. Randle. Other kinds of feelings prevailed Among many of the feminine passengers, for there was a gale  whistling of the out of the northwest, and the seas were of the  sort termed by skippers everywhere 'mountainous,' which may mean that they were from trough to crest about thirty feet high. What made glad the hearts of the officers on the bridge, all clad in dripping oilskins, was trail of smoke on the westward sky. Word went round the ship that the American liner was catching the British boat, and some patriots almost forgot that they were not feeling well. One said that the universal Yankee nation wouldn't throw up the sponge for body, and another merrily remarked that he had thrown up everything but that. 

There was betting in the smoking room, mostly on the City of Paris, just after she left Queenstown. When the pennant of smoke seen across the western sky Teutonic stock had gone down beyond the betting point. Before 8 o'clock the White Star boat was visible ahead, seemingly making hard weather of it. Some idea of what kind of seas were rearing their crests on Sunday may be had by a glance at the pictures herewith presented. drawn by artist on the Teutonic. From his point of view the City of Paris seemed to be making worse weather of it than the Teutonic, but from the bridge of the City of Paris the Teutonic was 'bows under water' while the northwester was at its  worst.

The picture of  the  two ships  is from a sketch made by a passenger on the Teutonic just before noon. The City of Paris was then on the port quarter of the Teutonic. At noon she had the White Star boat abeam, and soon afterward passed her. 

Capt. Cameron of the Teutonic made up his mind apparently that his ship was going to be beaten. and the American skipper doubtless decided that he should be. There was no see-sawing after the City of Paris got within sight of the White Star racer. The Paris gained steadily. She battered the tall seas with her clipper bows, and now and then there was a rush of foamy water along her decks. Once twice her bow was hidden in spume and spray. The straight stem of the Teutonic parted the seas, but they came aboard, sometimes in pretty solid masses.

So. for fear of doing damage to her and for the comfort of his passengers, Capt. Cameron had to give up the tussle, and somewhat after 10 o'clock on Sunday morning the City of Paris plunged past the Teutonic in a cloud of spray, amid the cheers of all the voyagers who were able to sit up. Late in the afternoon the Teutonic's Captain saw only the smoke from the triple funnels of the City of Paris. 

At noon on Sunday, in spite of wind and sea,the City of Paris had logged 414½ knots. After that the race was over. For all the pitching and rolling of both big boats, neither was damaged in the least. By Monday noon City of Paris had made 493 knots while the Teutonic was logging 479. On Tuesday the difference between the propellers of the City of Paris and the bow of the Teutonic was about 31 knots. Yesterday the City of Paris was abeam of Fire Island at 10:38 a.m.  and the Teutonic at 12:15 p.m.. The City of Paris was at the lightship at 12:34 p.m.  and the Teutonic at 1:58 p.m.. Thus. in the last lap of the race, the Teutonic made a little better time that the City of Paris, which, being sure winner, had ceased hustling.

The Sun, 2 March  1893.

Thus ended Teutonic's final race and with it, White Star's passion for  such  things, already on the  wane since the departure of Capt. Irving.  Indeed, she  and Majestic would prove  the last ocean greyhounds "built for speed" at Belfast.  The race between Teutonic and City of  Paris, Belfast vs. the Clyde, was also  to  be last between two British-flagged liners.  

Teutonic left New York on 8 March 1893, and took the southern route in  hopes  of finding  some trace of  the  missing White  Star  cattle boat Naronic.   Even so, she put  in a fast passage of 6  days  4 hours, arriving at  Queenstown 10:11-10:40 p.m. on the 14th.  The 601 bags of English  mails she landed were delivered in London at 2:00 p.m. the next  day, setting a new record of  6 days  22  hours  for  delivery  from New York. Teutonic arrived at Liverpool on the  15th, landing what was thought  to  be the  first importation of  Californian  oranges to  Britain.

Passing out  of Queenstown at 12:50 p.m. on 22 March 1893, with 247 First, 199 Second and 242 Third  Class passengers (W.K. Vanderbilt among them, returning from Birkenhead  supervising construction of his new steam yacht Valiant), Teutonic passed  Sandy Hook at 9:20 a.m. on the 29th, logging 6 days one hour from Daunt's Rock. 

Credit: Belfast News-Letter, 13 April  1893.

From New York on 5 April 1893, Teutonic reached Queenstown at 9:55 a.m. on the  12th after a "rather protracted passage of 6  days 18 hours 33 mins,  caused by having experienced during the entire passage across the Atlantic strong adverse winds and head seas. On the 7th, 8th and 9th inst. terrific gales, with tremendous high seas, were encountered, which retarded the steamer’s  progress. So violent was the force of the wind that she logged on the 6th only 363 miles and on the following day she recorded only 345 miles. Though heavy seas swept over the vessel, and it is most satisfactory  to state that neither the noble liner nor her  living freight  sustained the slightest  injury  or accident. The huge vessel proved conclusively her  admirable  seagoing  qualities."  (Cork Daily Herald, 13  April 1893).  She land 765  bags of mail there before  continuing to Liverpool.

White Star summer  1893 leaflet highlighting  the Chicago World's Fair. Credit: Paul Louden-Brown White Star Line Collection

Among the 266 First Class passengers sailing  in Teutonic from Liverpool on 19  April 1893 were the  Earl and Countess of Aberdeen, bound  for  the Chicago Exhibition; Lady  Arnott and Truxton Beale, the American ambassador to Greece, and His Exellency Hakki Bey, Imperial Commissioner for  the  Ottoman Government for the Chicago Exhibition.  Teutonic  got into New York  late  on the  afternoon of the  26th.  She was there when  Cunard's  Campania  arrived  on her maiden arrival on the 29th, logging the fastest first  crossing to date of 6 days 8 hours 34 mins.  It  was a good  thing  that White Star had  given up  on speed records as  the new Cunarders rather put Teutonic  and Majestic as well as the former  Inman liners  in their wakes. 

Still  the toast  of  New York Society,  Teutonic's 3 May 1893 passenger list for Liverpool  included Signora Eleonora Duse,  Italian  actress,  bound  for an engagement in London, and  "many other distinguished  persons." (Evening  World).  A saloon passenger, Mr.  Martin Reddy, from  Dublin, died aboard on the 8th from a burst  blood  vessel,  and was buried  at  sea. The  following  day, Teutonic arrived at Queenstown just after 10:00  p.m. and her 553 bags of English mails entrained by  10:30 p.m. and in London by 1:58 p.m. the next day. 

From Liverpool  on  18 May  1893, Teutonic called at Queenstown at the following morning on the 19th, Teutonic  took on 540  of American mails  there before  departing for  New York where  she docked the evening of the 24th. 

Teutonic's 31 May  1893 sailing from New York was the toast  of society  with the departure  of the  Earl of Craven  and his new  bride, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas  H. Ismay, Mr. and Mrs. Bradley  Martin and Lord Grey  de Wilton, as well as a consignment of $750,000 in gold by Lazard Freres.  Calling at Queenstown at  5:45 a.m. 8  June, she came in with 671 bags of mail, and got into Liverpool late that  same day.

It was a frightening  leave-taking for Teutonic's passengers from Liverpool on 14  June 1893 when she went out in  terrific thunderstorm:  "The  heavens  suddenly  darkened, and  loud peals of thunder followed, whilst forked lightning flashed round  in a vivid manner, and at times illuminated the big ship. There was no rain at the time, neither  was there any wind blowing,  and the water was quite  calm."  (Belfast News-Letter, 16 June).  Just before arrival at Queenstown the following morning, a seaman, Wm. Cox,  cleaning  one of her whistles on the funnel, fell to the deck and  severely  injured and taken off  the ship  to  General Hospital.  Teutonic  docked at New York  the afternoon of  the  22nd. 

The athletes of  Teutonic held their annual track and field competition on the  White  Star pier  on 23 June 1893. 

Clearing New York late on 28  June  1893 with 1,092 passengers (262 First and 205  Second Class), Teutonic got into Queenstown  early on 5 July, "beautifully  fine weather was experienced  during the passage," and the only incident  was the passing of a large iceberg on the  1st. She landed 191 passengers and 798 bags of  English mail there  before resuming passage  to Liverpool.

Teutonic's Athletic Club held their summer meet on 15 July 1893 at the Liverpool Athletic Grounds, Stanley and included  for the first time, cycle  racing, and was followed  by dancing to the band of the  1st V.B. Liverpool Regiment. 

Following her summer drydocking, Teutonic left  Liverpool for New York on 19 July 1893, numbering among her passengers Peter Jackson, of Australia, the  champion boxer of the world.  Passing out of  Queenstown at 1:50  p.m. the following  day,  Teutonic arrived  off Sandy  Hook at 9:45 a.m. on the 26th and docked midday. The Sun  described Peter Jackson as disembarking in  "stunning suit of black English broadcloth, Prince Albert coat, a wide collared Piccadilly  collar, and russet shoes. He wore  a high shining silk  hat, and carried  an umbrella, several expensive canes, and a large  grip."

Teutonic's cricket team had the misfortune of being matched against the Morris Park Cricket Club on their home ground on  28 July 1893, losing  80 to 166.

His Highness the Nawab of Rampur and party embarked aboard Teutonic the morning of 2 August 1893, occupying "five handsomely furnished staterooms," and  guarded from  the press  by Col. Colvin, of  the British Army, who had been charge of the young prince  during his tour  around  the world. Twenty-one personal servants were  accommodated  in  Second  Class. Also taking passage was Lt.-Gen. T.C. Lyons, Governor of Bermuda.   Altogether, Teutonic went out with 151 First, 195 Second and 530 Third Class passengers and she  afforded them a capital passage of 5  days  22 hours 51 mins. from Sandy  Hook to Daunt's Rock with daily runs of 18, 448, 462, 458, 445, 461, 474 and 44 miles.   Arriving at Queenstown the  afternoon of the 8th, she landed 169 passengers and 91 bags of Irish mails (out  of total of 540  bags) there before carrying on to Liverpool the following day. 

Off again for America, Teutonic cleared  the Mersey  on 16 August 1893 and Queenstown the next day  at 1:15 p.m..  Whilst 260 miles off the Irish coast she passed Mr. Vanderbilt's new steam yacht Valiant, en route from her builders, to her  owner in New York. Teutonic arrived at New York on the 23rd.

Sailing from New York on 30 August 1893 with 113 First, 142 Second and 395 Third Class passengers,  Teutonic recorded the death of a Third Class passenger, Alfred Berggren, of Sweden, of cerebral apoplexy, during the crossing, who was buried at sea.  It was another  fast passage in fine weather for the liner, clocking 6 days 15 mins. from Sandy Hook to  Daunt's Rock and she arrived at Queenstown the afternoon of 5 September, landing 110 passengers and 84 bags of Irish mail before continuing to Liverpool. 

There was another race between Teutonic and New York (former City of New York) on this trip, but between their respective British terminal ports of Liverpool vs. Southampton and the delivery  of  the English mails to London:

On all occasions when the Queenstown and Southampton routes have been put to a reasonable and fair test, the Queenstown has proved the quickest. Another demonstration of this fact occurred yesterday, in the case of the White Star steamer Teutonic and the American liner New York. The latter left New York at 8.45 a.m. on the 30th ult. The Teutonic left the same day, but at 10.17. The New York was signalled passing Hurst Castle at 5.25 yesterday morning, but the Teutonic arrived at Queenstown at 3.30 on Tuesday afternoon, and docked at Liverpool at 6.30 yesterday morning. The New York carried the bulk of the wails, having 317 sacks of them, but the mails by the Teutonic were delivered all over England the first thing yesterday morning, and on Tuesday in Ireland. This was not owing to the New York being late. as she really made a smart run; but it is simply that the Queenstown route is without doubt the shortest, and thereby the quickest. The Teutonic's passage from New York to Queenstown was 6 days and 15 minutes, by no means her best run. The New York arrived at Southampton at 6.30 a.m. yesterday, Her mails were dispatched for London at 7.15 a.m., and would be delivered in the city at ten o'clock, giving merchants ample time to reply to their letters by the outgoing mail leaving London yesterday evening.

Liverpool Daily Post, 7 September 1893.

This was disputed and The Sun (New York) reported the same  day that New York's mails were actually delivered in London at 11:15 a.m. and those of Teutonic at 3:00 p.m., "this  is the first time  the American line  has  scored such an eastward victory since its steamships began docking at Southampton."

Teutonic sailed from Liverpool on 13 September 1893 and Queenstown the next day with 269 First, 213 Second and 903 Third Class, including  English  boxers Charley  Mitchell and Jack McAuliffe, with Mitchell scheduled for a bout  with James J. Corbett in December. Teutonic arrived in New York  the morning of the 20th, after narrowly averting  a head-on collision at 7:15 a.m. on the 19th with the derelict schooner Annie S. Conant which lay  right  in the main steamer track.  Teutonic  made excellent time over: 5 days 19 hours 55 mins. 

The Teutonic A.C. and about  300 friends and guests held their fifth annual picnic and games meets at Oak Point on 23 September 1893 with foot races, swimming and single scull races. 

Mersey-bound, Teutonic passed out  of  the North River on 27 September 1893.  Perhaps  spoiling for  a fight, "was in company of  the Paris for Southampton for some time," (Cork  Daily Herald, 4 October) and put in a  good time of 6 days 2 hours 11 mins. to get into Queenstown on 3 October despite being delayed  some hours by fog. Landing 153 passengers and 119 bags of mail there,  she carried on to Liverpool. The "mail races" continued and the  Cork Daily Herald of the  5th claimed Teutonic's English mail arrived London at 11:40 a.m. on the  4th vs. "about three o'clock" for Paris.' 

Teutonic sailed from Liverpool on 12  October 1893 and on departure  from Queenstown the  following midday, she had 184 First, 206 Second and 586 Third Class passengers to her credit, including one of her "regulars," department store owner Marshall Field.   Putting in a fast run of 5 days 21  hours and 17 mins, she arrived at New York on the 18th.

Returning to  England after their victory in the America's  Cup race, Capt. Cranfield and the crew of Valkyrie, were  among those embarking in Teutonic on  25 October 1893, sailing at  4:00 p.m.. Perhaps trying to impressive her champion yachtsmen, she made knots across and got into Queenstown at 11:36 p.m. on the 31st, 6 days 40 mins  out of New York. Her contribution to the mail race was 632 bags for London to  be shipped via Dublin and Holyhead. Teutonic anchored  in the Mersey  at 1:00 the next day, after "a splendid passage." (Liverpool  Echo).

Credit: The  Evening World, 15 November 1893.

With Wilson Barrett, his leading lady Miss  Maud Jeffries and 23 members of  his theatrical company aboard, Teutonic's 8 November 1893 sailing to New York featured a new sketch, "Tragedien's Quiet Moments" written by  him aboard and presented by members of the company  at  the  farewell dinner  aboard.  Teutonic got into New York on the 15th and in the  superb time of 5  days 19 hours 33 mins. 

Credit: Liverpool Daily Post, 29 November  1893.

Teutonic really found her speed late in 1893 with some excellent performances which whilst inadequate  to challenge  the new records of  Campania, were nonetheless consistently  impressive. Departing New York  22 November 1893, Teutonic passed Daunt's Rock at 8:56 p.m. on the 28th, logging 5 days  22 hours 56  mins. from  Sandy Hook  to  Daunt's Rock.  Her daily runs were 342, 451, 450, 457, 462 and 469 nautical mies. She landed 132 passengers  and 124 bags of mail there and carried  on to Liverpool.  As usual, Teutonic was attended  to at  Queenstown by  the  splendid two-year-old tender America, 135-ft. by 24-ft., which  was destroyed by  fire that  very  same night alongside  her  berth.  

Making her last voyage of  the  year, Teutonic  left Liverpool on 6 December 1893  and Queenstown at 2:10 p.m. the next day, numbering J.W. Reinhart, president of  the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, among her passengers. There was no fast easy  steaming on this crossing and Teutonic and Havel were  both overdue at New York on  the 14th and expected there the previous day.  The  late editions on the 14th reported Teutonic sighted off Fire Island at 1:20 p.m. . "When the big  White Star steamer Teutonic came in by Sandy Hook the sailors were busy  chipping  away  the ice which covered her forward deck  and hung in great  festoons about  her bows," (New York Tribune, 15 December).  Oddly, all that reported  was  that  the crossing over  had been "terribly stormy," and Havel,  which got the  worst of  it, hogged  all the attention. 

Teutonic's final departure from New  York, on 20 December 1893, was one of those awkward ones guaranteed not get her passengers or mails to the "other side" until  after  Christmas, but still attracted 95 first, 150 Second and 330 Third  Class bookings and 271 bags  of mail.  In fine weather except when it became "rather boisterous" off the Irish coast, Teutonic cranked  out  "an excellent passage" of 6  days  1 hour 13 mins. to reach Queenstown at 11:40 p.m. on the 26th. There was even a  wee bit  of  racing against Paris  which left New  York the same day and was passed  by  Teutonic and by  the second day, "so far astern as she was out  of  sight." (Cork Daily  Herald, 28  December).   One steerage passenger, Lizzie Kent, died during   the  crossing  and was buried at sea. Teutonic  landed 86 of her passengers and  160 bags  of mail  at Queenstown and resumed passage for  Liverpool, arriving there on the  27th.

In 1893, Teutonic made 12 westbound and 12 eastbound  crossings.

White Star Line poster, 1894.  Credit: National Maritime Museum.

1894

Starting the New Year early, Teutonic  cleared Liverpool for  New York on 3 January 1894 and arrived late on the 10th. Among those aboard were H. Maitland Kersey, White Star New York  manager, and J.V. Wierdsma, director of  NASM.  

Eastbound, Teutonic cleared New York on 17 January 1894 and calling at Queenstown on the 24th, arrived at  Liverpool later that day.

Rumours abounded that winter of White  Star building an answer to  Campania and Lucania, with the name Gigantic appended to the speculation. This was considerably reinforced  by  discussions that White  Star manager H. Maitland Kersey was having in February  with the New York Dock  Board re. inadequency of existing piers there to  accommodate  any ships longer than Teutonic and Majestic, "And then comes the important part of his letter. 'The construction," he adds, "of a new ship is being contemplated, whose length would probably be 640 feet, but it is impossible for us to proceed with the plans of this vessel until are certain of securing the desired pier accommodation.' His figures indicate that  at the waterline the new White Star liner wll be about forty feet longer than the Campania." (Glasgow Herald, 19 February 1894).

Following drydocking, Teutonic  next  sailed for New York on 21 February  1894.  This time she faced the full rigours  of the Winter North Atlantic with a succession of three gales and high head seas from 23rd-26th, and made only 279 nautical miles on the 25th.  It took her 6 days 20 hours 36 mins. from Daunt's Rock to  Sandy Hook where  she arrived at 4:26 a.m. on 1 March in such heavy fog she was further detained and did not dock until noon.  The New York Times writing: "The big White  Star liner Teutonic poked her nose  up though the fog very cautiously. As there  were very  few  craft in the  way she made her pier by noon."  

Departing New York on 7 March 1894, Teutonic got to Queenstown on the 13th after a 6-day 5-hour  40- min crossing. So fast, she  humiliated New York which left New York the same day and given the English mails whereby  Teutonic only carried mail endorsed for her and still delivered them… via  Liverpool   in advance of  her Southampton rival. Among those aboard landing at Liverpool the next day was Australian shipowner James Huddart bound for talks with  government authorities subsidising the creation of a through  Britain-Canada-Antipodes fast mail  service. 

The westbound White  Star  flyer cleared the Mersey at  4:00 p.m. on 21 March 1894 and passed out  of Roche's Point  at 1:00  p.m., the next day, with 280 First and Second Class passengers, and 498 steerage,  and again went right up against Winter  North Atlantic weather. Due to  arrive at  New York the morning  of  the 28th, she staggered past Sandy Hook at 1:00  a.m. on the  29th. "It was a nasty  trip. We had  head winds all the time, and on Easter Sunday it was particularly bad," Capt. J.G. Cameron told The  Evening World (29 March) which  went on the describe a stormy enough crossing to injure a passenger and two crew members:

The climax was reached Sunday when the wave dashed over the ship, knocking movable things in all directions. M. Schleifer, a saloon passenger, who, with his wife, was returning from a visit to Germany, attempted to go out on deck when huge wave struck the ship, shaking her from stem to stern. In endeavoring to retain his feet Mr. Schleifer slipped and fell, breaking his leg.

The same wave caused severe injuries to two seamen who were at the time engaged in repairing the ventilators in the second hatchway. They were lifted bodily and dashed against the rail. One of them, John McComb, had both arms and legs broken, and the other, William Coleman, sustained internal Injuries. Both men are expected to recover. 

A sharp lookout was kept for Icebergs and five were sighted, but the ship was kept sufficiently far from them to avoid danger.

The Evening World, 29 March 1894.

She caught the heavy weather as soon as she left Queenstown. A gales was blowing from the south-southeast, and a heavy sea was running. On the afternoon of March 23 the  wind veered to the west-southwest and blew  a terrific  gale. Every now and then a squall  would sweep over the ocean with hurricane force. All of Easter Sunday and Monday the high  winds continued, piling up great seas, the high tumbling over the bows and washed aft. The passengers were cautioned against going on deck, and only  a few of  the more  venturesome of them left their  quarters  below.

New York Tribune, 30 March 1894.

Teutonic's football team played the Centreville A.C. at Annette Park, Bergen Point, on 1 April 1894, losing 1-0.  

Leaving New York on  4 April 1894 (passing Sandy Hook at 5:51 p.m.) with 200 First, 190 Second and 420 Third Class passengers, Teutonic took the southern route to  avoid ice and arrived at Queenstown at the awkward hour of  3:35 a.m. on the 11th, managing a very  creditable 6 days 4 hours 44 mins. from Sandy  Hook to Daunt's Rock, in "fair winds and favourable weather," despite some fog on the 7th. She brought in 690 bags of mail, and landed 180 of  the Irish consignment there along with 113 passengers, and took  the English mails onwards  to Liverpool.  The Cork  Daily Herald (12 April  1894) even published an abstract  of  her log:

Credit: Daily Herald, 12 April 1894. 

New York-bound, Teutonic left Liverpool on 18 April 1894 and Queenstown the following day, and other than passing a "medium-sized iceberg" on the 23rd, had  an uneventful crossing that  concluded  at New York on the 25th. 

There was $1 mn. in gold  in Teutonic's strong room upon departure  from New York on 2 May 1894, with heavy weight  boxer "Big  Bob Couglan,"  known as  the "Irish  Giant"  and bound for  home, still recuperating  after his bout with champion Bob Fitzsimmons; and Mr. George  Grossmith .  "The decks of the Teutonic on the warmest day thus far of the year, were fairly crowded with well-known people, but as there were opera magnates among her passengers, more place was left for commonplace folk," (The Sun, 6 May).  She gave the "commonplace folk"  a ripping good passage across, of but  6 days 2 hours 7 miles to cover 2,897 nautical miles from Sandy  Hook to Daunt's Rock in fine weather save  for  moderate gales on the 7-8th, and arriving at Queenstown at 11:56 p.m. on the 8th.  Of  her 605 bags of mail, 532 went ashore there, thence by  special train to Dublin and mailboat  for Holyhead.  Her English mails would be delivered  in the Capital by the following  afternoon, "in ample time for replies there  to be sent by  the  Germanic, sailing on Thursday for  New York." (Cork Constitution, 9 May).  

The Mail War continued unabated with questions in the House regarding the English mails being dispatched in the American Line's New York and Paris  via  Southampton when Teutonic and Majestic, via Queenstown and Liverpool, showed a clear advantage in delivery  times:

As an illustration of the working of the present system, a comparison of the average passages and time occupied in the transit of mails of the Paris and New York and the Teutonic and Majestic since they have been running together shows an advantage in favour the Liverpool boats over the Southampton ones of 17 hours and 38 minutes on an average the passages to Daunt's Rock over those to Needles. Making allowance for the 13 hours' difference in distance it will thus be seen that the American Line steamers are an average 4 hours and 38 minutes longer on the passage home than the White Star's.

Liverpool Mercury, 5 May  1894.

The westbound Teutonic took leave  of  Liverpool on 16 May  1894 and Queenstown  the next day, for  New York, her passenger list enlivened by Mr. & Mrs. F.W. Vanderbilt and  Mr. & Mrs. Foxhall Keene.  Arriving at New York on the 23rd, Teutonic did  herself  proud, logging 5  days  20 hours 40 mins. From Daunt's Rock to  Sandy Hook, at an average speed of  20.33 knots, a distance steamed of 2,861 nautical miles, and 84 more  than on her  record trip of 5 days 16 hours 31 mins, owing to taking  the southern route to avoid ice.  Had she taken the northern course, she would have equalled her best run. She record daily runs of 503, 515, 501, 501, 499 and 341 nautical miles.   She reached Sandy  Hook at 4:25 a.m. only  to have to  anchor for two hours waiting for morning fog to lift before  coming up to Quarantine and her pier. 

From New York on 30 May 1894 (outbound from Sandy  Hook at 3:56 p.m.), with 265 First, 200 Second and 305 Third Class passengers, Teutonic encountered "light adverse winds during the entire passage, except one day,  but  the weather was fine  and the water smooth," (Cork Herald,  7 June 1894), and arrived at Queenstown at 4:19 a.m. on the 6th after a "slightly protracted passage" of 6  days 7 hours 20 mins from Sandy Hook to Daunt's Rock. After landing 150 passengers and 118 bags of  mail there, Teutonic sailed  for Liverpool where she docked  later that day. 

Credit: The  Evening World, 20 June 1894.

Teutonic departed Liverpool  on 13 June  1894, and clearing Queenstown the next day at 12:40 p.m., her 120 First Class passengers included  "regulars" J.P. Morgan and daughter, Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Pulitzer and daughters, Miss Frances E. Willard, President of the World's and National Woman's Christian  Temperance Union;  and delegates to the Colonial Conference in Ottawa: Sir Charles Mill, Right. Hon. The Earl of  Jersey, Hon.  Sir J.H. de Villiers and Lady  Villiers.  Crossing in 6 days 3 hours 45 mins, on arrival  at New York on the afternoon of the 20th, Morgan's  yacht Corsair met the ship off Quarantine and escorted her up to her North River pier where  she docked at 2:00 p.m.. 

Sailing from New York on 27  June 1894, with 275 First, 195 Second and 235 Third Class passengers,  Teutonic made Queenstown on 4 July, arriving at 12:07 a.m., logging 6 days 4 hours 44 mins. across and enjoying fine weather  throughout.  One steerage passenger, Michael Ambrose, 34, from Newcastle West, died of consumption on the 2nd, and his body landed  at Queenstown.  Teutonic disembarked 230 passengers and landed 106 bags of mail before proceeding to Liverpool where she arrived that afternoon.

Yesterday, by kind invitation of Messrs. Ismay, Imrie, and Co., the children and staff of the Bluecoat Hospital, to the number of about 380, were taken for an afternoon trip on the steamer Magnetic. They were accompanied by the band of the institution.  After a channel cruise for about two hours, during which  the children were regaled with  abundant  supply of buns, milk, and oranges, and the staff with tea,  a visit, was paid  to the  steamship Teutonic, which was lying in the river.  The  inspection,  under Captain Cameron, of this magnificent vessel was a source of much interest and wonder to the children. At the close of the trip the party was photographed from the Prince's Landing Stage, and hearty  cheers,  on the  proposition of Mr. Mercer, head master of the  institution, were given for the directors of the White Star Steamship Company, and for Mr. Livesey, who accompanied and superintended the trip.

Liverpool Mercury, 11 July 1894.

Teutonic was again America-bound on 11 July 1894 from Liverpool and passed out of  Queenstown at 1:00 p.m. on the 12th,  numbering among her  passengers  Mr. & Mrs. John Jacob Astor. Teutonic arrived at New York the  afternoon of  the  18th.  A thrill to passengers was steaming by  the burning bark Emma T. Crowell, bound from New York to Shanghai with a cargo of oil in cases, which caught fire  off the Long Island and her  crew  rescued shortly before they came on the scene.   

Credit: The Sun, 20 July 1894.

The Sun, 20 July 1894.

Teutonic came ploughing along the Long Island coast just after the Ocean left the wreck. The air was misty, and the Teutonic's chief  officer, who  was on the bridge, did  not notice the huge column of black smoke  until the ship was within a few miles of the wreck. Capt. Cameron ordered the chief officer to  slow down  and stop to leeward of the Crowell. The Teutonic's passengers were intensely  interested. They crowded forward  on the port side and gazed  over  the rails. Many  of the cabin passengers had marine glasses, and they were turned on the burning bark.  When within  hailing  distance of her the Teutonic dead stop, having reversed her engines few minutes before to check her headway, The liner was crowded and passengers in cabin and steerage flocked to the rails, giving the Teutonic a slight list to port. She was so close to the bark that the name of the unlucky craft could be read with the naked eye. Preparations had been made to launch a lifeboat, but this was not necessary, As all hands saw that there was that there was no one aboard the bark. The officers of the Teutonic knew, being wise men of the sea, that all hands had had time to abandon the bark in the calm sea before the fire had gained much head but there were many passengers distressed by the thought that the crew had been burned. Several persons on the Teutonic made sketches of the bark. One of them, by E. Freeman, is herewith reproduced.

The Sun, 20 July 1894.

Credit: The Sun, 12 July 1894.

Many of the supple and agile athletes who are employed as stewards on the large transatlantic steamers are in a happy mood just now over the announcement that an athletic association in the furtherance of their interest is about to be so far the promoters of the scheme have met with every assurance and encouragement, and its success la expected beyond doubt, 

Over 2,000 men of the White Star line steamers Majestic, Teutonic, and Germanic, the American liners Paris, New York, and Chester, and the Cunarders Campania, Lucania, Umbria, and Etruria, who have during the past years demonstrated that they can perform creditably on the track as well as in the field, have their signalled their willingness  to become members of the new association and give it their entire  support.

The stewards of the North German Lloyd and the Hamburg-American packet lines have been asked to join.. These two companies were very conspicuous in athletics  on the other side last year. Several of the employees of these lines belong to English athletic clubs of high standing.

The Sun, 12 July 1894.

The trans-Atlantic lines cut steerage passage fare to  England and Europe that summer to $10 flat rate and Teutonic went out on 25 July 1894  completely  sold out  in Third Class, with 1,000 aboard, with portable berths  used when cargo space was empty.   First Class, too, was well-booked with J.P. Morgan once  again aboard his  favourite  liner, Lord and Lady Mount Stephen, Sir William Lane Booker  and Lady  Booker, Field Marshal Donald Stewart and Major  General Sir  John McNell, V.C, among those aboard.  In all, she went out with 1,442 passengers  (267 First, 175 Second and 1,000  Third)--  the largest number  ever carried  out of  New York by a single vessel  to date.  It proved an exemplary crossing, accomplished in 6 days 2  hours  8 mins. that had Teutonic arriving at Queenstown at 8:30 p.m. on the 30th, landing 559  bags of  English mails  and having that for the Capital  delivered there by noon the next day. She docked at  Liverpool on the 31st.

Credit: The Sun, 17 August 1894.

With the  "saloon tender" leaving Prince's Landing  Stage at 3:00 p.m. on 8 August 1894 for Teutonic anchored off in the Mersey, she was off again for America.  Already in a hurry, she arrived at Queenstown at 5:00 a.m. and departed there at 1:00  p.m. for New  York with 411 cabin and 681  steerage passengers.  Keeping  up  the pace, she arrived there the morning of  the  15th after a smart 5-day 19-hour 42-min. passage done in  fine weather except for some fog off the Newfoundland banks as well as passing four large  icebergs there, one being 150-ft.-high and 1,000-ft long. Among  those disembarking was the noted artist-journalist Fred Villiers, en route to Korea as a war correspondent for the  London Standard and Black and White. 

Even late  in the  season,  the eastbound steamers were  well-patronised that  year and Teutonic went out on 22 August 1894 with a  good list that included  London theatrical manager Augustus Harris; actress  Cora Tanner and U.S. Senator John R. McPherson, "the steerage  of  the Teutonic was filled to  the  limit," (The  Evening  World, 22  August) and in all, she  left with 104  First, 169 Second and 960 Third Class passengers.  Teutonic continued  to crank out  impressive passages that season and it was just 5 days 22 hours and 1 min. for her  to sail the 2,805 miles from Sandy Hook to Daunt's Rock (daily  runs of 465, 456, 459, 459, 459 and 497 nautical miles) and there can have been few ships  of the  steaming consistency to log the identical mileage on three  consecutive days. Arriving at Queenstown at 2:09 p.m. on the 28th, she landed 223 passengers  and 105 bags of Irish mail there before  continuing to  Liverpool.

The last two homeward and outward passages of  the Majestic and Teutonic, although  not records,  are distinguished by  remarkable regularity, being as follows: Majestic, homeward, 5 days  23 hours 56 mins.; outward, 5 days 19  hours. Teutonic, outward, 5 days 19 hours 42 mins; homeward, 5 days 22 hours 1 min.

Liverpool Mercury,  31 August 1894.

From Liverpool on 5 September 1894 and Queenstown on the  6th, Teutonic  arrived at New York on the 12th after a 5-day 20-hour 40-min.  run.  She  sighted an iceberg on the 9th and  "ran into a  very heavy easterly gale, veering to  the  north-northwest, blowing with hurricane force, and high  confused  seas. Up to  noon of that  date she made only  451 knots. The passengers,  both  in saloon and steerage, were quite  alarmed, but no  damage was sustained by the ship, nor were any  of the passengers injured." (The Evening World, 12  September).  Among those disembarking were  J.P. Morgan and his two  daughters who  were met off  Quarantine by his yacht Corsair and disembarked on her. 

A fireman, Joseph Evans, 23, went missing on 17 September 1894 whilst Teutonic was alongside Pier 45, North River. No  trace  of  him was found and it was suspected he  may  have  fallen overboard  and drowned. 

With 130 First, 75 Second and 590 Third Class aboard, Teutonic  left New York on 19 September 1894. Passing out of Sandy Hook  at 2:44 p.m., she arrived off Daunt's  Rock at 2:44 p.m. on the  25th to clock 5 days 22 hours 57 mins. across. During the  crossing  over, a steerage passenger, John Moore, age 52, died of bronchitis  and was buried at  sea.  She landed some passengers and 93 bags of Irish mail  there and proceeded to Liverpool.

Departing Liverpool on 3 October 1894 and from Queenstown at 12:40 p.m. on the 4th, Teutonic arrived off  New York's  Quarantine the morning of the 10th, after  a crossing of 5  days  23 hours 52 mins. Despite encountering "strong head winds and heavy  seas up to  Tuesday [9th] noon. "About 2 o'clock on Wednesday morning she ran into a gale off  the Long  Island coast. The fog and driving rain made it difficult to sight the Fire Island light. After considerable backing and sounding it was finally located a little after 4 o'clock.  At Quarantine the  water was so  rough that it took the boarding officers an hour and a half to get  to the  Teutonic. She left at 11:17, reaching her  dock at 12:14." (The Sun, 11 October 1894).

The Teutonic Rovers played a football match against the  Campania's team at the  Polo Grounds on 16 October 1894 and won 4-0. 

The eastbound Teutonic cleared New  York on 17 October 1894 with 170 First, 75  Second and 385 Third Class  passengers. She "experienced rather severe weather during the  voyage, and yesterday the port  engine became disarranged and had  to  be stopped for about  six  hours while the engineers were effecting  repairs,  which  were satisfactorily carried out." (Northern Whig, 24 October).  Crossing in 6 days 5 hours 39 mins, when Teutonic  arrived  off  Queenstown the evening of the 23rd, it was so rough Capt. Cameron had  to  bring her into the inner  harbour to land 101 passengers and  95 bags of  Irish mail.  She arrived  at Liverpool on the 24th.

Teutonic's 7 November 1894 sailing from Liverpool and Queenstown (8th) caused some minor  concern in New York when she failed to  arrive, as expected the  evening of the  13th  or  the following morning.  American Line's  Chester was similarly  tardy.  It  was not until 4:50 p.m. on the  14th when Teutonic  finally arrived owing to  poor  weather across but  oddly  for  the  New York papers, no  details whatsoever of her crossing  were reported.

Teutonic's footballers continued to dominate their  Cunard  rivals and defeated Campania's team at West Hoboken on 15  November 1894, 5-4.  

Departing  New  York on 21 November 1894, Teutonic went out with a  good list  of 170 First, 60 Second and 570 Third Class and enjoying  fair  weather,  put  in a  good time of  6  days 37 mins. Across,  arriving off Queenstown at 8:27 p.m. on the 27th. Slightly  delayed  by  fog, the tender with her  84 passengers and 98 bags of mails  did  not get  ashore  until  about  10:30 p.m. by  which time Teutonic  was  en route  to  Liverpool where  she arrived  the  next  morning. 

Credit: The New York Times, 13 December 1894.

With W.K. Vanderbilt, and Mr. & Mrs. Bradley Martin (with ten servants  and Mrs. Martin having 24 trunks),  among her passengers, Teutonic  sailed from  Liverpool  on 5 December 1894 and Queenstown the following afternoon.  Making a good passage over of 6 days 2 hours 6 mins, and arriving off Sandy Hook at 10:11 a.m.  on the 12th, Teutonic made it  as far  Quarantine, at 4:00 p.m., threading her  way  through thick fog. But  that was far as she got when news came to  the ship  that  a New York Central lighter had been sunk after a collision with a ferry off the White  Star Line  pier  and it was decided to anchor off  Robbin's Reef for the night and to  berth  at Pier 38 (White Star's freight pier)  first  thing the next morning. Mr. Vandberbilt, however, being met by Chauncey  Depew aboard the New York Central tug Chauncey Depew, disembarked off  Quarantine at 5:30  p.m.,  much to the envy  of his  fellow  passengers. 

The Teutonic  Rovers  continued  to enjoy a good New  York season, playing the Unions of Kearny, New Jersey to a 2-2  draw at Cosmopolitan Park on 15 December 1894. 

No one  embarking Teutonic  on 19  December 1894 (110 First, 90  Second and 425 Third Class)  had any  expectation of getting to England by Christmas Day but putting  in a final good run  for  the year  in which she really  showed  her speed, Teutonic at least got them to Ireland on Christmas night. Logging 6  days 7 mins.,  she got  into Queenstown the  evening of  the  25th.  On the 23rd, a Second Class passenger, Charles de Grenan, 34, died of  heart failure.  After  landing 64 passengers and 171  of  her total 1,241 bags of mail, Teutonic  made for Liverpool and  arrived there  on Boxing  Day. 

In 1894, Teutonic made 12  westbound and 12  eastbound crossings.

Teutonic alongside White Star's  Pier 45,  North River, New  York. Credit: instagram

1895

Making  her first voyage  of  the New Year, Teutonic left Liverpool on 2 January 1895.  The embarkation arrangements introduced  an interim convenience  for passengers arriving in Liverpool by train,  pending  the extension of the railway  system to the pierhead:

The London and North Railway Company conveyed free of charge all in well-appointed omnibuses, and their from the Lime-street terminus to the special porters, wearing badges of the Company, dealt with the luggage and saw it the Teutonic, then lying in the port for sailing to New York. Passengers who left  Euston at 8 50 a.m. arrived at Liverpool at 1 p.m., and were at the landing-stage about 1 20, their arriving at 1 45, and the tender steaming at 2 o'clock.

The Times, 3 January 1895.

Calling  later that day  at  Queenstown,  Teutonic arrived at New  York on 9 January 1895, among those aboard being  W.W. Astor, owner of the Pall Mall Gazette, coming  over  the funeral of his wife and complete plans "for finishing plans for  the  biggest and most costly hotel on this  continent." On arrival   it was reported that he  had occupied "the deck suite A and B" and declined to answer reporters' questions, but among the last to land, did say "Good-by captain, I  may be going  back with you soon."

Teutonic's 16 January 1895 sailing from New York had William K. Vanderbilt, W.W. Astor and former New York Mayor Thomas F. Gilroy and family among her  passengers  135 First, 100 Second and 205 Third Class passengers. The Evening World noting that the Gilroys "had the finest suit of rooms on the vessels, cabins from 51 to 57  in the odd numbers," whereas Mr. Vanderbilt "had engaged a most unpretentious stateroom.." Although according to the New York  Times, he had suite C on the  starboardside  of the ship. "After  a slightly  protracted passage of 6 days  10 hours and 15 minutes, caused by  having encountered strong adverse winds and high  head seas during the last  four days of  her  passage," (Cork Daily  Herald, 24 January), Teutonic arrived at Queenstown at 4:22 a.m. on the 23rd where she landed two First Class passengers, eight Second and 35 steerage passengers and 117 bags of mail. She arrived at Liverpool later that day.

The superiority of the Liverpool route for the American mails has again been illustrated. The White Star Liner Teutonic and the American Liner Paris left New York at the same time on January 16. The mails by the former were landed in Liverpool on Wednesday evening and were promptly despatched to London by special train, reaching the General Post Office at 1 30 a.m., thus catching the first delivery on Thursday morning. The mails by the Paris only arrived at Southampton at five a.m. on Thursday morning, and did pot get to the Post office until eight a.m.

The Teutonic landed her passengers shortly after seven p.m. on Wednesday, and those for the metropolis proceeded direct by the London and North-western Railway Company's special train which was put on for their accommodation. This was a veritable train de luxe, consisting of saloons, corridor drawing-room cars, and dining cars. Amongst the passengers were his Excellency T. Kati, the newly-appointed Ambassador to the Court of St. James Count Yonafisara, Mr. W. K. Vanderbilt, Mr. W. Waldorf Astor, and Mrs. Frances Hodgson Burnett.

Liverpool Mercury,  26  January  1895.

Among those sailing from Liverpool in Teutonic on 30 January 1895 was His Honour  Adbul-Rechid Bey,  secretary  to the Minister of the War Department at Constantinople. Calling at Queenstown on  the 31st, she went out with 935 bags of mail, 584 loaded there.  Due to arrive at New York on 6  February, Teutonic was overdue as was the  Transat liner La Gascogne as reports  came in off  storms in the  Atlantic and other  delayed steamers.  It was speculated that  perhaps Teutonic had come upon La Gascogne and rendering  assistance.  At 4:30 p.m.  on the  8th came reports of a  steamer passing Fire  Island as anxiety grew among  those with friends  or relatives  on both  ships.  Teutonic was reported to have aboard 150 First, 80  Second and 200  Third  Class passengers.

When Teutonic finally  arrived in New York, covered  in ice, on the morning of  9  February 1895, she was ending one of the toughest trips she would ever make, with ferocious seas that persisted up until coming off Sandy Hook at 5:35 p.m. on the 7th in a  gale that was  so severe that  Capt.  Cameron  put about and  ran off  shore for  70 miles to prevent from being run ashore.  She finally arrived  off  Quarantine at 8:30  a.m. on  the  9th with stories to tell and The  Evening  World eager  to report  them:

Her captain reports having encountered terrific weather. including great gales and a blizzard, with heavy snow, lasting tor several days.

She struck the blizzard while in longitude 61 west, and was obliged to heave to for 62 hours in consequence. 

Capt. Cameron considers it the worst experience he has ever gone through.

There are 350 odd passengers on board the Teutonic, and as far as can be ascertained all are in excellent health. The extraordinary weather which the Teutonic experienced leads the Quarantine officials to believe that La Gascogne will yet be heard from.

Such was the experience through which the Teutonic passed that at one the orders were given to get the boats in readiness for launching and even as the vessel came up the lower bay and the Narrows this morning the forward boat on the starboard side hung in the davits  and  was  ready  for  launching. 

Although his own ship was in the greatest peril Capt. Cameron was not forgetful of other mariners in distress.

At 2 'clock yesterday afternoon the lookout on the Teutonic sighted a small vessel flying signals of distress.On approaching nearer to the disabled craft she  proved to be the fishing schooner Josie Reeves, of New York.

 At 2.30 p.m. the Teutonic's engines were slowed down and a boat was lowered, which was manned by an officers and four men. With much difficulty the steamer's boat approached the distressed fishing smack, but owing to the violence of the seas and the heavy gale blowing, the ship's boat was unable to reach near enough to the craft to board her, whereupon the boat returned to the Teutonic. 

The steamship then bore down on the wreck, standing, to the northward and laying to to windward   of her, thus making a lee.   The crew of the fisherman then launched two of their dories and managed, with great difficulty, to reach the ladder, thrown over the Teutonic's side.

The crew of the smack, which was abandoned. consisted of eight men and the captain. The Captain is John Ericksen, and the men with him are C. H. Godfrey, C. H. Thompson, Nels Nelson. Oscar Kelly, S. Petersen, F.J. Carlsen, Fred Anderson and Harry Larsen. The smack belonged to George T. Moon, of Fulton Fish Market, her capacity was forty-three  tons. 

The rescued was crew presented pitiable sight as they half climbed and were half dragged over the side of the Teutonic. They had suffered very keenly while on their craft, and in addition to the cold had been for many hours without food. They were well taken care of by the officers of the Teutonic and supplied with food and dry clothing.

The Evening World, 9  February  1895.

Teutonic's  rescue of the crew of  Josie Reeves. Artist: W.J. Wyllie

Teutonic came in with "an enormous  quantity  of mail matter, there being several hundred bags of  it," and within 40 minutes of  her anchoring off  Quarantine, two  tugs, breaking  through  the ice floes  in the harbour,  were alongside  to take  off  her mails.  At her  pier  were some 75 people shivering  in  the  bitter cold to greet loved ones  aboard the ice-encrusted liner which had  to punch her  through  the  ice  floes in the harbour and it took  her half an hour to steam from Liberty Island to  the pier at the  foot of  Christopher  St. and more  effort  by  tugs to get her through  the ice and  alongside  the  pier. 

Credit: The  Evening  World, 9 February  1895.

Handkerchiefs fluttered from the decks and hats were tossed in air as the big ship, looking more like some wanderer from the Arctic than like a modern, steamship, swung into her slip. Then came the joyous meeting of friends and the old familiar effort to tell in a breath everything that had happened and everything that had been expected to happen. 

The New York Times, 10 February 1895.

Credit: The  Evening  World, 9 February  1895.

Three days late, Teutonic passed Quarantine  at 9:10 a.m. on 9 February  1895,  Teutonic  had logged 8 days 11 hours 1 min. for  the  passage from Daunt's Rock to  Sandy Hook with  daily  runs  of  477,  481, 476, 488, 366, 228, 240 and 136 miles. 

 An "Evening World"' reporter was the first person to board the Teutonic after moored at her pier. 

Purser T. H. Russell told the story of the awful experience of the voyage tersely and absolutely without frills or flourishes, as became an old sea -dog.

'It is positively the worst voyage nave aver experienced,' said Purser Russell, 'and I have been on the Teutonic ever since her first voyage. 

'We had stiff winds and heavy seas all through the voyage. The wind was easterly for the first three days, however, and we made good speed. But on Monday we had  a gale and high seas, with northerly swells and storms all the time.

'Tuesday we had an easterly gale the whole day and a strong gale, high head seas and hard squalls marked the day on Wednesday. On Thursday we had fresh gales, intensely cold weather and heavy head seas. 

'We arrived outside the Hook Thursday evening  in a genuine sea blizzard.This detained  us twenty -eight hours and drove us in a southeasterly direction seventy miles or more. The mercury was 2 degrees below zero all day yesterday and Thursday night.

The Evening  World, 9 February  1895.

Her passengers passed a resolution commending Capt. Cameron  and raised  a purse  of £25 for Fourth Officer Orton and  his lifeboat  crew for their  rescue  effort. One passenger and a  crew member  were  injured  in the  storm, Capt. Cameron  who  was  on the open bridge for 18  hours  at a stretch was frostbitten as was Fourth  Officer  Orton.   Among  the 143 First Class passengers was Sir William Van Horne, President  of  the Canadian Pacific Railway. Adding a voyage  with enough  drama for 20, a baby  was delivered to Mrs. A.R.  Robinson, who sadly died shortly after birth and  was buried  at sea.

Credit: The Sun, 10  February 1895.

It is not unusual for sailing vessels, and, occasionally, steamships of the old type, to be forced offshore when within sight of port by fierce head gales and tumultuous seas; but it is only little less than phenomenal for a twin-screw colossus like the Teutonic to turn tail before riot of the elements. That is what White Star liner had to do, however, on Thursday evening when her pilot saw, three miles ahead, the swaying lanterns of the Sandy Hook Lightship. They were observed only dimly. through a blinding snowstorm and clouds of vapor from the surface of the water. Capt.Cameron, realizing the danger of trying to enter port in the tempest and obscurity of snow and vapor, steamed back east-southeast about seventy miles for more searoom.

The Sun, 10 February 1895.

Credit: The World, 3  March 1895.

Teutonic left  New York on 13  February 1895 with 100 First, 30 Second and 200 Third  Class passengers, 848 bags of mail and $305,000 in specie.  Among those aboard Mrs. William Astor and H.E. Wanamaker, The Evening World reporting that Mrs. Astor had deck staterooms W. and V. on the starboardside and "are the  finest staterooms on the vessel." After "an excellent  passage" from Sandy Hook to Daunt's Rock of 6 days 9 hours 22 mins, Teutonic arrived  at  Queenstown at 1:16 a.m. on the 20th.  "The present performance of the Teutonic is  a remarkably good one, considering the  weather prevailing in the Atlantic lately. For the first four days  of the passage the  wind prevailedfrom NW  to  NNW,and for  the last two days, easterly winds were  encountered. During  the entire way across  the Atlantic a  heavy  head, and greatly confused, sea was encountered, which, more than anything  else, retards the progress of  fast liners. The  passage was a regular winter one. However the liner escaped with having sustained  the slightest damage or any  of her living freight the slightest injury. The passengers who  landed here  speak highly  of  the sea-going qualities of  the noble liner." (Cork Daily Herald, 21 February  1895). After landing 61 passengers and 96 bags of mail, passage was resumed Teutonic  arrived at Liverpool on the 21st. 

Sailing from Liverpool at 4:00 p.m. on 27 February 1895 and from Queenstown at 12:50 p.m. the following  day,  Teutonic got into New York  at 1:30 p.m. on 6 March.  Whilst a routine crossing weather-wise, a passenger, James McWhirter, 46, of Woodstock, Ontario, died aboard of  double pneumonia,  and his body brought into port.  

During the  ship's call at New York,  Capt.  Cameron was presented with the  gold medal of the Lifesaving Benevolent Association of New York and the  Fourth  Officer J.H. Orton and his boat  crew  (William Fitzpatrick, quartermaster; F. McLaughlin, W. Jones, J. Leed, boatswain's mate; and Albert Hawley) also given medal and cash prizes for their rescue efforts with  the schooner Josie Reeves.  The presentation was made aboard  in the  ship's First  Class saloon.

Outbound from New York at 11:00  a.m. on 13 March 1895, Teutonic arrived at Queenstown at 8:18 p.m. on the  19th and left at 9:00 p.m. for Liverpool where  she arrived on the 20th.

Westbound  from Liverpool on 27 March 1895, Teutonic arrived at  Queenstown at the 28th and left there at 1:20 p.m. for New York.  Although she arrived off Quarantine on 3 April at 8:00 p.m, eight hours  late,  to the considerable annoyance  of all, she did not proceed to her pier but  anchored off for the night  to arrive alongside the next morning. "This caused some of the passengers who had confidently hoped to sleep on land last night to say things about the White Star line. Mr. Kersey said last evening that the line was not in the habit of docking its ships at night and he had ordered the Teutonic to remain in Quarantine until to-day. She was about eight hours behind the time for her usual winter trips." (The Sun, 4  April 1895). She came in with £200,000 in gold. 

Teutonic  sailed from New  York at 10:00 a.m. on 10  April 1895 and got into Queenstown at  10:02 p.m. on the 16th where a tragic incident of an apparent suicide and heroic  rescue  attempt took place on her departure for Liverpool:

On the arrival at  noon of the White Star liner Teutonic  in the Mersey, yesterday afternoon  from New York, particulars were gleaned of a tragic occurrence that took place in the morning after the vessel had left Queenstown. One of the steerage passengers, a Spaniard, was seen to be suddenly run along the deck,and  to leap into the sea. Mr. Robinson, the third  mate of the Teutonic, made a heroic  attempt to rescue  the man, and jumped overboard  at great personal risk. The Spaniard was struggling  in the  water, and Mr. Robinson, who is  a good  swimmer, succeed  in  reaching him, the passengers giving him ringing cheers on witnessing the  deed.  The engines of the  vessel  were stopped, and a boat  lowered, into which  Mr. Robinson and the man were taken.  It was then found that the latter had succeeded in his suicidal for lite was extinct. The Teutonic was delayed  for about an hour, and then resumed her homeward voyage. The body of the deceased was brought to the Landing Stage on board the tender Magnetic, and was removed to the Prince's Dock Mortuary. One of the passengers by the Teutonic, who had become deranged during the voyage, was taken in a cab to the Brownlow-hill Workhouse.

Liverpool Mercury, 18 April 1895. 

Clearing the Mersey on 24 April 1895, Teutonic called at Queenstown  and  steamed westwards from there at 12:55  p.m. on the  25th having aboard 330 saloon passengers, including  Mr. and Mrs. Frederick W. Vanderbilt  and George Vanderbilt,  and 1,011  Third  Class.  Making  a  smart  passage of 6 days 2 hours  20 mins., Teutonic crossed the Sandy Hook Bar at  10:17 a.m. on the  30th and was alongside  the afternoon.  She  reported passing two big  icebergs, one 15  miles and other 7 miles to the  north,  within  four hours on the 29th. 

Mersey-bound, Teutonic  passed out of New York  Harbor on 8 May 1895, With a near capacity list  of 296 First, 148 Second and 1,043 Third  Class passengers.  "The steerage was of the Teutonic which sailed yesterday was crowded. Among the returning were 400  Irish girls who have been employed as servants in families mostly in and around New York. They took advantage of the cheap rates and the temporary loss of employment  caused by the departure of their mistresses for  Europe or the country to visit their homes in Ireland for a few months." (The Sun, 9 May 1895). Enjoying "fairly good weather" during  the entire voyage, Teutonic put in a fine passage, logging 6 days  4 hours 20 mins. from Sandy  Hook to  Daunt's Rock and  arrived at Queenstown at 6:29 p.m. on the  14th where she landed 11 First, 32  Second and 202  Third Class passengers and 88 bags of mail.  Resuming  passage at 7:15 p.m,  she was  in the St.  George's Channel when at 3:00 a.m. a steerage  passenger, Johann S. Krugsbruck,  40, from Germany,  committed  suicide  by  jumping overboard, "all efforts made to save him prove ineffectual." (Cork Daily Herald, 15  May). Teutonic  arrived at Liverpool on the 15th.

During Teutonic's  turnaround at  Liverpool, the  Lord Mayor,  on behalf of the American Government, presented on 21 May 1895  a gold watch and chain to Capt.  J.G.  Cameron  and medals to the other officers  and crew  for their role in coming to the rescue  of the  crew  of Josie Reeves.  Admiral Gough, the U.S. Consul in the city and Mr. Ismay were  present at the ceremony.

Clearing  Prince's Landing  Stage  at 4:00 p.m.  on 22 May  1895 and Queenstown the  following  day,  Teutonic coursed once  again westwards  for New  York. She arrived there on  the  afternoon of  the  29th, in time  to join other  ships  in the harbour with  whistle salutes  to greet  the splendid new  American liner St. Louis making her maiden  appearance in the  port  following  trials. 

Among those conspicuous in not  embarking  in Teutonic for England on  5  June 1895  were Sir Julian Pauncefort, British Ambassador to the United States and Lady Pauncefort, who elected, instead to sail in St. Louis,  "a fact which occasioned a little comment." (New  York Times). Teutonic  and  the  new  American liner,  on her maiden  voyage, sailed together and  more than a few had  expectations the two  might their  way across.   Clearing Sandy  Hook  at 5:27  p.m.,  Teutonic left in dense  fog and  lost sight  of  her would be  competitor, and  steamed eastbound with 290 First, 200  Second  and 820 Third  Class.  Putting in an exemplary  passage,  she got into Queenstown at 10:18 p.m. on the  11th, logging 5 days 23 hours  57 mins. across.   She reported passing an iceberg on the  8th at lat. 42 3 N., long,  48  13 W. and across with  1,007  bags of mail, landing 850 of them there  for dispatch to London where  they arrived at  noon on the 13th.   Teutonic got into Liverpool on the 12th.

H.M. the  Queen conferred the Albert medal upon Teutonic's Third Officer, Charles Robinson, R.N.R., for his rescue efforts of  the passenger who jumped over the ship's side  on departure from Queenstown on 17 April 1895.

With  the retirement of Capt. Henry Parsell of Majestic in June 1895,  Capt. Cameron of Teutonic became the senior commander in the  White Star fleet. 

Credit: Liverpool Mercury, 27 June 1895.

The 26 June 1895 was a busy day  at Liverpool's  new Prince's Landing Stage, with its  direct connection with the new Riverside Station, with the arrival of Pavonia and Majestic and departure  of  Teutonic whose maiden  departure  from the facility (preceding its formal opening on 10 July) was described  by  the Liverpool Mercury (27th):

Early yesterday afternoon the Teutonic arrived alongside the stage, and was watched by a large crowd of spectators numbering some very 2000 or 3000. The vessel was in command of Captain Cameron, and her berthing was accomplished without the smallest hitch. As is well known, the Teutonic is a steamer which has been built for the Government armed cruiser service, being the first of her kind in this capacity, but in a purely shipping line the proved, like her sister ship the Majestic, to be one of the best and swiftest of the White Star Company. She yesterday carried 250 saloon passengers, with a full complement in the other departments. Among those who sailed in this splendid steamer were  Dr. W. B. Coley, the Rev. Dr. Fairbairn, Mr. J. W. Lippincott, Sir W. F. Harnes-Smith (Governor of the Bahamas), and Lady and Miss Haynes-Smith. Including those who witnessed the departure of the vessel were Mr. T. H. Ismay, Mr. Bruce Ismay,  Sir W. Shaw, B. Forwood. Sir James Poole, Mr. Shaw, J.P.(superintendent of the northern district of the London and Northwestern Railway Company), Captain (head constable), Mr. M. H. Maxwell, Mr. S.G. Nott-Bower Sinclair, and Mr. Adamson. There were 120 passengers by the train arriving from London, with 600 packages of baggage, the train reaching Riverside Station at 3 20, the delivery of the luggage on board the Teutonic being accomplished in about the ten minutes. Timed to depart o'clock, Teutonic was cleared at that hour almost to the minute: the care exercised in connection with her sheering off was very conspicuous, and those who had charge of this important section of the work deserve the very credit for the manner in which the vessel was sent off on what was her maiden voyage from the Landing-stage.

Liverpool Mercury, 27 June 1895.

Following her  call at Queenstown on 27 June 1895, Teutonic  had aboard 250  First, 186 Second and 792 Third  Class passengers and 894 bags of mail.  A passenger, John Thompson, age 28, Second Class, died of heart  failure on 2 July and buried at sea the same day, his  wife  being present.  Making a good  run, Teutonic arrived  off  Sandy Hook at  9:18 a.m. on the 3rd, logging 6 days 1 hour 26 mins. From Daunt's Rock even though running at reduced speed  on the  1st owing  to dense fog. Among those  disembarking  later that day were Joseph  and  Ralph Pulitzer.

Among those embarking on Teutonic at New  York on 10 July 1895 were John Jacob Astor and his sister,  Mrs.  J.  Coleman Drayton, and Mrs. J.P. Morgan. Teutonic left Queenstown for Liverpool at 7:15 p.m. on the  16th and arrived there  following morning. 

Ignored by the  British press,  Teutonic cleared the Mersey  on 24 July 1895 and Queenstown the  next  day for New York where she arrived on the 31st after an unremarkable crossing although she  did  have a fulsome mail consignment of 925 bags. More exciting perhaps was Teutonic's cricket team's match against the New York Cricket Club at the  St.George  ground, Hoboken, which ended in a loss by 51 runs.

Teutonic sailed  from New York the morning  of 7 August 1895 with  a passenger list  that included Gen. L.T. Lyons, Governor of Bermuda, called at Queenstown on the afternoon of  the 13th and arrived at Liverpool  the next day.

The Earl of  Dunraven and party, bound for New  York to  see his yacht Valkyrie III and the American Defender race for  the  America's Cup, were the attraction of  Teutonic's 21 August 1895 sailing  from Liverpool. The tender Toiler was engaged to offer well-wishers to follow Teutonic down the River. Dunraven was accompanied by his two daughters and G.L.Watson,  designer of  Valkyrie III.  Teutonic, after a rough crossing, arrived at New York on the  28th.  Dunraven and Watson spent the night aboard Teutonic on arrival and left  the  following morning via the tug Pulver to  go out  to see Valkyrie III's trials before the race. 

When Teutonic cleared  New York on  the morning  of 4  September 1895, she  went out  with 95 First, 90 Second and 325 Third Class passengers and  $1.15 mn. in gold.  Arriving at Queenstown at 5:35 p.m. on the 10th, the  Cork  Daily Herald  (11th) reported "...after a very stormy  and boisterous passage of  6 days 5 hours and 1 min. from Sandy  Hook to Daunt's  Rock Lightship, during which  time she covered 2,814  miles. Strong N.N.  West winds,  which developed occasionally  into strong gales, accompanied by very high and strong seas, prevailed during  the entire passage."  She landed 135 passengers and 85 bags  of mail there. Teutonic arrived at Liverpool on the 10th and the Liverpool Mercury  gave  a wonderful account  of her docking:

  

At five minutes to seven o'clock yesterday morning the White Star mail steamer Teutonic came alongside the Liverpool Landing-stage after arriving from New York. Despite a strong breeze which was blowing at the time, the liner, ably manœuvred, glided gracefully into the dummy barges, and was moored quickly and skilfully. The passengers and their luggage were soon got ashore, and at ten minutes past eight the vessel crept away again, towed by the tender Magnetic and the tug Langton into the middle of the river. A slight accident occurred as she was leaving, but fortunately devoid of serious results. When some distance from the stage the tow-rope connecting her with the Magnetic slipped, and the force of the current and wind drove her back to the stage.  Here, however, the admirable seamanship of her captain came into play, and so skilfully was the ship handled that a collision with the shore structure was averted. Considering the roughness of the weather, all concerned in the mooring of the Teutonic are to be congratulated on the able manner in which she was brought to touch and leave the stage. Her passenger list was a large one, and many of her voyagers left Riverside Station for London by special train. Numbers of the American visitors made anxious and early inquiries as to the result of the second yacht race for the America Cup, and seemed disappointed at the news of the English representative boat claiming the victory.

Liverpool Mercury, 12  September  1895.

The White Star mail steamer Teutonic, from New York, arrived at Queenstown last evening with 510 passengers and mails. As the tender approached the liner it was noticed that great excitement prevailed among the saloon passengers, who were gathered on the port side of the promenade deck. When the tender reached the liner feverish excitement prevailed, and a shout went up, 'Who's won the race?' Those on the tender replied 'Defender,' whereupon there was an outburst of cheering from the American passengers, odds who on the voyage had been. wagering 5 to 4 on the American boat. The scene was wild when papers containing a description of the race were put aboard. 

Liverpool  Mercury, 11 September 1895.

Teutonic's 18 September  1895 sailing from Liverpool elicited another write-up by  the Liverpool Mercury: "Yesterday afternoon the White Star steamer Teutonic came alongside the Liverpool Landing stage for the purpose of embarking passengers and their luggage prior to her sailing for New York. A special train from London arrived at the Riverside Station with 131 saloon voyagers, and these within a very short time were transferred to the liner. Her passenger list was extremely heavy. It is stated that intending visitors to America next year are already securing berths on the principal steamers leaving Liverpool."  (Liverpool Mercury, 19  September 1895). Calling at Queenstown the following morning, she left for New York at 12:45 p.m. and arrived there on the 26th. Among those landing was Marshal Field, the Chicago department store owner. 

Designer of the yacht Valkyrie III,  George L. Watson, and the two daughters of her  owner, Lord  Dunraven, as well as  Capt. Cranfield and 24 of his crew, were among those  embarking  in Teutonic at New York on 2 October  1895. She arrived at Liverpool on the  9th, at the same time Germanic sailed  for New York.  " Shortly before five o'clock the Teutonic, with the tender Magnetic at her bow, slowly steamed up the river, and took up her position alongside the stage without a hitch, notwithstanding a stiff north-westerly breeze was blowing. The perfect skill and precision displayed by those navigating the huge liner was again the subject of complimentary remark by onlookers. Amongst the passengers on board were the Hon. M.H. Herbert, Lady Aileen Wyndham-Quin, Lady Rachel Wyndham-Quin, Captain O. P. Marshall, R.N.R., Lieutenant F. K.C. Gibbons, R.N.R., Captain Cavendish, Dr. Donald Baynes, and Captain Anderson. There were also on board Captain Cranfield, Captain Sycamore, and 24 members of the crew of the Valkyrie." (Liverpool  Mercury, 10 October 1895.)

Credit: The New York Times, 24 October 1895.

The  westbound Teutonic cleared Prince's  Landing Stage late  on the afternoon on 16 October 1895 and Queenstown the  following morning. Among  passengers was the pianist I.Z. Paderewski  who  told reporters on arrival  at New York  on the 23rd that "he  had a pleasant voyage, and had enjoyed the  sea air,"  (New  York  Times, 24 October), which  added  that "At the  ship's regular concert Tuesday night, Paderewski played  five selection, and  entered very heartily  into the spirit  of  the  entertainment." She also landed her  share  of  a large  number of  immigrants coming in  her, State of  California  and Belgravia, including  1,500 Italians. 

Teutonic  fairly  snuck out of New  York  at 4:30 p.m. on 30 October 1895  with  little press  attention or apparently anyone of much interest  in her  passenger  list to attract it.  She went out with  190 First, 115 Second, 235 Third Class passengers and according to the Cork Daily  Herald, on arrival at Queenstown  at 1:20 a.m. on 6  November, "rather  boisterous weather  was experienced coming across  the Atlantic, but the wind being favourable, the only  inconvenience which the passengers were  subjected to was some rolling. "  She did  Sandy Hook to  Daunt's Rock in a creditable 6 days 3 hours and  29 mins. Rough weather greeted  her on arrival and she  had to come  into the inner  harbour to disembark six First, 71 Second  and 71  Third  Class passengers  and 120 bags  of  mail onto the tender Ireland.  On  arrival at Liverpool that afternoon, the  Liverpool Mercury (7th)  reported: "About half-past three yesterday afternoon the White Star liner Teutonic arrived in the Mersey, from New York. Among her saloon passengers were the Right Hon. Lord Playfair, Lady Playfair, Colonel W. J. Alt, Mr. A. H. Smith Barry, M.P., Mrs. Smith Barry, Professor and Mrs: E. D.Kendall, Bishop B. Romig, and Alderman Ruddin. At Riverside Station a special train was in waiting to convey passengers to London."

Teutonic, after  drydocking in  Langton Graving Dock  no. 2, sailed for New  York on 20 November 1895, called at Queenstown the  next  day where she took on 571 bags of mail and went out  with a total  of 957 bag  and "147  tubs of  Scotch  butter," which  The Sun  described  as an "unusual  importation," when  Teutonic arrived  at  New York  on the  27th. Among the passengers  landing  there was  Irish national  James  F. Egan who was coming over  to  lecture for the benefit  of  "Irish political  prisoners  in British  jails."  

The English  novelist, Hall Caine and his family, were among those embarking  in Teutonic the evening  of 3 December  1895  for the ship's departure  at 7:00 a.m. the following morning.  She arrived at  Queenstown on  the 10th at 3:37 p.m., getting into Liverpool the  next  morning. 

A somewhat hazy atmosphere hung over the river yesterday, in consequence of which the White Star liner Teutonic did not come alongside the Prince's Landing-stage for the purpose of embarking her passengers, but lay in mid-river, the tender Magnetic transferring the voyagers from the stage to the liner. Among the saloon passengers were Colonel J. A. Stewart Mackenzie (9th Lancers), Mr. G.R. Askwith, Mr. W. A Lanffton, Mr. Walter Kobbe, and Dr. P. L. Reiss. Lord Dunraven, and his solicitor, Mr. A. Glennie. who intend visiting the States in connection with the dispute over the America Cup, will join the Teutonic at Queenstown.

Liverpool Mercury, 19  December 1895.

It was a stormy last crossing of the year:

The White Star steamship Teutonic dropped anchor at Quarantine about 2 o'clock yesterday morning, after a tempestuous voyage. The vessel left Queenstown about seven hours late, on Thursday of last week, and she ran at once into gales and high seas, which gradually increased. On reaching the Banks the weather moderated, and the conditions were not unfavorable up to the arrival in port, with the exception of the thick fog which set in Wednesday night. 

On Christmas morning, about 4 o'clock. Captain Cameron sighted what he thought was a fire at sea. On bearing down to the supposed  distressed vessel, it was found that she was a two-masted schooner and that the crew were celebrating Christmas in regulation style. Cheers were exchanged, but nothing else. 

Later in the day the wind shifted, and blew in  with terrific  force, Star but weather gradually moderated.  The White Star vessel arrived off Fire Island at 6 p.m. She went on  to  the  Sandy Hook lightship,  where she anchored, owing to the to the dense fog which prevailed. 

New York Tribune, 27 December  1895.

Lord Dunraven disembarked  the next morning via the tug C.E.  Evarts without having to wait  to  come to the  North River  piers  in Teutonic.  He was due to give his  testimony  at the inquiry over the results of the America's  Cup  race and dispute over Defender's  hull length. 

In 1895, Teutonic made 13 westbound and 12  eastbound crossings.

Teutonic embarking  passengers at Prince's  Landing  Stage, c. 1895-96. Credit:  Merseyside  Maritime Museum.

1896

Literally  starting the New Year, Teutonic commenced  her  eastbound  crossing  from  New  York  on New Years Day, as did American Line's St. Louis.  For White Star, the  departure  was first to  have fixed sailing time from New York: 10:00 a.m. instead of varying by the  tide and  regular dredging of the Sandy  Hook  bar made for sufficient  water  irrespective of tidal conditions. Henceforth the  American Line and White Star boats would depart on Wednesdays within one half hour  of one  other. Teutonic called at Queenstown at 6:00 pm. on  the  7th and arrived the following afternoon at Liverpool in foggy conditions:

Yesterday afternoon the Mersey was enveloped in fog, and on that account neither the Teutonic, which arrived about two o'clock, nor the Germanic, which was outward bound, came alongside the Prince's Stage, as originally intended. The passengers  from the Teutonic, numbering in the saloon upwards of 80, were landed the Stage by the tender Magnetic.  The liner has made a quick and pleasant passage, and some of the passengers and mails were duly  landed at Queenstown. 

Liverpool Mercury, 9 January  1896.

Her  first westbound  crossing of the year, saw Teutonic clear the Mersey on 15 January 1896 and Queenstown  the next day, going out at 1:52  p.m.  Among those  joining her  there  were six nuns bound for New  Orleans to join the Dominican Order  of Nuns there.  In all, she  went out with  225 saloon and 165  steerage passengers who had a rough  crossing and "experienced heavy  weather  throughout  the  voyage," despite taking the  southernmost  track.  She did  not get  into New York until the morning of the  23rd, taking 6 days 14 hours 56  mins. from Daunt's Rock to Sandy Hook. 

Mersey-bound, Teutonic left  New York on 29 January  1896, after calling at Queenstown on 4 February, departed there  at  10:35  p.m. for Liverpool where she arrived  the  following morning.   Her passenger  entraining for London from Riverside Station for Euston enjoyed a new improvement by  the  London and North-Western Railway with the provision of  dining  cars for all classes of passengers instead  of  just  for First Class travellers.

Teutonic was off  again for  New York on 12  February 1896. At Queenstown the  following  day  she embarked passengers as well as 554 bags of mail which, when added to those loaded  at Liverpool, made for a total of 953 bags, and she also had 27,000 in gold.  She arrived at New York on the 20th.

Departing New York on 26 February  1896 with  100  First, 60 Second and 123 Third Class passengers,  Teutonic managed  to once again to avoid press attention as the dreary  winter doldrums of the North Atlantic run set  in.  Passing Sandy Hook  at 12:01  p.m., she got into Queenstown at 5:06 am on 4 March after encountering  strong head  winds and high seas as well as strong gales from the Northwest, taking 6 days 12 hours 5 mins. to Daunt's  Rock. Landing 40 passengers and 77  bags  of mail  at Queenstown, she resumed passage to Liverpool  where  she arrived late that day. 

The New York-bound Teutonic  cleared the Mersey on 11 March 1896  and Queenstown the following afternoon at 12:45 p.m., after taking on 202 passengers and 575 bags of mail there. Her most celebrated  passenger was London music hall  singer Albert Chevalier.  Teutonic  arrived in New York on the  18th. Teutonic's surgeon had a busy  trip  with three babies born on the crossing  over, sadly two of them died, including  one of  a set of twins.

During the ship's layover  at New York the Teutonic  Rovers lost a football match with the International A.C. on 22 March 1894 by a score of  8 to nil. 

One of the ship's "regulars" over  the years, J.P. Morgan, was among those  sailing from New York  in Teutonic on 25 March 1896, on his annual spring trip to Europe. Teutonic went out with 205 First, 100 Second  and  140 Third Class passengers as the spring travel season commenced. Teutonic arrived at Queenstown on the evening of  1 April "after  an excellent passage of six days five hours and 43  minutes from Sandy  Hook to Daunt's  Rock, during which  she covered 2,894 miles. Fine weather  and fair winds were experienced coming across  the  Atlantic, and the only incident of  the passage was the death of a second cabin passenger named Martin M'Crae, a native  of Scotland, who died of consumption." (Cork Daily  Herald, 2  April).  Landing 65 passengers there and 164 bags of mail, Teutonic proceeded to  Liverpool where she arrived the next day. 

Teutonic sailed  from Liverpool on 8 April 1896 for New York, and departed Queenstown the next day at 12:45 p.m.. Among her passengers was A.J. Drexel, and Mrs. Drexel, returning from Glasgow to supervise  the construction of his new yacht, Margarita, built  to designs by  G.L. Watson; and  department store magnate  Marshall Field.  Teutonic arrived at New York on the  15th. Included in her cargo were "74 cases of machetes, 19 packages  of  machetes and shovels, and 14 bundles of shovels. They are supposed to be for ultimate consignment to the Cuban insurgents."  (New York Times, 16 April).

Going out in Teutonic from New York on 22 April 1896 were pianist I.J. Paderewski and Joseph Pulitzer and C. Asahina, editor of the  Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun, among the 270 First,  210 Second  and 280 Third Class passengers. 

As the White Star steamship Teutonic moved majestically out from her pier yesterday noon there was heard above the blaring of the band, the shouting of the seamen, And the general tumult incident to the occasion, a high chorus of shrill cries. It was the farewell of Paderewski's feminine admirers who crowded the place, remaining with until the tall, slim figure on the upper deck could no longer be distinguished. Previous to the parting chorus they had mobbed the long-suffering pianist, pressing around him, shaking his hands, giving him flowers, pestering him for autographs, and begging him in tearful voices to come back again soon. And the sad-faced Pole smiled and bowed, and took it all with so unruffled a temper that one could not help but so trying. tie endurance of the man under circumstances.

The Sun, 23 April 1896.

Fine weather throughout the passage  made for good steaming and Teutonic  logged 6 days 5  hours 47 mins. from  Sandy Hook to  Daunt's  Rock and  got into Queenstown  at  6:41  a.m. on 29 April 1896. "From five  to six  o'clock on the morning  of  the  25th inst. Between latitude  41.52 and 42.04 north, and longitude  48,37  and 48.13 west, the liner  passed  five large  icebergs and immense quantities  of broken, submerged ice, very  dangerous to navigation." (Cork Daily Herald). Landing 125 passengers and  54 bags of mail there, Teutonic resumed passage  to Liverpool where she arrived later that  day.

Leaving Liverpool on 6 May  1896, Teutonic paused  at Queenstown the next  day,  sailing from there at  12:45 p.m.  for  New  York where she arrived on the  13th.

The return portion of a resolutely routine round trip commenced  from New York on 20 May  1894, numbering among those  aboard the  British  actor Sir  Henry  Irving and leading lady Miss Ellen Terry who were returning after a long tour in America. They entertained passengers with a concert  and dramatic performance during  the crossing. It was a  cracking good run for Teutonic which  got into Queenstown the evening of the  26th,  clocking 6  days 2 hours 6  mins. from Sandy Hook to  Daunt's Rock.  She arrived at Liverpool  the next day. Teutonic was among the fist  White Star Line  ships, along  with Georgic  and Tauric, the newly  opened Canada Dock. 

J.P. Morgan embarked at Liverpool on Teutonic for  his return to America on 3 June 1896.  At Queenstown the next day she took on 536 bags of mail and embarked 292 passengers.  Teutonic gave them all a mighty  swift passage: 6 days 1 hour 39 mins. from  Daunt's Rock to Sandy Hook but she  could have done it in 5  days 20  hours  were it  not  for fog off the Grand Banks and again off  Fire Island. She arrived the morning of the  10th and friends of  J.P. Morgan had gone down the  Bay  in Corsair to meet him, but he  chose to remain aboard Teutonic   on up to her  North  River pier where he would board his yacht to  travel up  the Hudson to his summer residence  in Highland  Falls.

On 17 June  1896 Teutonic went out with New York in pouring rain, both well-booked in their saloon classes as the summer season in Europe beckoned.   Aboard Teutonic were 280 First, 200  Second and 530 Third Class and 257 bags of mail and she got them  all into Queenstown in record breaking fashion.  Arriving at 6:08 p.m. on the 23rd, she had done the passage  from Sandy  Hook  (passed at 1:45 p.m. on the  17th) in 5 days 23 hours 23 mins., averaging 20.22 knots, and her own "personal best" for the  long route  eastbound.  Accomplished in fine weather  all the way  across, the  crossing record daily runs of 417, 460, 473, 484, 476, 474 and 108, totalling 2,892 miles  to  Daunt's Rock.  Teutonic landed 264 passengers and 62 bags of  mail  at Queenstown and arrived at Liverpool the morning  of the  24th

The passengers landed at Queenstown were loud in their praise of the  fine passage they had,  and of the courtesy of  the  liner's captain and officers. The only  incident of  the voyage was the death of  an Italian female steerage passenger who died of natural caused.  Her body  was buried at sea.

Cork Constitution, 24  June 1896.  

The passengers were delighted with  the  passage, and  exhibited much mirth at the end of the rapid trip. They spoke in the highest  praise of  the  comfort and general management of  the White  Star liner, which they asserted could  not  be excelled anywhere. 

The Ulster Echo, 24 June 1896.

Sailing from Liverpool on 1 July  1896, Teutonic cleared Queenstown at  12:50 p.m. on following afternoon for  New  York after embarking 180 passengers and taking on 540 bags of mail, making  a total of 943 bags in all.   She arrived at New  York on the 8th, her passengers landing there including Lord  Sudeley, former director of the  P&O, English  comedian F. Gottschalk and the American long distance  runner  T. Avery Collett. 

The Teutonic's cricket team lost to  the  Caribbean C.C.  at Central Park on 11 July 1896, 52-25.

With St. Louis and Southwark, Teutonic left  New York on 15 July 1896 with  265 First, 205 Second and 470 Third Class passengers, including Samuel Plimsoll and his wife.   She put  in another smart passage, aided by "fair winds and fine weather," passing Daunt's  Rock at 10:24 p.m. on the 22nd, having crossed from Sandy Hook in 6 days 3  hours  35 mins. One passenger, Mr. Frederick Gallatin, was greeted by  his own steam yacht, Almy, that would convey him to  Bremerhaven to join his family there for a long cruise to Norway  and around  the  Baltic.  Landing 223 passengers  and 53  bags of mail there, Teutonic proceeded  to Liverpool,  getting in the following  morning.  Landing 223 passengers  and 53  bags of mail there, she proceeded  to Liverpool,  getting in the following  morning. 

Credit: The  World, 6 August 1896.

Arriving at New York on 5 August 1896, Teutonic (from Liverpool on 29 July) was with Havel, the first ships to be met at Quarantine by tugs (J.E. Moore and Rosa) for the purpose of offloading the mails there so as to expedite their delivery to the post  office on arrival.  "The steamers were met at Quarantine, and by means of wooden chutes bags of mail were shifted to the tugs. Clerks were in readiness to sort the matter in the bags, and by time the tugs reached this city all the letters had been distributed into new bags ready for delivery at the different railways, East, West and South. As soon as the new system is in full working order it is expected there will be a great reduction In time for letters between Europe and all cities in the United States." (The World, 6 August 1896.)

It would not  be a summertime turnaround at New York without a cricket match  for  Teutonic's team and they  defeated St.  George's 108 to 53 at  Central Park on 8 August 1896.

Teutonic departed New York on 12 August 1896 with 145 First, 143 Second and 420 Third Class passenger, going  out  with  St. Louis, and continuing to relish indulging her greyhound instincts that fine summer, got into  Queenstown at 8:35 p.m. on the  19th, logging 6 days 1 hour 35 mins. From Sandy Hook to  Daunt's Rock. Landing 159 passengers and 61 bags of mail there, she resumed passage to Liverpool where  she arrived the  following morning. 

Credit: Cork Daily Herald, 27 August 1896.

Schedules abetted national and line rivalries  and sated the public  and press appetite for the occasional "race" across  the Atlantic  to see which  ship would  deliver  the mails  faster.  Teutonic, her officers and crew, especially her stokers,  were  seldom  reticent  to  "have a  go"  and seldom disappointed. From their introduction in 1895, the American Line's  St.  Louis  and St. Paul,  America's first  modern  express  liners, were  natural rivals although  British papers  reminded their readers  that Teutonic  was already  considered  slightly  "second  rate" in terms  of her speed compared  to  newer Campania and Lucania yet quite capable of  showing up the  upstart Americans at any  given opportunity. It was  also a race for  supremacy  between the two  great English ports, Liverpool and  Southampton,  American Line's terminal.   So it was that Teutonic  and  St.  Louis  12 August 1896 eastbound voyages captured more  the usual attention: 

The Teutonic  left New York at 1.48 p.m, on the 12th inst, the St. Louis having started about  two hours  earlier, The St. Louis carried the full mail for Southampton and the Teutonic had the mails addressed by for Ireland, and the mail especially  addressed by her for England and the Continent. Speculation ran high in New York and respective  vessels as to  which would get her mails to London earliest. 

The Teutonic overhauled her rival at four o'clock on the afternoon. Both steamers kept company throughout the night and the following day, and until four  o'clock on the morning of the 14th.  Then the St. Louis took a more northern course and went out of  sight. The Teutonic reached Queenstown  at 8.38 on Tuesday night, after a passage of 6  days 1 hour 47 mins. The  total distance she  had  run was 2,802 knots. She landed mails and passengers at Queenstown an operation which  occupied half an hour, and at 9.10 p.m. she left  for Liverpool.

The St. Louis passed the Lizard at 3.25 a.m. yesterday  morning. The  Lizard  is about 90 miles  beyond Queenstown, and it will noted  that the St. Louis  passed  that  point  6 hours  45 minutes after Teutonic had  reached  Queenstown. She passed Hurst Castle  at  11.5 a.m. yesterday, and reached Southampton at noon, a passage  of  a little over  seven days.  

The  race has, therefore, been very  keen.

Cork  Daily  Herald,  27  August 1896.

Britain's Colonial Secretary, The  Rt.  Hon. Joseph  Chamberlain, MP, and Mrs. Chamberlain, were among those sailing from Liverpool in Teutonic on 26 August 1896, and received aboard by Mr. T.H.  Ismay.  They  were bound  for  a family visit  with Mrs. Chamberlain, the former Miss  Endicott, of  Boston. Among Teutonic's cargo was  a $750,000 consignment of gold for a New York financial house. 

On going on board they were received Mr. T. H. Ismay, the head the White Star line. After remaining some little time in the saloon the distinguished passengers proceeded to the upper dock where they were joioed by Mr. Ismay. Mr. Chamberlain had by this time discarded his overcoat and changed  his hat for a blue navy cap with a peak. After conversing with Mr. Ismay for some time, they were joined by several ladies and gentlemen sailing the Teutonic. In the meantime the White Star express from Euston had  arrived at Riverside Station with a very large number of saloon passengers immense quantity luggage. The scene for several minutes was most animated one connection with the embarkation of passengers, and the hoisting of the luggage on to the steamer.

The Teutonic sailed at  the appointed time, amidst a general waving of  handkerchiefs  on the part of  the passengers and a crowd of interested spectators who were gathered on the Landing-stage. 

Liverpool Daily Post, 27 August 1896.

Calling at  Queenstown 7:00 a.m.-12:40 p.m. on 27 August 1896, Teutonic arrived  at New York  on 2  September .

Departing  New York on 9  September  1896,  Teutonic went out  with  St. Paul and  Friesland, and having  aboard 105 First, 100 Second and 275 Third  Class  passengers.  The  first  day  she encountered  a heavy  SSW gale but the rest  of  the crossing was accomplished in fine weather  and in good  time, logging 6 days 7 hours 45 mins. from Sandy  Hook to Daunt's Rock  and arriving at Queenstown on the morning of the  16th.  Landing  landed 116 passengers and 60  bags of there before resuming passage to  Liverpool, Teutonic  arrived the  following  morning.

At the invitation of the White Star Company, about 250 members of the British Association yesterday afternoon paid a visit to the Teutonic, which is at present lying in the Canada Branch Dock. They were received on board by Mr. Ismay, Mr. James Ismay, Mr. Sanderson, and Captain Cameron, who took them round the magnificent vessel. The inspection was one of considerable interest to the visitors, who greatly admired the appointments of the steamer. Before leaving, the delegates were entertained to tea in the saloon.

Liverpool Mercury, 22 September 1896.

Credit: The New York Times, 2 October 1896.

Due to sail from Liverpool on 23  September 1896 for Queenstown and New York, Teutonic never even made out  of Canada Dock  as  an autumn gale of considerable intensity  with 80 mph winds swept up the Mersey and spread  havoc with shipping of all variety in the  Port  Of  Liverpool.  Teutonic, the  African mailship Benguela and the  Warren liner Norseman never made it out  of  the  docks that day. Teutonic sailed on the morning  of  the  24th and from Queenstown at 7:47 a.m., going out  with  947 bags of  mail and £551,194 in gold.  "Delayed in starting but  made a speedy  trip,"(New  York Times, 2 October), with  the bit in her  teeth  that  whole year,  Teutonic's 120 stokers put their backs to it and had her making knots to make up the delay and got her to Sandy Hook on 1 October in 6 days 4  hours  4 mins. after  clearing  Daunt's Rock. She was still a day late,  but  it  was  a good  show nonetheless. 

The eastbound  Teutonic sailed  from New York  on 7 October  1896 and put in  another smart passage,  taking 6  days  3  hours  53 mins. from Sandy  Hook to Daunt's Rock,  getting into  Queenstown at 10:47 p.m. on the  14th.   Two deaths  were  reported on the crossing: Louis Sternburg, from England, dying  of  consumption on the  10th and buried  at sea and Bella C.  Stennes, who passed away from heart disease  on the  13th. Her body  was taken on to  Liverpool  where Teutonic  docked at 9:00 a.m. on the  15th. Among her passengers landing there  were Prince do  Poggio Suasa Ruspoli and Princess Rusoli, the Mayor and Mayoress of Rome.

Credit: The New York Times, 29 October 1896.

Teutonic  sailed  from  Liverpool  for  New  York  on 21 October  1896, called  at Queenstown the next  day  and steamed westwards.  Another death,  from pneumonia,  of  William Rock,  a  Liverpool manufacturer,  was  recorded at sea  on the 27th. Reaching New York the next day, in addition to passengers, cargo and mail,  Teutonic she  came in with  $3,196,100 in gold. 

The eastbound Teutonic  cleared New York on  4 November  1896, with 150 First, 50 Second and 245 Third  Class  passengers,  and went  out with St. Louis, inspiring  another corking good  passage out of her as did "fairly  good  weather,"  and  when she  came into Queenstown just  after midnight on 11th, she  had  crossed  from Sandy  Hook in 6 days 5 hours  13 mins.  After landing 110 passengers and 61  bags of  mail, Teutonic carried to to Liverpool where she  came alongside  the Landing Stage  at 1:30 p.m.  the same day. 

Wednesday afternoons  at Liverpool's  Prince's  Landing  Stage  meant a White  Star mailship embarking for America and that on 19 November 1896  was taken by  R.M.S.  Teutonic  whose passenger  list was swelled by  Shakespearean company  headed  by  Gust.  Mahé bound for an American tour; John  Philip Sousa; and boarding at Queenstown the next day,  Irish  nationalist  John  Redmond off on a speaking tour in the  United States.  Teutonic  docked at  New York on the evening  of  the  25th.  It is rather wonderful to note that John Philip Sousa composed his seminal American march "The  Stars and Stripes Forever"  on the crossing over, and writing in his autobiography, Marching Along (1928)  that  he  composed the piece  in his  head and committed it to paper soon after landing without alteration, and apparently  got the beat from Teutonic's engines  as she bore  him home. "Stars and Stripes Forever" would be first  performed in Philadelphia  on 14 May  1897.

Teutonic  headed down the  North River  and out  into  the Bay and past Sandy  Hook on 2  December 1896.  Arriving  off  Queenstown  in  "a  north  gale and heavy  sea," at 2:10  a.m., on the 8th,  she could  not  land  mails or passengers there and at  2:57  a.m.  resumed passage  to Liverpool where  she arrived that  afternoon.

Credit: Cork  Daily  Herald, 19 December  1896.

The record  for the largest  mail which  ever  crossing  the  Atlantic from the United  Kingdom is now  held by  the  White Star  Company's  s.s.  Teutonic.

Cork  Daily  Herald, 19 December  1896.

Sailing  from Liverpool on 16  December  1896, Teutonic  was  that  year's  Christmas mailboat and scheduled  to arrive  at  New York  two days  before  Christmas Day, she took on 734 bags of mail there and another 1,106 at Queenstown the next day for a total of 1,840 sacks, "said  to be the largest mail consignment ever  sent  from a  British  port." The mail train arrived  at Queenstown from Holyhead   one hour  40 mins. late but  a quick turnaround getting  it aboard  the  tender,  filling  it almost to capacity, had  Teutonic off for America  in  good time.  She did not disappoint and reaching  New York on 23 December,  she  had  crossed in 6 days  4 hours  and 2 mins.,  "considered good time, in view  of the fact  that she had  strong head  winds to the  Banks." (New  York  Times, 24 December).

Christmas Day saw the  Teutonics  playing  the Brooklyn Wanderers , "although the snow lay  deep at Ambrose Park,  Brooklyn," (The Sun, 26  December) but lost the football  match 5-2. 

Teutonic left New  York on 30 December  1896.

In 1896, Teutonic made 14 eastbound and 13  westbound crossings. 

Teutonic docked  at New York. Credit: reddit, yard 401.

1897

Making her  first call of  the year, Teutonic reached  Queenstown  at 1:00 a.m. on 6 January 1897, "but owing  to the heavy  seas did  not communicate, and proceeded to Liverpool." (Manchester Evening News, 6 January).  Arriving  off Queenstown amidst a S.S.E. gale and heavy  sea, Teutonic  resumed passage  at 1:50 a.m. and arrived Liverpool midday.

Less ignored by  the  press, was Teutonic's  first westbound sailing of 1897 on  13 January: 

The White Star R.M.S. Teutonic left the Mersey yesterday with a fairly large complement of saloon passengers. A special train arrived at the Riverside Station from London punctually to time, by which most of the passengers journeyed to Liverpool. Amongst the voyagers are Mr. T. V. S. Angier, Mr. D.S. Ellsworth and Mrs. Ellsworth. Monsignor Gambon, Mr. J.A. Jameson and Mrs. Jameson, and the non. A. J .Marjoribanks. There is also an officer of the New South Wales  on board, who is going to America with a warrant for the arrest of a man named Harwood, who is wanted on a charge of murders which have occurred recently in the Australian bush. The officer expects to meet Harwood at San Francisco, to which place he is supposed to be going on board a sailing vessel.

Liverpool Mercury, 14  January 1897. 

Teutonic left Queenstown the following afternoon for New York where  she arrived on  21  January 1897.  She came in with a consignment of nine bags of  mail from India which  was then suffering with  an outbreak of bubonic plague and at  the instruction of  the health authorities,  it  was taken off  on arrival off Quarantine to  be fumigated aboard the disinfecting  boat James W. Wadsworth  before  being  sent on to the post office. 

Teutonic left  New  York  on 27  January 1897, and continued the  pattern of  going out  with one of  the  big  American Line boats, in  this  case, St. Louis, although on that day of far more  novelty was HAPAG's Fuerst Bismarck departing from Hoboken on a long Mediterranean cruise with  300 passengers.  Teutonic seemed destined never to call at Queenstown in the New Year and on arrival off  the port on the evening of 1  February, the  fog was so thick she proceeded direct to Liverpool where she arrived  the next day.

After being drydocked at Langton no. 1  graving dock,  Teutonic resumed service with her  sailing  from Liverpool on 10 March  1897 and she left  Queenstown at 12:45 p.m. for  New  York.  Among the 230 saloon and 345 steerage passengers aboard were Sir Donald A.  Smith,  Canadian High Commissioner in London, and the opera singer Plunket Greene.   They all had  a miserable and stormy  crossing with a succession of  gales met almost as soon as she passed Daunt's Rock and when she  finally got into New  York, almost  a day late on  the  18th, The Sun gave  a full account the next  day:

The White Star liner Teutonic, which arrived yesterday from Liverpool and Queenstown, nearly a day behind her usual rough-weather schedule, ran into a tumult of head seas on Saturday last. It was the climax of a succession of gales that battered the liner from the moment she cleared Daunt's Rock. Storm doors were used on nearly all the seven days of the trip. On Saturday afternoon a great comber, that reared its crest above the crow's nest as the ship plunged down into the trough, broke over the weather bow. Fourth Officer English and Quartermaster Balmer were on the saloon deck fastening a storm screen that had been loosened in the riot of wind and wave.

A part of the comber hit them and carried them against a part of the steel superstructure of the deck. English's left thigh was broken and the quartermaster was badly bruised about the head and body.

The ship trembled under the assault of the comber, but she was not damaged. English and Balmer were carried below by their shipmates and attended by Surgeon Mackenzie. Balmer able to resume duty yesterday. English was taken from the ship to St. Vincent's Hospital. He will miss several trips. When two days out from Queenstown Kate McKenna, an Irish immigrant girl, was thrown down by the rolling of the ship and her ankle was broken. She was taken to the Ellis Island Hospital.

Teutonic came in with 11 bags of  mail from Bombay which, as before, was taken off at Quarantine by the tender James W. Wadsworth for  fumigation before it was landed. 

As regular a passenger as the  ship ever had, J.P. Morgan embarked again in Teutonic at New York on 24 March 1897 for his  annual spring  trip  to  Europe, accompanied by his wife and daughter, Ursula. This time, Teutonic made  it into Queenstown, arriving  at  the ungodly hour  of  1:29 a.m. on the  31st and arrived at Liverpool later that day.  She landed  there a  portion of the crew of  the Wilson Line steamer Rialto which had been abandoned on fire at sea on 3 March  and rescued by the  Allan liner Carthaginian.

Bound  for  New York, Teutonic cleared Liverpool Landing  Stage on 7 April 1897 and Queenstown at  noon the  following  day. She arrived off Sandy Hook at 11:20 p.m. on the  14th and  docked  the next morning. Among  those  aboard was H.E. Wanamaker,the famous Philadelphia department store owner.

On 14 April 1897 White  Star  Line announced that Teutonic's sailing from New York of 16 June would be put forward to the  14th to accommodate passengers  desiring to get to London in time for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee on the  22nd.

Teutonic departed for  Queenstown and Liverpool on 21 April 1897 and with  barely  a mention, arrived at  the latter on  the 28th. 

Again escaping any press notice, Teutonic cleared  the Mersey for New York on 5 May 1897 and left Queenstown at 1:10 p.m. the next day with 320 saloon and 971 steerage passengers, among the later being "550 Irish  girls, ranging in age from fifteen to  twenty-five years.  They are  booked for nearly  every  part  of the country, some even going as far West as San Francisco. The  officers of  the steamer said that the steerage was livelier during this trip than on any since  the  vessel has  been running." (New York Times,  13 May).  Making the  run over in just  six days, Teutonic arrived at  New  York on the 12th. 

It was  a glittering  Gilded  Age passenger list for  Teutonic's 19 May  1897  sailing   from New  York with Sir William Booker, CMG, and Lady Booker; Mrs. J.P. Morgan and daughters and Mr. & Mrs. Marshall  Field among those embarking.  Arriving at Queenstown at 10:55 p.m. on the  25th, Teutonic departed for Liverpool at 11:30 p.m. where  she arrived  the next day.

Teutonic sailed from Liverpool  on  2 June 1897 for New York, among those  aboard  being J.P.  Morgan, Mrs.  Morgan and Miss Ursula,  and arrived at New  York  on the  9th. "The steam yacht Corsair,  flagship of the New York Yacht Club, went down to Quarantine at noon yesterday to receive her owner, Commodore J. Pierpont Morgan, who was due on the Teutonic. When the Teutonic appeared there followed a lively exchange of handkerchiefs signals between the members of the banker's family aboard the yacht and the financier, from the promenade deck of the steamer." (The World, 10 June 1897.)  Corsair was waiting for  him at the  White Star pier  to take them to  his summer home on the upper  Hudson. 

The day Teutonic called at Queenstown, 3 June 1897, it was announced that she would be present, along with Campania, in their armed merchant  cruiser  roles,  at  the Jubilee Review at  Spithead, and carry a large party  of specially invited  guests  to  the  review. This would be additionally facilitated by  her  already announced earlier departure from New  York on the 14th.

Among the 265 First,  185 Second and 410 Third Class passengers sailing in Teutonic  from New York on 14  June 1897, "all bound to London to  celebrate the Jubilee of  her Most Gracious Majesty," (Cork Daily Herald) bound for  the  Queen's  Jubilee, were Lt. Appleby  and seven men of the Bermuda Volunteer  Rifle Corps,  who sailed  up from Bermuda in Orinoco, arriving  the day  before. Teutonic sailed from New York in company with  Paris and both vessels were featured in an extensive feature, "Sailing Day, in the New York Times Illustrated Magazine, 20 June 1897, by  John T. Maginnis.

For Teutonic, it was a brilliant Jubilee passage, accomplished  in  superb weather, and done by a ship at  the apex of  her career and amid the apogee of an age.  Taking the long route, and clearing  Sandy Hook at 6:03 p.m., she fairly clicked off  the  miles. The first day's run was  417,  "and the second day she  leaped through the water, everything as regards the weather  being most favourable,"  (Cork Daily Herald), logging 496 miles, followed by 480,  471,  465, 461 and 108 to Daunt's Rock which  she passed  at 6:03 p.m. on 20  June 1897, remarkably the same time to the minute  of  her clearing Sandy Hook. She had  covered the  2,898 miles  in 5 days 23 hours and  15 mins.  Upon passing  Daunt's Rock, "the  entire  passengers assembled on the saloon deck, and as the tender went  alongside, cheered lustily  from the big ship. "  (Cork Daily Herald,  21 June).

H.M. Armed Cruiser  TEUTONIC

At the Spithead Naval  Review

The  Jubilee  of  H.M. Queen  Victoria, 26 June 1897

The  Teutonic  intends being amongst the fleet of  vessels at the naval review at Spithead  on the  26th inst., and is gazetted to  sail from the  Mersey on Wednesday  next. Therefore the  proud Teutonic has only  Monday  and Tuesday  to prepare  for the great event. She will  be one  of the finest ships to seen as an armed merchant amongst the numerous ships  assembled off Spithead to take  part in the naval review.

Cork Daily Herald, 21  June 1897.

Amid all the  preparations for Teutonic's  participation in the Jublilee, T.H.  Ismay, long a sponsor  of  the training ship  Indefatigable, moored  in the Mersey, invited  her cadets to join the  ship's company  on her trip  down to  the  Spithead and witness the Review, "the  noble spectacle will, no doubt, stimulate many of them in their  desire to  adopt a life  on the sea."  (Liverpool Mercury, 10 June 1897).  On the 15th, it  was further announced that the cadets of Conway to join the voyage,  "Mr. Ismay's thoughtfulness for the strengthening of the aspiration of the  future sailor of every rank is entirely typical him," lauded the Liverpool Mercury, 15 June, and there were surely no more proud  and lucky boys  in all the British Empire  than those who joined Teutonic on that glorious occasion. 

For Teutonic's  regular ship's company, it was  the busiest nine days  in the ship's  career, arriving at Liverpool at 7:00 a.m. on  21 June and departing  for  New York on the 30th.   She was excused duty on the  next for  Liverpool's Jubilee Day  on the Mersey  merchant  fleet review with the  veteran  Britannic representing White Star. 

It was after 6 p. m. on Monday, June 21, when she arrived at Liverpool. Her passengers, their luggage, the malls and 2,000 tons of cargo were hustled ashore that night. Then 2,600 tons of coal were shipped and the decks and paint work washed.

A Government official came 'fom Portsmouth to superintend the equipment of the liner with her sixteen guns. Sheathings of four-iich teak were bolted to the saloon deck wherever the ordnance was to be mounted. The saloon deck was also stiffened by stanchions extending from the spar deck, and the rails were pierced so that the guns could be trained any direction. 

The Teutonic's armament consists of eight 4.7 quick-firing guns and eight four-barrel one-inch Nordenfeldts, equal to all the Victory could do at Trafalgar. Two of the 4.79 were mounted on the forecastle head and two more on the poop. The dozen remaining pieces were ranged along the saloon deck.

The small arms consist of fifty-six, Martini-Henry rifles and cutlasses to match. which rested when not in hand in racks in 'tween decks. The fifty-six  Naval Reserves represented by these, arms are an equal number of sailors from the Teutonic's regular crew.

The World, 8 July 1897.

The biggest alternation to the ship was the mounting (accomplished  in 48 hours)  of her armament: eight quick-firing 4.7-inch quick-firing funs and eight four-barrel Nordenfelt one-inch guns, manned by men from H.M.S.  Victory although most of her  crew  were still aboard,  commanded as always,  by Lt. J.G. Cameron, R.N.R.,  it  being a proud  White  Star  tradition that  the commander, all  the principal officers, leading  ratings and engine room crew  were  members of the Royal Navy Reserve and no self respecting White  Star liner  flew anything  other  than the  Blue Ensign. Here, it might also be noted that  the entire cost of  arming and outfitting Teutonic as an armed merchant cruiser  was entirely  borne by White  Star Line.

Teutonic alongside Prince's Landing Stage, Liverpool,  prior to her  departure for  Spithead.  Credit: Mariner's Museum, Elwin  Eldredge collection.

Being the principal of the Government armed cruisers, it was fitting that the Teutonic should take a prominent part in to-morrow's naval review at Spithead, the position accorded being head of special merchant steamers next to foreign men-of-war.

As the vessel lay at the Landing-stage, she was noticed by an immense crowd, and considerable attention was given to the staff of men from H.M.S. Victory, who were specially sent down to take charge of the guns. The close connection in these days between the navy and the mercantile marine is shown by the fact that the officers, deck hands, and a large number of the engine staff of the Teutonic are members of the Royal Naval Reserve. The numerous guests, on boarding the fine American liner, were courteously welcomed by Mr. T. H. Ismay. As eleven o'clock struck, the bells were sounded, the gangways slung back on to the stage, and leviathan steamer steamed slowly from the river.

The band of the Indefatigable was on board, and played  selections of  music at  intervals  during the voyage.

Liverpool Mercury, 25 June  1897.

Credit: Liverpool Mercury, 25  June  1897.

Teutonic sailed from Liverpool at  11:00 a.m. on  24 June 1897 for Spithead with a glittering invited guest list of 400, including members of the Houses of Parliament, Privy Councillors, public officials, representatives of art, science, literature, and commerce, together with 20 cadets from her Majesty's schoolship Conway, and 100 boys from the training ship Indefatigable:  

The guests at the review will include Sir Michael Hicks Beach, M.P., Mr. Ritchie, M.P. the Bishop of Chichester, the Countess of Derby, Lord' and Lady Charles Beresford, the Marquis and Marchioness of Dufferin, the Earl and Countess of Lonsdale, the Earl and Countess of Onslow, the Marquis and Marchioness the of of Hertford, Lord and Lady Playfair, Earl Warwick, General Lord William Seymour, Mr. and Mrs.H. M. Stanley, Sir Francis Jeuue, Mr. . Chauncey M. Depew, Sir Cuthbert Quilter, the Earl of Duuraven, the Countess of Shaftesbury, many members of Parliament...

The  Times, 25 June 1897.

Some of the invited  guests aboard Teutonic's Spithead  voyage. Credit: Mariner's Museum, Elwin  Eldredge collection.

Teutonic would be  joined at Spithead  by the White  Star tender Magnetic which was dispatched  in advance from the Mersey to  greet her  on arrival. 

Credit: The Shipping Telegraph, 29 June 1897.

A delightfully smooth and pleasant passage was enjoyed by the distinguished guests on board the White Star liner Teutonic, a capital view of the coast being obtained at intervals. The journey here was enlivened by music rendered by the Indefatigable Band, and the musket and cutlass drill of the lads afforded an episode of interest. In the evening the Rev. Dr. Watson ('Ian Maclaren') was prevailed upon to deliver an address. This assumed the form of an exceedingly quaint and original dissertation upon wit and humour. Needless to say it was most effective, and the able lecturer was warmly thanked.

The night proved not less calm than the day, but with morning, when off Start Point, a heavy mist settled down, which necessitated a slowing of speed and some cautious feeling of the way. About two o'clock the Magnetic, the tender for the White Star Line, was sighted ahead on the lookout for the Teutonic, and, with her as leader, the crack steamer proceeded direct for the point allotted to her for anchorage, which she reached at 315 this afternoon. Her position is one of considerable dignity, heading, as she does, the list of special merchant vessels. It should be stated that in connection with the present cruise of the Teutonic a great feat has been achieved in the mounting of her guns. She arrived in the Mersey on Monday last, and within 48 hours the eight quick-firing guns and the eight Nordenfeldts which form her armament were fixed completely in position ready for use, should it be desired to fire them. This procedure, however, does not appear to enter into the programme. 

With the haze still hanging over, the whole of the fleet at present anchored in the Solent is not within vision; but sufficient of the lines can be seen to give a profound impression of the naval strength which they indicate. Excursion steamers, despatch boats, and other vessels are busy in passing to and fro.  Of the guests who joined the steamer here, Sir George Baden Powell was the first to arrive, coming alongside by  a steam pinnace from his steam yacht Otaria.  That the genial member for Kirkdale Division was warmly greeted goes without saying. Later came the Magnetic from Portsmouth, whither she had gone to meet the special train which the thoughtful courtesy of the White Star Line had provided to bring passengers from London. Her arrival alongside was an interesting event to the guests already on board the Teutonic. 

The newcomers were of course the observed of all observers, and upon Mr. Ismay standing at the gangway to receive them, a prodigious ceremony of handshaking and friendly greeting was involved. Lord Charles Beresford, who was one of the new arrivals, bestowed a hearty greeting upon Lieutenant Cameron, R.N., commander of the Teutonic, who with Mr. W.S. Graves assisted at the reception, and very speedily the newcomers were dispersed about the decks and saloons of the vessel exchanging salutations with friends and joining with heartiness in the doings of the body politic. About this time the new Japanese cruiser the Sanuki Maru, which was one of the vessels included in the Liverpool marine display of Tuesday last, stole out of the haze and passed to her appointed station further along the line, dipping her flag as she did so in compliment to the warships of many nations assembled for the common purpose of honouring the Diamond Jubilee. The New York, which afterwards arrived and took up a position next in line to the Teutonic, observed the same courtesy, which of course was promptly reciprocated, and the evening closed in most musically with sweet strains from the band of the Konig Wilhelm, the German first-class battleship lying near to the Teutonic.

Liverpool Mercury,  26  June 1897.

Fore deck of Teutonic at anchor at Spithead showing her twin  4.7" naval guns. Credit:  eBay auction photo.

Saturday was a day of unmixed delight on the Teutonic, the morning being devoted to a tour through the lines, in brilliant weather.

After dinner, Mr. Ismay, presiding, proposed in a few sympathetic and effective phrases the toast of 'The Queen' which was drunk with fervent enthusiasm. The toast of 'The Prince of Wales' was also honoured.

The Marquis of Dufferin proposed 'The Navy, Army, and Reserve Forces.' He remarked upon the opportunity afforded during the day of witnessing one of the most extraordinary sights that had ever met the eyes of Englishmen.

No one could have taken part in the proceedings without having his feelings moved to the core. He asked to be allowed to express the thanks of the company to Mr. Lemay for having afforded them a pleasure of the greatest kind, and one which would be a memory throughout life. As to the spectacle itself, those to whom the credit belonged of having created this magnificent exhibition of sea power, as well 36 those who would be called upon to pay for it-- (laughter)--had one object in view--the preservation of peace. Not a thought of a hostile character was associated with the admiration with which they had witnessed the view. He associated with the toast the names of Lord Charles Beresford and Lord William Seymour. In the absence of Lord Charles, who was paying a visit on board one of the ships of war, Lord William Seymour alone responded. 

Lord Playfair proposed the health of Captain Cameron, commander of the Teutonic, who responded with nautical point and brevity. Lord Loch next gave the toast of 'Success to the White Star Line.' He first expressed the thanks which all the guests desired to offer Mr. Ismay for the unique entertainment which his kindness and thoughtfulness had provided. While the spectacle which the day had presented afforded evidence of the greatness of the country, the position of the White Star and other similar companies was also evidence of the wealth and enterprise of its people, and evidence which all testified in the direction of peace. 

Mr. Chauncey Depew supported the toast, and referred to the magnificent fleet of steamers, of which the Teutonic was the best type. She was perfect as a merchant cruiser, and on this occasion had become the best-appointed yacht in the world.

Liverpool Mercury, 28 June 1897.

Credit: Liverpool Mercury, 26 June 1897.

The arrival of the Teutonic at Spithead has already been recorded. That was on Friday. The eventful day of course was Saturday, and it was to the infinite relief of every one that the before-breakfast deck parade showed a change for the better to have taken place in that most essential element the weather. The mist of the previous evening had given place to a light haze which spoke of sunshine and heat to follow,and the promise was not falsified.

It had been at first supposed that the Teutonic would not leave her anchorage, and that a tour through the lines of warships now discovered to be brilliantly 'dressed' from stem to stern must be delayed until evening. The resources of the White Star Line, however, proved equal to the task of meeting the desire which, whether uttered or unexpressed, occupied everyone's mind. The obstacle, whatever it may have been, was removed, and in good time in the forenoon the rattle of steam winches and windlasses forward indicated that raising the anchor was in progress. The news passed speedily round, and a general rush to the library followed to secure charts showing in detail the position and name of each of the ships. It is not here necessary to dwell upon the impressiveness and the interest which the tour of the lines involved for all those on the Teutonic.

What may be mentioned is that the Teutonic herself, passing before the gaze of the most critical of nautical experts the officers of the warships came through the ordeal with flying colours. She was pronounced by more than one naval authority, it was afterwards ascertained, to be the 'smartest' of all the cruisers present, a verdict, it need hardly be said, that received the cordial endorsement of all on board the ship herself. Frequent cheers were given and returned, and the usual ceremonial of flag-dipping was scrupulously observed. Between lines B and C lines of battleships and cruisers the Teutonic proceeded to the eastern extremity, and retraced her way between lines C and D, returning to her anchorage at the head of line E in time for luncheon. After that not unimportant duty came the inspection of the fleet by the Prince of Wales.

In her position at the rear of the foreign warships, the Teutonic lay somewhat remote from the route followed by the Victoria and Albert, and the other vessels forming the Royal procession. The crew, however, dressed in white uniform, were mustered on the fore deck and drawn up at attention, and the passing of the Victoria and Albert, albeit in the distance, was loyally hailed with the National Anthem (played by the Indefatigable band and chorused by all the company) and by 'three cheers,' given just as heartily as if the Prince and his suite were close at hand. To steam through '25 miles of fleet,' as the formation of the warships has been described, was a matter of some time, and the Victoria and Albert, in the course of her tour, made a second appearance, which was hailed with enthusiasm not less sincere than on the first occasion.

Liverpool  Mercury, 29  June  1897.

The commemorative album commissioned by  T.H. Ismay  to be  presented to each of her  invited  guests for the Spithead cruise  of  1897. 

Teutonic's engineering officers during her Spithead voyage. Credit: Mariner's Museum, Elwin  Eldredge collection.

Teutonic's purser, chief  steward and stewards during  her Spithead  voyage. Credit: Mariner's Museum, Elwin  Eldredge collection.

Teutonic's cooks and bakers during her Spithead voyage. Credit: Mariner's Museum, Elwin  Eldredge collection.

Boys of  training ship Indefatigable at carbine  drill during Teutonic's Spithead voyage. Credit: Mariner's Museum, Elwin  Eldredge collection.

Capt. Miller and cadets of training ship Conway during Teutonic's Spithead voyage. Credit: Mariner's Museum, Elwin  Eldredge collection.

Members of the Mersey Docks  and Harbour  Board aboard Teutonic's  Spithead voyage. Credit: Mariner's Museum, Elwin  Eldredge collection.

The  "star" of the review was neither  the  serried  rows  of  splendid warships,  armed merchant cruisers or merchantman of the greatest marine power in  the history of the planet,  but a harbinger a new  era of British  marine genius: Charles  Parson's Turbinia, the first  steam-turbine propelled vessel  in the  world and T.H.  Ismay was  afford a trip aboard her: "He  could  not  say the sensation was very  agreeable. He had  a cold for  nearly  two months and his voice  was  nearly  gone,  and what  remained of  it had  almost been taken away by the  speed of that  remarkable  vessel." (Liverpool Mercury, 28  June  1897).

Credit: Liverpool Mercury,  28 June 1897.

During the afternoon occurred an episode of a remarkable kind. Amongst the steam launches that were to be seen cutting through the water hither and thither, a somewhat large and odd-looking craft, named the Turbinia, was prominent. She is the Newcastle-built vessel whose performances in the matter of speed have recently been recorded, and whose mode of propulsion is neither by paddle nor screw, but lays in the employment of turbines in a novel way. Passing as she did close to the Teutonic, greetings were exchanged, and an invitation was extended to go on board the new 'scorcher.' Greatly daring, Mr. Ismay, Mr. Bruce Ismay, and Sir George Baden-Powell descended the Teutonic's gangway, and were put on board. The vessel steamed quietly enough away, and was lost in the maze of hulls which the perspective afforded. Presently, however, she was descried emerging therefrom, and at a rate of speed which it is no exaggeration to describe as terrific. With flames belching from her funnel, with a good third of her keel fairly forced out of the water, and leaving a high curling wake behind, she tore through the sea like a thing bewitched. Those on her deck were seen holding on to rails and the like, and bending almost double to withstand the wind she created.

It was a sight positively staggering while it lasted, and there was almost an element of the uncanny about it. Presently she slackened speed, and in due time Mr. Ismay and his colleagues returned to the Teutonic, where they were questioned as to their remarkable experience. Both Mr. Ismay and Mr. Bruce Ismay admitted that their sensations had been unique, not altogether devoid of on element of nervousness. For the inventor of the Turbinia, in view of the personality of his guests, had been placed on his mettle, and had caused his vessel to put forth every ounce of power she possessed, with the result that she broke her own record for speed, and when observed from the Teutonic in the height of her mad career she was doing something over 40 miles an hour.

Liverpool Mercury, 29  June 1897.

The evening of the review featured  the epic  illumination of the  gathered fleet and many of Teutonic's  guests embarked on Magnetic for a trip  through  the lines of ships, returning  at 11:00  p.m.,  "with a tale  of wonders  seen which  excited  the envy  of all who  had failed  to take singular advantage of the opportunity."  (Liverpool Mercury).

Credit: Liverpool Mercury,  29 June 1897.

The morning  of 27  June 1897 the  great fleet began  its dispersal and Teutonic, mindful  of  her departure for New York  in three  days  time, made a hasty withdrawal and sped northwards,  averaging  over  20  knots,  she came alongside  Prince's  Landing  Stage at 10:00 a.m. on the 28th, completing the  passage  from Spithead  in  23 hours. "As the Teutonic  approached  the Landing Stage, the band of  the Indefatigable, struck up  a suitable tune."  (Liverpool Mercury, 29 June).  

If ever a man stood in danger of being overwhelmed by the congratulations of his friends it was Mr. T. H. Ismay, as he stood at the gangway of the Teutonic yesterday morning saying good-bye. The noble White Star steamer, spick and span from the Naval Review, and with her guns fully mounted, had arrived back at the Landing-stage, and it fell to the lot of the guests on board to file past the distinguished chief of the line, to shake him by the hand, and express as best they might--and but feeble was the best -their appreciation of the hospitality which, during the preceding four days, had been most lavishly extended.

Mr. Chauncey Depew, with his accustomed felicity in phrase-making, had described the Teutonic as the best appointed yacht in the world, and the phrase was true. Life on such a craft must ever be delightful. On this occasion there was the special interest attaching to participation in the unique spectacle of the century--the remarkable demonstration at Spithead of England's naval resources and might. No matter for wonder was it then, that having in mind so acute a sense of obligation, most people found it impossible to express it adequately in words.

So, although the mere terms of acknowledgment might be conventional, there lay behind a feeling very deep, very sincere, and very real.

Liverpool Mercury, 29  June 1897.

Denuded in short order  of her armament and deserted of her 20 bluejackets, and provisioned and loaded  with  her  outbound cargo, Teutonic reverted in  efficient  order to a  Royal Mail Ship and sailed, on schedule, at 5:00 p.m. on 30 June 1897  for New  York, with some  150 saloon passengers. "A considerable crowd of people assembled on the stage  to witness  the departure of the liner, which  has  taken such a prominent part in the recent naval review at Spithead." (Liverpool Mercury, 1 July 1897). Arriving at Queenstown at 6:30 a.m. the following morning, Teutonic proceeded  to  New  York at  12:20 p.m..

On arrival at New York on 7 July  1897,  Capt. Cameron was busy regaling the voracious  local press about his ship's  part in the review  and detailing the process of  her  conversion.  He told reporters proudly that he had received  a letter from the flagship Royal Sovereign of C division congratulating him on have the  neatest merchant  vessel in the fleet.  "When the American liner New York passed the Teutonic the band played the 'Star-Spangled  Banner,' 'Yankee Doodle,' and 'Hail Columbia,' and every patriot on the New  York acknowledged the courtesy  by cheers." (The  Sun, 8 July).

Back to normal and the start of a new season, Teutonic's  cricket  team played  their first match against the Manhattan Veterans in Prospect Park on 12 July 1897, losing 30 to 95. 

Teutonic sailed from New York at noon on 14 July 1897 on time, but without Maj. Gen. W. Gasgoigne, Commander in Chief of  British  forces in Canada, when his train  from Montreal was delayed  by a wash-out at Rondout. A number  of  other  passengers were similarly delayed and were rebooked on Campania  departing  in three days. Those managing to depart in Teutonic included another "regular" in the  ship, department store owner Marshall Field, J.C. Bancroft Davis and Mrs. W. Rhinelander Stewart. Calling at  Queenstown in the  small hours of the 21st, Teutonic sailed for Liverpool  at 4:40 a.m.  and arrived  that  afternoon. 

After drydocking,  Teutonic  sailed for New York  on 4 August 1897: "Considerable interest again centred in the sailing of the White Star Royal and United States mail steamship Teutonic, from Liverpool for New York, yesterday afternoon. An unusual number of persons of distinction voyaged on this occasionby the steamer, which sailed from the Landing-stage about five o'clock, many of the passengers travelling for the purpose of attending the British Association meeting, which opens at Toronto on the 18th inst.. Two special trains were required to convey the company from London to Riverside Station, the vessel carrying her full complement of passengers." (Liverpool Mercury, 5 August 1897.) Among the nearly 500 saloon passengers were  Mrs. John Hays, wife of the  U.S.  Ambassador to  Britain,  and son and daughters.  Pausing at Queenstown the next day, Teutonic  made  for New  York at 12:30  p.m.  and made splendid time across, arriving at New York the morning  of the  11th and logging 5  days 18 hours  2 mins. from Daunt's Rock to  Sandy Hook.  Less sanguine by passengers' perspective was an especially  ruthless and relentless  exercise by customs  men who extracted some $2,500  in  duties from everything from choir  vestments to a lady's  amateur water color paintings. 

Teutonic and Campania's cricket teams played  a match against one another on 14 August  1897, and  the White  Star lads prevailed, 58-19. 

The  Mersey-bound  Teutonic sailed  from New  York on 18  August 1897, in company with Paris, and did so with  considerable excitement: "The White Star line steamship Teutonic, while backing out of her dock at noon yesterday, preparatory to putting to sea, ran down the ice barge M. W. Seaman, filled with ice valued at $2,500, bound up the North River, in tow of the tugs Ronan and Nevins. The barge sank within five minutes. Her captain and crew were taken aboard the tugs.The ice will be melted before the Baxter Wrecking Company can raise the barge. The Teutonic was not damaged." (The Sun, 19 August 1897).  Still  in a frisky mood,  Teutonic put in a fast  run across,  logging  6 days 33 secs. from Sandy  Hook to  Daunt's  Rock and reaching Queenstown the  evening  of the  24th. "Although somewhat impeded  by fog  the White  Star liner  Teutonic reached  the Prince's  Landing  Stage at ten minutes  to nine  o'clock  yesterday, after  a remarkably  quick passage  from New  York. The passengers disembarked, and the luggage  was landed so  expeditiously  that  by 9 25 the vessel was  able to proceed  from the  landing-stange to  the dock before  high  water at 9 36, a performance in regard to the  highest praise is due  to all concerned." (Liverpool  Journal  of Commerce, 26 August 1897). 

Once again bound  for New York (on her 99th voyage), Teutonic  cleared the Mersey on 1 September  1897 and Queenstown the next day  at 12:20 p.m. and  went  out  "carrying  a  full complement of  passengers" on a peak  westbound  sailing having aboard 288 First, 186 Second and 694 Third Class.  Among those aboard, again, was Mrs. J.P. Morgan and her two daughters. Arriving  at New York at 11:30 pm. on the  7th, Teutonic  had put  in  a tremendous  performance, covering  the  2,784 nautical miles from Daunt's Rock  to Sandy Hook in just  5  days  17 hours 22 minutes or only  51  mins. behind her record of  five  years  past of 5 days  16 hours 31 mins at an average 20.35  knots.  "She brought back a large cabin passenger  list, and the voyagers were delighted with  her fine  run. Their spirits were doomed to  be  damped, however, before they were able to leave the pier of the  White  Star  Line." (New York Times, 9 September). This was  owing  to rigourous, ruthless customs examination enforcing the new  Dingley tarrif.  J.P. Morgan met Teutonic off  Quarantine from his  yacht Corsair and joined them on the run up to the pier and "after  a tedious  wait" whilst their luggage  was searched, was hit with  a $3,000 duty. One lady paid $180 duty on gowns valued at $300. In all, passengers were assessed $12,000 duty in all. 

Teutonic departed New York on 15 September 1897 and arrived at Liverpool at 7:00 a.m. on the 22nd.

Sir Arthur B. Forwood, MP, the great Liverpool merchant and shipowner,  and Lady  Forwood, were among those embarking Teutonic at Liverpool on 30 September 1897 for  New York and she  arrived there on 6 October. 

If Corsair was J.P.  Morgan's yacht for  the  Hudson and eastern seaboard, Teutonic surely  was no less  for  his  trans-Atlantic travels  and he once  again embarked in her at New  York on 13 October  1897. Departing Queenstown at 9:15 p.m. Teutonic arrived at Liverpool on the morning of the 20th.

Credit: Liverpool Mercury, 21 October 1897.

On her arrival at Liverpool,  Teutonic  achieved a worthy milestone:  completion of  her  100th  round  voyage,  having  averaged 12½ round  voyages since  she entered  service on 7 August 1889 and steamed a distance of  620,000 nautical miles.  Her remarkable performance on her  99th voyage, nearly equalling her best ever  run some five years  previously  showed the true  qualities  of  a greyhound. That month the U.S. Post Office released its  annual report  of the  average steaming times for ships conveying the  mails from New York and Britain  and the Continent.  Teutonic was credited with the third fastest  individual run: 170 hours 3 mins whilst Campania  had  the  fastest: 156 hours  Moreover,  she was a regular as clockwork  as the Liverpool  Mercury noted on 1  October 1897:

Credit: Liverpool Mercury, 1 October 1897.

The appearance of the Teutonic as an armed merchant cruiser at the Diamond Jubilee Naval Review, for which she was fitted out and armed in the brief space of 48 hours, and the favourable notice she attracted on that historical occasion, will be fresh in the minds of the public. To many it will seem a very short time since she was present at the previous naval review, when she was inspected by the German Emperor, who was so much impressed by her structure and armament that he has made it his policy to encourage the shipowners of Germany to create fleets of similar vessels, and on the production of each successive German, steamship of the Teutonic type he has not failed to publicly express his personal approval and satisfaction. His Majesty visited the Teutonic on 4th August, 1889, when, as a new ship, she came from the hands of her builders, and had yet to begin her career as an Atlantic mail steamer in the service of the White Star Line. She sailed from Liverpool upon her first voyage to New York on the 7th August, 1889. On her arrival in the Mersey yesterday she completed her 100th round voyage, and has thus accomplished the remarkable average of 124 round voyages a year for eight years, and covered a distance of 620,000 nautical miles.

The Teutonic's maiden passage from Queenstown, to New York was the quickest on record, and in 1891 she crossed to New York 5 days 16 hours 31 minutes, the fastest passage recorded up to that time. On her 99th voyage she made the run across from Queenstown in 5 days 17 hours 22 minutes, showing that she has maintained her high speed unimpaired, and, like the Majestic, her twin sister and rival in speed, is to-day one of the most popular steamships on the Atlantic.

The heavy subsidies paid to foreign steamship lines severely intensify the competition to which the British lines are exposed, in face of which it is satisfactory to know that the British steamers are still able to give such a good account of themselves. The Teutonic and Majestic are twin-screw steamers of 10,000 tons gross measurement. These two steamers were the first vessels specially designed and constructed under arrangement with, the Admiralty for employment as armed merchant cruisers. With, the addition of the Cymric, just launched, a twin-screw steamer of 12,300 tons, the largest cargo-carrying steamer in the world, the White Star Line will possess in all ten twin-screw ships of the highest class, besides a twin-screw passenger tender and nine single-screw steamers, in all a total of 127,000 tons of shipping.

To the dweller inland there is probably no more imposing scene in the world than is daily visible on the broad waters of the Mersey, where the greatest ocean liners arrive and depart, and this is especially the case on those days of the week when the smart American mail liners may be seen entering or leaving the river.

Liverpool Mercury, 21 October 1897.

The New York-bound  Teutonic left Liverpool on 27 October 1897, and calling at Queenstown the following morning, 8:40 a.m.-12:20 p.m. coursed westward. She  arrived at New York on 3 November and among those  disembarking there was Marshall  Field, "the  Chicago  dry goods merchant,"  (New York Tribune,  4 November) and Sir  James  Poole, the shipbuilder and R.C. Lehman, the Harvard boat team coach.

Ignored by the New  York press, Teutonic sailed  for Liverpool at 1:30 p.m. on 10  November  1897, and arriving  at Queenstown at 2:21 a.m. on the  17th, left at 3:25 p.m.  for Liverpool where  she  arrived  later  that  day.

After a quick drydocking, Teutonic sailed from Liverpool on her final round voyage  of a most eventful year, on 1 December 1897, and left Queenstown at 12:35 p.m. the next  day.  Aboard  "his" favourite  ship, was J.P. Morgan, returning from his trip to Europe, and returning with the body  of his late  partner, Walter  H. Burns,  who had passed away  in England on 22 November,  and accompanied by his son.  Teutonic  arrived  at New York on the  8th. 

Teutonic cleared New  York on 15 December 1897 and arriving at  Queenstown at  7:25 p.m., carried on to Liverpool where she arrived on the 22nd.

There  was still time to pack in one more  sailing  from Liverpool  for  Teutonic on 30  December  1897:

There was an unusually busy afternoon at the Landing-stage yesterday, when at one time the White Star liner Teutonic and the Dominion liner Canada were alongside, the former occupying the southernmost position. Punctually at three o'clock-the advertised time -moorings were cast adrift, the sonorous voice of the steam horn was sounded, and the Teutonic slowly moved away into the stream, her departure being witnessed by a large number of spectators. For this season of the year she had a good complement of passengers on board, amongst those travelling in the saloon being the Earl of Ava (eldest son of the Marquis of Dufferin), Lieutenant H. H. Bellers, R.N., Rev. Mr. Fitzgibbon, and Mr. Rupert Guinness. At Queenstown Mr. J.E. Redmond, M.P., will join the vessel. The Canada also took a fairly large number of saloon passengers, and the Numidian, of the Allan Line, on her arrival in the Mersey, landed her incoming voyageurs by tender. She also had a fairly good complement of passengers.

Liverpool Mercury,  30  December 1897.

In 1897, Teutonic made 12 westbound and 11 eastbound crossings.

Teutonic in the Mersey arriving back from her cruise to the Spithead Jubilee Review. Credit: Mariners' Museum Elwin Eldredge collection.

1898

When  Teutonic made her first arrival in New York  in the New  Year, her most welcomed and anticipated  passenger was the Irish nationalist  John E. Redmond, M.P., but elaborate plans to receive him were postponed when  Teutonic failed to  arrive  as expected on 5 January 1898.   When she did finally  "show," a day late, on the  6th, after a crossing of 6 days 18 hours 45 mins.,  it was for  the expected reasons given the time of year: "Wild Days on the  Atlantic," being the  New  York Times headline as it described  her  stormy  trip over:

The fury of the wintry tumult on the North Atlantic has in nowise abated, according to the reports of incoming vessels. The White Star Line steamship Teutonic, which arrived yesterday, was a day late. Retarded throughout by head winds and towering waves, her decks were continually swept by the seas, and her sides, rigging, masts, and gear were coated with frozen spray. A sailor, who was hit by a boarding sea, was knocked against some gear and had his ankle broken.

New York  Times, 7 January 1898.

The White Star steamship Teutonic, which arrived yesterday morning from Liverpool and Queenstown. nearly a day late, found lots of boisterous  weather in her  course. She got the worst of the racketing just after  she  left Queenstown harbor. A big sea swept over the starboard bow in the  night, and taking up one of the seamen who was on duty forward,  carried him far aft. When the water had vanished over bulwarks and through scuppers, he was found helpless on deck, his ankle  was broken and he was  badly  bruised. 

The Sun, 7 January  1898.

Following  his  father's loyalty  to  the ship, J. Piermont  Morgan, Jr.,  was among  those sailing  in Teutonic for Liverpool on 12  January  1898, to join his father  already  in Europe. Heavy fog  blanketed the Port of New  York most of that day and Teutonic, along with the New York and Southwark, could not  leave their North  River piers until after 5:00 p.m. when it finally  lifted.   She called at Queenstown the early  afternoon of the 19th  and arrived at  Liverpool the next  day.

Departing Liverpool on 26 January 1898, Teutonic again found it  hard going that stormy  winter and arrived, late, on the morning of 3 February  at New  York still digging out  of a blizzard. After a crossing from Daunt's Rock to Sandy Hook that took 6  days 13 hours 58 mins, Teutonic had actually  arrived at 9:15 p.m. on the 2nd but after ice  in the harbour  had shifted the navigation lights  in Gedney's Channel,  she was obliged to  anchor  until morning.  It was one of  the ship's stormiest voyages:

Captain Cameron, in describing the passage, said the heavy cross seas, stirred by a succession of southerly gales, pounded savagely against the liner's sides during the first three days out from Queenstown. The steamship rode into the centre of a cyclone at eleven o'clock on Sunday morning. It was the worst storm in his experience, and the entry in the log shows that the wind reached No. 12 on the Beaufort scale, the highest point, and indicating velocity of 90 miles an hour.

The seas took on a terrific swell, in which the vessel rolled and pitched like a plaything. So great was the force of the hurricane that the climbing seas were scattered before it, the spray was lifted from the curlers and fell on the decks in showers, the water freezing wherever it was blown. The spuma was lifted to a great height and blown furiously before the cyclone, shutting out everything ahead, like a fog. The fog steam whistle was set blowing, but in the roar of the elements the noise was drowned. The liner rode through the hurricane until six o'clock on Sunday evening, when the edge of the cyclone was passed.

The wind was still strong, and on the following day brought furious squalls of snow. Tumultuous seas were thrown up, and the storm lasted nearly 20 hours longer, after which it subsided into a fresh south south-east gale. As the Teutonic steamed to her pier she was an object of much interest, having a coat of ice from her water line to the tops of her masts. The cold so intense that the spray froze on the clothing of the seamen..

Liverpool Mercury, 14  February  1898.

The eastbound Teutonic  cleared  New York at 4:30 p.m. on 9 February  1898, called at Queenstown first thing  on the  16th and arrived at Liverpool  at 6:00 p.m. that  same day. Typical for the  winter  North  Atlantic, the  eastbound crossing was far kinder  than her westward  one and "the vessel  had a  good passage across  the Atlantic, only having one rough  day during  the  whole time." (Liverpool Mercury, 17  February  1898).

Leaving "punctually  at the appointed hour,  her  departure being viewed by  a large number of  people  who had  assembled on the  Prince's Stage," (Liverpool Mercury), Teutonic sailed for New  York on 23  February  1898, and cleared  Queenstown at 12:25 p.m. the following  day.  Enjoying a welcome voyage  so bereft  of weather or  incidents as to  be  wholly  ignored by  the  New  York press, she  arrived there the afternoon of 2 March. 

With equal anonymity, Teutonic slipped out of New  York Harbor on 9 March 1898, and after calling  at  Queenstown, at midnight the 16th, arrived  at Liverpool later  that day. 

Teutonic was off again  for New York on 23 March 1898, again with little notice, and called the next  day at  Queenstown, clearing there at 12:35 p.m. for  America with 255 saloon and 560 steerage passengers.  She  came into New  York  the morning of  the  30th, bringing a consignment of gold valued  at  $336,000. 

The Teutonic Rovers  football  team played a 1-1 match against the Brooklyn Wanderers on 3 April 1898  at  Varuna Park,  Bay Ridge.

With war imminent between the United  States  and Spain over Cuba, many intending passengers cancelled passage  on American Line and Teutonic had a big list for  the  season of 144 saloon passengers on departure from New York on 6  April 1898 as well a consignment of $254,000 in silver specie. Arriving  at Queenstown at 10:30 p.m. on the  12th, she reported passing a iceberg en route on the  9th, it being very  early  in the  season for ice. 

Beginning a  busy immigrant season, when Teutonic called  at  Queenstown on 21 April 1898, she embarked nearly 600 Irish immigrants for New York and departed at 12:10  p.m..  Boarding at Liverpool  the previous day  was Marshall Field once again.  By  the  time Teutonic reached New York the evening  of  the 27th, first  news  of  the  declaration of war by  the United States against  Spain was received, and during the voyage bets were taken whether  and when war would be declared.

Credit: The New York Times, 28 April 1898.

The White Star liner Teutonic got in last night. She left Queenstown on April 21 and saw no Spanish warships. War was recognized as inevitable when she sailed, but she picked up no news coming over. Just outside the Hook she met the Germanic going out and hoisted the flag signal 'War or peace?' The wind was blowing hard at the time must have mixed up the flags, for the answer signalled back was 'Thank you.' 

When Pilot Noble clambered over the rail at Sandy Hook with a bundle of New York papers under his arm there was a scramble for them.When the pier at West Tenth street was neared the passengers crowded the forward deck and cheered lustily in answer to greetings from the shore.

The Sun, 28 April 1898.

Teutonic left New York on 4 May 1898, with 205 First, 185  Second  and 505 Third  Class passengers and having fine weather  across, did  the run  from Sandy  Hook to Daunt's  Rock in 6 days 6 hours 2 mins,  arriving  at  Queenstown the morning  of the  12th. "No war vessels of any nationality were signalled  during the voyage." (Cork  Daily  Herald,  13  May).  She landed 198  of  the  total of  884  bags of  mail and quite  a few passengers  there before proceeding to Liverpool  where she arrived later that  day. "Yesterday afternoon the White Star Liner Teutonic arrived in the Mersey from New York. She carried an exceptionally large number of passengers many of whom would have travelled had it not been for the present war by the American and Continental lines Three trains were requisitioned to convey the passengers from the Riverside Station to London Hull and Grimsby."  (Liverpool Mercury, 12 May 1898).

Departing  Liverpool  on 18 May 1898 and Queenstown the next midday (where she embarked 350 passengers), Teutonic arrived  at New  York at 4:00 p.m. on the  25th. 

From New York on 1 June  1898, Teutonic came into Queenstown at 6:52  a.m.  on the  8th and arrived at Liverpool on the  9th.

With Sir William Van Horne,  K.C.M.G., Chairman of Canadian Pacific,  among her passengers, Teutonic cleared Liverpool on 15 June 1898, called at Queenstown on the 16th and arrived at New  York on the  22nd. 

Financier George Jay  Gould and his family, and Mr. F.W.  Vanderbilt and Mrs. Vanderbilt,  were among those sailing in Teutonic  on 29  June 1898.  Pausing at  Queenstown in the small hours of 6 July, she arrived at  Liverpool later  that day, leading  the  Liverpool  Mercury of  8th  to observe:  " There is no doubt that the White Star boat Teutonic, which arrived at Liverpool on Wednesday, conveyed passengers representing bullion and millions of money. In this country we receive the American Cousins as guests, but our newspapers do not devote yards of space to a narration of their travels."

Undergoing  her twice annual  drydocking, Teutonic  was  sent across  to  Birkenhead  on 10 July 1898 for overhaul and undocked on the 15th and entered Canada Dock to  load  for New York.

At the height of the  season,  Teutonic departed Liverpool  on 20  July  1898: "The White Star mail steamer Teutonic left the Mersey yesterday afternoon for New York, carrying a large complement of passengers, no fewer than 225 travelling saloon, a large number of whom came from London during the afternoon direct from Euston to the Riverside Station. Among the saloon passengers were the Right Hon. Lord Herschell, G.C.B., and the Hon. Mr. Herschell, Sir Windham Anstruther, Bart., Major-General Leach, C.B., V.C., Colonel Dalton, R.A., Colonel Graham, Mr. Alfred Holt, and Baron Profumo."  (Liverpool Mercury, 21 July  1898).  She  cleared Queenstown  at 12:55  p.m. the following  day  for  New  York where she arrived on the afternoon of the 27th. Not mentioned by the Mercury, one of her passengers landing there  was actor William Gillett, appearing in the passenger list as "W.  Gibson"  and actor William Mansfield. 

The  actress Lillian Russell and American businessman George Crocker were among those  sailing  in  Teutonic  from New  York on 3 August 1898. Calling at  Queenstown on  the 9th, she  arrived at Liverpool late that  same day.

With some  260  saloon class  passengers, but  without the Lord Mayor of London who had  to cancel at the last minute owing to a family  illness, Teutonic  let  go from Prince's Landing Stage  at 5:00 p.m.  on  17 August 1898. "It  is  interesting to note, too, that  the shipment  of freight to  Havana via  Liverpool,which  were suspended during the  Spanish-American War, were resumed  per the Teutonic  yesterday. It  is expected that 15  days from Liverpool will see the arrival of  the goods at Havana." (Liverpool Mercury, 18 August).  A ship  in a hurry, Teutonic breezed  into Queenstown  at 6:54  a.m. on the  19th and was off to New  York by  10:20 a.m. with  full list of  1,043 passengers. Making  knots, she was sighted off  Fire Island at 8:25 a.m. on the  24th and  got into New York  later that day, logging  6  days 3 hours 20 mins from Daunt's Rock to  Sandy Hook,  a  very smart passage indeed.  On  the  22nd, Teutonic  passed  a overturned  white painted  metallic  lifeboat,  believed belonging  to the lost Transat liner La Bourgogne sunk with appalling lost  of life the previous month  off the Grand  Banks after a collision.  Among Teutonic's passengers was Benjamin Hunter Howell, aged 23, the  crack American oarsman, winner  of  the Diamond sculls  at  the last Henley  regatta, and theatre producer Daniel Frohman. 

Crack seamen belonging to  a crack Atlantic greyhound, Teutonic's crew were  the most athletic of any  ship.   During their  New York turnaround, Teutonic's  second cricket team played the Caribbeans  at  Central Park,  the West  Indians winning by 34 runs and the  first Teutonic team played Yorkville, losing 122 to 32. On 28 August 1898  two Teutonic stewards held a swimming  race  off the White  Star Pier in  the  North River, Arthur Atkins winning  the half a mile race against R. Fleming. 

Teutonic  cleared the North River on 31 August 1898 for  the Mersey, called at Queenstown in the small hours of  6 September and docked  at  Liverpool later that day. 

The retiring U.S. Ambassador  to Great  Britain, the Hon. Mr. John Hay and family, were among those  embarking in Teutonic  at Liverpool on 14 September 1898.

 

A considerable crowd congregated at the Liverpool landing stage to see the departure of the retiring Ambassador, and there gathered on board the Teutonic to see him off Mr. Boyle, the United States Consul in Liverpool, several members of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board, Sir A. B. Forwood, M.P., Mr. T. H. Ismay, and representatives of the United States colony in Liverpool. Other passengers by the Teutonic included Mr. J.B. Angell, United States Minister to Turkey, and Mr. F. J. 8. Hopwood, Assistant Secretary to the Board of Trade.

The Times, 15 September  1898.

The usual waving of handkerchiefs took place between Colonel Hay and family and their friends ashore as the Teutonic sailed and it was interesting in view of the talked-of Anglo-American alliance to see a miniature Union Jack and American flag waved from the steerage portion of the vessel.

Liverpool Mercury, 15 September 1898.

Whereas the  inbound Britannic could not call there that  morning  at 3:30 a.m. on 17 September 1898 owing to dense fog, Teutonic  made it into Queenstown without difficulty at 8:45 a.m. and passed out, New  York-bound, at 1:15 p.m..  A nerve-wracking crossing ensued.  In dense  fog on the 18th, she very  nearly collided with  a "big steamship, whose identity  was  unknown, and only by stopping her machinery  just  in the  nick of time." Then,  on approach  to New  York,  in the Swash Channel, under a  New  York pilot, she brushed  the side of the outbound  American  transport  Berlin, bound  for Ponce, Puerto Rico with the supplies for the American forces  there. "The speed of the  Teutonic  was checked just  in time, and her bow only  grazed the  side  of the  Berlin. The  collision caused  no  excitement  on either  ship, and each  proceeded  on  her  way." (New  York Tribune, 22 September  1898).

With just a slight mark on her starboard bow as indication that she had been in collision two hours earlier the White Star liner Teutonic came to her dock at 9 o'clock last night. The other party to the collision, which is probably the lightest on record, was the United States transport Berlin, bound for Porto Rico. So light was the shock that most of those on board the big liner didn't know there had been any collision until they were so informed by stewards, who rather superfluously besought them to keep cool, as there was no danger. It is supposed that the transport suffered no harm, though no information could be elicited by those on the liner. Capt. J. G. Cameron of the Teutonic says that his ship didn't hit the other hard enough to scrape the paint off.

This is the account of the collision as given by those on the liner, the Berlin's story being. of course, unattainable. A few minutes before 7 o'clock last evening the liner was passing the entrance to the Swash Channel, having come through the main channel and passed the striped buoy, when the lights of a steamship entering the Swash Channel were seen. The Teutonic turned out to port, whistling twice, but the other steamer made no reply to the signal. Then Capt. Cameron ordered the engines reversed. The bluff of the liner's bow struck the other ship in the waist abaft the main rigging with so light a touch that those on deck felt nothing more than a slight jar.

The Teutonic kept on backing and the Berlin also backed until the two vessels separated. Before the collision the fog horn signal was by the Teutonic for the closing of the collision bulkheads and portholes, and this work was accomplished in about one minute. The following one-sided conversation then took place: The Teutonic--What ship is that ? Berlin-No reply. The Teutonic are you bound? The Berlin-No reply. The Teutonic--Why didn't you answer our signal? The Berlin--No reply.

The Teutonic--Are you injured? The Berlin-No reply. We've collided with a floating lunatic asylum manned by deaf mutes." was Capt. Cameron's angry comment. What's the matter there? Can't you speak? The Berlin--No reply. Presently the Berlin could be seen lowering a man to examine her for injuries.

After several minutes somebody on board piped out that the ship was the Berlin, after which she proceeded, still preserving her masterly silence. She passed out at the Hook at 8 o'clock. running at good speed, and is undoubtedly uninjured.

The Sun, 22 September 1898.

Teutonic, without further ado, docked at her pier shortly  after 8:30 p.m. on  21 September  1898.

Eastbound, Teutonic  passed out of  New  York Harbor on 28  September 1898, with 115  First, 130 Second and 330  Third  Class  passengers.  Coming  into Queenstown at midnight on  5 October, she had clocked  6 days 5 hours 15 mins. From Sandy Hook to Daunt's Rock, "which  is an excellent performance," noted the  Cork Daily Herald,  adding  "fine weather  was experienced  during  the passage."  Teutonic  came over with a tremendous mail consignment-- 1,343 bags--  of which  1,273 were landed  there along  with 117 passengers, before she  carried on to Liverpool. 

New York-bound, Teutonic cleared the Mersey  on 12 October 1898, paused at Queenstown the following day from 6:35 a.m. to  12:50 p.m. and resumed passage  westwards.  Passing Sandy  Hook at 10:54 a.m. on the 19th, she  docked  later that afternoon. 

Mr. and Mrs. J.P. Morgan, Jr., were among  those sailing  for England in Teutonic on 26 October 1898. On arrival at Queenstown on 1  November at 1:25 a.m., it  was so  rough  that  Teutonic carried on without calling there, arriving  later that morning at Liverpool. 

Teutonic departed Liverpool on 16 November 1898 and from Queenstown the next day at 12:10 p.m.  She arrived at New York the morning of the  23rd.

With a smattering of society-- Bowkers, Dodges and Van Rensselaers-- Teutonic  left New York on 30 November  1898 and got into Queenstown just  before midnight on7  December,  continuing on to Liverpool at 12:35 a.m. where she docked  that  same afternoon.

Very much  a Christmas mailboat, when Teutonic  cleared Queenstown  at 1:10 p.m. on 15 December 1898, she went out  with over 1,900 bags.  Arriving at a New York Harbor engulfed with fog on the  21st, Teutonic was  the only  of many  arriving ships to make it to  Quarantine at 2:30 p.m. but Capt. Cameron decided to  anchor off  the  night out  of caution and thus began one of Teutonic's  more difficult and protracted  "voyages": from Quarantine to the White Star pier at the  foot  of Christopher St., North River. 

The marine observer at the Quarantine Station reported a steamer coming in at nearly 2:30 o'clock in the afternoon, but the fog was so dense that it could not be identified. She proved to be the Teutonic, which dropped her anchor there. A little later the transport Mississippi from San Juan came up through the Narrows, and bore right down upon the Teutonic. When within about 200 feet of the Teutonic the latter immediately paid out her chain and backed water, at the same time blowing her whistle and ringing her bell furiously. The Mississippi also saw the danger, reversed her engines, and steered to the side. She was within 50 feet of the liner when the danger was over. The Teutonic remained at Quarantine, it was said, for the night. 

New  York Times, 22 December 1898.

Although it was possible to get Teutonic's  mail and many saloon passengers off by  tug on the  21st,  she was not  going anywhere as the fog showed  no sign of  abating:

Of the ocean steamships, the most important of the inward-bound fleet was the Teutonic, which arrived Wednesday. She is still at anchor in the bay, but her mails had the been brought up Wednesday, and yesterday  White Star Line agent sent a steamboat her down to her, which brought up most of her passengers and baggage, landing them at the company's pier after nightfall. Teutonic, as reported yesterday, reached Quarantine Wednesday, and made one attempt to leave for her pier, but was forced to anchor again. She made another attempt yesterday afternoon with like result. At 2:30 p.m. she made a third attempt, and reached Robbin's a point in the upper bay, between  Robin's Reef and Liberty Island. Then the fog gathered around her so thick that further effort to get her up had to be abandoned.

The New York Times, 23  December 1898.

Of Teutonic's 197 saloon and 149 steerage passengers, about 150 cabin passengers were able  to land by  tug.  With hotels in the  city completely  booked up by fog  marooned  travellers, many wished  they had remained aboard.  The Sun of 23  December 1898 reported: "For the first time in the history of twin screws, one them, the White Star liner Teutonic, was held up two nights in the upper bay because of fog. There have been fogs that have detained ships outside the bar more than twenty-four hours, but there never was before that kept a big twin-screw liner almost within sight of her pier two nights. The Teutonic arrived at Quarantine on Wednesday afternoon. Her Christmas mails were taken off,  landed and distributed."  Teutonic finally made it up  to her  pier  the morning of the  23rd.

Teutonic's last departure of  the year, from New York on 29 December 1898, had, once  again, J.P. Morgan among her passengers as well as Mr. and Mrs. George Vanderbilt.   On  New Years Day, Teutonic reported passing  a disabled Danish  steamer, flying recognition flags "Arkansas" but was not asked to render assistance and proceeded, arriving at  Queenstown on the  evening of the 4th. 

In 1898, Teutonic made 13 eastbound and 12 westbound crossings.

Teutonic at Queenstown. Credit: National Library of  Ireland.

1899

Beginning her first westbound crossing of the New  Year, Teutonic left Liverpool on 11 January 1899 and on departure from Queenstown at 1:40 p.m. on the  12th had 184 saloon and 125 steerage  passengers aboard. She put  in a fine run, despite  stormy weather across, of 6  days  8 hours from Daunt's  Rock  to Sandy Hook, arriving at New  York  the  evening  of  the 18th.  Her getting  to  her pier again proved the hardest part  of the  trip:

Credit: New  York  Tribune,  19 January  1899.

The White Star liner Teutonic...  met with an unexpected delay when she got up to her pier at 8 o'clock last night. A strong ebb tide was running. and the slip into which the vessel was to be warped was choked with thick ice. Half a dozen tugs could not hoist the big liner's stern out toward the stream, the Ice barrier preventing the Teutonic's bow from swinging into the slip. For over two hours the steamer and tugs struggled against the strong current and the ice. It was not until the force of the tide had slackened that the vessel was finally docked, about 10 o'clock. By that time the friends of the passengers assembled on the pier were chilled by the long wait, and were giad when the new arrivals landed to hasten quickly home.

New York Tribune, 19  January 1899.

Teutonic sailed  from New York on 25 January 1899 and called at  Queenstown on 1  February,  departing there at 9:00 a.m. for  Liverpool where  she docked  that  afternoon.

Departing  Liverpool  on 8  February  1899, J.P. Morgan and the Scottish author Ian MacLaren (the Rev. Dr. John Watson) among those aboard, Teutonic was setting off on a protracted and difficult winter voyage. Hitting  the  full force  of  a gale in the Irish channel,  she arrived at Queenstown at 9:08 a.m., not getting away until 2:25 p.m., as the  mail train was 1 hour 22 mins. late in arriving.  Due  to arrive at New  York on the  15th, she did not do so until  the 17th after a frightful passage which many  officers  asserted  was her worst in her existence  with a succession of gales all the way across. 

Through wild gales and seas still wilder the liner Teutonic fought her for nine days and reached her pier here yesterday afternoon after the worst voyage, so her officers say, in her existence. Not since the great winter storm of 1895 has she been battered by such waves, and that tempest lasted for but three days, while this present trip was one long fight against gales following hurricane and hurricane succeeding to gale. Almost from the hour she left her pier at Queenstown, at noon on Feb. 8. to the time she landed she was fiercely beset by storm.

Last Saturday and Sunday the decks were continually swept by a succession of huge waves driven before northwest hurricane, and passengers were absolutely forbidden to come on deck. Sunday was the worst day  all. Mountains of water loomed worst, sides and burst in tremendous cascades upon the decks. The rollers were long and even, and moved with terrible swiftness and force, so that as the Teutonic, swooping from the lift of one. drove down into the hollow, the next burst over her in an avalanche of furious water.

Nobody was injured on board, except for some unimportant bruises sustained by persons who underestimated the difficulties of navigation below and inadvertently bucked walls or furniture, and an occasional bump sustained through the tendency of all articles not securely fastened to rampage simultaneously about the rooms. Most of the passengers, however, kept to their staterooms-which was about all they did succeed in keeping. At the pier the reporter overheard piously inclined lady, who had just landed, looking rather pale, ejaculate: 'Thank heaven. I'm on land again. I've expected for the last week to be called into the presence of my Maker, absolutely hollow. Where's the nearest restaurtant?' 

Capt. Cameron was exhausted when the ship reached port. He had been on the bridge almost unceasingly through the voyage. The passengers gave him a testimonial for the manner in which he had managed his ship and for his courage and endurance in the performance of his duty. Among the names signed to it were those of J. C. Butterfleld. George Allen, John Annan,  Mr. S. and H. A.Craigie, Lieut Col. Jewett. A., Gen. Jones, Bengal Army; the Rev. John Watson (Ian Maclaren) and Mr A.H. Maitland Kersey and the Hon. E. A. Hitchcock,ex- United States Ambassador to Russia. 

Mr. Hitchcock went direct to Washington. He looked a trifle worn. and said he had experienced more weather than he had hitherto supposed was extant..

The Sun, 18 February 1899.

Dr. Watson said yesterday that the big White Star liner had a terrible passage. 'On Monday there hurricane, in the nautical acceptation term, and not as the landsman generally understands it,' said he, 'and there a gale on every other day save one, when it was recorded that there were fresh southerly winds.' Now a fresh southerly wind is bad enough for those who are not sailors, and I suffered very much with my head, this being one of the worst effects of seasickness upon me.

The notice posted on the 13th was 'Whole gale, with hurricane squalls.' The Atlantic in its fury was a spectacle of awful grandeur and magnificence, and we from our deck cabin gazed upon it with feelings of mingled fear and admiration. Sometimes the seas bore down upon us from three different quarters in succession, in mighty mountains that gathered in bulk and strength as they advanced. It seemed that each wave must overwhelm us and carry us down to destruction, but under the splendid seamanship of Capt. Cameron the vessel rose upon it like a duck and issued through cloud of snowy foam to confront and surmount another. It was a stand-up fight between the sea and our Captain, and the Captain won. I cannot conceive of a responsibility more weighty than that of the Captain of a great transatlantic liner in such circumstances, where an error of judgment might be fatal. We all signed a letter complimenting Capt. Cameron upon his splendid handling of the ship and thanking him for his care of us.

New York Times, 18 February 1899.

Teutonic left  New York on time, on 22  February 1899, despite her  late arrival, with  Irish  novelist  Bram Stoker among those aboard.  Calling  at Queenstown in the  early hours of the 28th, Teutonic arrived at Liverpool later that day. 

Credit: The World, 17 March  1899.

Sailing from Liverpool on 8 March 1899, and calling at Queenstown the next  day, Teutonic had among  her passengers, Lily, the  Dowager Duchess of Marlborough.  Teutonic arrived late on  the  15th, crossing the Bar  at 10:15 p.m., too late  to  land  her passengers:   "The Teutonic with several well-known New Yorkers on board and which was due yesterday morning did not arrive in time to land her passengers last evening. The day was a dreary one for home-coming. Lilian, Dowager Duchess of Marlborough, now Lady William Beresford as well, and who comes over to visit her mother in Troy,  is the most interesting passenger on the Teutonic." (The New York Times, 16 March 1899). Of more local  interest  in was the timely arrival of "fifty-five great mailbags full of letters, packages  and boxes from Dublin Irishmen to their friends in this country. In nearly every piece of mail there  were shamrocks fresh  from the Irish fields," (The  World,  17 March), St. Patrick's Day being on the 17th.  Part of  Teutonic's cargo was  35,000 packages of  shamrocks. 

When  Teutonic  left  New York for  her  homeward crossing  on  22 March 1899, the Duchess  of Marlborough, was among the 144 First, 49 Second and 125 Third passengers sailing in her.   They endured a long  and  rough crossing and arriving at Queenstown at 11:25 a.m. on the 29th, she had clocked 6 days 13 hours 24 mins. from Sandy Hook to Daunt's Rock during which "some rough  weather was experienced," (Cork Daily  Herald, 30 March) and on the  25th "she  passed a very large  iceberg,"  and a derelict schooner on the  the 28th in  a "battered  state." She landed 71 passengers and 420 bags of mail there and  Lord Beresford embarked to  join his  wife for  the  short  voyage  to Liverpool where she arrived  the next day. 

"A numerous company of clergymen assembled on the Prince's Landing Stage to wish  his  grace bon voyage," reported the  Liverpool Mercury  of  6 April 1899, the day after the Most  Rev. Dr. Carr, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, sailed from Liverpool  for New York  the previous  day.  Clearing Queenstown at 12:30 p.m. on the  6th, Teutonic went out with 800 Irish immigrants, leaving behind 60 behind  as there were no remaining berths.  Teutonic arrived at New York  the morning of the  13th.

Teutonic's passenger list for her 19 April 1899 sailing was classic Gilded Age and included opera star Mme. Melba, author Price Collier, F.A. Constable of the American Museum of Natural History and Thomas  Dewar, whisky distiller. Teutonic arrived at Queenstown at 10:18  a.m. on the 26th and left the following day at 11:00  a.m.  for Liverpool. 

Clearing Liverpool on  3 May 1899, Teutonic arrived at Queenstown at 6:26 a.m. and left for New York on 12:20 p.m. where she arrived on 2:00 p.m. on the  10th. Three passengers, travelling as Dr. J. Owen, W.R. Torrance and C.R. Brackett, were arrested by the police on arrival, telling The Sun, "The  men are  card sharps and have been  swindling passengers on transatlantic steamships." Others arriving  with less  notoriority  included  J.J. Hill,  president of  the Great Northern Railroad.

Author Ian MacLaren, returning home, was  among the 290 First, 180 Second and 465 Third  Class passengers  sailing in Teutonic  from New York on 17 May  1899, "The St. Paul and Teutonic carried away more well-known people yesterday morning than have any of the Atlantic liners thus far this season at any one sailing, and the American and White Star wharves presented gay and bustling scenes for an hour or so before the departure of the great ships." (New  York Times, 18 May  1899). "After an excellent passage  of 6 days  12 hours 40 mins. from Sandy Hook to Daunt's Rock, over  the long route,"  (Cork  Daily Herald, 25 May),  Teutonic  made  Queenstown at  7:00 a.m. on the 24th, where  she landed 182 passengers  and 132 bags of  mail  before continuing to  Liverpool at 8:05 a.m. and arriving there that evening.  "The vessel was expected to arrive at stage a about eight o'clock last night,  but the weather was very thick  and foggy outside, and it was nine p.m. before the big liner came up the river and moored at her berth. Another half-hour was passed in discharging passengers' baggage, and it was approaching ten o'clock when the passengers disembarked. From Riverside Station two trains were despatched to London and one to Grimsby." (Liverpool Mercury, 25 May 1899).

From Liverpool on 31 May 1899 and Queenstown the  following  day, Teutonic  reached New York on the evening of   7 June, landing, among others, Mrs. & Mrs. John G. Bereford, Mr. W. Forbes Morgan, "who has been passing  the winter  in the Winter at Pau," and Mr. & Mrs. J. Howard Wright, "who have been during the winter in Egypt."

Rudyard Kipling,  his  wife  and two children  were  among  those  embarking  aboard Teutonic  at New York  14 June 1899. Also aboard were Mr. and Mrs.  F.M. Doubleday, friends of  the Kiplings,  theatre owner David Belasco and twelve of the best scullers of the Argonaut Rowing Club of Toronto, bound for the  Henley  regatta. Recovering from an illness, Kipling, "accompanied by nurses and servants, reached the pier a short time before the vessel sailed,  and went directly to their staterooms, where Mr. Kipling retired to his berth." (New  York Times, 15 June).  Experiencing strong gales and high head seas across,  Teutonic called at Queenstown on the  21st, Teutonic got into Liverpool at 10:30 p.m. that evening, anchoring in the river off  the  landing stage, "having been slightly detained off  the port by  reason of  fog."(Liverpool  Mercury).  Although  the  tender Magnetic took off her  mails and a few passengers, local to the city, most including the Kipling  party  spent the  night  aboard  and landed  the following morning when she came alongside the  stage. Mr. Doubleday told reporters that "Mr.  Kipling had reaped the  benefit  of the sea  voyage, and had enjoyed  himself  very  much."

With the new Oceanic about to be commissioned, there was a shuffle of command of the White  Star express steamers. Britannic was to be commanded  by Capt. Hayes, formerly Chief Officer of  Teutonic,  with Capt. Haddock going to Germanic and Capt. McKinstry promoted  to command Teutonic and finally, Commodore Cameron assuming command of  the new Oceanic.

Taking  Teutonic out for the last time as her captain, Commodore Cameron sailed from  Liverpool on 28 June 1899,  amid a terrific  thunderstorm:  "The scene on the Landing-stage will long be remembered by the large crowd of persons hurrying to the various cross-river boats. About five o'clock, as the Teutonic was leaving the stage, hundreds of passengers were waving adieux, when the heavy rain and flashes of Iightening led them to rush suddenly to the covered sheds. The spectacle in all its awful brilliance was witnessed by an immense number, who huddled together in these places of refuge, and about an hour and a half elapsed before the storm diminished sufficiently to permit their departure, which was made with thankfulness all danger had passed away." (Liverpool  Mercury, 29 June). 

Calling at Queenstown early  the next morning, Teutonic was scheduled to arrive at New York on the morning of 5  July 1899.  Passing Fire Island at 2:45 p.m. that day,  she had to anchor off Sandy  Hook by 5:00 p.m. owing to heavy fog.   After  several  attempts to  get to Quarantine, she finally got  there at 8:45 p.m. only  to  be further delayed  by  no health officials being on duty.  It was not until a few minutes  before  midnight that  she  tied up to her pier and her passengers could not  undergoing customs inspection until the next morning to the  considerable annoyance of  all, including Mr. and Mrs. George Vanderbilt.

That summer season remained busy late into  July and Teutonic went out  well-booked  with 350 saloon passengers from New York on the 12th as did New York.  She arrived Queenstown 19th at 10:50 a.m., slightly delayed  owing to bad weather. The last night saloon passengers presented Capt. Cameron with  a silver cup  and appreciation on his final voyage commanding  Teutonic.  She got into Liverpool on the next  day. 

On her  first voyage commanded by  Capt. E.R.  McKinstry, R.N.R., (who had been aboard as her  First Officer since she  entered service) Teutonic cleared  Liverpool on 26 July 1899 and arrived at  New York on 2 August.

The Teutonic's  cricket team was again matched  against the  Caribbeans at  Central Park on 5 August 1899 and again lost to the  West Indians. 

Teutonic left New York on 9 August 1899  for Liverpool, called at Queenstown on the 16th and left there for Liverpool at 7:00  a.m.. where she came in at 7:00 p.m. just two hours after Britannic cleared for New York.

From Liverpool on 23 August 1899 and Queenstown the 24th, Teutonic  arrived at New York on the morning of the 30th.  Departing  New  York on 6  September  1899, Teutonic called at Queenstown in the small hours of  the 13th and arrived Liverpool later the same day.

Her departure  on 20 September  1899, impeded by rough  weather, Teutonic's baggage was delayed  coming aboard  via tender  off  the landing stage but she  went out  with  a "very large list  of saloon passengers." She consequently  did not get  into Queenstown until  12:10  p.m. the  next day and sailing for New York at 1:10  p.m..   She had  a  slow crossing over, "chiefly because she has  a green fireroom  force," explained The  Sun  (28  September). On arrival off Quarantine at 8:30 p.m. on the  27th, Teutonic's passengers were  treated to quite  a sight  when the electric  light display just installed to welcome Admiral Dewey to the port was illuminated  for the  first time with a 200-ft.-long sign "Welcome Home"  spelled out with hundreds  of coloured lightbulbs.  Teutonic came up to her  North River  pier  at  7:30  a.m.  The next  morning.  Mr. &  Mrs. Perry Belmont were  met at  the  pier by their  steam yacht, Satanite, which took them  direct  to  their  country  home at  Roslyn, Long Island. 

Outbound  from New York on 4  October 1899, Teutonic encountered such dense  fog  when she came off Rochespoint  at 6:00 a.m. on the 11th that she  did not attempt to  call at Queenstown and proceeded direct to Liverpool where came in that afternoon. 

Departing Liverpool on 18 October 1899, Teutonic  left Queenstown the next  day  at 12:40  p.m. for New  York. Among her  passenger was the pianist Mark Hambourg, bound for his American  debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra on 3 November.  Teutonic  arrived  at New York on the 25th.

The White Star  pier 48 was the perfect if unusual venue for an indoor track and field event on 30 October 1899 by the revived Teutonic A.C. for  her steward athletes and a  120-yard  course marked out.  There were  so many entries that several heats had  to be run with a 120-yard dash, 220-yard dash, 880-yard run and one-mile walk. 

Mersey-bound, Teutonic passed down the North River midday  on 1 November 1899, going out  with  St. Louis. For the second time in a row, Teutonic did not attempt to call at  Queenstown owing to bad  weather on arrival off Rochespoint the morning of 8th in high  westerly winds and she continued on to Liverpool.

Amid war fever  and  the outbreak of  The Boer  War in South  Africa, Teutonic left Liverpool  as scheduled on 15 November 1899 for New York. The  day, her  sister Majestic was chartered by the British  Government, not in the capacity  as armed merchant  cruiser but as one of the many transports taking British troops  to the Cape, and would be requisitioned upon her arrival from New York at Liverpool on the 29th. Britannic  had  already been called up and arrived at Cape Town on the  14th. Teutonic arrived at New York late on the  afternoon of  the 22nd.  

On 24 November  1899 came the sad  news of  the death of  Thomas  Henry  Ismay  who whilst ill, had lived  to see the  completion of  Oceanic

Sailing from New York on 29 November 1899, Teutonic  was able to get into Queenstown this time on 6 December at 8:14 a.m. and off for Liverpool at 9:50  a.m.

Marshall Field  was once again embarking on "his" Teutonic at Liverpool on 13 December 1899  as were Mr. & Mrs. W.C. Pullman of Chicago.  Calling at  Queenstown the next day at 8:55 a.m.  The next day, she was detained there until 2:10  p.m. when the mail train  was one hour fifteen late in arriving. Teutonic arrived at New York on the  20th and just in time for Christmas, she came in with  a record 2,100 bags  of mail of which 277 were  to  be sent on the Australia.  The call-up of the White Star's Majestic, Cymric and Britannic as well as  Cunard's Umbria  for  transport duties to South Africa  had  already  impacted the  delivery of trans-Atlantic  mails with mail being diverted to slower ships  via Boston or Philadelphia.

Enjoying Christmas  in port, Teutonic  and her crew were off  again for home on 27  December  1899 and she took out a $500,000 consignment in gold  coin.   

In 1899, Teutonic  made 13 westbound and 13 eastbound crossings. 

White Star Line  1900 sailing list. Credit: Mary Evans Picture Library.

1900

Calling at  Queenstown midday 3 January 1900,  Teutonic arrived at Liverpool early  the following day, "having encountered  very rough  weather and heavy  seas in the  Atlantic," (Liverpool Mercury, 5 January).   Her cargo included 2,240 quarters of fresh beef.

Commanded by  Capt. E.R. McKinstry, Teutonic  sailed  from Liverpool  for  New York  on 17 January  1900. Calling at Queenstown on the  18th, she sailed mid morning and arrived at New York on the 25th, landing 111 First, 130 Second and 203 Third Class passengers. 

It was announced on 20 January 1900 that Teutonic's sailing from New York of the 31st would be  changed to  3 February "to accommodate the postal authorities, as there would be have been no mail steamer on that date,  owing to a cancellation of a Cunard  sailing from New York that day by Etruria which damaged her tail shaft, with Teutonic taking her originally  scheduled departure from New York.  

After enjoying a ten-day turnaround in New York, Teutonic  sailed at noon on 3 February  1900 with 123 First, 67  Second and 108 Third Class passengers, among them  being Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, "continue the trip around the  world  which was cut  short by the death of his father. There  were quite  a number of  friends on the pier to  see him off," (New York Times, 4 February  1900). She arrived at Liverpool on the 11th in the middle of  a snowstorm.

Making a "smart turnaround" of just three days to get back on schedule, Teutonic  cleared Liverpool the afternoon of 14 February 1900 and after calling at Queenstown the next  morning, had  152  First, 110 Second and 523 Third Class passengers for New York where she arrived on the afternoon of the 22nd., among those landing being Charles Frohman's London Comedians including Seymour Hicks and Fanny Brough for a run of "My  Daughter in Law" at  the Lyceum, and miniature  painter Amalia Kussner returning from South Africa after painting a portrait of  Cecil  Rhodes.  

Departing New York at 1:30 p.m. on 28 February 1900, Teutonic went out with 208 First, 105  Second and 242 Third Class passengers. Calling at  Queenstown  the evening of  the 8 March,  she arrived at  Liverpool the following day.

Outbound  from Liverpool on 14 March 1900, Teutonic, after calling at  Queenstown the next morning, had  110  First, 152 Second and 609 Third  Class and got  into New York at 3:30 p.m. on the 21st.

With 214 First, 187 Second and 200 Third Class passengers, Teutonic  left New York at  1:30 p.m. on 28 March 1900 and  among those sailing in her was J. Piermont Morgan and daughter Louise; Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Widener of Philadelphia   and American engineer  and inventor Peter  Cooper Hewitt. Calling at Queenstown the early morning of 4  April, Teutonic got into Liverpool late that  evening.

There were no fewer than 1,027 Third Class passengers as well as 191 First and 144 Second Class for Teutonic's  11 April  1900 sailing from Liverpool and Queenstown the next day for New  York where she arrived late on the 18th, anchored  off Quarantine that  night  and came alongside early the next morning. That week alone, the number  of arriving immigrants in New York was some 15,000 coming on 16 different steamers.  The crowd of arrivals created a near riot as the  newcomers arrived at the barge office from Ellis Island on the 19th:

Credit: The New  York Times, 20 April 1900.

After the arrival yesterday of the steamship Teutonic, with more than 1,000 immigrants aboard, there was a continuous scene of tumult about the Barge Office until late in the afternoon. hours before midday a crowd of relatives and friends of the newcomers began to assemble, and numbered 800 or 900 persons by 3 o'clock. There were people of many nationalities: French, Irish, Italians, Germans, and swarthy Orientals. Three police officers were kept busy restraining the crowd. for whenever a new face appeared in the Barge Office door two or three men and women would rush forward and attempt to embrace its owner.

The policemen's way of keeping order was not marked by sympathy and gentleness. They marched up and down the sidewalk, along some parts of which ropes were drawn above the curb, and the throng of people who were on the lookout for their friends were prohibited from passing beyond the edge of the gutter. Every time any one attempted to pass that limit the officers pushed him back. If two or three rushed forward at once they were lashed violently with small canes.

New York Times, 20 April 1900.

Among those arriving in Teutonic was Philip A.S. Franklin, New York manager of  Atlantic Transport Line, returning from merger talks with Leyland Line, and telling reporters that  the union of  the two had  been agreed upon. 

Departing New York on 25 April 1900, Teutonic went out with 255 First, 179 Second and 282 Third Class, "The American Line and White Star wharves were crowded in the morning with persons bidding good-bye to friends who sailed in the St. Louis and the Teutonic," (New York Times, 26 April).  Teutonic was  one of the three liners calling at Queenstown on 2  May, the others being New England from Boston and Waesland from Philadelphia, and arrived at Liverpool early the following morning.

Casting  off from Liverpool at 4:30 p.m. on 9 May 1900, Teutonic  managed to have, on departure from Queenstown at 9:40 a.m.  the next day, the identical number (1,037) of Third Class passengers as her last westbound trip, as well as 156 First and 137 Second Class. She  crossed the  Bar at  New York at 11:59 a.m. on the 16th and alongside early  that afternoon.

"The scenes at the sailing yesterday of the St. Louis and the Teutonic were lively and attractive, as a larger number of well known people departed on these boats than have sailed on any one day for some time past," (New York Times, 24 May 1900). Going out on 23 May  1900  with 273 First, 181  Second and 572 Third Class,  Teutonic numbered among them the popular American pastor, the  Rev. C.M.  Sheldon, author of In His Steps. The liner arrived at  Liverpool on the last day  of  the  month.

Among those embarking in Teutonic at  Liverpool on 6 June 1900 was J.P. Morgan and daughter, returning  from a two-month tour of  Europe, and Charles M. Hays, President of  the Grand Trunk Railroad,  and on departure from Queenstown at 9:15 a.m.  the next  day, she went out with  191 First, 124  Second and 490 Third Class.  

Teutonic had  a miserably slow passage  and when  she finally  crossed the New York Bar at 11:25 p.m. on 13 June 1900 and came alongside  the next  morning,   14 hours late, rumours abounded she had some machinery  breakdown en route, which  was  firmly denied  by  White  Star's  New  York general  agent John  Lee, who  told reporters it  was owing to a poor  quality  of coal  bunkered  in Liverpool  and only  discovered once  at sea. Not  helping and certainly adding to the confusion, the  New York Tribune reported on the  15th: "The  delay was caused by a derangement in her machinery, according to officers of the line, which  made it necessary  for  her to slow down while  the machinery  was being repaired. Captain McKinstry said the delay  was caused by a derangement of  the port  engine, which took place last Monday."     Regardless of the reason, it was thoroughly humiliating when off  Fire  Island at  8:50 p.m. on  the 13th,  she was passed by  the  NDL's Maria Theresia and The Sun reminded  its  readers  that the Teutonic "is supposed  to  be  a swifter craft than the  remodelled  German." Adding insult to injury,  Morgan's yacht Corsair was kept waiting off  Quarantine for  all those hours and followed  the tardy  Teutonic up  to her  pier  to collect he and  his  daughter.

With 300 First, 176 Second and 712 Third passengers,  which the New York Tribune called "a rather slim passenger list," although  The New York Times noted that "there  were not many New Yorkers booked on her, but a  large number of  Philadelphia people," and despite Sig. Guglielmo  Marconi being  aboard,  Teutonic departed New  York on 20 June 1900. After calling at Queenstown, 9:40-10:55 a.m. on the 27th following  what the Cork  Examiner  called  at "fine  weather passage," and where 269 passengers ended their  voyage,  Teutonic  arrived at  Liverpool on the  28th.

Due to sail to  America, fittingly  enough, on  the Fourth of July,  Teutonic  headed  instead  to drydock  when "flaw in the  stern frame" was discovered  the  day  before  and the sailing  cancelled.  Her mails  were transferred to the  NDL liner Kaiserin Maria Theresa sailing from Southampton. The  Liverpool Journal of Commerce reported that day that "it  has  been decided to keep the vessel  back a voyage.  The  work of remedying  the  defect will be done  by the engineering staff of  the company  at Liverpool," and Teutonic shifted to  Birkenhead Graving Dock on the 10th where she remained until the 28th. 

Log abstract card for Teutonic's 1-8 August 1900 Liverpool-New York crossing. Credit: eBay  auction photo.

Fully repaired, Teutonic was able to  sail on her  next already scheduled  westbound  crossing from Liverpool on 1  August 1900.  With 254 First, 194 Second and 392 Third Class  aboard  following her  call at Queenstown (7:22-9:55 a.m. on the 2nd), she  arrived at New York  on the 8th at 2:16 p.m.

Homewards, Teutonic  cleared  New  York  at 1:30 p.m. on 15  August  1900, with  143 First, 155 Second and 229 Third Class passengers.  She and  St. Paul went out with half  each of $7.6 mn. in gold  bars as payment on British  war bonds.  Teutonic arrived  at  Liverpool  on the  23rd.

Passing out of  the Mersey  for  New York on 29  August  1900 and calling  at Queenstown the next day, Teutonic  had 289 First, 175 Second and 840 Third Class aboard and reached New York  at 7:30 a.m. on the morning of 5 September. 

Owning to a fall-off in eastbound traffic, American Line  and White Star  announced on 7 September 1900 a $10 cut in the min. First  Class  rate, which  was now $50 in  Teutonic  and Majestic and $60 in Oceanic. 

It  was still a sparse list  for Teutonic's  12  September 1900 departure from New York  for Queenstown and Liverpool: 118 First, 115 Second and 189  Third Class and The New York Times noted that  "the  outgoing liners are taking  fewer well-known people," as well.  She at least  had  a good fast passage, reaching  Queenstown at 4:13  a.m. on the  19th  and resuming passage at 5:00 a.m. and arriving  Liverpool that evening. 

Credit: New York  Tribune, 4 October 1900.

Westbound there seemed no want of immigrants, especially from Ireland  and the week of  21-28 September  1900 saw 1,300  depart  Queenstown, 90 per  cent of them under  30 years of age. When Teutonic (from Liverpool on 27  September) called there the next day, she embarked 466 and over 100 could  not secure accommodation. Clearing for New York with 281 First, 174 Second and 987 Third Class, Teutonic had  a bad crossing from the onset with two  days right out the  Mersey with rough  seas and then two days of heavy fog two days before reaching New York.  She did not dock until 6:30 p.m. on 3 October, well off her  schedule.

Eastbound on 10 October 1900, Teutonic  cleared New York  with 184 First, 112 Second and  217 Third Class passengers, foremost of whom was boxer Kid McCoy and English  golfer J.T.  Taylor. Queenstown was reached at 6:18  a.m. on the 18th and Liverpool that evening.

Among  those embarking at Liverpool  for New  York aboard Teutonic on 24 October 1900 was the well-known actor John Hare, and family: "A large number of ladies and gentlemen, members  of the theatrical profession, were  assembled on the stage for  the purpose of  seeing Mr. Hare off. They sang 'Auld Land Syne' when the  steamer cast off mooring ropes, and Mr. Hare bowed from a prominent  position on the  vessel in response." (Liverpool Mercury, 25 October).  Arriving at Queenstown the  following morning  at 7:21 a.m., Teutonic  proceeded westbound with  212 First, 210 Second and 416 Third Class passengers and arrived at New York midday on the 31st. In addition to her passengers and more mundane cargo,  she landed $1.2 mn. in gold bars and coins consigned to  Lazard Frères and another $200,000  in gold for the  Western National Bank.

Homewards on 7 November 1900,  Teutonic went out  with a sparse list of only 86 First, 100 Second and  259 Third Class but had a fair passage, calling at Queenstown the  morning of the  15th and getting to Liverpool late that same day. 

The New York Times, 30 November 1900.

From Liverpool on 21 November  1900,  Teutonic, after calling at Queenstown the following morning, had 161  First, 113 Second and only  172 Third Class passengers as even  the  immigrant  "boom"  diminished  late in the  season.   They had a long and not  very  nice crossing as well, and bucking strong westerly gales  and high  head seas all the way across, Teutonic did not dock at New  York until noon on the 29th, logging 7 days 3 hours 38 mins. for the passage. 

Teutonic which sailed from New  York  on 5 December with 148 First, 129 Second and 359 Third Class passengers, and called at Queenstown on the  12th, arrived at Liverpool that evening. 

Few elect to cross in winter with the expectation of fair  weather, and those who embarked in Teutonic  at Liverpool on 19 December  1900 got their first taste of  Winter  North  Atlantic even before  they entered it, going straight from the Mersey  into  a full gale raging in the Irish  Sea:

An angry gale   is blowing at Queenstown since last evening. is all from the southwest, and, usual with the wind from that point it has raised a fearful sea—such a sea, in fact, that small boats any class were unable used, and it gave mighty transatlantic liners plenty to do to breast it. And the gale and sea was not confined town and our South Irish coast, for it appears that the Teutonic her way her from Liverpool encountered  terrific weather all night in the Channel. She arrived here pretty well to time, nevertheless, and proceeded before noon for New York with the gale dead against her. Looking at her after passing Rochespoint to-day, she presented a remarkable picture. Ether from the shore or the tender, it was a sight worth looking to see each successive sea strike her bow and send the spray in clouds over her bridge ; but beyond the discomfort of shipping water thus, she appeared to none the worse, and disappeared to the westward all well, but if the weather continues as it she is on a rough voyage which has little pleasure for the inexperienced on board.

Cork Examiner, 21  December  1900.

Credit:  New York Tribune, 28 December 1900.

There was little relief into  the  crossing  as recounted by the  New York Tribune on 28 December 1900, a day  after Teutonic docked there:

The steamer Teutonic arrived here from Liverpool and Queenstown yesterday several hours late, owing to fierce gales and heavy head seas. The roughest part of the voyage was the first halt. It was so rough on the Irish coast that it was with great difficulty that the mails could be taken aboard at Queenstown. The succeeding three days were lively ones. Chief Officer Harry Timmis, who was on duty forward during the first gale, says that the weather was very severe and the water broke over the steamer. The daily runs of the steamer on these days were 302, 410 and 376 miles. On December 24, when 412 miles were logged, the weather showed signs of moderating. and on Christmas Day 458 miles were traversed. The weather  improved somewhat from that day until port was reached.

Among her passengers was journalist Joseph Pulitzer and Teutonic landed 1,581 bags of  mail. 

In 1900,  Teutonic  made 12 westbound crossings carrying 10,815 passengers and 11  eastbound  crossings  carrying 6,827 passengers or  a total of  17,642 passengers. 

Teutonic in the Mersey, artist: W.L. Wyllie. Credit: Bonhams.

Thy fame is ancient  as the  days

As Ocean large  and wide

A pride that dares, and heeds not  praise

Land of Hope and Glory  (1902), A.C. Benson. 

This  is capital steaming for this period of the year;  and  shows  that  the Teutonic is  capable of  performing  the journey  across  the Atlantic just  as quickly  as she did when she first came out in August, 1889. It also emphasises another point, and that  is  the marked  attention  which is always  paid  to the upkeep of  the  White Star fleet.

Liverpool Mercury, 7  November  1902.

In 1899 she and the Majestic  were joined by  the  new Oceanic, a much larger ship of about  the same speed, and of  similar arrangement and appearance. They  made a splendid trio and were tremendous favourites on the Mersey. They  were certainly more  graceful-looking  ships than any of  the  Cunarders.

J.H. Isherwood, Sea Breezes, July  1953. 

At the Dawn of a  New  Century and with it,  a new reign, ushering in what came to known as  The Edwardian Era, Teutonic had matured into middle age. That she was no longer capable of  record passages suited White Star's novel shunning of even competing for them since the  completion of Oceanic of 1899, but instead the Liverpool-based Teutonic  could still  compete for  speed in delivery of the  English  mails against American Line,  via Southampton, and later in the  decade,  against Cunard's Caronia in a wonderful revival of head-to-head trans-Atlantic races.  This was no liner in her  dotage but  one  "beloved,  renowned…"

Teutonic, too,  continued to attract her fair share  of the  iconic  personalities of the day, not the least of whom was  her  most  devoted "regular," J.P. Morgan, as well as  Mme Melba, Joseph Pulitzer,  Sir  Thomas Lipton, Charles Dixon, Marshall Field, Guglielmo Marconi, Lord Alfred Bruce  Douglas, Winston Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, J.J. Hill,  W.R. Grace, Charles McKim, Marie Tempest, Rider Haggard  and Henri Farman.  It  was Morgan who provided the Big  Event of  the era with his  attempt, via the International Mercantile Marine, to dominate trans-Atlantic trade, not the  least of  which  by the  acquisition of White Star and his favourite Teutonic. That and the  switching of White Star's terminus to Southampton in 1907 and building  a trio of new ships of unprecedented size which would supplant Teutonic and her sisters on the New York service made it an eventful era.

1901

On the second day of the Twentieth  Century,  Teutonic  sailed  from New York with a predictably small list for  that time of  year: 97 First, 60 Second and 72  Third.  Calling  at  Queenstown early on the 9th, Teutonic came into  the Mersey the following morning company with Dominion  Line's New  England. 

Undergoing  a  spell of refit  in Canada  Dock, it  was not  until 23 January 1901 that Teutonic was off  again  for America, having aboard,  after her call at Queenstown the next day,  101  First, 94 Second and 93 Third  Class passengers. She arrived at New York on the  31st.

As his  ship was coursing  westwards, The Liverpool Journal of Commerce of  26 January 1901  reported  that Captain Edward McKinstry, R.N.R., had  been admitted  as  a Younger Brother of Trinity  House, "step  which is mutually  gratifying to both  parties. Those who know the gentlemen in question-- their  name is  legion —cannot but feel that he is a decided acquisition to any institution where a keen knowledge of nautical affairs is desiderium and we trust that his new dignity will be the fore-runner of his ultimate selection as an Elder Brother, which carries both of comfort and honour."

Passengers were scarce that winter  and when Teutonic cleared her North  River  pier on  6 February  1901 she  had but 91 First,  40  Second  and 67 Third Class on her list and one  barely  made  it  aboard as recorded  in some detail  by  The  New York Times the following day:

Credit: The New  York Times, 7 February 1901.

Those who went down to the White Star Line pier to see the steamship Teutonic start on her voyage yesterday morning witnessed an accident that came near to being fatal to a passenger. This passenger, well-dressed man of perhaps forty years, reached the pier late. The cry of All ashore! had already sounded on the steamship, the mooring had been cut loose, and the forward gangplank was lying on the dock, ship's having gangway been fully pulled two away minutes from before. As the belated passenger rushed past the customs aside officers at the gates, brushing them when they asked to see his ticket, half a dozen big 'longshoremen were just taking hold of the gangplank to pull it ashore, thus taking away the last land. connection between the Teutonic and dry Stop! Wait! Hold on!" cried the man, as he ran hands toward the gangplank, bearing in his several grips, an overcoat, and a bunch of walking canes.

The longshoremen did not hear. With a final jerk they separated the plank from the ship. One end of it hovered over the water. The man with the grips rushed wildly upon the other end. He seemed not to see that the further end from the vessel, he was away for ran ahead at full speed and was pitching over into the seething water underneath when one of the longshoremen jumped forward, caught the tail of his coat, and held him till the rest could help him to safety.

Panting, and scared half to death, the passenger, who had retained his hold on the grips and which canes despite the momentary danger in he had been placed, sat down on the pler to regain his composure. Then he gave some money to the longshoremen who had rescued him, and, grips in hand,  bestirred himself suddenly and ran to the other end of the pier. From there he telephoned for a tug. This came in time and took him from the pier. He overtook the departing steamship off Liberty Island and got aboard.

What was his name could not be learned. When last seen he was crawling theretofore, up the ship's side, accompanied. as by his grips, canes, and overcoat, none of which he would allow any one to hold for him.

Also aboard, in plenty of time, was J. Bruce  Ismay, who in  replying the  New  York Times  reporter question about the reported plans for a new liner  which  would  be  larger than Oceanic:  The name will probably be Celtic." he added. "We expect her to be one of the finest ships afloat, as well as the largest. Her length will be 680 feet, her beam 75 feet. and her depth 44 feet. She will have a gross tonnage of 20,880, and will capacity for 1,700 passengers."

Teutonic arrived Queenstown at 10:58  p.m. on  13 February 1901  and reached Liverpool  the next day, once again arriving in company  with  Dominion's  New England. 

With 112 First, 156 Second and 221 Third Class passengers, Teutonic left Liverpool on 20 February 1901 and  Queenstown the next day.  What was  an otherwise fair voyage, especially for the time of year, was marked by  one of  the most extraordinary incidents  to befall any liner  when, on the morning of the 24th, Teutonic was struck head on by what a tsunami probably generated by an underwater volcano or earthquake, and which caused mayhem, damage and injury  aboard and  it  was  only  fortunate  that  it  hit early enough on a Sunday  morning  that fewer passengers  were out  and about  on deck on what  was otherwise  fine,  sunny day.

The White Star liner Teutonic, which reached her dock yesterday, reports a calm passage across the Atlantic, with the exception of  few minutes last Sunday morning, when she was almost swamped by a huge wave

Besides doing considerable material damage to the vessel, the wave cut off the foot of one passenger and fractured the jaw of another. First Officer Bartlett was on the bridge when the wave broke, Capt. McKinstry being at breakfast. The sea was unusually placid for the Winter season, and a look at the instrument indicated that the weather would get calmer still during the day. The sun was shining its brightest, and the mild west-northwesterly wind prevailing at the time made the weather very pleasant. It was about 9 o'clock, and the officer, as he walked the bridge, had not the slightest premonition of the impending danger. The wave came over the bow from nobody seems to know where, and broke in all its fury, damaging the deck fittings and  catching two unsuspecting men passengers, striking them with volcanic force, cutting off the foot of one  and fracturing the Jaw of the other.

As Officer Bartlett tells the story, the Teutonic suddenly sank down into the water. Before she could recover, the sea came over directly from ahead. It swept aft, struck the crowsnest, which is from fifty-five to sixty feet above the water; knocked down two able-bodied sailors in the nest at the time, cutting an ugly gash in the temple of one and severely shaking up the other. The water rushed on down the deck several feet in depth, spraying and slashing the vessel, breaking iron railings, and snapping off pipes as if they were so many reeds. As the water continued In its mad rush, its first victim, Stanley C. Wilson of Australia,  a saloon passenger, was caught and thrown violently against the railing  where he was later picked up with a fractured jaw.

John Michaelson, a Danish steerage passenger, the second victim, was promenading  the steerage deck at the time, and before he realized what  the matter was, the wave gathered him in and carried him for several yards, finally throwing him on the deck with such great violence that his foot, getting caught in some portion of the deck  fixtures,  was torn off. When he was found the foot was hanging by  a   thin strand of flesh and looked as if it had been cut off with a pair of scissors. Both men were taken in charge by Dr. Dobie, the ship surgeon. The saloon passengers made up a purse of about $600, which they gave to the unfortunate Dane.

'It was most fortunate that the wave truck us when it did,' said Officer Bartlett yesterday. 'For had  it struck us later on in the day many of the passengers would have been promenading in the sunshine, without doubt, and there is no telling how many of them would have been injured. As it was, most of them were at breakfast, and with the exception of the shock, were none the worse for their experience.' 

The New York Times, 1 March  1901.

The only premonition of its approach was the sudden and unexpected burying of the steamer's bow in a hollow of water. Then a great green tumbled over the starboard bow into the wave well abaft the turtleback and poured along the decks. The steamship lurched, and promenade righted. No more big waves followed. First Officer Bartlett said yesterday afternoon that he was on the starboard end of the bridge when the wave came aboard.

'The most remarkable circumstance about it,' said he, 'was the fact the wave came out of clear weather. There was a 'rough sea' moderate. At 8 o'clock on Sunday morning the instruments showed the weather was clearing. It was pleasant and bright. There were fresh head seas, and the spray was blown over forward.

At 9:20 o'clock I saw the ship dip unusually low and plunge right into a great sea which came almost directly over the bows. The water came over the starboard bow and swept aft. The spray dashed into the crow's nest, from fifty-five to sixty feet above the water. The crow's nest was damaged, and the two men in it injured. They had to be assisted down to the deck. The steamer at the time was steaming along at her usual speed in clear weather.

The latitude was 45:06, the longitude 42:12. This shows that the steamer was southeast of the Newfoundland Banks.

New  York Tribune, 1 March  1901.

Teutonic  arrived  at New York on 28  February 1901.

The eastbound Teutonic cleared New  York on 6 March 1901  with   108 First, 51 Second and 132 Third Class passengers. Calling at  at Queenstown on the  13th, The Cork Examiner reported that "her funnels  and other portions of  the ship still  bear significant traces of  the awful encounter  she had." Teutonic arrived at Liverpool the next  day. 

The  New York-bound Teutonic passed out  of  the  Mersey on 20 March 1901, and after  touching at Queenstown the  following morning, began her trans-Atlantic crossing  with 104  First, 119 Second and 448  Third Class passenger, her best list in some time.   She arrived  at New York  on  the  morning  of the  28th.

With 136 First, 74  Second and 137  Third Class passengers, Teutonic left New  York for Queenstown and Liverpool on 3 April 1901.   Among those aboard and proving a Teutonic  "regular"  was  J.P. Morgan off on extended European vacation,  having spent the last eight months forming the U.S. Steel  Corporation, purchasing the Central Railroad of New Jersey and Lehigh  Valley Railroad.  He was  accompanied  by  his  sister, Mrs. Walter H. Burns and Mrs. Jacob C. Rogers. Morgan, as customary, embarked just  15 minutes before sailing at noon, and used  the Second Class gangway, "evidently seeking to attract  as little  attention as possible."  (New  York Tribune).  After what Capt. McKinstry said was  a "stormy  passage,"  Teutonic came into Queenstown at 8:41 p.m.  On the 10th, but  no  reporters  were allowed  to board her on account  of J.P. Morgan being  aboard but The Cork Examiner stated that "during the passage across he was one  of the most agreeable passengers on board." Teutonic arrived at Liverpool  the  next day and Mr. Morgan and party entrained for London from Riverside  Station. 

The immigrant trade was back to  bustling again and upon her  sailing  from Queenstown at 10:35 a.m. on  18 April 1901, Teutonic (from Liverpool on the  17)  numbered 1,048 in Third Class as well as 131 First  and  170 Second Class  for New  York where  she arrived on the evening of the 25th.

Departing New  York on 1 May  1901, among  Teutonic's passengers (168 First, 149 Second  and 353 Third Class) was Mme. Melba who was originally booked on New  York but  when that ship's sailing was  cancelled, transferred at the  last minute along with other opera stars-- Olitzka,  Susan Strong  and Adolph Muhlmann bound for the season at Covent Garden, London.  "May opened with rain. which did not, however. deter the friends of those sailing on the Teutonic from flocking to the White Star pier for the purpose of bidding them adieu. Indeed, the pier was. crowded, and fashionable society was largely represented." (New York Tribune, 2  May). Calling at Queenstown on the  8th, Teutonic arrived at Liverpool on the 9th, the  Liverpool Daily Post reporting the next day: "The  efforts of the United States speculators to capture British shipping, or have a large share in its control, was the subject of general discussion on board, which was accentuated when it was heard on reaching Liverpool that the Cunard and White Star lines were, according to rumour, meditating a combine." 

With  a good list of 143 First, 180 Second and 962 Third Class, Teutonic  left  Liverpool  (and Queenstown  the next day) for New York  on 14 May 1901 where she docked on the afternoon of the  22nd.

The sailing yesterday of the steamers Teutonic, of the White Star Line, for Liverpool and the St. Paul, of the American Line, for Southampton within two hours of each other and the fact that on each of them was a man who desired to be present at the dinner of the  London Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday evening give additional interest to the voyages of these ships. On the St. Paul sailed Clement A. Griscom,  president of the American Line, who is a delegate  of the New York Chamber of Commerce to the banquet of the English Chamber. John W. Mackay was the diner who sailed on the Teutonic.

New  York  Tribune, 30 May 1901.

The prospect of a good  old fashioned  trans-ocean race between British  and  American liners captured the imagination of New  York papers.  Teutonic, with 270 First, 185 Second and 443 Third,  sailed at noon, 29 May 1901, two  hours  after St.  Paul  cleared,  the two liners crossing the bar  one hour  and 40 minutes later.  Taking no  chances, St. Paul had signed on six additional stokers for  the crossing. Adding it all was the rumours  that Griscom would be  meeting with  J.P. Morgan in Europe "on steamship matters."

There was a very large crowd at the White Star piers to see the Teutonic sail. By quick work the officers managed to clear the ship by noon, and five minutes past that hour the liner was in the stream and under way, following the St. Paul through the fog and rain out to sea. At 11:40 a. m. the St. Paul cleared the bar. Two hours later the observer at the Hook reported that he had heard three loud whistles, which he interpreted to mean that the Teutonic had struck deep water.

The New York  Times, 30 May  1901.

Log abstract card for Teutonic's 29 May-4 June 1901 New York-Liverpool crossing. Credit: eBay auction photo.

Teutonic  reached  Queenstown at 11:30 a.m. on 5 June 1901, after a fine weather crossing accomplished  in 6 days 17 hours and 4 mins., and where she landed 20 First, 32 Second and 129  Third Class.  Her officers and passengers disavowed any  knowledge of  a race with the St. Paul. St. Paul docked  at Southampton at 4:20 p.m. on the 5th,  after  being held  up  for four hours  by fog off  the Needles and Teutonic arrived at  Queenstown at 12:16 p.m.  The captains of both  ships disavowed  any  idea of  a  race, Capt. McKinstry saying it  was "all moonshine".  In the end, Griscom's St. Paul  did  her duty  and got him to  London by  5:51 p.m. in time for  the  dinner. Worse, The  Sun of 6 June reported that  Mr. Mackay had  no invitation  to  the dinner and knew nothing  of it or the  race.  But  it did  make for a good tale for  the New  York  papers. 

Teutonic arrived at  Liverpool on the morning  of 6 June 1901 where the Liverpool Daily Post  picked up  the story of  the supposed "race" with  St.  Paul:

The American Line steamer  St. Paul left New York  for Southampton at  11.42  a.m. on Wednesday  last with passengers, 1,097 sacks of mails, and 225,000 dollars in specie. The St. Paul passed the Lizard for Southampton at 3 a.m. yesterday morning, and Hurst Castle early in the afternoon. On reaching Southampton the passengers were landed, and those proceeding to London were due to arrive at Waterloo at 6.15 last evening. 

The White Star line steamer Teutonic left New York at 1.30 p.m. for Liverpool also on Wednesday last, with mails, passengers, and specie. She passed Browhead at 9 a.m. yes terday morning, en route for Queenstown and Liverpool. She arrived at Queenstown at 12.16, landed mails and passengers, and left for Liverpool at 1.20 p.m. She will arrive in the Mersey at an early hour this morning, and at seven o'clock the liner will come alongside the Prince's Stage, and disembark the passengers. There are a large number of first, second, and third-class on board. 

It was reported from New York last week that twelve extra firemen had been engaged for the steamship St. Paul, which carried eighty, stokers last voyage. The extra men were, it was said, taken on so that the steamer, with the delegates to the London Chamber of Commerce banquet last night. should make the voyage in time. The St. Paul has been fitted with new machinery.

It was denied  that  there was any race between the  steamers. Great interest was centred on the arrival of the two boats   and on the Prince's Stage yesterday morning the news of the vessels having passed Lloyd's signalling stations created great interest.

Liverpool  Daily  Post,  6 June 1901.

Teutonic,  having lost a race  that  was apparently never run, went  about her  business and  departed Liverpool on  12 June 1901  for New York. On leaving Queenstown at 9:40  a.m. the next day,  she had  aboard 160 First, 138  Second and 414  Third Class whom she landed  at New York on the 19th, having escaped the worst of an Atlantic gale which thrashed Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse.  Capt. McKinstry told the New York Tribune that Teutonic met a fresh gale from the  southwest on the  16th "which interferred with the progress of the  vessel so that she made but 417 miles that day. The  voyage  was without  incident." 

Eastbound  on 26 June 1901, Teutonic cleared New York  with 293  First, 173 Second and 464 Third Class  passengers. Calling at Queenstown midday  on 3  July, she arrived at Liverpool on the 4th: "There was not much public recognition in the city yesterday of American Independence Day, but it was not altogether forgotten or unacknowledged. The Teutonic arrived at an early hour from Now York, and presented a very picturesque appearance, as she was decorated from stem to stern with bunting. The passengers were all in high glee."(Liverpool Daily Post, 5 July 1901).

Numbering Joseph Pulitzer, and his wife,  owner of the New York World among her  passengers, Teutonic departed Liverpool on 17 July  1901 and on leaving Queenstown the  next day, went out with 228 First,191 Second and 286 Third Class.  She did not  get away  until 4:15 p.m., delayed by dense fog in the  channel and arrived at New York late on the 24th and docked first thing the next morning. 

Teutonic sailed for home at noon on 31  July 1901 with  286 First, 175 Second and 278 Third Class  passengers, amid a "small-sized riot" at the pier as recounted in The Evening World:

There was a small-sized riot on the White Star line pier at noon to-day just before the steamship Teutonic sailed for Liverpool. 

The trouble started at the steerage gangway, and before quiet was restored there was a lively mix-up which resulted in the arrest of Harry Harris, of No. 176 Chrystle street, and Joseph and John Blum, brothers, who live on Eldridge street. 

The crowd who made the trouble were constituents of Martin Engel, and during the melee threats were made to fix the policemen who Interfered and to secure the release of the prisoners. 

The friends of the men arrested followed them to the station house and then to the Jefferson Market Court.

On  the Teutonic sailed Jacob Blum, of 131 Eldridge street; Joseph Driedan, of 183 Chrystle street; Samuel Grossman of 116 Chrystle street, and there was a large crowd from the east side to see them off.

Just before the hour for the ship to sail the three passengers started to go on board, and then the trouble began. Their friends crowded to the end gangway and some tried to clamber up outside of the gangway. The officials of the line tried to stop them, and Blum, who wanted to go on board, was stopped and asked for his ticket.

The friends behind pushed and pulled to get a last word. 

Blum thought the officials were not going to let him on board and, growing impatient, he upper cut John Anderson, a White Star watchman. sprinted on board and escaped in the crowd. 

Magistrate Olmsted fined the prisoners  $3 each.

The Evening World, 31 July 1901.

Calling at Queenstown on 7 August 1901 from 11:42 a.m.-12:50  p.m., Teutonic arrived  at  Liverpool the  next  day.

Sir Thomas Lipton,owner of the racing yacht  Shamrock II,  en route to watch the race for  the America  Cup,  was among those  embarking for  New  York in Teutonic on 14 August 1901. he was accompanied by his yacht designer George L. Watson and Mrs. George  Keppel, a guest of Lipton. Also aboard was the famed maritime artist Charles  Dixon who  would sketch the  yacht  race. After calling at Queenstown the  next  morning,  she sailed  westbound with 225 First, 195 Second  and 437 Third  Class passengers. When Teutonic came into Narrows  of New  York Harbor  on the 21st, the tug Lawrence  together with Lipton's  yachts Erin  and  Shamrock were present, dressed overall and with their crews to salute his arrival.

Welcome for Sir Thomas  Lipton aboard  Teutonic at New  York. Painting by Charles Dixon, R.I. Credit: The Graphic, 7  September  1901.

The coming of owner of the Shamrock was attended by a booming of cannon and a shrieking of steam whistles which made the shores of the bay re-echo as if some noted man-of-war had arrived. The Teutonic was first sighted by the Sandy Hook Lightship at 4:20 p.m. The first salute came from the Erin shortly after 5  when Teutonic was passing the o'clock, Hook Lightship. The pilot boat New York then approached the big liner the word 'Welcome' from her mastheads. The Teutonic replied by signalling 'Thanks.' later the steam yacht Kanawha, A few minutes later the  steam yacht Kanawha,  of  the New York Yacht Club, owned by H. H. Rogers,  fired a salute and dipped her colors.  Two other steam yachts, the Wachusetts and the Priscilla, then came scampering up and fired their cannon in welcome.

Sir Thomas replied to all the salutes with  a wave of his flat, short visored blue yachting cap. His tall,  lean figure could plainly be made out his tall, foredeck, with a little cluster of men on the around him.

New York Tribune, 22 August 1901.

Making her way slowly into New  York Harbor among a cacaphony of whistle  salutes from excursion steamers, ferries and tugs, Teutonic  did get  alongside her pier until 8:00 p.m.  That same day,  the new White  Star liner Suevic  made  her  maiden arrival at the port  although with considerably  less  fanfare. 

On  27 August 1901, Sir Thomas hosted the  captains McKinstry, Nicol and Alvord of Teutonic, Georgic and Suevic aboard the Erin.

Leaving New York on 28 August 1901, with 110  First, 86 Second and 151 Third Class passengers, Teutonic arrived at Queenstown  the morning of 4 September  and  arrived  at Liverpool  the next  day.

Clearing  Liverpool on 11 September  1901, and after pausing at Queenstown the following day,  Teutonic  had a good list  of  298 First, 173 Second  and 810 Third Class, among them being Marshall Field, owner of  the famous  Chicago department store,  Sir  Henry Burdett and the  Rev. John  F. Goucher.  "The  Teutonic was delayed  somewhat in coming across by rough  weather, that was encountered  on the first two days  out. Westerly gales and a high sea caused the ship to roll a little too much, and kept her from attaining full speed  during  that  time."  (New  York Times, 20 September).

Teutonic  got  into New  York  on 18 September 1901 and to the considerable  of all aboard  as well many awaiting her arrival,  anchored  off Quarantine for  the  evening as she  got in too late, 8:00  p.m., to  be  granted clearance, and did get come  alongside  until  the following morning.  Only  when passing close to the Nantucket lightship,  did those aboard learn of  the death  of  President William McKinley, who  succumbed  to  wounds  after he was  shot  by  anarchist Leon Czolgosz in  Buffalo on the  6th.

On the eve  of the America's Cup  race,  Teutonic passed out of New York Harbor  on 25 September 1901 at 1:30 p.m., displaying  signal  flags  reading "Success." The siren of the Erin then sang  out, and  there  soon flew to the masthead  of the Irish  yacht  the letters 'X.O.R.' which said  'Thanks.'  Although  it  was  the  American defender, Columbia which  won all three  races against Shamrock II.  With 118 First, 95 Second and 174 Third Class  passengers,  Teutonic  came into  Queenstown at 6:10 a.m. on 1  October and arrived at Liverpool the following  evening.

The westbound Teutonic  passed out of  the  Mersey  on 9 October  1901, and after  calling at Queenstown the next morning, had 233 First, 197 Second and 478 Third  Class passengers. Arriving at New York (Bar) at 5:09 p.m. of the  16th, the  New  York Times wrote:  "There were 430 people on the  cabin, and they said  that, except  for two or three days, the voyage across had  been a pleasant one. There was no gambling on board  to amount  to anything, and, with the exception of about a half  dozen boisterously  inclined persons in the steerage, everything on the ship and orderly."

With a rather desultory list of 99  First, 49 Second and 123 Third Class,  Teutonic  left New  York on 23 October  1901 and got into Queenstown  at 7:47 a.m. on the  30th and making  a remarkably brief call there, was off for Liverpool at 8:00 a.m. where she arrived at 7:00 a.m. the next  day, followed by Dominion  Line's Commonwealth.   

Teutonic  departed Liverpool on 6 November 1901 for New York and cleared  Queenstown at 12:25 p.m.  the  next day  with  188 First, 130  Second and 190 Third Class passengers who disembarked at New York the evening of  the 13th.

Off again for Ireland and England, Teutonic  left  New York on 20 November 1901 with 84 First, 73 Second and 195 Third Class passengers as eastbound traffic continued to  be light in space the rate wars prevailing on the Atlantic  run.  Worse, her list was so  bereft of important personages  as to ignored by the  New York papers.  She passed through Queenstown midday on  the  27th and  got  into Liverpool the next day.

 

Embarking on her  last  voyage  of the first  year  of the  new century, Teutonic  sailed from Liverpool the afternoon of 4  December 1901 and after a less  than two-hour call at Queenstown the following morning,  was westward bound with 109  First, 89 Second and 138 Third Class passengers.  They had a rough  trip all the way over,  up to  the American coast,  with  westerly gales and high  seas and consequently did not get  into New York  until the morning  of the 12th. Perhaps  indicative of the weather across,  Miss Jessie Gateman, leading lady  in "The Message  from Mars,"  complained on arrival that four of her  trunks  were waterlogged and the contents  ruined, and threatened to sue  White  Star  for  damages. 

Teutonic's  final  crossing of  the year was an awkwardly  timed one, leaving  New York on 18 December 1901  and baring  any  record  crossing over, would not  reach England until Boxing Day.  She went out with  98 First, 48 and 178 Third Class  passengers.  It was Christmas Day when Teutonic got into  Queenstown, late, at 6:10 p.m. and Liverpool the following day.  In addition to landing her  passengers, she dropped off  800 bags of mail.

In 1901,  Teutonic  made 12 westbound crossings carrying   9,389 passengers and 13  eastbound  crossings  carrying 5,983 passengers or  a total of  15,372 passengers. 

Teutonic at the White Star Line pier, North River, New York. Credit: meisterdrucke fine art prints

1902

"It being New Year's Day, a large number of spectators assembled on the  stage and  eagerly watched the  embarkation of  passengers  and mails," reported the  Liverpool Daily  Post the day  after Teutonic literally began  the New Year in a definitive  fashion by starting  her  first  voyage  of  the year  on the first day of it. After calling at Queenstown the next  morning, she  had a fair list for the time of  year of 118 First, 65  Second and 134 Third Class with W.R. Grace among those in First. Of principal interest on Teutonic's  arrival at New York midday on  the 9th was  her 1,300  bags of mail,  many  letters  bearing the new "Red Edwards"  penny  stamps showing  the profile of the new King.   

Making his  second voyage in the  ship, Sig. Guglielmo Marconi,  fresh from his triumph of successfully  transmitting a wireless message  across the  Atlantic, was among the 143 First, 65 Second and 128 Third  Class sailing from  New York in Teutonic on 15 January  1902. Also  sailing was Lord Alfred Bruce Douglas, of whom The Evening World the next day remarked: "America's a God-forsaken country,"  said Lord Alfred Bruce Douglas yesterday as he left us for England on the Teutonic. It will be remembered that Lord Alfred failed to pass the  social quarantine of Washington, a city not always finicky about  the morals of its visitors from abroad." Teutonic called at Queenstown on the 22nd and arrived  at Liverpool  the  following  day. 

American boxer Jack O'Brien was among those sailing in Teutonic on 12 February 1902 for  New York, and "there was a large  assembly of exponents of 'the noble art' on the  stage to  give  O'Brien a hearty  send-off," (Liverpool  Daily Post).   Westbound from Queenstown the next day, she had 104 First, 122 Second and 193 Third Class aboard.  

As The Sun of  21 February 1902 reminded, Teutonic's normal winter  pattern from Daunt's Rock to Sandy Hook lightship featured an arrival on Wednesday evening  or early Thursday mornings, but here  "lusty  weather  on the Atlantic," had  her over a  day  late over  longer  winter schedule and two  days  behind  her  ordinary  timetable,  not  getting  in  until the afternoon on Friday the  21st. Capt. McKinstry told reporters on arrival  that "head winds  were  encountered all the way across" and "frequently on the  trip is became necessary to  run the ship at  half  speed." (The  Evening  World).   En route, Teutonic passed the disabled American Line's Philadelphia, which lost a screw,  being  towed by  the  N.D.L. liner  Neckar to Halifax, 755 miles  distant.  Teutonic which had in her youth and far better  weather crossed  from Queenstown to New  York in 5  days 16 hours 31 mins, in this  instance took 7 days  23 hours and 55 mins. or  just shy  of eight days  to do so. The New  York Times  added that "The  Teutonic has the  reputation of  being one of  the  best heavy  weather vessels in the transatlantic service."

Eastbound, Teutonic cleared New York  on 26 February 1902 with 97 First, 57 Second  and 128 Third  Class passengers. She arrived  at  Queenstown at 5:25 pm. on 5 March  and was off  again three quarters of an hour  later for Liverpool1,  docking  there the next day.  Hitting heavy fog off  Holyhead at 10:00 p.m., she was "detained for many hours,"  not  getting  into Liverpool until  just  before  3:00  p.m. on the  6th. "Amongst the passengers in the saloon list were Johnny Rieff, H. Spencer, Charlie Gray, and Harry Jenkins, famous American jockeys. They travelled in grand style. and brought their own manservants." (Liverpool Daily Post,  7 March 1902).

The  day  of  her sailing for New York, a tragic accident occurred during boat  drill aboard Teutonic on 12 March 1902 as she lay anchored in the  Mersey before  coming alongside  the landing stage:

Yesterday afternoon an exciting scene occurred as the Teutonic, of the White Star line, was lying in the river. The liner was at anchor, having come out of dock for the purpose of coming up to the Landing-stage before departure for New York. The crew are well drilled in regard to the use of the lifeboats, and they were being put through their exercises yesterday as usual, when the accident occurred.

It seems, so far as can be gathered, that a number of men were in one of the boats, which was swinging in the davits. In some way one of the crew fell overboard. Immediately there was an alarm, and a cry of 'Man overboard.' Another boat was being slung out for the rescue, but before this could be done four men belonging to the Teutonic’s crew jumped into the water to save their comrade. Happily the tug Moorcock, owned by Mr. J. L. Gordon,  was in the vicinity, and, noticing the commotion on board the Teutonic, steamed quickly towards the liner. The four men in the water were picked up, but the fifth man, the one who fell from the lifeboat into the water—was carried away  and drowned. Much excitement prevailed.

Captain Stockton, of the Moorcock,  deserved great credit for his promptitude and gallantry.

Liverpool Daily Post, 13 March 1902.

Clearing Liverpool the  afternoon of  13 March  1902, Teutonic had 112 First, 135 Second and 519  Third Class aboard on departure from Queenstown the next day.  She arrived at New York on the 20th. 

Sailing with 157 First, 87 Second and 161 Third Class, Teutonic  left  New York  on 26 March 1902, called  at Queenstown on 2 April and  arrived  at Liverpool  the following  morning.

Liverpool Landing  Stage was a busy place on 9 April 1902 with the arrival there of Celtic from her epoch-making Mediterranean cruise chartered  by  American  Frank  C.  Clark and departure of  Teutonic for New York.  Also present were Oceanic, in from New York; Cymric, Runic, Magnetic  and Pontic, totalling 80,500 tons of  White  Star tonnage, "an  aggregation of shipping belonging  to one  firm, all in port  at  one  time, and all in active  employment ,which  is  doubtless unique in the annals of Liverpool,  and probably  of  the world." (Liverpool Mercury, 10 April). Quite a few of  Celtic's passengers transhipped  to  her whilst others  opted stay  in  England for  the  Coronation.  Others aboard included Vice-Admiral Sir H.  Rawson, KCB, Governor of  New South  Wales, Lady  Rawson and  daughter; and James S. Hogg,  former Governor of Texas.  "A large number of  persons were congregated on  the Prince's  Stage when the liner  departed, and  a hearty  cheer  was  raised  by  the numerous friends of  the passengers." (Liverpool  Daily  Post, 10 April).  Following  her  call at Queenstown,  Teutonic  went out  with 194 First, 214 Second and 948 Third Class and arrived at New  York on the 17th. 

Whilst Teutonic was in New York, it was announced by Howard Pusey, secretary to Clement  A. Griscom, President of the International Navigation Company (American Line and Red  Star  Line) in Philadelphia on 19 April 1902  that  it  had agreed to enter "the steamship combination of which J.P. Morgan is the head."

Teutonic left New York on 23  April 1902 with 174 First, 179 Second and 225  Third  Class who learned of the consumation of  the acquisition of White Star  Line by  the Morgan combine on arrival at Queenstown on the 30th, the Liverpool Daily Post of 2 May commenting that "the Americans generally were, as a matter of course, considerably elated, but some regarded it  in the light  of  a pure business speculation on the part of the  shipping trust, which,  they said, must ultimately  command an enormous trade."  Teutonic arrived  in Liverpool on May  Day in brilliant sun but chilly,  windy weather. 

With  97 First, 187  Second and 777 Third  Class on departure  from Queenstown on 8  May 1902 (from Liverpool the preceding day),  Teutonic  embarked on her  first  voyage  under  the new  IMM ownership  although outwardly with  no difference whatsoever.  She won no  love  from the  customs  people in New York, coming  in  late on the  14th, "at so late an hour  it  was  considerably past midnight  before the  last of  her  cabin passengers had  been passed  ashore. This  gave  rise to considerable grumbling  by the  Customs House  inspectors." (New York Times, 15 May). 

Off for Ireland and  England on 21 May  1902, with 184 First, 199 Second  and 336 Third  Class passengers, Teutonic's list, according  to The Evening  World, included James R. Keene,  the Wall Street leader and racing man; Mrs. Patrick Campbell, the  English  actress; Pinky  Panky  Poo,  her dog, and Herbert  Waring, her leading man." Mrs.  Campbell tried to  get  the animal aboard  secreted  in a Gladstone bag, distraught  at  the idea it would,  per company rules,  be  carried  under  the care of  the ship's butcher, but was soon persuaded to follow  orders.  Another passenger, Joseph Bramwell  of New York, was  bound  for the  Coronation  ceremonies,  and according to The New York  Times, "will perhaps enjoy the distinction of  being the  only resident of  this  city who was also present at the coronation of Queen Victoria  and the two  Jubilees."  Teutonic called  at Queenstown the morning of  28th, sailing  at  10:35  a.m. for Liverpool where  she came in on the 29th. 

Teutonic sailed from Liverpool on 4 June 1902 and Queenstown the  next day, and numbered  96 First,  152 Second and 452 Third  Class in her list, among them Winston Churchill and Mrs. Churchill.   But  it was her  cargo that  featured  on the  trip over, or  rather, the  manifest  of it which for some inexplicable reason had  not  been received  aboard  on departure  from Queenstown, but her purser arranged  a work around with customs  officials on arrival  at New  York on  the 12th and there no was no  delay  in unloading the cargo  and  the manifest  written on the spot from the bills of  lading.  On arrival, Winston Churchill told The  Evening World, that he  had  been  aboard  for seven months, and that was "too long a  time to  be absent  from America."  

As  reported  by the New York  Tribune on 14  June 1902, Teutonic's departure  for Liverpool would  be brought forward to  Tuesday the 17th instead of her usual Wednesday with the dual intentions  of  giving prospective passengers  ample time to arrive  in England in  time for  the Coronation of  H.M.  King Edward VII (on the 26th) and  "give the ship  time to discharge cargo and be put  in trim to  run an excursion to Spithead to watch  the  naval review, which is to be  a  spectacular part of the  celebration."  

"The Teutonic, as a special coronation boat, also leaves  with a full passenger list," (New York Times, 17 June  1902),  and she sailed from New York  on 17 June  1902 with 229 First, 177 Second and 502 Third Class.  Alas, all of the plans and preparations, throughout the  British Empire and indeed the whole of civilised world came to naught when on the  24th, word  came that  the coronation would have to postponed  after the King  required  urgent surgery for  an abdominal abscess.  Teutonic  arrived at Queenstown  on  the  day news broke and the following  day at Liverpool disembarked some thoroughly  surprised and disappointed passengers:

The last batch of American visitors coming over for the Coronation arrived in Liverpool yesterday by the Teutonic. The liner left New York a day ahead of her time in order that passengers might reach London to see the Coronation of King Edward VII. On reaching Queenstown they heard that his Majesty was ill and that the Coronation had been postponed. Many of them were thunderstruck, and most of them refused to believe the report. It was much talked of, nevertheless, but the conclusion generally arrived at was that the news was merely a piece of Stock Exchange gossip, set afoot for some sinister purpose.

The journey up Channel to Liverpool was continued in the hope that better and more reliable news would be obtained. The disappointment was intense when the Coronation visitors ascertained that his Majesty's illness was only too true. Many who would not otherwise have stopped in Liverpool remained to witness the celebrations, as they were told all festivities in London had been abandoned. A party from Massachusetts called at the Echo office to ascertain the very latest information with regard to the King's condition.

One of them (Mr. Boardman, of Worcester) paid high tribute of respect to the King by saying, 'If our President had been struck down I could not have grieved more over it. It is calamitous news, and will make a big sensation in the States.' The London visitors were forwarded by special train from Riverside. Most of them looked quite depressed, and their disappointment was unquestionably deep and real.

Liverpool Daily Post, 26 June 1902.

Credit:  Liverpool Daily  Post, 26  June 1902.

Steamers from all parts of the world, which timed their sailings to bring in passengers for the coronation, are reaching England constantly. When the news of the King's illness is received on board there is consternation, and the bitter disappointment of the passengers is quite pitiful to see. This is especially true in the case of the White Star Line steamer Teutonic, which sailed from New. York on June 17. The Teutonic's passengers had hoped that by sailing a day earlier than the scheduled date they would be able to witness the ceremonies and to occupy the seats they had engaged months ago.

Litigation is already beginning over contracts made with regard to seats, accommodations and other arrangements dependent upon the coronation and the naval review. The many steamers which were chartered to witness the review will not be needed, and this point alone is likely to make lots of work for the lawyers. The British fleet will remain intact at Portsmouth until next week, but several of the foreign war vessels will leave there to-morrow.

The New York Times,  26 June  1902.

Teutonic,  her planned  cruise  to  Spithead cancelled along with the Fleet Review that  occasioned it, cooled  her heels  in  Liverpool until her scheduled  2 July 1902 sailing  to New York. Calling at Queenstown the  next morning, she  steamed  westwards at  9:15 a.m. with 148 First,  147 Second and 527 Third  Class passengers who arrived  at New York  on the 10th.

With  218 First, 189 Second and 391 Third  Class  passengers,  Teutonic  cleared New York  Harbor midday  on 16 July 1902  for  Queenstown and  Liverpool, arriving home early on the 24th. 

From Liverpool on 6  August 1902 and Queenstown on the 7th, Teutonic  embarked 149 First and 223 Second and 350 Third  Class passengers  for  New York where she arrived on the 13th. During  her turnaround there, the  Teutonic's  cricket  team played  the local Kilkenny Club at Central Park  on  the 16th and were soundly  thrashed 57 to  18.  

Among the  scant 58 First, 157 Second and 174 Third Class  passengers sailing from New York  in Teutonic  on 20 August  1901 was  Lord Hopetoun, formerly  Governor  General  of Australia.  Calling at Queenstown on the 27th, Teutonic arrived at Liverpool the following  day.  

Sailing to America aboard Teutonic  on 3 September 1902 were the Rt. Hon. W.J. Pirrie, head  of Harland & Wolff, and Mrs. Pirrie,  who were seen off at the landing  stage by J. Bruce Ismay and Harold Sanderson. Pirrie was bound for  talks with J.P. Morgan. This sailing was also  the first to carry a consignment of parcel post "under a new arrangement between the  British  Government and the American Express Company," with Umbria taking out the  second shipment on the  7th.  On departure from Queenstown on the 4th, Teutonic had 293 First, 173 Second and 655 Third Class passengers aboard and arrived at New York on the  10th.  Pirrie  declined to  answer questions from the press on arrival whose visit was to work out  final details of the transfer of  White  Star Line,  of which Pirrie  was  a Director,   to the Morgan Combine.

Among  Teutonic's  few passengers (62 First, 127 Second and 146 Third) sailing from New York on 17  September 1902 was the Duchess of Marlborough,  the former Consuelo Vanderbilt and only  daughter of the  railroad tycoon. "The departure of the Teutonic with the Duchess of Marlborough and other well known persons, the arrival of the Oceanic, and also the presence in the city of the Grand Duke Boris, Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt, and Mrs. Ogden Goelet were factors In the general effect of it being a social field day in early Autumn."(New York Times, 18 September).  Arriving in New York the same day, Oceanic completed a passage from  Queenstown of 5 days 16  hours 40 mins, but  still nine minutes off Teutonic's standing  White Star record.  

Teutonic arrived at Queenstown at 9:11 a.m. on 24 September 1902 and departed shortly  for Liverpool where, coming into the  Mersey just after midnight, she anchored off New Brighton for the night.  In dense fog early that  morning, the inbound Mayo, arriving from Dublin, collided with the still  anchored Teutonic, hitting her on her  starboard quarter. The packet was seriously damaged, buckling her  stem and plates above  the waterline  but the  damage to Teutonic was "very slight."  Of  more  interest to the Liverpool press was the  arrival  of the Duchess  of Marlborough  and other "American millionaires":

Yesterday morning the White Star steamer Teutonic landed a very select company of saloon passengers in Liverpool, who afterwards boarded a train-de-luxe for London. The palatial floating palace left New York for this port on Wednesday, thes 17th inst., and after a most enjoyable passage, arrived in the Mersey on Wednesday evening, where, in consequence of a thick fog. she remained at anchorage during the night, and shortly before ten o'clock yesterday morning she berthed, as usual, at the Prince's Stage for the purpose of disembarking passengers and baggage. During her anchorage a slight collision happened between the While Star boat and the Dublin Steampacket Company’s steamer Mayo. The latter was somewhat slightly damaged, her stem being twisted.

Amongst the voyagers were the Duchess of Marlborough and suite. Her grace had been spending a short season in New York visiting her friends, and she is said to have spent a very enjoyable time. The duchess, be it known, although now a typical member of the higher stratum of the English aristocracy, is an out and out American, and whenever she visits the States over which the stars and stripes float, she always enjoys herself.... 

Amongst other passengers were Lord Melgund, son and heir of Lord Minto, the Hon. Arthur Elliot. Mrs.Elliot, and family, Mr. Arthur Iselin, Colonel W. Ingersoll Merritt, Mr. C. T. Yerkes, Mr. E.B. Osler, Mr. W. M. Peterkin, and many other magnates and millionaires so common in the States.

Liverpool Daily Post, 26 September 1902.

Millionaires were sparse on Teutonic's departure  from Liverpool on 1 October 1902 and following her Queenstown call the next morning, she had 268 First, 199  Second and 655 Third  Class passengers for New York where she arrived  on the evening of the 8th. In addition to landing her passengers, mails and cargo, she  came in  with $1.05 mn. in gold  for deposit with  various banks. 

The eastbound Teutonic went out on 15 October 1902  with 94 First, 96  Second and 181  Third Class, among them being Archer Baker, European manager  of the  Canadian Pacific  Railway Co.. Teutonic arrived  at Liverpool the evening of the  22nd.

Credit: The New York Times, 6 November 1902.

Going out  on 29 October 1902, Teutonic, calling at Queenstown the next day,  sailed  for  America with 87 First, 183 Second and 653 Third Class passengers. She put in the best performance in three years, arriving at New York on 5 November (crossing  the Bar at 8:56 a.m.) and logging 6  days 57 mins. at an average  speed of  19.5  knots from Daunt's Rock  to Sandy Hook. "The use  of selected Welsh  coal is  said to  be the reason why the Teutonic made a fast trip." (New  York Times, 6 November).   The Liverpool Mercury  (7th)  lauded: "This  is capital steaming for this period of the year;  and  shows  that  the Teutonic is  capable of  performing  the journey  across  the Atlantic just  as quickly  as she did when she first came out in August, 1889. It also emphasises another point, and that  is  the marked  attention  which is always  paid  to the upkeep of  the  White Star fleet."

Before Teutonic  could sail from New  York at noon on 12 November 1902, White  Star Line had to post a $17,000 bond to  secure a claim for libel against them by a passenger from Brooklyn who was "hit  on the head  by a falling spar" on 2  September and was suing for  damages. Teutonic went out with 82 First, 63  Second and 206 Third Class as well as $495,000 in silver specie, weighing 38  tons. She  arrived at Liverpool on the  20th. 

The New York-bound  Teutonic had 86  First, 80 Second and 264 Third Class passengers  embarking at Liverpool (26  November 1902)  and Queenstown (27th), all  of  whom  must  have  regretted ever setting  out across  the Atlantic as described by  The  Evening World on 5  December,  the day they  finally arrived after one of the  slowest  crossings  the  ship  had  made  to  date:

From the time she left Queenstown until she tied up at her pier to-day the White Star liner Teutonic was buffeted by northwest and southwest gales and towering head seas. The time of the voyage was seven days, 13 hours and 66 minutes, about the worst ever made by the Teutonic. 

Few of the passengers had the nerve to venture on deck, and on some occasions, notably during the second day out, the officers gave orders that the passengers should remain below. Fortunately no accidents marred the voyage, and among the eighty first cabin passengers there was such an array of singers and musicians that daily concerts served to while away the tedium of the long trip.

The storm that is sweeping over New York to-day was encountered by the Teutonic yesterday evening off Fire Istand, and was the fiercest of the voyage. It was dark as pitch when the steamship arrived at Sandy Hook, and the mailboat came alongside to take off 2,038 bags of mall.

The driving storm of sleet and snow shut out the view of light and the little mailboat was bounced against the towering sides of the big liner with such force that it was feared she would be stove in. The transfer of mail was one of the most exciting incidents of the trip. 

From Sandy Hook the Teutonic felt her way up the lower bay and the Narrows to Quarantine, where she lay all night. Her trip up the river this morning was made under difficulties similar to those that had been encountered clear across the ocean, and it was a relieved crowd of passengers that fled off the pier Into the snowstorm. 

Albert Palmer, a seaman, from his experience on Dec. 3  is known on the ship as the human ping-pong ball. 

On that date he was sent to make tarpaulin fast over the forward hatch. While at work he was picked up by a sea that came aboard and hurled the width of the deck. Just as it seemed that he must go into the ocean another sea came aboard and buffeted him back again. Three or four times he made the round trip across the deck, batted from wave to wave, until he managed to secure a grip on a stanchion and hold on until rescued. Beyond a wetting and a scare he sustained no injury.

The  Evening  World, 5  December 1902.

The White Star liner Teutonic, which got to her pier yesterday, had the experience on her trip across the Atlantic that has been the lot of all the steamers reaching this port in last week or more. Battered and salt encrusted, she was all night in fighting her way to her anchorage in the Lower Bay. From the time she passed Daunt's Rock, November 29, rough weather was the only kind she met. Few of her passengers cared to go on deck, most of them preferring the snugness of the cabins to the rough North Atlantic gales.

New York Tribune, 6 December 1902.

According to The  New  York Times, "her officers described [it] as  the  roughest  trip  she had  ever  made." 

With Miss Pauline  Astor, daughter of William  Waldorf  Astor, and her  chaperione, Mme.  Flory, and "a large number of Scandinavian-Americans,  who are returning to their  native land to  spend  the holidays," (Evening  World),  figuring among her 97 First, 132 Second  and 394 Third  Class  passengers, Teutonic  sailed from New  York on 10 December  1902 and had a dreadful  time getting  into  Liverpool amid  a terrific  gale in  the  Irish  Channel  that went right up into  the  Mersey.  Arriving off  Mersey  Bar  on the morning of the 18th, she could  not get  alongside Prince's  Landing or enter the docks  until late that day. 

In 1902, Teutonic made  13 westbound crossings carrying   9,333 passengers and 12  eastbound  crossings  carrying 6,095 passengers or  a total of  15,428 passengers. 

Teutonic  dressed overall in the Mersey  c.  1903. Credit:  eBay auction photo.

1903

Bridging  the  old and  new years, Teutonic sailed from Liverpool on Christmas  Eve 1902 for New York and after calling at  Queenstown on Christmas Day,  coursed  westbound for New York with 66 First, 63 Second and 134 Third Class passengers.  "The first of the big steamships docking at the North River piers to arrive in the new year was the White Star line steamship Teutonic, which came up to her dock early this morning." The first vessel to sail was the French line steamship La Champagne, which sailed at 10. o'clock. (The Evening World, 1 January  1903)."   To Teutonic  went the distinction of  the  first  of two  liners (the  other  being N.D.L.'s Neckar)    to  arrive in the Port  of  New   York in 1903  when  she  came alongside early  on the morning  of New Years Day. 

Her  first eastbound  crossing of the year started off  four hours  late when, on 7 January  1903, Teutonic  sailed from New York at 4:00 p.m.  rather than at noon when her coal supply  was  not delivered on time by the  Berwind Coal Co. amid widespread shortages of the fuel that winter.  Arriving alongside  by  barge, one at a time, some 600 of  the  1,900 tons she needed had yet  to be bunkered  the morning  of departure.  Three  other liners-- St. Paul, Potsdam and  Trave--  were also  delayed for the same reason. 

When she finally sailed,  Teutonic  got off with 62 First, 70 Second and 185 Third Class.  In the later  class were  36 Negro men, 12 women and 10  children,  from Irwin County,  Georgia, bound for Liberia, Africa  where  they  intended to settle. "We are just poor farmers,  business was not good for us, so we got together, sold our  farms  and are going  out to Liberia  to begin life again,"  George  Scott  told the  New York Tribune. Teutonic arrived at Queenstown on 14 January 1903, departing there at 5:40 p.m. and arriving at Liverpool the following morning. 

Credit: The  Evening  World, 30 January 1903.

On her  first westbound  crossing  of  the  year, Teutonic  left Liverpool on 21  January  1903, and after calling  at Queenstown the next  day, had 80 First, 83 Second and 226 Third Class passengers.  They endured a classic winter  crossing and when she and Auguste Victoria of HAPAG arrived at New  York on the 30th, The  Evening World  wrote:  "Tired, bruised  and grateful  passengers  hastened from the steamships  when they  reached their  piers, thankful to  be  released from the  constraint of their staterooms, to which  they  had  been  confined during most of  the voyage." Of the  White  Star liner, it reported: "the  Teutonic was  seven days, twenty-two hours and forty-one minutes making the  Westward  voyage. For five  days out of  the seven she  fought  head seas and  gales that swept  her  decks. On Jan. 25 the weather was so rough  that  the  big  liner was able  to log  only  215 knots." Teutonic was more  than a day late, but not  damaged, crossing the Bar at  6:29 a.m. on the 30th.  

The  shortage of  coal in New York  continue to bedevil  shipping  in the port to  the extent that Teutonic and  St. Paul, due  to  sail on 4 February  1903, stayed at their piers as did the HAPAG Moltke, to  have departed on  a Mediterranean cruise, and Holland America's  Amsterdam.  White Star announced on the  afternoon of  the  4th  that they  expected to  have Teutonic coaled and off on her way  at 2:00 pm. The following afternoon with coal alongside  her by  7:00  p.m. the evening  of the  4th. John Lee, White Star manager, told the  New York Tribune  that her  coal  had been delayed  by  a lack  of  locomotives to haul it  and  was  stuck between  Newark and Jersey  City.

With 145 First, 71 Second and  154  Third  Class passengers, Teutonic was  finally  off  for Liverpool at  11:30 p.m.  on  5  February 1903, later than expected  owing  to  additional delays bunkering. She passed out of Sandy Hook at 1:45 a.m. on the  6th and got  into Liverpool early in the evening of  the  13th. 

The mail steamer Teutonic is at present lying up at Liverpool, and is out  of  the  bill for immediate sailings, the Celtic and Cedric being  in the  mail line  for the present. 

Shipbuilding and Marine  Engineering,  1  March 1903.

The second of the big "20,000-tonners, Cedric left Liverpool on 11 February 1903 on  her maiden trip. With the new ship, Celtic, Oceanic  and Cymric holding down the  mail service that winder,  Teutonic and Majestic were idled in early  1903  to undergo refitting,  illustrative of  the improvements  I.M.M. pledged  with  the  acquisition of  White Star Line.  Here, Majestic received  a far more comprehensive refitting at Belfast,  including new  boilers, remasting (emerging with fore and mainmast only), and new  funnels which were both  considerably higher and  larger in diameter and  evoking those  of  Oceanic.  She was out  of service from December 1902- May 1903.  

Teutonic at New  York showing her extended funnels on the December  1903 White Star Line calendar card. Credit: eBay auction photo.

Conversely, Teutonic's work seems to have  been accomplished in obscurity and  long the subject  of mystery.  There was no mention of it whatsoever in the press, general or trade,  other than in relation  to Majestic's work, and her  busy schedule maintained except for  13 February-1 April 1903 when she certainly  had her  funnels replaced by larger and  taller ones, if  not  as  tall as Majestic's and more curiously  appears to have undergone any work  at her Canada  Docks berth in Liverpool with  no return to Belfast.  Her masts remained intact and no major alterations done to her  accommodation and no details are available as to any alterations to her machinery,  boilers etc.  The one date-indicative photographic proof of her new funnels  (as  well as the  painting of her forward  turtleback  white instead of mast  buff)  is of the ship at the White  Star pier so altered as the featured ship  in the  December  1903 calendar card as sent to agents every month.  

An immense amount of mail was brought to New York by the White Star Liner Teutonic, which has just arrived. There were 527,270 letters alone. Allowing five inches as the average length of each envelope, this collection would make a single string end to end of 21,865 feet, or more than four miles. The 870 bags of second-class matter would make a column exactly 870 feet high, allowing one foot as the thickness of each bag. It required exactly thirty minutes for the twenty men engaged in discharging this mail to put it all aboard the mail boat Postmaster General off the upper quarantine station.

The Courier-Journal, 12 April 1903.

Teutonic's  new post spring 1903 profile. Credit:  The Mariners' Museum.

With no mention of her refit or "new look," Teutonic resumed service on 1 April 1903, the sailing more notable for its epic  consignment of  mail than anything else. With Mrs. Bruce Ismay and James J. Hill, owner of  the Great Northern Railway Co.,  among her 103 First, 177 Second and 933 Third  Class passengers, on departure  from  Queenstown the  following  day  Teutonic arrived  at New  York early on the 9th. Of special interest was  her  extraordinary  large mail consignment totalling 257,270 letters and 870 bags of second and third class mail. 

With the coal situation  back  to normal in New York, Teutonic's  departure  on 15 April  1903 was on schedule  and routine, going  out with 79 First, 62  Second and 194 Third Class. Calling at Queenstown the evening of  the 22nd, she arrived  at Liverpool the next day.

From Liverpool on 29 April 1903 and Queenstown the  following day, Teutonic had 126 First, 124 Second and an impressive 1,079 in Third Class,  her  best list in that  class  for  some time.  Ice season came early  that  spring and Teutonic had to go well south  of  her usual  route to  avoid  it, and consequently arriving late at New  York on 7 May, when  she  was due  the  previous  day. 

The homewards  Teutonic took out 147 First,  160  Second and 331 Third  Class passengers on departure  from New  York on 13 May 1903, among them the actress Maxine Elliott and opera  singer  Mlle. Zelie de Lissun.  Liverpool was  reached on the morning  of the 21st.

For New York, Teutonic from Liverpool on 27 May 1903 and Queenstown the  26th, sailed  with 71 First, 114  Second and 572 Third  Class passengers and got into  New York  the evening of 3 June.

Teutonic sailed from New York at 1:30 p.m. on 10 June 1903  with 260 first, 197 Second  and 499 Third Class. Among  those aboard was  the  renowned American architect Charles F. McKim, winner of  the gold medal  for  architecture awarded by  King  Edward VII and en route  to receive  it on the 22nd. Also aboard,  with his "big  new 80 horsepower Peerless  car,"  was  Louis P.  Mooers, third member of  the American team  entered  for  the international  automobile cup  race.  Teutonic docked at Liverpool on the 18th.

Off  again for  America on 24 June 1903, Teutonic had 73  First, 128 Second and 323 Third Class aboard  on clearing  Queenstown the  following day and arrived  at New York at 6:00 p.m. on 1 July. 

Among the 162  First, 206  Second and 203 Third passengers sailing  from New York at 1:30 p.m. on 8  July 1903 was  IMM's Henry Wilding and Sen. W.A. Clark. Teutonic got into Queenstown the afternoon of the 15th and Liverpool the next  day. 

With  133 First, 130 Second and 232 Third  Class aboard on clearing Queenstown on 23 July 1903  (from Liverpool the day  before), Teutonic was not having an terribly  impressive or  busy  season to date. She got  into  New York  early on  the  30th

With 74 First, 135 Second and 229 Third  Class passengers, Teutonic  left  New York  at 1:30 p.m. on 5 August 1903.  Calling at Queenstown  on the  11th, she  departed  there at 6:25 p.m. for  Liverpool  where she arrived the  following morning.

Clearing Queenstown on 20 August 1903 for New York, Teutonic had 182 First, 229  Second, 438  Third Class and arrived at 2:30  pm. on the 26th.  

On the eve of the  America's  Cup yacht  race, Teutonic  and Philadelphia sailed from New York  on 2 September 1903 and passed Sir Thomas Lipton's  Erin coming into port, and  both  ships saluted her with  three long whistle blasts.  Capt.  McKinstry had  been among  the  guests aboard  Erin the  evening  before and had  another  of his  guests  were aboard Teutonic, among  her  69 First, 64  Second and 219 Third Class passengers. She  arrived at Liverpool the  evening of the 9th.

With what the Liverpool Daily  Post described as "a very  large  number  of passengers in all classes," Teutonic sailed  for New York on 16  September 1903 and  after calling the next day at Queenstown, had 253 First, 198  Second  and 561 Third Class aboard. Reported  off  Nantucket at 4:30 a.m. on the 23rd, Teutonic  berthed at New York that evening.

Homewards on  30 September 1903, Teutonic cast off from her New York pier  at 1:30 p.m. with a tiny list of 33 First, 44  Second  and 189 Third  Class and arrived at Liverpool the morning of 8  October.

Clearing Liverpool (14 October 1903) and Queenstown  (15th), with 72 First, 189 Second and 360 Third Class passengers, one of whom, a Captain  S. Gelat, French  citizen, aroused  the  most  attention on arrival  at New York  on the 22nd  when customs officials  found  $25,000 in diamonds and precious stones "secreted  in his  clothing." He was arrested on suspicion of  being part of  a smuggling gang. 

Teutonic passed out of  New  York Harbor the afternoon of 28 October  1903 with 56 First, 46 Second and 313 Third Class passengers  for Queenstown (4 November)  and Liverpool where she  arrived on the 5th in such  heavy  fog that  she could  not   go alongside  Prince's Landing   Stage and instead anchored in mid- river  and  landed her passengers by  the  tender Magnetic.  Among them  was  Mr. James H. Ismay and Mrs. Ismay  returning  from their honeymoon.  The fog persisted and it was not until  midnight  on the  6th  that Teutonic  docked. 

The  New  York-bound  Teutonic  left Liverpool on 11 November  1903 and after Queenstown the next day, had 95 First,  81 Second and 220 Third Class passengers aboard, among them English  actress Marie  Tempest, and husband, Arthur Bertram, her  manager, and an English lark which landed exhausted aboard  the liner in mid- Atlantic and was  adopted by  Mrs.  Tempest. 

Embarking 54 First, 91  Second and 469 Third Class passengers, Teutonic  sailed from New  York on 25  November  1903. When  she arrived  at Queenstown on the 2nd,  she  landed 1,000 bags of mail there and proceeded  to Liverpool where  she came alongside Prince's Landing  Stage the following morning. 

After a series  of routine voyages, the  last one of  the year, from Liverpool on 9  December 1903,  had plenty  of "goings on."  During  her ensuing call at Queenstown the next  day,  Teutonic  embarked  the First  and  Second Class passengers of  the  Red Star Line's Kroonland which had  to abandon  her westbound voyage  from Antwerp  there  owing to a breakdown of  her steering gear in heavy weather. Teutonic  had 140 First, 155 Second and 167 Third Class passengers for  New York  on departure  from Queenstown  midday  on the  10th, 154 being  Kroonland's saloon passengers.

Upon her arrival at New York on 17 December  1903, about 24 hours late, and docking at 8:00 a.m., battered and covered  for much of  her length  in ice, Teutonic's exciting voyage across  was recorded  in  great  detail in the  local papers.  That  she faced a succession of westerly  gales  all  the way  across  was  not  unusual  for  the  season but a freak lightening bolt strike amidst a heavy  snowstorm  in  mid Atlantic was a  thrilling  and notable  end  to  an otherwise  routine  voyage during  a routine  year:

With her foretruck ripped away by lightning. battered, rusty and salt encrusted, the Teutonic passed into Quarantine early yesterday, more than twenty-four hours late. The voyage wag the roughest reported by storm tossed and belated steamers for the last fortnight. The Teutonic left Liverpool on December 9. Until Saturday the steamer moved through a blanketlike fog.

Early Sunday it began to snow. and in half an hour it grew so thick that double lookout was placed in the bow. By noon it was impossible to see a cable length ahead. The steamer displayed all her lights and kept her whistles screeching.

New York Tribune, 18 December  1903.

The steamship Teutonic, of the White Star Line, arrived at her North River pier to-day after an exciting voyage in which her main mast was shattered by a bolt of lightning during a snow storm, a freak, of the elements not heretofore recorded on the seas. 

Capt. F. R. McKinstry, in command, said that all the way across the ship fought heavy westerly gales. 

'Just before dinner Sunday,' he said, 'when the storm was heaviest and while the vessel was passing through a heavy snowstorm, the heavens seemed to split wide open and give forth a bolt of lightning. the thunder of which shook the Teutonic as though she had lost her propeller blades.

'The bolt of lightning struck the mainmast, wrecked the truck and sent the splintered and shattered mast down the skylight into the main cabin, where the passengers were preparing to take their seats for dinner. 

'For a time there was much excitement, the women screaming and running for their staterooms. But the officers assured them the danger was past and after great tarpaulins had been placed over the broken skylight the meal was served as usual. 

'"I never before saw lightning come out of a snow storm. To a less staunch ship the result might have been worse. The Teutonic trembled and shook from stem to stern until the electricity was out of the vessel.'

The Evening World, 17 December 1903.

The phenomenon of a bolt of lightning from a snow permeated sky startled Capt. McKinstry of the White Star liner Teutonic, in from Liverpool and Queenstown, while she was in midocean on Sunday afternoon. There were muffled mutterings after the bolt had hit the truck of the liner's wooden the only vulnerable part of the foretop, mast, which is of hollow steel. The truck, through which signal halliards were rove was shattered and the halliards fell in a tangle.

The passengers, who were assembling for lunch in the saloon, were slightly disturbed by the crack of thunder. Capt. McKinstry was on the bridge with the third officer. When the flash and rumble came he thought at first that there had been another sort of an explosion than electrical other aboard. He had never seen lightning in a snowstorm before.

The  Sun, 18 December 1903.

As the White Star Line steamship Teutonic made her way to her pier yesterday morning on her arrival here, she carried the happiest group of passengers that has entered this port in many days. Among her passengers to the number of 154 were the cabin passengers of the steamship Kroonland of the Red Star Line, which lost her rudder at sea in a terrific storm, and was barely able to creep back to Queenstown. The accident occurred shortly before midnight on Dec: 7, when the vessel was about 100 miles west of Fastnet. When the Teutonic arrived she was covered for half her length in a heavy coat Ice. The report was circulated yesterday that the phenomenon of lightning during a snowstorm had been observed from the vessel fast Sunday. The officers of the ship denied the report. First Officer Fox said: 

'I was of the bridge on Sunday when the phenomenon is said to have been seen. There was lightning, but it was during a hailstorm, which is frequently observed at sea, and not in a snowstorm.'

 The flash of lightning struck the forward masthead of the vessel, carrying away the truck, and dropping the flag halyards to the deck. The wooden head of the steel mast was split several inches down from the top.

The New York Times, 18 December 1903.

The storm persisted until  14 December 1903 and when conditions permitted, much of the damage caused by  it  could be  repaired. One of the   passengers, Mrs. Philip  Holemans, in Second Class, who became ill shortly before  the storm, and great aggravated by it  and the lightening strike, and passed away two days  later. 

Adding another note of distinction to the voyage was Teutonic bringing in a great proportion of English Christmas mail, totalling 2,800 bags in all and constituting the largest number yet brought  into The Port of New York  by  a single vessel.  She also came in with $2,471,840 in gold consigned to various  banks and financial houses. 

With  65 First,  63  Second and 498 passengers, Teutonic sailed  from New  York on 23 December with 65  First, 62  Second and 498 Third Class passengers  and  a record mail consignment for Queenstown totalling  2,545  bags.  Owing to  some mix-up, and foiling local  plans to handle all of it, Teutonic came into Queenstown  on the 30th with  just the Irish mail on deck and so after these 215  bags  were  taken off by tender, Teutonic proceeded to Liverpool with the remaining 2,637 bags. She reached  Liverpool on New Year's Eve.   

In 1903, Teutonic made  11 westbound crossings carrying   8,301 passengers and 12  eastbound  crossings  carrying 5,898 passengers or  a total of  14,199 passengers. 

Teutonic ready to sail  from Prince's Landing  Stage, Liverpool with the White  Star tender Magnetic in attendance.  Credit: eBay  auction photo.

1904

Starting her  first voyage of 1904, Teutonic cleared Liverpool on 6 January, and calling at Queenstown the following  morning, went off  with  51 First, 76 Second and 105  Third Class passengers.  Sighted  off Nantucket  at 6:50 p.m. on the  13th, she arrived at New York the  following  morning. 

Eastbound on 20 January 1904, there  were 56 First, 54  Second and 237 Third  Class  aboard  Teutonic as well as $522,500 in silver specie.  Calling at Queenstown on the  27th, she  left there at 1:40 p.m. and reached Liverpool the  next morning. 

Laid up at  Liverpool for  the  months  of February-March for her annual refitting, Teutonic returned to  service  with  her  sailing  for New  York  on 30 March 1904 where she arrived on 7  April with 56 First, 93 Second and 677 Third  Class. Among those landing was the Dowager Duchess of Marlborough, widow of Lord William Beresford. 

Departing New York  for Liverpool on 13 April 1904, Teutonic went out  with 53 First, 56 Second and 168 Third Class aboard in addition to 905 bags of mail and $185,000 in specie.  She arrived at Liverpool on the 20th.

Marking a  return to busy  immigration trade for the ship, Teutonic had 962 in  Third Class aboard on departure from Liverpool  on 27  April 1904 and Queenstown the next day  in addition to 56 First and 93 Second Class. Arriving at New York on 5 May "after  a stormy passage," The Evening World added that "the weather  was so  rough  over that a  ship  golf  tournament  which  had been arranged had to be  abandoned." 

Teutonic's New York layover had  a bit of  a scare  when on  7 May 1904, fire broke out in a consignment of  cotton at  the  adjacent Clyde  Line  pier. At one point, her  crew  prepared to move the  ship  into the  river as billows of black smoke rolled over  her.  But  the blaze was soon brought  under control. 

Homebound  on 11  May 1904, Teutonic numbered Sir Gilbert Parker and Lady Parker, and Sir Gerald Strickland, Lady  Strickland and daughters, among  her 86  First, 131 Second and 303 Third Class passengers. Calling in at Queenstown on the 18th,  sailing at 8:30 p.m., Teutonic reached Liverpool the  next day.

They were  61 First, 120  Second and 455 Third Class passengers for  Teutonic's 25 May 1904 crossing to New  York where she arrived on 2  June.

The Mersey-bound  Teutonic had 144  First, 191  Second and 472 Third  Class, 1,800 bags of  mail and $340,000 in specie  on clearing New York on 8  June 1906.  She reached Queenstown at 5:24 p.m. on the 15th and arrived at Liverpool the next day. 

Passenger carryings lagged in  1904 despite another rate war with  the German lines and  there  were just 57 First, 96  Second and 323 Third Class tickets  sold for Teutonic's 22 June 1904 crossing to New  York where  she  arrived on  the  30th. 

The rate war, slashing  Third Class fares to $15 that summer, resulted in a near riot scene at the White Star pier before Teutonic's  departure for Liverpool on 6 July. Over 150 showed up at the pier holding  tickets for whom there was no  space left aboard and "for  a few minutes the police and the officials had their hands full keeping back the mob.  Order was restored after some excitement. The persons left behind will  be taken care of by  the  company  or  shipped on other lines if  possible." (The Evening World, 6 July). Adding to a  busy sailing were  members  of the  Yale and Harvard  track teams en route for a track  and field  meet against  Oxford and Cambridge  in London later that  month. "Many graduates of the  Crimson  and the  Blue  went to  the  dock to bid  the boys bon voyage and there  were rah-rahs and other cheers galore when the big ship backed  into the stream. "  (The Sun, 7 July).  In all, Teutonic  went out  with 195 First, 221  Second and  953 Third Class and arrived  at Liverpool on the  14th.

With  98 First, 137 Second and 269 Third Class aboard on departure from Queenstown on 21 July 1904 (Liverpool on the  20th), Teutonic got  into New York on the  28th, eliciting the  New  York Times to report: "The arrival of the White Star liner Teutonic on Wednesday interested many, as she brought in a very large passenger list. Among those on board were Mr. and Mrs. Frederick de Peyster and the Misses de Peyster."

The reduced  Third Class rates  spurred eastbound  carryings  in that  class so that there  were 665 for  Teutonic's 3 August 1904 sailing from New  York in addition to 82 First  and 80  Second Class. Calling at Queenstown early in the  afternoon of  the 10th, she got into Liverpool on the  11th. 

Figuring among those embarking Teutonic at Liverpool for America on 17 August 1904, were the Irish  nationalist leaders and Members of  Parliament   Messrs.  J. Redmond, A. Donelan and Patrick O'Brien: "A large number of  representative men accompanied  Messrs. Redmond,  Dillion and O'Brien to  the Teutonic and gave  them a  hearty send-off." (Liverpool Daily Post).  On  departure  from Queenstown the  next  day,  she  had  an excellent list of 208 First, 217  Second and 927 Third Class. On arrival  at New York on the  afternoon of the  24th, the Irish  delegation was enthusiastically greeted off Quarantine.  

The rate war  continued unabated  on the North Atlantic  and on 19 August 1904 White Star countered similar reductions  made by  Cunard by slashing eastbound fares in First Class  fares.  Those  for Teutonic and Majestic  were cut  from $85 one-way  to $55.  This and a  flatlining of  freight rates further  cut  into IMM's  profits and to date, the  combine had  been a financial  flop.  

The last  day of  August  1904 found  Teutonic  clearing her North River  berth  that  afternoon with 71 First, 116  Second and 483  Third Class passengers.  Pausing  at Queenstown on the morning  of 7  September,  she  got into Liverpool  the next  day.

Another good list featured on  Teutonic westbound sailing  of 14 September 1904 which  totalled 209 First,  172 Second and 967  Third  Class. After  what The Evening World  described as a "placid and uneventful voyage," Teutonic arrived at New  York on  the  22nd.  "There was a little excitement aboard  the boat last  Thursday when  a number  of women reported to the purser the loss of stick pins and brooches.  It was  believed  for  a time that  sneak thief was among  the passengers, but,  according  to  Purser C.B. Lancaster, the missing jewels were  discovered later  in the  staterooms where the women has mislaid them." (The  Evening World,  22 September).

The  homeward bound Teutonic  went out from New  York  on 28  September  1904  with 51 First, 75 Second and 301 Third Class  passengers, and came into the  Mersey on 5  October. 

For New York, with 102 First, 149 Second and a capacity list  of 994 Third Class, Teutonic was a busier  ship  later in the  season than its  beginning,  as she departed  Liverpool on 12 October  1904 and Queenstown a day later.  She got into  New York  the  evening of the 19th.

With a considerably lighter list eastbound  of 55 First,  56 Second and 221 Third Class, Teutonic left New York on 26 October 1904 and arrived at Liverpool on the evening of 2 November. 

She arrived  amid  a  swirl of rumours that the  Russian Government "has bought or was  negotiating for the purchase of  the  White Star liners Majestic and Teutonic" but the White Star said the  "rumour is absolutely without foundation." In  addition, it was doubted the  British  Government would release the ships from their potential duty as armed merchant cruisers and to be seen as assisting  any of the parties of Russo-Japanese  war. Also tied with speculation that Ballin was seeking to acquire the pair to replace the HAPAG ships already sold to Russia.  

The managers of the  White Star Line  emphatically deny  the  rumour Herr  Ballin has been negotiating for the  purchase of the of steamers Majestic  and Teutonic to replace the vessels of  the  Hamburg-American Line sold  to  Russia.  No communication has  passenger between Herr Ballin  and the  White Star managers. They also say  the rumour of the probable  sale  of the  steamers to the Russian  Government is  a baseless fabrication.

Jersey Evening Post,  1 November 1904.

Indeed, nothing came of these  rumours although doubtless unrelated to them, Teutonic's scheduled  9 November 1904 voyage to  New York did not  occur and she remained at Liverpool, at branch  no. 1, Canada Dock. 

Resuming service, Teutonic  sailed  from Liverpool on 28  December 1904 for New  York. 

In 1904, Teutonic made 10 westbound crossings carrying 7,792 passengers and 9  eastbound  crossings  carrying 5,576 passengers or  a total of  13,368 passengers. 

Teutonic, at New York, 1904. Credit: Maritime Quest.

1905

Teutonic reached  New York on 5 January  1905, landing 63 First, 51 Second and 507 Third Class passengers  there, right after the worst blizzard  to  hit  the city since  1888.

With 91 First, 85 Second and 265 Third  Class passengers  aboard,  Teutonic left New  York  for Liverpool  on 11 January  1905. Arriving  at Queenstown the morning of the  18th, Teutonic  once  again set a trans-Atlantic mailship  record, landing 2,899 bags, the biggest  consignment yet brought into  the port.  Teutonic docked at Liverpool on the 19th.

The Marconi Company has entered into an agreement with the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company (Ltd.) (the White Star Line) for the equipment of six of the White Star Line vessels with Marconi wireless apparatus. The vessels to be fitted are the Oceanic, Celtic, Baltic, Cedric, Majestic and Teutonic. It is hoped that the first of these may be equipped in readiness for her voyage from Liverpool on Feb. 1. The remainder of the vessels are intended to be fitted at short intervals after that date. When the above-mentioned boats have equipped practically all the Atlantic liners of the first-class chipping companies will be carrying Marconi apparatus.

The Sunday  People, 15  January  1905.

Teutonic passed out  of  the  Mersey on 25 January  1905 and after calling at Queenstown the  next day, proceeded  westward with 55 First, 90 Second and 381 Third Class passengers, a fine list for the  season.  Indeed, the rigours  of winter, whilst absent on the crossing over, were present on arrival at New  York on 2  February where the whole of the harbour was filled with huge cakes of ice. She was a full hour in getting from Quarantine to her pier at the foot of W. 11th Street and another hour spent crunching her way alongside. 

With 60 First, 50 Second and 155 Third Class, 1,200 bags of mail  and $332,000 in specie,   Teutonic sailed from a still icy New York on 8  February 1905 and arrived at Liverpool on the 15th.

From Liverpool (22 February 1905) and Queenstown (23), Teutonic  arrived at New York on 2  March 1905 and among her 44 First, 103 Second and 603 Third Class passengers was Rider Haggard, the great  English  writer of African adventures and proponent of land reform in the Empire. 

There were few takers for Teutonic's eastbound sailing of  8 March 1905: 55 First, 44 Second and 119 Third who faced atrocious  weather on arrival off the Irish  coast. It was so rough off  Queenstown on the 15th that Teutonic had to come into the inner harbour to land her mails  and passengers with 74 mph winds sweeping the  usual anchorage  for liners outside.  Arriving  at  1:54 p.m.,  she was able to sail for Liverpool at 3:10 p.m.,  getting in there  the next morning.

With an excellent  Third Class list of 962 in addition to 34 First and 109 Second Class, Teutonic cleared Liverpool the  afternoon of 22 March 1905 for New York where she arrived the afternoon of the 30th.

Teutonic left New York on 5  April 1905 with 52 First, 72  Second and 150 Third Class passengers. During  this  crossing, believed to be her first  with her new wireless installation, she was able to warn the N.D.L. liner Kaiser Wilhelm of icebergs she encountered on the 9th:

The New York correspondent of the Daily Telegraph cabled on Wednesday: -With the arrival here of the North German Lloyd steamer Kaiser Wilhelm a fresh illustration has been given of the advantages of wireless telegraphy. While endeavouring  to make a record April passage, and going full speed, she received warning an eastward bound liner, the White Star's Teutonic, telling her of dangerous icebergs lying straight in the path of the westward speeding racer. Fog became dense about the same time, and the German captain reduced speed one half. This was on Saturday night. On Sunday morning the Kaiser Wilhelm sighted the dangerous icebergs, two lying direct in the path of the vessel. Some hours elapsed before the danger was left behind. Captain on arriving here, cabled to Captain Kinetry [sic], for of his the Teutonic, thanking him heartily friendly warning.

Liverpool Echo, 13  April 1905.

Teutonic arrived  at Liverpool on 13  April 1905. 

 

On departure from Queenstown on 20 April 1905, Teutonic had another heavy list of 882 Third Class passengers for New York in addition to 113 First and 117 Second Class where she arrived on the  27th. "The White Star Line steamer Teutonic, which arrived from Liverpool and Queenstown yesterday, was not In dancer of collision with the Atlantic Transport Line steamer Minneapolis on the outward voyage, us reported. Captain McKinstry said the steamers were in wireless communication for a long time, but were  not at any time within fifty miles of each other. Among the passengers on board were Sir George Armytage, a prominent railway man. and other delegates to the Railway Congress." (New York Tribune, 28  April 1905).

Teutonic cleared  New York on 3 May  1905 ith 84 First, 83 Second and 218 Third Class passenger and calling at Queenstown on the  10th, came into Liverpool the next morning. 

With 66 First, 85 Second and 682 Third Class passengers aboard on departure from Queenstown 18  May 1905 and Liverpool the  previous  day,  Teutonic arrived at New York on the 25th, and reported passing  a large ice berg on the 21st. Sadly, a passenger gave birth at sea to two twins, a boy and a girl, who died shortly  after birth and were buried at sea. Among those  landing was Miss Katie Norrie,  the  fiance of Capt. Coffin of  the  Prince  Line's British  Prince, on the New York-South American run.  They were married shortly after  Teutonic arrived. 

The twins were born on the Teutonic last Saturday morning, and it had decided to name the boy Teutonia and the girl Atlanta. The tiny lad, however, only lived six hours. The girl survived him nineteen hours, dying Sunday morning. At sundown the babes were buried at sea, Purser Lancaster and Dr. F.J. McAuliffe officiating at the service. The cabin and steerage passengers mingled together at the last rites.

The Evening World, 25 May 1905.

Beginning  her  homeward crossing on 31 May 1905, Teutonic pulled  away from her North  River pier with 153 First, 159 Second and 220 Third Class passengers.  Enjoying another in a succession of  fair weather  passages, she arrived at Liverpool on the 8th.

Credit: The Evening World, 22 June 1905.

The emigrant rush over for the  summer, Teutonic  left Liverpool with  only 51 First, 91 Second and 409 Third Class  on 14 June 1905. They arrived  on the  22nd to an enhanced customs search and examination when it was suspected a smuggler was aboard with more than $100,000  in diamonds  in his possession.  To this  end, two detectives  board Teutonic  off Nantucket to begin their search well before  she  got into New  York. Not "finding their man," the inspectors left the ship off  Sandy Hook  but cabin passengers endured "exceptionally careful examination of their  personal effects"  on the pier. 

There was  a good summertime saloon list for  Teutonic's 28 June 1905 departure from New York with 277 First and 176 Second Class as well as 285 Third who arrived at Liverpool on 6 July. 

This would be Capt. McKinstry's final voyage commanding Teutonic and ending a career with White Star Line that  began in 1887 and an association with  Teutonic dating to her introduction, he serving as her Chief Officer then.  McKinstry was appointed as marine  superintendent to the City of  Dublin Steamship  Company on 19 July  1905. 

Credit: The Evening World, 27 July 1905.

Now commanded by Capt. J.B. Ransom, formerly of Cedric, Teutonic departed Liverpool on 19 July 1905, and  after clearing Queenstown, had  aboard 124 First, 140 Second and 410 Third Class passengers for New York where she docked on the  27th. Among those landing was nine-year-old Violet Bradshaw, of Witham, Essex, England,  well into a 6,000-mile-long trip, on her own, to  British  Columbia, to join her father there; "she  came in the  second cabin and ruled over it as queen, by  popular consent." (The  Evening World, 27 July).  

What the New York Tribune (29  July 1905) described as  "a small but lively blaze," broke aboard Teutonic alongside  her North River pier around 6:00 p.m. 28 July 1905, in the electrician's room. 

In his report to headquarters Acting Battalion Chief McGuire said that there had been only slight damage done to the ship. 

John Lee, manager of the company, after an inspection of the ship, also said that there had been no damage outside of the gutting of the electrician's room. 

Three of the crew had to be carried by the firemen out of the hold of the ship. No one was seriously overcome.

The fireboat McClellan had a four-inch line on the vessel for an hour, while the land forces stretched in two lines. In spite of this great volume of water Mr. Lee said that even the water damage would be slight, as the ship's pumps took out the water as fast as the engines threw the water into the ship. 

Robert Dempsey, the chief electrician, was using a sulphur compound as a disinfectant. In some way the contents of his room became ignited. Dense volumes of stifling smoke poured through the vessel amidships. Dempsey ran on deck and gave the alarm to Captain John B. Ranson, who immediately ordered the crew to the standpipes.

When the water had smothered the flames somewhat McGuire heard a shout for help coming from a room beyond the electrician's. He forced his way through the flame and smoke that spouted along the bridge, and found John Burns, the storekeeper, overcome by the smoke. He had tried to fight his way past the flames, but was driven back at each attempt. He finally carried him along the bridge to the ladder, and with the assistance of other of the men from Truck 12 got him to the deck. He was soon resuscitated.

Meanwhile Firemen Yarrow and McManus, also of Truck No. 12, heard shouts below where they were fighting the fire. They groped their way down another ladder, where they found Thomas Ryan and John Connor, stokers, trying to fight their way up out of the stokehold to the deck. Both were carried on the shoulders of the firemen up the three ladders to the deck.

With the great volume of water being poured into the ship there was slight chance for the flames. The firemen believed that there had been vital damage done to the dynamos and other electrical equipment, as well as to the main engines, by the tons of water that flooded the amidships section. 

'I believe,' said Mr. Lee later, 'that the dynamos were on the other side of the ship, and in this way escaped the flood. 1 am sure that every light was burning when I left her, and that the electrical equipment was working. There is no question that she will sail on Wednesday, as scheduled.'

New York Tribune, 29 July 1905.

The New  York Times of  29 July 1905 reported on the damage wrought  by  the  fire:

When at last the flames, which attacked the port engine room and the cabins of the ship's storekeeper, John Burns, and Electrician Dempsey, were extinguished, an examination by the Fire Department showed that the two cabins were badly burned, while in the engine room most of the felt casing and woodwork that protect the great high and low pressure and the intermediate cylinders had been burned away and other pieces of combustible material used to protect the engines were destroyed.

Despite the contrary reports that ware to be heard on all sides in the waterfront streets concerning the damage to the Teutonic, those of the officers who would talk said that the liner probably would be ready to sail next Wednesday morning. The engine, they declared, was not very badly damaged, and they were equally positive that the electrical apparatus with a. little work would be as good as ever. After the fire the burned part of the ship was overhauled, all the burned and scorched portions of the woodwork were removed while the other parts of the compartments effected were thoroughly inspected. Not a spark was found.

It was also recalled that just six  weeks previously, Majestic had a fire  whilst alongside at  Liverpool but was far more seriously damaged and missed a round trip undergoing repairs.

On schedule, Teutonic  departed New York for Queenstown and Liverpool 2  August  1905 with 134 First, 147 Second and 232 Third Class passengers. Calling  at Queenstown on the 9th, she arrived at Liverpool the following day.

With another new  commander, Capt. T.P. Thompson, formerly of  Arabic, and with 186 First, 212 Second and 394 Third  Class passengers embarking  at Liverpool (16 August 1905) and  Queenstown (17), Teutonic steamed westwards for  New  York on a routine crossing only  enlivened by the passengers sighting a large  school of whales.   She arrived at  New York the  evening of the 23rd.

From New York on 30  August 1905, Teutonic took out 41 First, 76  Second and 145 Third Class  passengers and arrived at Liverpool the  evening of  6  September.

Due to depart Liverpool again for New York on 13 September  1905, this  was cancelled the  day before "owing to an accident to her  machinery," and  Teutonic's New  York  mails transferred to the Kronprinz Wilhelm departing the that day from Southampton. Teutonic's  sailing  would  be  put  forward  to  the 15th, going out the  same day as Cedric, and sailing at  9:00  p.m..  It was latter   revealed that a crank  shaft pin had  broken.  

The rescheduling conspired to make 15 September 1905 a memorable day in the history of Liverpool and indeed White  Star with no fewer than three of their ships-- Baltic, Republic  and Teutonic  at or  right  off Prince's Landing  Stage:

It is not unlikely that to-day will be regarded, at least among Liverpool Landing Stage habitues, as 'White Star Day.' This is owing to the fact that three of the largest steamers of this line came into the river, and were practically alongside each other one time. No such array of great Atlantic liners has previously simultaneously been seen, although great White Star and Cunard boats have frequently been end-to-end along the margin of the Prince's Stage. The Baltic, the biggest ship in the world, was at the Stage during the afternoon, her great length and graceful lines being much admired. Close to, but in the river, were the Teutonic, which had been delayed, owing to mishap to her machinery, from Wednesday till to day; while the Republic in near proximity. The Republic and the Teutonic were outward bound for New York, while the Baltic was from the westward.

Liverpool Echo, 15 September 1905.

Among  Teutonic's  passengers (271 First, 166 Second and 470 Third)  for New  York was J. Bruce Ismay, "his  journey is  believed to  be in connection  with an important scheme  for the  reconstruction of  the  Atlantic  combine."  (Evening  Standard,  15 September  1905). One intending passenger  at Queenstown, John Renton, was  arrested  on the liner before she  sailed  by  detectives, on a felony  charge.  Teutonic had a $130,000 consignment of gold for Lazard Freres.  It was a return to the ocean racing of her youth  for Teutonic, only this time  against  her fleetmate Celtic:

The White Star liner Teutonic arrived in port today after having beaten her sister ship the Celtic,  out of sight in the race across the ocean.  She was  to have sailed last Wednesday week, but a break of a crank shaft pin delayed the calling until Friday of that week.

Owing to the repairs the ship was forced  to glow on Sunday and Monday. On Sunday she went for eight hours at half spend and a good part of Monday at the same speed.  The machinery then got in working order and she travelled at a fast clip for the rest of the distance 

On Sunday, while going at half speed the Celtic which had started after the Teutonic, churned past her.  E.H. Murray, a passenger on the Teutonic, received a wireless from a friend, Sir Ernest Corcoran, on the Celtic. Sir Ernest 'kidded' Mr. Murray on his being left, and asked in the  message if Mr.  Murray wanted a tow  line. 

Mr Murray responded in the same vein, saying: 'Never mind, we are going on engine. If we need  help, will let  you  know.'

On Wednesday when the  Teutonic was  going a full speed again she caught  up with  the  Celtic and passed  her. Then Mr. Murray  got  back at his friend:

'How about the tow line now?'  he  asked  Sir Ernest in a wireless.

'Drinks are on me,'  the Baronet is said  to have sent back. The Celtic  with the joking Baronet will  be  in until to-night, or possibly to-morrow morning. 

The Evening  World, 23 September 1905.

Log abstract card for  Teutonic's 15-22 September 1905 Liverpool-New York crossing. Credit: eBay auction photo.

What many of the passengers called transatlantic race ended yesterday morning when the White Star liner Teutonic passed in at Sandy Hook. The Teutonic's in the race the Celtic, of the rival same line, which followed her into port twelve, hours later. 

Both vessels sailed from Liverpool a week ago Friday.  The Teutonic was to have sailed the Wednesday before, but was  delayed to have her machinery repaired. For three days out of Liverpool the Teutonic proceeded at reduced speed, the engineers not wishing to crowd on steam until the machinery got in perfect tune.

The New York Times, 24 September 1905.

Teutonic came into New York Harbor on 23 September 1905 after showing a clean pair of heels  to  Celtic which finally arrived 12  hours  after  her elder but resolutely  swifter compatriot. 

With a meagre list of 34 First, 49 Second and 141 Third  Class passengers, Teutonic departed New York on 27 September 1905. She went out  with  no  mail, that being carried by Kronzprinz  Wilhelm which had carried them on her outward  trip.  Teutonic  got into Queenstown first  thing on  3  October and arrived at Liverpool on the 4th.

On what would be  her final voyage  of  the year,  Teutonic cleared the Mersey  on 11 October 1905 with 100 First, 207 Second and 443 Third Class passengers.  She arrived at New York on the evening of the 18th but in such heavy fog, she was obliged  to anchor for  the night  off  Quarantine, coming alongside  the following morning. 

The eastbound Teutonic sailed from New  York on 25 October 1905 with  58  First, 61 Second and 134 Third Class  passengers, among them Sir Charles Kirkpatrick, Fred H. Milnes, captain and the Pilgrims, the squad of English Association  football players returning from what the New York Times called "missionary work" in the United  States and Canada to  introduce "soccer"  to the general public. Teutonic arrived at Liverpool on the morning of 2 November. 

In 1905, Teutonic made 10 westbound crossings carrying  8,619 passengers and 11 eastbound  crossings  carrying 4,115 passengers or  a total of  12,734 passengers.  

Teutonic tinted postcard. Credit: Hippostcard.com

1906

Back into service after  her  now traditional late autumn/early  winter refit, Teutonic sailed for New York on 24 January 1906,  and calling at Queenstown, headed west with 38 First, 55 Second and 211 Third  Class. She  arrived at New York on 1 February.

Teutonic was Mersey-bound at  10:00 a.m. on 7 February 1906 with  61 First, 58 Second and 131 Third Class passengers, among  them being  Jack White, British golf champion of 1904. Teutonic called at Queenstown on the 14th and arrived Liverpool  the next  day. 

With a small list of  43 First, 88  Second and 335 Third Class on departure from Queenstown at 1:55 p.m. 22 February 1906 (Liverpool the  previous  day), Teutonic arrived at New York on  1 March. 

From New York on 7 March 1906, Teutonic went out with 43 First, 59 Second and 105 Third Class.  Landing a large consignment of mail (1,900 bags)  at  Queenstown on the  14th, she  also had  aboard $800,000 in specie (totalling 45 tons) which was dispatched to London Euston on arrival at Liverpool on the  15th  by special train. 

With  a near record for the  ship,  Teutonic's 21 March  1906 sailing for New York from Liverpool and Queenstown, went out with  1,017  Third Class passengers in addition to 57 First and 117 Second Class.  On arrival at New York on the 29th, Teutonic's Third Class disembarkation was just  part  of  a record  total of  11,383  arriving immigrants that single day in seven ships:  Graf Waldersee (2,537), Rhein (2,399), Cretic (2,100), Citta di Milano (1,298), Pisa (1,282), Brooklyn (750) and Teutonic's 1,017. The previous  record of  7,200 was  set in March  1904. Since Ellis  Island could only  accommodate 5,000  a  day for  processing, many  had  to spend a night  aboard  their ships  on arrival. Some were more appealing  than others, The  Evening World reporting "Teutonic, from Liverpool,  Brings a Big Batch of  Rosy  Cheeked Colleens."

Teutonic's eastbound crossing, commencing on 4  April 1906,  had 67 First, 95 Second and 360 Third Class, among them Miss Maxine Elliott,  English  actress. Teutonic, after  calling  at  Queenstown on the  11th,  arrived  Liverpool  the next day. 

Off for America on 18 April 1906, Teutonic had 42 First, 152  Second and, remarkably,  the  identical number  of Third Class… 1,017… as her  previous  westbound  trip. This trip, her consignment of $1mn. in  gold caused  the most interest and apparent confusion:

Half a dozen animal dealers rushed to the dock of the White Star steamer Teutonic yesterday morning with wallets bulging in anticipation of a lively struggle in bidding for  'thirty-five, cages of eagles,' which were listed among the liner's cargo. 

'Got to get about forty of those eagles,' said one dealer to another. Good business in eagles on Broadway just now.

' Sure.' said the other, the eagle market is dead ripe.' 

They nosed about the dock and finally found the purser. 

'How about those birds?'" ask one. " 

'What birds?' replied the purser.

'Those eagles,' said the dealers. 

'Oh, yes, the eagles.' said the purser with a laugh. They're cuckoos, all right. Come on, I'll show you some of 'em.'

He took the dealers inside and showed them thirty-five strong boxes loaded with gold eagles. Gentlemen, their face value is $1,000,000, said the purser with a wink.Now go ahead and bid.' The dealers vanished. 

The confusion arose because the money had been listed as cages instead lot cases. It was a shipment of gold for the Hanover National Bank from Liverpool.

New York Times, 27 April 1906.

Teutonic left  New York  on 2 May 1906 with 71 First, 113  Second and 210 Third Class passengers, including Sir Caspar Purdon Clarke, director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, bound for a major art sale in Paris, as  well  as meeting with J.P. Morgan, one of  the museum's trustees.  Teutonic called at Queenstown on the  9th and got  into Liverpool the next day. 

After enjoying a remarkable period of  routine, fair  weather  crossings, Teutonic's luck ran out on her next westbound one and at a  time of year when least  expected. Departing Liverpool on 16 May  1906, and from Queenstown the next  day,  her 67 First, 97  Second and 803 Third  Class passengers enjoyed fair  conditions until  the  22nd when  approaching the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, she hit a severe gale with  winds of hurricane strength,  so strong  that  it  blew  a crewman out of the  crow's nest and  20 ft. onto  the  deck below,  injuring him.  Teutonic  arrived at New York on the 24th.

After weathering a gale unusually  severe for this season of the  year, the  Teutonic, of  the  White  Star Line,  arrived in port to-day.

The Teutonic ran into  the gale  last Tuesday and weltered  through it  until midnight. Arthur Duerbin, a sailor, was injured. He  was sent to the  crow's nest,  on the foremast, by  Capt. Thompson and was blown out  of the little perch  before  had time to  lash himself to it. He  fell about twenty feet to the  top of the deckhouse and was still in the sick to-day suffering from shock and contusions.

The  Evening World, 24 May  1906.

The  White  Star steamship  Teutonic, which got her  from Liverpool  yesterday morning, reported  that  the  voyage was the roughest for the time of year that  she had ever had. The passengers were seldom on deck because of  mountainous  seas that came aboard.

The Sun, 25 May  1906.

Making  yet another crossing in  her, J.P.  Morgan, and Mrs. Morgan, were among the 126 First, 114  Second and 196 Third Class passengers embarking Teutonic at  New  York on 30 May 1906.  She  came into Queenstown at 10:30 a.m. on 5 June, landing  some passengers  and all mails there and proceeded at 11:30 a.m. for Liverpool where she arrived early the next day.

Off  again to New York,  Teutonic  cleared the Mersey on 13  June 1906 and following her  call at Queenstown the following  morning, went across with 45 First, 98 Second and 495 Third Class and arrived on the  20th.

On her eastbound return,  from New York on 27 June 1906, Teutonic had 234 First, 165  Second and 248 Third Class passengers.   Calling at Queenstown,  10:51 a.m.-11:40 a.m.  on 3  July,  Teutonic came into  Liverpool  the following day: "There is considerable movement in the Atlantic trade to-day. This morning the Saxonia, of the Cunard Line, and the Teutonic, of the White Star Line, arrived in the port from New York. Both vessels carried a considerable number of passengers in all classes. Beautiful weather prevailed at  the time of disembarkation, and quite a crowd of sightseers assembled on the stage." (Evening  Express, 5 July 1906). 

Passing out of the Mersey on 11  July 1906, and departing  Queenstown the next  day  at 12:47 p.m., Teutonic  had 87 First, 122 Second and 443 Third Class aboard for  New  York where she  arrived  on the  19th.

With  115 First, 179 Second and 344 Third Class, Teutonic  pulled out  her North River pier on 25 July 1906 for Queenstown and Liverpool, arriving  at the latter on 1 August.

Credit: Evening Express, 17  August 1906.

Teutonic was  again  westbound  from Liverpool on 8 August 1906  and Queenstown  (9) with 156 First, 205 Second and 351 Third  Class .  Her stay at Queenstown was a longer  one (7:50 a.m.-12:50 p.m.)  owing to the mail train being  32 minutes late.  It was another rough crossing and on Sunday, (12th),  she hit a northwesterly gale, "of almost cyclonic force, cleared the promenade decks, forcing every one to their cabins. The gale broke about noon, and kept everybody below for four hours. It then ceased as suddenly as it began. Giant waves broke over the navigating bridge, and the deck forward was constantly awash. This occurred in latitude 48.21 North, longitude 41.54 West. The run that day was only 409 miles. " (Evening Express, 17  August).   

After a miserable crossing  occupying eight days, Teutonic and her  weary passengers, finally docked at New York at 6:00 p.m.  on 12 August 1906.  She  had averaged 18.6 knots across and her best day's run was  467 miles. Among   her landing  passengers was J.W. Beatty, director  of fine arts of the  Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh,  returning from an acquisition trip in Europe.  

Making another voyage in the ship,  the  Dowager Duchess of Marlborough, was among  the 46 First, 80 Second and 192 Third Class passengers sailing from New York in Teutonic on 22 August 1906.  She got into Liverpool on the 30th. 

With  an excellent list  for  New  York totalling 267 First, 169 Second and 715 Third  Class,  Teutonic sailed from Liverpool 5 September 1906, and Queenstown on the 6th, docking  at New York at 4:30  p.m. on the  12th.  The Evening Express (13th) provided another superb summation of the  crossing  over: "The White Star liner Teutonic arrived at New York yesterday afternoon after a voyage lasting 6 days 4 hours She landed 1,150 passengers. Fairly calm weather was was experienced throughout. In mid-Atlantic it fine and clear, with a moderate head sea, and on Tuesday heavy squalls. The best day's run was 482 miles, and the average 463 miles." Among her  arrivals was Hungarian opera star Mme. Elza Szamosy, who  was  to appear in Henry  W. Savage's production of "Madame Butterfly."

It was a light list eastbound  for the liner--  50 First, 65 Second and 192 Third Class-- which  departed  New York on 19 September 1906, called at Queenstown the morning of the  26th and arrived at Liverpool on the  27th.

Westbound lists remained  stronger  and there were 1,158  takers (145 First, 270 Second and 743 Third Class)  for Teutonic's 3 October 1906 sailing for New York, among them being Forbes Robertson and Gertrude Elliott  and the London company  that would put  on George Bernard  Shaw's "Caesar and  Cleopatra" at New  York's New  Amsterdam Theatre.  They  reached New York on the 11th.

Bound for Queenstown and Liverpool with  a  desultory list  of 30 First, 55 Second and 155 Third Class, Teutonic  departed New York on 17 October  1906. She went out without the Canadian mails when the 79-bag consignment arrived at the pier after  she had sailed. Teutonic got into Queenstown at  the unusual hour  of 1:45 a.m. on the 24th and sailed for Liverpool at 2:25 a.m.,  to  arrive by midday. 

Beginning her  final voyage of the year, Teutonic left Liverpool on 31  October 1906,  and Queenstown the next day, with 69 First, 152  Second and 591 Third Class passengers, among them Madeleine Lucette Ryley,  authoress of Mice  and Men, and husband, R.H. Ryley, on a  round-the-world tour. Teutonic arrived at New York  on 7 November.

Homewards on 14 November  1906,  Teutonic cleared New York with  104 First, 113 Second and 172 Third Class passengers.  However, when she  arrived off Queenstown on the morning of the  21st, it  was so rough she  could not land passengers or mails there and proceeded  direct  to Liverpool, Cunard's Saxonia, arriving  from Boston, was similarly  effected  and she, too, went straight to Liverpool, arriving that late afternoon. 

In 1906, Teutonic made 11 westbound crossings carrying  9,262 passengers and 11 eastbound  crossings  carrying 4,348 passengers or  a total of  13,610 passengers. 

 

Teutonic at Prince's Landing  Stage. Credit: eBay auction photo.

1907

Teutonic's annual overhaul  was  shorter than usual and she resumed service before the year was over, with her departure  from Liverpool on Boxing Day, and Queenstown the next day, going out with 45 First, 67 Second and 269 Third Class.  New Years Day was rung in with a strike by White Star Line's cargo checkers  at New  York after a reduction in their wages from 30 to 25 cents an hour.  By the  time Teutonic arrived there, late on 3 January  1907, only half the checkers were off  the job at Pier 48  and 49 and caused some delay to her initial unloading and that of Bovic. 

During Teutonic's New York layover came the bombshell announcement  on 6 January 1907 that coinciding with  the introduction of the fourth  of the  Celtic-class, Adriatic, that  May, the company's  express service would be completely rerouted to emulate that of  American Line with its British terminal changed from Liverpool to Southampton,  adding a Continental call,  Cherbourg, as well as one at Plymouth (eastbound) to  effectively  compete with  the  German lines.  The traditional Wednesday departure from Britain and New York would be  maintained and the new routing would be:

Westbound: Southampton-Cherbourg-Queenstown-New York

Eastbound: New York-Plymouth-Cherbourg-Southampton

This "United States and Royal Mail Service" would be maintained weekly by  the  new Adriatic, Oceanic, Majestic and Teutonic effective with the  departure of Adriatic from Southampton on 8 May 1907 and from New York on 22  May.

The historic  Liverpool  service would,  however, continue, with sailings on both  sides  on Thursdays, with calls at Queenstown in both  directions and held down by  Baltic, Cedric,  Celtic  and Arabic. 

There will be only one feeling in Liverpool to day upon the announcement that the four best passenger steamers of White Star Line are to be taken off the New York service and transferred to Southampton. The news must occasion universal and deep regret. In addition to reducing employment in Liverpool and taking away some profitable trade. the withdrawal of the Adriatic, Majestic, Oceanic, and Teutonic will inflict a severe blow upon the prestige of Liverpool as the foremost British port for the American trade.

Liverpool Daily Post, 7 January  1907.

Southampton has made a bold bid for the position of premier passenger port of kingdom, and the transfer of the White Star liners is an admission that its pretensions cannot be ignored by those companies which hitherto have remained aloof.

Southampton's star was never more in the than it at the present moment, und for this happy state of things we have to thank the South-Western Company for their wisdom and foresight, and for their determination to place the port in perfectly unassailable position.

 Southampton Daily Echo, 7 January 1907.

It was a momentous decision, causing, according the New York Times, "much chagrin in Liverpool" and indeed it was the  first in series of moves that would gradually reduce the Mersey  port as  the pre-eminent  passenger port and would also see the  beginning  of a diminishing of the fortunes of  American Line with IMM which had pioneered using Southampton as their  base and was their major marketing advantage.  Now IMM would have two lines effectively  competing against one another and with White Star already  seen as the "premier" unit  of the combine, the fate of  American Line was  effectively sealed. 

With 80 First, 83 Second and 198 Third Class passengers and 1,281 bags of mail, Teutonic  departed New  York on 9 January 1907 and arrived at  Queenstown the morning of the 17th and Liverpool the next day.

Sailing from Liverpool on 23 January 1907 and Queenstown the next day, Teutonic had 74 First, 139 Second and 299 Third Class passengers for New York where  she  docked on the 31st.  One of her passengers landing  there was Emil Boas of HAPAG who gave details of the new liner Europa being built by  Harland & Wolff, of  44,000-grt, 750 ft. by 80  ft. beam. 

Log abstract card for Teutonic 6-13 February 1907 New York-Liverpool crossing. Credit: eBay auction photo. 

The eastbound Teutonic left New York on 6 February 1907 with  98 First, 59 Second and 153 Third Class. After "a rather rough passage," (Irish Times), she  arrived at Queenstown on the  afternoon of the 14th, coming in with an enormous consignment of  mail totalling  2,755 bags, all of which  was  landed  there and requiring  a special train of 11 vans which  conveyed the mail  to Dublin, then steamer to Holyhead and  another special train direct to London arriving the next  morning. Teutonic arrived at Liverpool on the 15th.

Due to sail from Liverpool on 20 February  1907, Teutonic was unable to get out of her dock  there  owing to a ferocious  gale sweeping up the Mersey from the  Irish  Sea and missing  the morning tide on account of the  wind.  Not able to embark her passengers at Prince's Landing Stage, they instead were conveyed  to  the dock to embark there with  hopes of departing on the afternoon tide.  With no abatement in the  wind, she  and her passengers were stuck for the night and she did not  sail until the following morning.  Teutonic left  Queenstown on the 21st with  74 First, 139 Second and 504 Third Class.  The weather across proved  no kinder and Teutonic ran into a southwesterly gale on the 24th which blew through the 28th, reducing her  speed to five  knots for many hours. At the  height of  the storm, a Third  Class passenger, Mrs.  Antonio Willinski, gave  birth  to a child who  sadly died  a few hours  later and buried at sea. A full day and half late, Teutonic finally got  into New  York on 1 March after logging 7 days 4 hours from Liverpool. Among those landing was George Von L. Meyer, former American ambassador to  Russia, and recently  appointed Postmaster General and en route to  Washington to be sworn in. 

There were 59 First, 56 Second and 171 Third Class takers for  Teutonic's 6 March 1906 sailing from New York and she arrived at Liverpool on the 14th.

Teutonic had a nearly full list of  966  in Third Class on her departure from Queenstown on 21 March  1907 (from Liverpool  the previous day) as well as 49  First and 210 Second  Class.  She got  into New York on the 28th.

Admiral Lord Charles  Beresford was  among  the 42 First, 70 Second and 197 Third  Class passengers  embarking Teutonic at  New  York  on 3 April 1907. Callling at Queenstown on the afternoon of the 10th, she arrived at Liverpool the  following day.

With a new commander, Capt. H. Smith, R.N.R., formerly of Cymric, Teutonic cleared Liverpool on 17 April 1907. Many of her saloon passengers were Americans transshipping from Arabic which returned that day  from her 70-day Mediterranean cruise.  After calling at  Queenstown the  next day, Teutonic had 91 First, 240 Second and 1,002  Third  Class.  She got into New York on the 25th.

Having aboard 89 First, 130 Second and 247 Third Class passengers,  Teutonic left New York on 1 May 1907 for Liverpool for the  very  last time. Among those  aboard were the actor John Glendinning and his bride,  the actress Jessie Millward, who met playing in the  same company whilst in the States. The voyage  got  off to a tragic  start when off  Sandy Hook, a passenger, Joseph Briggs, jumped overboard in an apparent suicide  and was  drowned.   Teutonic came in the Mersey the morning of  the  9th, part  of a veritable fleet  of arriving  liners that included Lake Erie, Frieseland and  Oropesa. 

Credit: Irish Independent, 14 February 1907.

The present month will long be remembered with feelings of regret by Liverpool. It marks transference of the four mail steamers of the White Star Company from the Mersey port, with which the line has so long been identified, to Southampton, whence on the 5th of next month the new service will be inaugurated from the English Channel port to New York. Last Wednesday the Adriatic set out from Liverpool on her maiden voyage, and on the eastern trip her destination will be Southampton. Yesterday the Teutonic made her last run from the Mersey, and she will be followed on the 22nd by the Oceanic and on the 29th by the Majestic. These four vessels, in the order named, are to maintain the Southampton-Cherbourg-New York service, calling at Queenstown going west and at Plymouth on the eastern run.

Many of the families of the men engaged on the transferred liners are preparing to migrate to the Southern port, which during the next month or so will have its population augmented by several thousands from Liverpool.

Evening Herald, 17  May 1907.

Credit: Liverpool Daily Post, 16 May 1907.

Bidding farewell to  the  Mersey, Teutonic  (Capt.  Harry Smith) sailed  from Liverpool on her  final voyage from the port  to  New York on 15  May 1907 and her  last  call at Queenstown the following day.   It  was  an eventful  voyage  when  off  the Grand  Banks of Newfoundland on the 21st, fire  broke  out  a suite  of  First  Class  cabins, fortunately unoccupied  at  the time:

The White Star steamship Teutonic, which arrived to-day, had quite a fire scare aboard while off the banks on Tuesday last.

One of the stewards while ringing the gong for dinner saw smoke coming from one of the suites of rooms. The chief steward was quickly notified and he rang the alarm calling the ship's fire brigade into action. It was found that one of the state cabins, a suite of three rooms, was filled with smoke and that lively little fire was burning. Owing to the fact that the flames were for the most part inside the woodwork, It took three quarters of an hour to subdue them. The ceiling and wall, or bulkhead, were damaged to the extent of $2,000.

Capt. Harry Smith directed the firefighters and the stewards devoted themselves to quieting the passengers. They were successful in preventing a panic. All on board were excited until the Captain announced that the fire was out. It was believed defective electric insulation started the blaze. The damaged suite was unoccupied.

The  Evening World, 23 May  1907.

That same day,  a passenger, Walter E. Pegg, aged 26,  from Nottingham, died  suddenly  in his cabin.

Teutonic  arrived  at  New York  on 23 May 1907 amid  a longshoremen's strike but  this  was on the wane  by  the time she  got in  and  her coaling  and loading for  her outbound  voyage  was able to continue without  too much  delay. 

The second White  Star  liner (the  first being Adriatic on the return portion of  her maiden voyage) to  sail on the new service  from New  York to Plymouth, Cherbourg and Southampton, Teutonic  departed on 29 May 1907, passing Sandy Hook at noon,  with 117 First, 113 Second and 99 Third Class passengers, 1,069  bags of mail for Plymouth  and  $370,000  in specie. "After the three days out, which  were  stormy, fine  weather prevailed." (Western  Morning News).  Teutonic made her maiden arrival at Plymouth at 5:08 p.m. on 5 June  where  she landed  her mails and 45 passengers before  departing  for  Cherbourg  at 5:40 p.m. where she arrived  late that evening amid  a shipping strike but  did not prevent  the tenders from servicing her, Adriatic,  Kronprinz  Wilhelm and Deutschland.  Teutonic  made  her maiden  arrival at her new  homeport of Southampton at  noon  on the 6th. 

Fake news (or rather photo) c. 1907: what is captioned as "Teutonic lies at the Test Quay at the docks," is actually a pre 1897 photo of the  ship anchored in the Mersey complete with gaffs on her masts! Credit: Southampton Times and Hampshire Express, 8 June 1907.

The second steamer in the  new inaugurated mail service between Southampton  and New York by the White Star Line  arrived at Southampton  on Thursday afternoon.  The liner was the  Teutonic, of 9,984 tons. She made a first  rate trip,  and  is very  speedy and comfortably boat  indeed.  Her skipper  is Commander  H. Smith (Lieut.,  R.N.R.). There  were a good number of persons assembled on the  quay  to  welcome  the  liner, and a capital view was obtained of  her as  she swung around at  the  dock head and came alongside berth no.  39, stern first, in  order to  be  ready  to sail without any  preliminaries on Wednesday.  The Teutonic brought  a  good  number of passengers and specie, the  mails being landed at Plymouth. 

Hampshire  Advertiser,  8 June 1907.

The White Star liner Teutonic-- the second steamer to arrive at Southampton in connection with the mail service-- was successfully berthed at about noon on Thursday in the presence of  a large number of interested spectators. The vessel, of course, is not as large as the Adriatic, but she is nevertheless a fine steamer. She was built at Belfast towards the end of the nineties, and whilst she was mainly designed as a mail and passenger steamer, she was also built with a view to conversion into an armed cruiser. This was also the case in regard to the Majestic, and both vessels were received by Mother Ocean about the same time. 

The Teutonic, which is just under 10,000 tons, is commanded by Captain H. Smith, and she made a very good passage across the Atlantic. As was the case when the Adriatic arrived, the tide was low when the vessel came up the Water. The Teutonic did not run straight into her berth at No. 39, but when off the Dock Head she was turned, apparently with the greatest ease, and she entered her berth stern first. The vessel had a large number of passengers on board and these proceeded to London by special train.

It is understood that the vessel will be dry -docked this week-end. The steamer will leave, again for New York next Wednesday, when she will have a full complement of passengers

Southampton Times and Hampshire Express, 8 June 1907.

Teutonic in Trafalgar Dry Dock, Southampton. Credit:  Pamlin Prints.

Teutonic  was drydocked at Trafalgar Dry  Dock no. 6 on 8 June 1907.

We  are settling down  again after the excitement occasioned by the presence of  the new White  Star liner  Adriatic. Her  departure  was  followed  by the  arrival of  the  Teutonic although  this  vessel  is considerably smaller  than the  former  vessel. She sailed  again on Wednesday, and, during  her  short stay,  has  been drydocked.

Hampshire Advertiser,  15 June 1907.

On her  first westbound  voyage  from Southampton, Teutonic  cleared her  Test Quay berth at 11:00 a.m.  on 12 June  1907 for Cherbourg,  Queenstown  (13) and  New  York where  she arrived on the 20th with 85 First, 99 Second and 248 Third  Class passengers.  One, Mrs. Jefferson Seligman,  rushing  to  be at the bedside of  her seriously  ill father was permitted  to disembark by tug  on arrival at  Quarantine and was at  her father's home on Fifth Avenue in 45 minutes. Her  father, Isidor  Wormser, of  the famous banking  house I. & S. Wormser, passed away the following day. 

Teutonic  left New York at 10:00 a.m. on 26 June 1907 for Plymouth, Cherbourg and Southampton, taking with her 211 First,  165 Second and 100 Third Class  passengers. After enjoying  fine  weather  throughout the crossing, she got  into Plymouth at 3:23 p.m.,  landing  122 passengers and 1,044 bags of mail there and was off by 4:00 p.m. for Cherbourg where  she  arrived that  evening, landing 112 passengers and 33 bags of  mail. There were still 243 passengers to land at  Southampton the morning of  the  4th.  That  same day,  Oceanic left for  New  York and the pattern of  White  Star's revised New  York  service settled  down to its reliable  routine. 

Southampton's police were soon  acquainted with  Teutonic's  crew and the Southern Daily  Echo of 6 July 1907 reported that "John Seagrove, a fireman on the Teutonic, was fined 5s. and costs, with the alternative of seven days' imprisonment, for having been found drunk in Terminus-terrace, on the 5th inst."

New York-bound, Teutonic cleared Southampton Water at 11:00 a.m. on 10  July  1907, and after calling at  Cherbourg  later that  day  and Queenstown the  next day, had 76 First,  133 Second  and 293 Third  Class passengers including the  motorcar  racers Walter Christie  and Lewis Strang returning from a dismal performance at the international race at Dieppe on the 2nd: 

They boarded the ship at Cherbourg and registered respectively as J. Walters and P. Lewis. Purser Shepherd recognized them and suggested before the ship reached Quarantine that they might avoid trouble by appearing under their real names. They said that after their crushing defeat they feared to look the reporters in the face. The purser told them the reporters would find 'em anyhow. They did.

On the trip the officers and crew of the Teutonic organized the Teutonic Athletic Club. Capt. Smith president, which will challenge the world afloat and ashore until freezing weather comes. They will play cricket to-morrow at Van Cortlandt Park with the Bermuda, and when they get back here on August 18 they will have a picnic at which they will offer prizes to any amateur who may like to take a fall out of them.

The Sun, 19 July 1907. 

There was one exciting incident of the voyage, however, and that was caused by Prince Shelk Shekia and Princess Anambibi, natives of Lahore, in the Punjab, India. The first-named is an Indian fakir. For the entertainment of the passengers he put the Princess in a basket and was plunging his sword through it  was when Captain of the vessel appeared and called the entertainment off. 

The Captain said he was not going to take any chance of having the Princess stabbed before America was by reached.

The Hindoos were brought over by Morris Gest, a representative of Oscar Hammerstein, and they will be a prominent part on the latter's programme for the entertainment of jaded New Yorkers in the heated spell.

The New York Times, 19 July  1907.

Teutonic arrived  at New York on 18 July 1907.

With  133 First, 97 Second and 130 Third  Class passengers  aboard, Teutonic sailed  from New  York on 24 July 1907 on another  fine, fair  weather summer crossing  that  had her arrive in Plymouth's Cawsand  Bay at 10:00 pm. on the  31st.  Landing  67 passengers  and 1,202 bags  of  mail there during  a 35-min. call, she  was  off  for  Cherbourg,  arriving there  the following morning, landing 97 passengers and 209  bags of mail  and finally  getting into Southampton just after 1:00 p.m. on 1 August.

America-bound  on 7 August  1907,  Teutonic  left  Southampton at 11:00 a.m.,  and after calling at  Cherbourg  and Queenstown (8), had 146 First, 200 Second and 251 Third Class for  New York where  she arrived on the 15th and delighted  the local press  with stories of a thrilling rescue at sea of one of  her  stokers  who  had fallen overboard on the  11th.

The crew of the big White Star liner Teutonic steered her like a cow pony last Sunday when they swung her about to pick up a stoker who had gone over the side while suffering from a combination ofbad dreams and heat in the furnace hole. They literally turned her around on her own tall and that's why one William Hodge, stoker-at-large,  is able to be up and doing on West street, this city, at this writing celebrating narrow an escape from a wet death any man ever had. 

All the passengers were talking about the pretty bit of seamanship when the Teutonic docked to-day after her run across from Liverpool  [sic]. Yesterday the first  cabiners passed set of resolutions apropos of the i2ncident, in which they said a lot of nice things about the captain, the engineer and everybody else who figured in the William Hodge salvage job.

Scores of the passengers saw Hodge jump overboard. He is a young fellow, well built, and, as subsequent events showed, a good swimmer. It is supposed something, probably the heat below,caused him to go temporarily insane. He slipped up on the promenade deck Sunday just as the lunch bell sounding, hopped up on the rail, gave yell that could be heard a half- mile and went plump down into the rollers. 

The 'Man overboard!' alarm had been given almost before Hodge hit the water. Instantly the signal whistle was blown. The Teutonic had been going full speed ahead. In an most incredible minimum of time the engineer had reversed power. Then, as she stowed up, the captain ordered her to be swung around in the shortest possible circle. Meanwhile sailormen were unhooking lifeboat. 

Hodge was sighted far astern and swimming his best. The shock of the cold water had brought him back to his sense.  He yelled, 'Hellup, hellup, and showed be wanted the aid of the 'handsome, brave Richard life-saver.' 

First  Officer Summers  had command of the life-boat, which picked the stoker up just as his strength gave out. He was pretty nearly cone when they got him back to the halted liner and hoisted him up, limp and sick, while the  passengers cheered and cheered and swung their caps. From the time the first alarm was given until the steamer got back on her course and was going at full steam ahead exactly fifteen minutes elapsed. When you stop to think that the Teutonic is about as big as Main street, Paducah, thats going some.

Hodge was all right inside ten minutes.  Two aid swallows of John Jameson 'Irish' did  the business.

The  Evening World, 15  August  1907.

Liverpool is again full of shipping rumours, says correspondent of the Westminster Gazette. One rumour is to the effect that before long the White Star liners Adriatic, Oceanic, Majestic, and Teutonic, which in May left Liverpool for Southampton, may be again seen a: the Mersey. It is an open secret, says correspondent, that these boats have made but little impression the passenger traffic of the German liners, it is undeniable that the Cunard Company has benefited considerably by the change, and with the Lusitania on the run next month, and the Mauretania following, they are likely to maintain the advantage. 

A reporter who inquired yesterday at the offices of the White Star Company in Liverpool as to the truth of this story, was definitely assured by high official in the American trade department that  the rumour is  totally without foundation. No change whatever is contemplated. The  company is in every way satisfied with the traffic obtained at Southampton.

Western Morning  News, 21  August 1907.

Teutonic sailed from New  York at noon on  21  August  1907  with a small late season list  of  31 First, 32 Second and 76 Third Class passengers who enjoyed "fine weather throughout" the crossing.  Plymouth was  reached at 10:34  p.m. on the  28th,  where 23 passengers and 769 bags  of mails were landed (and delivered to the London Post Office in five hours seven minutes), and she resumed passage  at  10:58 p.m. for Cherbourg for which she had 37 passengers and 218 bags  of mail and disembarked her  remaining 105 passengers at Southampton on the 29th.

The New York-bound  Teutonic cleared  Southampton at 11:00 a.m. on 4 September 1907,  Cherbourg  later  that day and  Queenstown on the  5th  and went out  with a good list of 282 First, 166 Second  and 393 Third  Class.   Among them was Modeste Altschuler, director  of  the  Russian Symphonie Orchestra, which  was opening an engagement at New York's Carnegie Hall in November. Teutonic got  into New York late   on the 12th.

Furthering another rate war on the  Atlantic amid a  serious recession in America following  a collapse in share prices, White  Star  announced on 16 September First Class fares  as  low as $37.50 westbound on the big ships and $30 on Arabic and $20 on Cymric. 

However, it was  eastbound traffic that seemed to  lag that season and there were only  45 First, 46  Second and  72 Third Class tickets sold for Teutonic's 18 September  1907  sailing from New York at noon.  One of them, emulating his  father's preference for  the ship,  was J.P.  Morgan, Jr.. who "declined  to discuss  the financial  situation." Teutonic arrived at Plymouth at 3:58  p.m. on the 25th, landing 35 passengers and 479 bags  of  mail before departing  for  Cherbourg  at 4:29 p.m. with 36 passengers and 277 bags of mail for the French  port. Her final 95  passengers disembarked  at Southampton on the 26th.

The westbound Teutonic from Southampton, Cherbourg and Queenstown on 2 October 1907 had 145  First, 290 Second  and  412 Third Class disembarking  at New  York on the 10th after a enduring what Capt. Smith  told the New York Times  "rough  weather and fog  in mid  ocean."  

 

With  a miserably small list  of just  37 First, 21 Second and  40  Third Class to her credit,  Teutonic parted New  York  for  England  and the  Continent at noon on 16  October  1907. After  a crossing,  detailed by  the Western  Morning News on her arrival there, as having "fine  weather  at  the outset, strong easterly to  northwesterly  winds and  rough seas in  mid-Atlantic,  and strong N.W. to  westerly  winds, with  rough following  sea," Teutonic  got  into Plymouth at 7:35 p.m. on the 23rd.  She landed 28  passengers and 858 bags of mail  there before resuming  passage  at 7:50  p.m.to Cherbourg with 34 passengers and 238  bags  of mail for that port and  a  remaining 52  for  Southampton where she arrived on the  24th.

Leaving Southampton at 12:25 p.m. 30  October 1907, Cherbourg later that  day  and Queenstown the next morning, Teutonic  had another small list  of 53 First, 58 Second and 227 Third  Class passengers for New  York where  she arrived the morning of 7 November.   In addition to her passengers, she  had an impressive  $1.6 mn. in gold, packed in 58 boxes, for  the Bank of Montreal, Bank of Nova Scotia and Heidelbach, Ickelheimer  &  Co. of New  York.

The eastbound Teutonic cleared New  York on 13  November 1907 with just  41  First,  21 Second and 95 Third  Class  passengers and although  she left on time, caused no amount  of annoyance to the hundreds at the White  Star  pier awaiting  the  arrival of  Enrico  Caruso  on Oceanic which had to loiter  off Liberty  Island until Teutonic cleared the  slip.  Her voyage across to Plymouth (where  she  arrived  at 7:06 p.m. on the 20th) featured:  "at the onset moderate to strong north-westerly wind, with rough following  seas.  Afterwards moderate south-westerly  gale, then fresh to moderate  wind and sea to Plymouth." (Western Morning News).  After  landing 28  passengers  and 1,073  bags  of  mail there, Teutonic  sailed at 7:27 p.m. for  Cherbourg  with 99 passengers and  323  bags of  mail, and Southampton where  she landed  her remaining  113  passengers on the 21st. 

Starting her  final  voyage of an eventful  year, Teutonic departed  Southampton on 27 November 1907 for Cherbourg  and Queenstown  (28) for New  York where she arrived on 5 December with 44 First, 26 Second and 114 Third Class passengers.  As  Teutonic, Campania and Bermudian lay  anchored off Quarantine on arrival at dawn, they saluted  the outbound U.S.S.  Connecticut, flagship of Admiral Robley D. Evans, which  was  en route  to Hampton Roads  to join the epic  "Great  White  Fleet" voyage by American  warships into the  Pacific  via  the  Straits of Magellan.  

Teutonic  came in  after a classic  early winter crossing, with "ice  hanging to her anchor chains and covering the rails of her  forward  deck, being the  first vessel so decorated since the beginning of  winter." (The Evening World, 5  December). Among those  arriving was Mlle. Bramonia, "a  very charming  and  affable young prima  donna. Despite her  rosy and cosy appearance as  she stood on the  wind -swept deck, bundled in furs, the temptation to rhyme her name with  pneumonia  could  not  be resisted." (Evening  World).  The  voyage was marked by one  death  aboard,  that of an American stoker, Henry  Brennan,  a bartender by  profession who was working his  passage home and did  not  survive his  first day  in the stokehold.  He was  buried at sea with impressive ceremony. The rites  of  the Episcopal Church  were said  over  the body, and the  vessel came to  a standstill for  a  minute  while the  body was put  over the side.  Many of the passengers  witnessed the ceremony." (New York Times, 6  December 1907).

With a big list  in Third Class of 801 (mainly immigrants  returning for  Christmas and some for good  given the economic  conditions in America at the time) plus 59 First and 91  Second Class, Teutonic left  New York on 11 December 1907 for Plymouth, Cherbourg and Southampton.  After passage  of 6 days 22 hours 15 mins., "at the onset  fresh to strong W. and N.W. winds, with  following sea; in mid-Atlantic a  strong N.W. gale, with high  sea, and on approaching Plymouth  light  to  moderate southerly  wind, with  westerly swell,"  (Western Morning  News, 19 December  1907),  Teutonic arrived  at  Plymouth at 4:06 p.m. on the 18th with 75  passengers  and 1,315  bags of mail  for  the port. Splendid  work by  the GWR had her London passengers departing on the special at 5:03  p.m. and arriving  Paddington at 9:37 p.m., taking 4 hour 6 mins.  for the  journey.   Resuming  passage at  4:35 p.m. after another smart  call at the  Devon port, Teutonic  proceeded to  Cherbourg  for which  she  had 250 passengers and 309 bag of mail, and Southampton, reached on the  following day, where  her  remaining 592  passengers  disembarked. 

In 1907, Teutonic made 13 westbound crossings carrying  9,149 passengers and 13 eastbound  crossings  carrying 4,547 passengers or  a total of 13,696 passengers.  

Teutonic at Liverpool, postcard posted in 1907.

1908

Completing her last voyage  of 1907 on 19 December, Teutonic was  then  drydocked  at Southampton  and  would "probably resumed her  sailing  at the  end of  January" (Southampton Times and Hampshire  Express,  21  December).  "The  Teutonic which  is now in dock, will leave on January  22nd,"  (Southern  Daily  Echo, 24 December).

It proved  a difficult  beginning of the year for trans-Atlantic traffic,  White Star and  their new Southampton terminus.  The  1907 Depression in America decimated carryings  of all lines with  a  70 per cent drop  in Third  Class  westbound carryings and substantial fall-off in  saloon class ones eastbound and 1908  was  already  looking  like a dismal year.  Thus, it was with little surprise that either by accident, design or fate or bad fortune, Teutonic wound up missing the first  three months of  the year undergoing a refit whose purpose and result was never revealed amid a  series  of  re-scheduled and cancelled  returns to service as well as serious  fire  to her sister ship Majestic  at  Southampton that had her, too, miss  a voyage.

The Majestic is the first of the White Star liners running from this port to New York to be drydocked at Southampton since the well-known quartette came to the Channel. The Majestic completed her passage on Wednesday, and was subsequently placed in the dry-dock for overhaul, etc.  She will probably come out again on Monday, and she will take her ordinary trip to the States, leaving next Wednesday.

Meanwhile the Teutonic still remains in the Docks. It has been found necessary to effect alterations and improvements to the vessel, and it is expected that she. will he placed in one of the dry-docks during the coming week. The work may last some little time, and it in anticipated that the Teutonic will not be able, to resume her sailings until February.

Southampton  Times  and Hampshire Express, 4 January  1908.

At the time, Harland & Wolff  were completing  the building  of  extensive  facilities  for ship  repair  adjacent to the Trafalgar  Dry Dock, Southampton. On 10  January 1908, Adriatic was  drydocked there, the  largest  vessel to do so in Southampton and "it  is expected  that  the  Teutonic will be  dry-docked next  week."  (Southampton Times and Hampshire Express, 11 January 1908). She, in fact, went into dock on the 14th.  On the  18th, her  departure for New  York  was  revised to  19 February.  It was arranged  to have Celtic take  Teutonic's scheduled sailing of  22  January with passengers and her mails, but  from Liverpool not Southampton.

White Star's Southampton  service  that  winter  was further disrupted by  a serious fire aboard Majestic on 31 January 1908 at Southampton and  on 8  February the  Southampton  Times  and Hampshire Express reported that: "In consequence of the rather serious fire which occurred on the White Star liner Majestic earlier  this week, the sailing list of the company has been revised. At the present moment two of the vessels are lying idle--the Majestic and the Teutonic--and the latest arrangements show that the former vessel will take the sailing originally allotted to the Teutonic for next Wednesday and it is hoped the Teutonic  will be  ready to resume her place in the service a fortnight after the Majestic sails."

On 8 February 1908, Teutonic's  return to service  was again rescheduled to 4  March.

Next week will witness the re-establishment of the regular weekly mail service from Southampton to the States by the steamers of the White Star Line. For some weeks the regularity of the sailings has been interfered with, partly owing to the fire on the Majestic, and partly due to the extensive overhaul of the Teutonic. Both these vessels, however, are now in commission again, the Teutonic having completed her overhaul and repairs this week. The vessel had rather a lengthy stay in the Trafalgar Dry Dock, and many improvements for the comfort of the crew, as well as the passengers, have been carried out. 

The Teutonic will sail for New York next Wednesday, and it is hoped that there will be no necessity to break the regularity of the sailings for a long time to come. One thing, however, has been broken, and that is the 'ATOM'.  Hitherto it may have the been noticed that the resulted order in of sailings, headed by Adriatic, has the word 'atom' being compiled by the first letter of each ship, but although the 'mightiness' of the atom will be long felt in Transatlantic circles, the word itself has been broken, and the sequence in future will spell 'AMOT'.  That may be a convenient way of remembering the order of sailings.

Southampton  Times and Hampshire Express,  29  February  1908.

Finally returning to service,  Teutonic  sailed from Southampton on 4 March 1908 for Cherbourg, Queenstown (5) and New York with 25 First, 76 Second and 85 Third Class passengers, indicative  of just  how  dismal  trans-Atlantic  trade was.  She arrived  at New  York  the  evening  of  the  12th and among  the few coming  the  gangway there was Austrian prima donna  Regina  Zuckerberg, "the Yiddish Tetazzini."   During the call at New  York, Teutonic's  football squad was trounced by the local Cameron team 4-0 in a match at Van Cortlandt Park. 

Enlivening, if  by  titles along,  another sparse saloon list of 37 First and 47 Second Class (but 571 in Third  as more and more would be Americans returned  home to seemingly better prospects), were Baron de la Boullerie,  Baron  de Cande and the Duke  and Duchess de  Chaulnes, Teutonic sailed  from New York on 18 March 1908. It  was a slow crossing, in miserable conditions described  as "At the onset, moderate easterly winds, rain, light  winds and mists, afterwards strong easterly  winds  and rough  following seas. In mid-Atlantic fresh  gales  to strong winds were encountered  with rough confused seas,  thence clear weather  heavy  NW  swell  to Plymouth,"  which  was reached at 4:20 p.m. on the  25th  after a  protracted passage of 6  days 22 hours.  She landed 16 passengers and 1,018 bags  of mail there before  being sent on her  way  at 4:40 p.m. for  Cherbourg,  reached  that  evening and  taking 74  of her passengers and 278 bags of mail.  Teutonic arrived  at  Southampton on the  26th, disembarking her  remaining 575  passengers there. 

Teutonic's departure from Southampton for New York on April Fools Day, 1  April 1908, featured more than a little  excitement:

A somewhat sensational episode characterized departure of the White Star liner Teutonic for New York this morning. Just as the vessel was  commencing to move away from the quayside one of the firemen, who arrived too late to get an board, shouted something unintelligable to a mate of his, who was leaning over the ship's side. That latter thereupon jumped overboard, whilst the other man jumped over the side of the quay. Both were got out of the water, and the man who jumped over the side of the vessel  being taken the Dock Police: to Bargate Police station. Needless to say, the incident caused much excitement amongst those who had assembled to witness the vessel's departure, Teutonic passed No Man's Fort outward at 12.20. (noon).

Southern Daily Echo, 1 April 1908.

The firemen, John Reardon and Frederick Tizzard, were charged  on  3  April 1908 with neglect of duty and impeding the departure of Teutonic.  Tizzard was sent to jail for  14 days and Reardon, the  man who jumped first, for a  month. 

It  was a happy  return to ocean racing for Teutonic on the  crossing over. She  and the  Cunarder Caronia departed Queenstown together on 2 April 1908 and although Teutonic left 37 minutes after  Caronia, she  got  into Sandy Hook 49 minutes ahead of her, doing  the  run  in 6  days 21 hours 6 mins.  The two ships  were  in sight  of  one  another all the  way  across. It was reckoned  to be the best ocean race  in years and  when  Teutonic and  Caronia arrived at New York on the 9th,  it  was the  talk  of the town and afforded  wonderful  newspaper  coverage:

The most exciting ocean race of recent years ended to-day when the White Star liner Teutonic rushed past Sandy Hook Lightship forty-nine minutes ahead of the big Cunarder Caronia. All the way from Queenstown, which was left last Thursday, the ocean greyhounds were practically neck and neck. Part of the time they were in sight of each other, and nearly all the time wireless communication was kept up between them. 

The passengers and crews of both vessels were kept up to a high pitch of excitement throughout the voyage. Half a dozen men on the Teutonic raised a pool of $5,000 and tried to bet it against an equal sum to be raised on the Caronia, but the Caronia passengers, as Purser McCubbin remarked by wireless, lacked sporting blood. Incidentally, they saved $5,000.

The Teutonic really beat the Caronia from Queenstown to Sandy Hook by 1 hour and 26 minutes. She left the  Irish port 37 minutes behind her rival and arrived here 49 minutes ahead of her. A remarkable feature of the race was the fact that there was a difference of only one mile in the total distance logged by the two vessels. The Caronia travelled 2,888 miles and the Teutonic 2,897 miles.

It will be noted that the two big ships fairly ate up distance on the home stretch. The 475 miles which  Caronia covered between noon on Tuesday and noon on Wednesday beat her day best record for twenty-four hours by nine miles more in the same period. 

The Caronia is comparatively new while the Teutonic is a veteran vessel, in the transatlantic trade. Both vessels have about the same capacity for  speed, and when they happened to point their noses westward from Ireland on the same day everybody aboard knew there would be a race.

The Caronia steamed out of Queenstown Harbor at 11.43 a.m. a week ago to-day. The Teutonic followed at 12.10 p.m. Their relative positions had not changed when they passed Daunt's Rock, at the harbor entrance, and straightened out for the long dash across the Atlantic.

Almost  abeam, about  a mile apart,  the vessels  kept company Thursday  afternoon, Thursday  night and all day  Friday.  There was a stiff westerly  breeze, the weather was chilly and the decks  washed with spray,  but  many  of  the passengers on both  vessels  refused to go  below for their meals.

For  a  time on Friday  night the lights of  both vessels were visible from the other.  Then the  Caronia dropped astern of the  Teutonic and disappeared from the view of  those aboard  the Teutonic. 

Capt. Dow,  the  foxy  commander of the Cunarder, dropped astern of  the  Teutonic and and headed  to the north to take a shorter course than is  usually  followed at this time of year.

But, Capt. Thompson, of the  Teutonic, is  more or  less foxy himself,  and it  was noticed  by his officers that he, too, was bearing somewhat to  the  northward. Saturday, Sunday and Monday were days  of suspense  on both vessels. They were frequent  wireless communications, but  neither  captain would acquaint the other  of  his position. 

At 3.30 o'clock on Tuesday afternoon the lookout on the Teutonic picked up a lone smudge against the northwestern horizon. In half an hour the Caronia was in sight. As dusk fell the ships were neck and 1 neck and belching smoke like volcanos. All the passengers, men and women, lined the rails and shouted. Down in the firerooms and engine rooms stokers and engineers worked like beavers to get every ounce of power from the boilers and  engines.

Alfred C. Stock. a California ranchman, talked to some of his fellow passengers on the Teutonic and raised a $5.000 pool. This he intrusted to Purser Shepherd. with instructions to communicate the Caronia and make a bet.

Shepherd sent a wireless to Purser McCubbin, offering to bet $5.000 that the Teutonic would beat the Cunarder to Sandy Hook. After a delay of two hours McCubbin sent back this reply: "There is no sporting blood on this ship."

Neither vessel sighted the other again until they entered the Lower Bay today. Capt. Thompson. however, secured a big lead by a piece of good luck yesterday evening. Wireless Direction in Fog.

Approaching Nantucket Light in a thick fog, he happened to get into submarine wireless communication with the signal bell. This gave him his exact position and he headed his vessel down the New England coast, straight for Sandy Hook Light.

 In the mean time Capt. Dow had been unable to pick up the signal. and him. Late in the evening this confused he sent a wireless to Capt. Thompson inquiring if the latter had picked Nantucket up 

"You bet I have." wired the skipper  of the Teutonic.

 The lead it gave him was held all the way in, and the Caronia was not in sight lightship when bound the into Teutonic passed the lightship bound into this harbor.

The  Evening  World, 9 April  1908.

Credit:  The Evening  World 9 April 1908.

Log abstract card for Teutonic's 1-8 April 1908 Southampton-New York  crossing. Credit: eBay auction photo.

As  it  turned out, Caronia berthed faster and easier  than her competitor, her  passengers  disembarking before Teutonic's  (35  First, 110 Second and 199 Third) when  she got "tangled up with the  strong breeze  and  an adverse tide  as  she  was docking and this  delayed her  an hour."  When they  finally disembarked, her passengers gave three cheers to  Teutonic,  her captain and crew.

The Sun (10 April 1908) reminded their  readers of  the  classic Teutonic vs. City  of New  York  race back  in August  1890 when and then Teutonic won and setting a new record of 5  days  19 hours and 5 mins, averaging 20.18  knots and logging  a best  days  run  of  512 miles. In her middle  age on this occasion, it was 6 days 21 hours 6 mins and a best  run of 477 miles.

That  Teutonic's stokers  earned their  reputation  of  being the toughest  of  a tough lot was further  demonstrated when, prior to her sailing  for Southampton on  15  April 1908, two of  them, who were rivals over a girl they both knew in their homeport and who after almost coming to  blows in a saloon near  the pier,  instead went back to their ship and duked it for  four rounds on the main deck aft in a  ring formed by stewards  and  Second  Class passengers:

In the hurly-burly that followed this demonstration in the saloon both firemen between the proprietor to allow them to fight it out then and there, but he refused and ordered them out. 

"We'll go over to th' ship. sure. an' we can have it out there,' said "Dublin." for the Teutonic  is known as a vessel where the men are encouraged to be athletic and fights are not frowned upon by the officers.

So the two agreed to  four rounds, the vanquished at the end of that time to give up all aspirations to the hand of Miss Gilroy, and a ring was formed of stewards and second cabin passengers on the main deck aft. Usually these disputes are settled in the engine room of the Teutonic, but there was only one officer on the main deck aft at the time and he winked the other eye. 

"Dublin" and "Peggy," stripped to the waist, went at it lickety-split. hammer and tongs, and at the end of the first round Connors was just a bit to the good. Before the beginning of the second round "Dublin' complained of a slight sickness, and he was more than slightly sick before that round was half over.

"Peggy" drew blood in large quantities and sent home 50 many upper and left hooks that at the end of cuts the round he had 'Dublin'  so groggy that he cried 'Nuff' and sand in a heap. 

This was about half an hour before sailing time, and Pier Superintendent Smith, catching a glimpse the him befuddled "Dublin." sternly ordered his luggage ashore, as not being fit to make the voyage. "Dublin' protested as emphatically as n swollen tongue and a lower lip that resembled a Bavarian cabbage would let him, but it was no use and he will not see the fickle Miss Gilroy until the next voyage of the Teutonic.

The  Evening  World, 15 April 1908.

With 41 First, 57 Second and 108 Third but minus  a stoker, Teutonic departed New  York on 15 April 1908. Her crossing  over, described (Western Daily News) as " for  the first two  days light  to strong variable winds, moderate to rough seas, then fresh to light variable winds with rough to slight sea. On April 20th  moderate to strong winds, with  rough N.E.  Sea. Afterwards light winds and slight  seas  to Plymouth.  The daily runs were 419 miles, 453, 452, 438, 426, 427, 445 and to  the  Eddystone, 18, making  a total run of 3,080 miles. The  passage  occupied 6 days 20 hours," ended with  arrival at Plymouth at 1:31  p.m. on the 22nd.  She landed 30 passengers and 55 bags of mail  there before sailing  for  Cherbourg for which she had 29 passengers and 11  bags of mail and  Southampton with 157 to land there on the 23rd. 

Credit: Southern Daily Echo, 29 April 1908.

After St. Paul was damaged in a  collision with  the cruiser H.M.S. Gladiator  off the  Needles on 25 April 1908 and had to be  drydocked,  her  cargo and intending  passengers were  transferred  to Teutonic's  sailing from Southampton on the 29th. 

The White Star liner Teutonic left Southampton today for New York, with something approaching  800 on board. It was magnificent weather, and the  scene at the dock  extension was an animated one-- in striking contrast to  that witnessed on Saturday when the St. Paul left on her unfortunate voyage. In addition to her ordinary passengers, the Teutonic took out,  with few exceptions, all of the passengers of  the St. Paul.

Southern Daily  Echo, 29  April 1908.

Credit: The  Evening World, 8 May 1905.

In all, Teutonic, after clearing Cherbourg and Queenstown, went out with 70 First, 173  Second and 355 Third and considering this  included  St.  Paul's compliment, the state of trans-Atlantic trade that year is shown and not quite  the "800" reported by  the  Southern  Daily Echo!  She arrived at New York on 9 May  1908 with yet another thrilling and even more  decisive victory over  Caronia on the way across  from Queenstown:

When the Cunarder Caronia docked to-day, her log again recorded her defeat by the Teutonic of the White Star line. in an overseas race in which the two vessels were never more than twenty-five miles apart until the last day. This is the second successive win for the Teutonic.  Nevertheless, the officers of the Cunarder declare that the Caronia is the faster boat by almost knot. Hard luck is once more the excuse of the vanquished. 

In their first ocean race over the same course a few days ago, the Teutonic won by less than forty minutes, but the race just ended is more humiliating for the Caronia,  the Teutonic beating her by a clean four hours.

The Caronia pleads that she sailed too light to do her best. She was late making Liverpool on her eastward voyage and was compelled to depart with only half her cargo. Leaving Liverpool a week ago Wednesday in thick weather, she stood outside and sent in the few passengers she had for the Irish port. The Teutonic arriving at Queenstown about the same time, was more daring and went inside. 

Therefore the Caronia got away first, clearing Daunt's Rock at 1.18 A. M. Friday morning. The Teutonic came but more than an hour later, passed the rock about  five miles astern. From then on the two vessels kept in wireless touch with one another. and frequent bulletins on the race were issued to the passengers.

The Caronia held her lead all Friday and Saturday, logging 447 miles on the latter day. On Sunday and Monday the White Star liner began to crawl the Caronia being bothered by thick up, weather and head winds. Tuesday night a gale came out of the that drove against the great superstructure and high freeboard of the Cunarder proving serious hamper to her progress. Then the Teutonic began to walk rght up on her fleet rival and on Wednesday morning she was sighted from the Caronia. 

All day Wednesday the pursuing vessel gained. and Wednesday evening drew abreast went by it was not only the head winds that were now bothering the Caronia. A pin had slipped out of her starboard engine. which prevented the maintenance of full speed.  By yesterday morning the White Star liner had passed out of sight again but this time not astern.  The Teutonic passed the Hook at 2 p.m. yesterday. The  Caronia came up  at 6, so could  not  clear Quarantine until this morning. 

The Evening World, 8 May 1908.

With no boxing matches as an embarkation diversion this time, Teutonic  had  a routine  departure  from New York on 13 May 1908,  leaving with 49 First, 72  Second  and 376 Third  Class passengers. But fresh from her races with Caronia  and the  bit still in  her  teeth,  and aided  by fine weather across, Teutonic put in one of  the best  passages of  her  career. Clearing Sandy Hook at 11:48 a.m. on the 13th, she passed Eddystone Light at the entrance  to Plymouth at 10:50 a.m. on the  20th, anchored there at 11:23 a.m.,  departing for  Cherbourg at 11:45 a.m. where she  arrived at 6:10 p.m., leaving there at 6:44 p.m., abreast of  Nab Lightship at 10:30 p.m. and alongside her  Southampton pier at 12:40 a.m., landing  her passengers at  8:00 a.m. the following morning.  Total time for the crossing  was  6  days 17 hours 10 mins at average  speed  of  19.02  knots with daily runs of 439, 453, 455, 454, 439, 444 and 410  or 3,079 miles. 

"The  weather was  gloriously fine  and exceedingly hot, and the departure  was  witnessed by  a large  number of people," reported the Southern  Daily  Echo on  27 May  1908 after Teutonic sailed for New  York with 45  First, 115 Second  and 160 Third  Class, and  after a frenzied but successful effort to  bring aboard a large trunk, a handbag and an umbrella that had not  been put  aboard, and was instead rowed  out to  the ship,  already well clear  of her slip and gotten aboard.  Following  her  calls at  Cherbourg  and Queenstown,  she proceeded  to New  York with 45 First, 109  Second  and 168 Third Class passengers. 

What had been a placid crossing before and  after was punctuated  on 30 May  1908 at  noon when  a 60 mph gale suddenly  came out of the  southwest, causing a heavy cross  sea.  Despite  warnings by  the officers, several passengers went forward to revel in the  heavy  spray coming over  the  bows, "Their  temerity almost cost  them their  lives. As they were working their way  along the rail in the teeth of the winds a great wave  burst over the bow and poured  a flood of water along the deck. The vessel lurched and dipped  her nose precipitately into the hollow,  whirling  the three men and two young women off  their  feet  and tumbling  then over in a flood of water." (The Evening World, 4  June  1908). One passenger, Howard Waldo of  Orange, N.J., however, got his  right  leg caught between a boat davit and the rail and broke  it in two places.  Teutonic  arrived at New York on 4 June..   

Owing to  a delay  to Mauretania on departing Liverpool, she could not  take her  scheduled mailship sailing from New York  on 10 June 1908 so her mail and quite a  few of passengers  went out  the same day in Teutonic. She left with 136 First, 173 Second and 375 Third Class passenger, and made Plymouth on the  17th  at  4:30 p.m., in 6 days 22 hours 54 mins, in weather described as "at  the onset light to moderate breeze and smooth  seas,  afterwards strong  breeze to moderate gale with high sea, then to the English  Channel  strong to light  breeze and rough to slight  sea," with daily  runs of 415, 431, 430,  437, 457, 433 and 423 miles.  Teutonic landed  85 passengers and 1,011 bags of mail  there, before  continuing  to Cherbourg  (landing 88 passengers and 297 bags of mail) and finally Southampton on the 19th, disembarking 518.  

Teutonic  left Southampton  on 24 June 1908 for New York, having aboard, after Cherbourg and Queenstown,  68 First, 80 Second and 103  Third Class  passengers.  With their schedules perfectly coordinated that  season from Queenstown to New York, it was  yet another race between Teutonic  and Caronia  and  another win, by  considerable margin, by the  White Star former Blue  Riband  holder. The  Evening World, as usual,  reveled in the  race and  provided  the  best  account  of  it:

Credit: The Evening World,  2 July 1908.

The speedy White Star liner, which started with a handicap of three hours and forty-five minutes, won the race. Hard luck followed the Caronia from the drop of the flag. On the third day of the race the Caronia's stokers struck bunker full of coal that didn't seem to have a pound of steam in a ton of it, and that day the Teutonic almost got in slight of the Caronia's smoke. The boats are old rivals. The Caronia dropped down the Mersey on June 24 with the Teutonic, three hours and thirty-six minutes behind her.The word ran about that race was on. As they passed Daunt's Rock the Teutonic had already picked up a little af the time she had lost at the start.

The next day, Friday, the Caronia logged 163 knots and the Teutonic 453. Capt. Smith was besieged by passengers, who begged him to 'hit it up little harder. On Capt. Dow's ship all was smiles when by wireless they learned that they had outlogged the White Star boat handsomely.

The next day, however, Capt. Smith and the engine-room force gave the Teutonic her head and she reeled off 468 knots, while the Caronia's people, who, according to Purser McCubbin, struck bad coal that day, could only get 440 out of their boat. 

On Sunday the Teutonic made 480 and the Caronia 486 knots. At Tuesday noon the scores stood: Teutonic 464 and Caronia 460. On Wednesday the Caronia still was behind with 457, while the Teutonic once more logged 464.

The race finished off Fire Island last night, but it was not till to-day that the Caronia got up to her dock, while the Teutonic docked last night. That was another bit of hard luck for the Cunarder, for she got to Fire Island ahead of her rival, reaching there at 6.26, while the Teutonic didn't get up till 6.34. This made the time across six days thirteen hours and fourteen minutes for the Caronia, and six days ten hours and forty-six minutes for the Teutonic.

 At that, when the Caronia ran into a fog bank and was compelled to anchor off Fire Island most of her passengers were slapping each other on the back and saying "We won.' It was not till the fog lifted In time for them to see the White Star boat that they realized they had been beaten. Capt. Smith took advantage of his knowledge of the Atlantic course to lop off a three-knot angle in the usual summer track of west bound steamers that lies between Sable Island and Sandy Hook, and the Caronia's navigation officers say that this way he gained his lead.

The Evening World,  2 July 1908.

The White Star liners are securing a great deal of prominence by reason of the large number of interesting passengers brought across, and although the travellers do not always land at Southampton, yet the circumstances are interesting as showing the popularity not only of the Channel service, but of the White Star vessels. An unusually large number of passengers was brought to Europe this week by the Teutonic; indeed, we are informed that every available berth on the shin was taken. This heavy pressure was due, to a very large extent, to the fact that a large party of gymnasts known as the Gymnasts' Travelling Association travelled by the liner. They numbered nearly 300, and they disembarked at Cherbourg, their destination being Frankfurt, where they will take part in the German athletic festival.

Southampton Times  and Hampshire  Express, 18 July  1908.

Managing a fair list of 80 First, 295 Second  and 490 Third Class for her  next eastbound  crossing, Teutonic  cleared New  York  on 8 July  1908. She  got into Plymouth  at 4:30 p.m. on the  15th  after  a fair weather passage, where  she landed 33 passengers  and 772 bags of  mail, and off again at 4:50  p.m. for Cherbourg (landing 336 passengers and  274 bags of mail there) and Southampton where  her remaining  496 passengers  landed on the  17th. 

The New York-bound Teutonic sailed from Southampton on 22 July 1908 and after making  the  rounds of Cherbourg and Queenstown, steamed west with  83 First, 69 Second and 110 Third  Class aboard as that  dismal season business-wise dragged on. It was, too, a  comparatively  dreary  crossing  with  apparently  no race  with Caronia in the offing and on arrival at New  York on the 30th,  the  best The  Evening World could find to write  about was actress Miss  Rita Perkins being  charged $120 in duty for bringing in  six bull terrier pups-- Roly, Boly, Toddles, Tootsie, Cupid and Pidge-- which she  had  brought over as gifts  to friends. 

If Caronia and Teutonic  were a matched  racing pair westbound that  season, Lusitania and Teutonic often sailed together from New York on Wednesday although  even the  plucky White  Star veteran had not  the means to  even to attempt to race the fleet Cunarder.  Both of them departed on 5 August 1908 with niggardly passenger lists, leading the New York Times to observe  "Tide  to  Europe  Ebbing  Fast."  The White Star liner went out with 45 First, 76 Second and 207 Third  Class and put in a fair passage, taking 6 days 22 hours 41 mins. at an average speed  of 18.5 knots to get to Plymouth, where she arrived at 4:11 p.m.,  dead  on time, on the 12th.  Landing 39 passengers and just 25 bags of mail there, she resumed passage after just 16 mins. there for Cherbourg (47 passengers and 10 bags of mail) and Southampton, reached late  the next  day, where  her  remaining 242 passengers disembarked. 

There  were 160 First, 222 Second and 185 Third Class tickets sold for  Teutonic's  19  August 1908  westbound crossing,  an excellent saloon list and befitting  the traditional end of season homewards rush as well as the  immigrant trade still at  its nadir.   After a one trip lull, it was back to the races  for  Teutonic and Caronia.  The Cunarder came into  New York on the morning of the  27th after logging 6 days 13 hours 31 mins. from Queenstown only  to  find Teutonic already alongside her berth, having docked the previous  evening and clocking 6 days 5 hours 45 mins. for her passage from Queenstown and her first on the  "short"northerly  course that  season. 

What was left  of the saloon class trade evaporated late summer eastbound  and when she cleared her  North River pier on 2 September 1908,   Teutonic's First Class had  but 23  occupants and her  Second Class, 41, with another 272 in Third Class.  Their passage began in fine weather which deteriorated in mid-Atlantic to "fresh and strong breeze, and rough sea, from thence  fresh gale and high  sea to Plymouth,"  where  she arrived at 8:54 a.m. on the  9th.  There, 29  disembarked and 180 bags of  mail landed, before departing at 9:13 a.m. for Cherbourg which   took 54 passengers  and 68 bags of mail and arriving at  Southampton at 9:45 p.m. on the 10th, the remaining 270 landed the following morning.  The Southern  Daily  Echo reported  it was "her  fastest trip  since  she has  been on the  Southampton service." 

Credit: The New York  Tribune, 25 September  1908.

With one of  her  best  lists  of  the year,  Teutonic sailed from Southampton and  Cherbourg on 16 September 1908 and from Queenstown the next day with a total of 247 First, 180 Second and 258 Third Class, including  banker John R. Drexel, aviator Henri Farman and Zionist Israel Zangwill.  It  was a crossing accomplished in "rough and disagreeable weather,"  (New York  Tribune) but she "made fairly good time running through  it."    Good time indeed  and instead of  Caronia  to race and beat across from Queenstown,  she  had instead the  second of The Pretty Sisters,  Carmania, with her new  fangled turbines, which  did her  no favours in  this  instance.   It  was a race to wait and on arrival off Sandy Hook on the  afternoon of the  24th, both ships  came into a New York  "socked-in" by  some of  the thickest  and most persistent  fogs in recent memory  which brought  the great port  to  a standstill for days.  "Capt. Harry  Smith,  of  Teutonic, managed  to get his  vessel through  the fog banks late in the  afternoon, but  the  captain of the  Carmania would not  chance  the trip."(The Evening World, 25  September).

Heading down the North River midday on 30 September 1908,  Teutonic had 24 First, 41 Second and 272 Third Class aboard for Plymouth, Cherbourg and  Southampton who  enjoyed  a crossing in "fine  weather and smooth seas throughout," and their ship maintaining a 18.75-knot  speed across to have  her dropping anchor in Cawsend  Bay at 8:33 a.m. on 7  October.  After landing 34 passengers  and 1,004 bags of mail, Teutonic was  on her way to Cherbourg  at 8:54 a.m. where  she arrived  that  afternoon to land 67  passengers and 327 bags  of mail  and getting into Southampton on the  9th with her remaining 252  passengers.  

The westbound Teutonic,  from Southampton on  14 October 1908 and her intermediate ports , had  55 First,  127 Second and 176 passengers. They got a  rough ride  over, and on  the 19th, a wave  broke over the promenade deck, portside  forward,  and hurled  a seaman right  aft along with it, crushing  him against the rail and badly bruising him.   He  was  able  to  resume duties  the next day and Teutonic, undamaged,  managed good time across and came into New  York  early  on the  22nd. Among those landing  was the  famous African explorer, anthropologist and biographer  of  Livingston,  Sir Harry Hamilton  Johnston, making  his first  trip  America. During the turnaround at New York,  Teutonic's  football  team played that of  Baltic to a 2-2 tie at Van Cortlandt Park on the 25th.

Passengers  remain scarce and there were but  23 First, 71 Second and 276 Third Class aboard Teutonic  when she pulled  out of  Manhattan pier  at 11:00 a.m. on 28 October 1908.  On arrival  at Plymouth at 12:23 p.m. on 4 November, the  Western Morning  News described the weather across as  "At the onset moderate breeze  and cloudy, then  fresh to strong breeze, with  rough  sea. On November 2nd there was a heavy  easterly swell. The  weather on the following day was  squally, with rough  sea."  Forty-seven  passengers and 977 bags of mail went ashore  there and Teutonic  resumed passage at 12:52 p.m. for Cherbourg where she  landed 71 passengers and 294 bags of mail and  arrived  at Southampton on the  5th with  her  remaining  250 passengers.

Westbound  again on  11  November  1908,  Teutonic left Southampton and Cherbourg, and after calling at Queenstown  the  next day,  headed  for New York  with 34 First, 99 Second  and 116 Third Class passengers.  On arrival  at New York  on the 19th, a stoker, George O'Neill, was reported missing: "'We don't know whether he  went overboard or is hidden somewhere on the vessel,' Purser  Shephard said, 'I  am inclined to the latter theory. He didn't like to work and disappearing  was a favorite trick  of his. I think  he is stowed away and will turn  upon the pier in  a little while.' (The Evening  World, 19 November).   Teutonic's football team thrashed that of Lusitania by  a score  of 9-0 in a match at Van Cortlandt Park on the 22nd.

Teutonic, Lusitania  and Kroonland were schedule  to sail from New York on 25 November  1908, but again the port  was enveloped  fog.  The  Cunarder and  Red Star liner did not venture from their berths, but Capt. Smith had his  Teutonic  on her way at 10:00 a.m., on schedule, with her  25 First, 41 Second and 345 Third  Class  passengers.  He  got as far as above  the Narrows  where the fog was  so thick, it  was not safe to navigate  and Teutonic was obliged  to anchor and did not  get  away  until later  in the day. She  had  two days of  "fresh gale and high  sea"  before getting into Plymouth  at 11:06 a.m. on 3  December, logging  6 days 19  hours  58 mins. For the passage.  After  landing 29 passengers and 29 bags  of mail  there, she sailed  for  Cherbourg to  land 123 passengers and 10 bags of mail there and had 250  remaining for Southampton who  disembarked  there the next day. 

Starting her  final voyage of  a very busy year, Teutonic cleared Southampton Water on 9 December 1908 for Cherbourg, Queenstown and New York.  And she  ended  a year during  which she showed the stuff of an ocean  greyhound  with  one of the  slowest crossings in her entire history and one  of the  slowest  made by a mailship on the American run in several years.  Due to arrive  at New  York on the 16th, she wirelessed on the  17th  that  she was still  659 miles  east of Sandy Hook  and would  not  arrive until 9:00 a.m, on the 19th or  three  days  late,  making for  a dismal nine-day crossing.  Worse, she was carrying a huge Christmas mail consignment of  5,000 bags which would also, of course, be late in forwarding and delivery.  In the event, Teutonic did not  arrive  until the 19th, making  it  across in ten days.  The reason, of course, was weather:  "terrific westerly gales and high head  seas are reported in mid-Atlantic, and all westbound  steamer are unusually late." (New York  Tribune, 19 December) .

Most of her officers conceded it was one of the worst storms confronted during  any  of  Teutonic's 231 trips to date. Her average speed was 14 knots and her days run ending at  noon on Sunday the  13th was but 202 miles. "She shipped the manes of many combers, some of which  her  skipper, Capt.Smith, declares were more  than  60  feet high. Capt. Smith was on almost continuous duty on the  bridge when the storm was at its worst and went to bed soon after the line docked."(The Sun, 20 December). 

There  were tales  to  tell galore when Teutonic finally was warped alongside her North River Pier by some of her 42 First,  85  Second and 117  Third  Class passengers, although  most were content to be just on dry  land and on their way.  

Log abstract card for  Teutonic's rough 9-18  December 1908 Southampton-New  York crossing. Credit: eBay  auction photo.

The Teutonic, of the White Star line, arrived to-day with her log largely devoted to gales and head seas.

The big steamship had scarcely got her rudder clear of Queenstown when she poked her nose into winter weather and met up with a young hurricane that developed from day to day into a tempest. 

There were no pleasant hours on the promenade deck throughout the eight and one-half days' run. nor were there many pleasant hours 'tween decks or in staterooms. The log gives the customary conservative history of the vessel's run,but to get a more graphic picture of the slambang voyage over a corduroy sea, shrieking with mad voices of the gale, it is only necessary to draw on Dr. Ashley Hopper. one of the passengers. 

Dr. Hopper took notes from time to time of the height of waves and their velocity. Lashing himself to a stanchion he studied their aspects with a scientific eye

'On the 13th,' said Dr. Hopper, 'the wind was blowing a hundred or so miles an hour, blowing so hard that it ripped the paint right off the funnels. to a stanchion by a small hawser, I set my face to the gale and watched the seas sweep over the bows. Some of the waves were travelling thirty and some fifty miles an hour. One giant comber, over forty feet high, ploughed down upon us with an angry roar, split on the bow and washed down the deck at such terrific speed that it removed the soles from my shoes. I timed that wave in its passage down the deck and it made the distance of 800 odd feet in less than ten seconds. I figured out that the speed of the wave was forty -seven miles an hour, as the Teutonic  was just making steerage headway.'

Dr. Hopper had compiled other interesting statistics that he believes have a high scientific value. Mariners aboard the Teutonic admitted they had a high value, but would not concede the science. For instance, the fastest wave Capt. Smith ever heard of travelled at the moderate speed of sixteen knots.

The young physician had established one record, however, for he was not sick a minute. Ninety per cent. of his fellow voyagers were sick the entire eight days. The White Star liner carried a huge Christmas mail. There were 4,963 bags of mail and 125 bags of parcels post, a total of 5,088.

Notwithstanding the strenuous weather the Teutonic reached her pier without a scar.

The Evening  World, 19 December 1908.

Teutonic  left New York on 23  December  1908 on her  last  crossing of  the  year, taking with her  21 First, 56 Second and 387 Third  Class passengers who would have Christmas at sea, and also went out  with  consignment of  $700,000 in gold by  Goldman, Sachs & Co., destined for Paris  via  Cherbourg. It was a predictably rough crossing over: "At the onset strong winds, rough  head seas; in mid-Atlantic a strong gale with high seas;  afterwards moderate breeze and heavy swell to Plymouth," where  she arrived at 7:30 p.m. on the  30th, landing 18 passengers and 2,706 bags of mail.  There were 67 passengers and  698 bags of mail and all that gold to land at Cherbourg  and another 380 passengers disembarking at Southampton on New Years Eve.

In 1908, Teutonic made  11 westbound crossings carrying  4,066 passengers and 11 eastbound  crossings  carrying 5,196 passengers or  a total of 9,262 passengers. 

Teutonic  photo card. Credit: eBay auction photo. 

1909

There would be no enforced winter lay-up  for  Teutonic her second year out of Southampton. Commencing her first voyage  of the  year, she sailed for New York on 6 January 1909 and after calling at Cherbourg and  Queenstown,  had 39 First, 84 Second and 281 Third Class passengers, among them William Forbes Morgan, the  stockbroker.  Making a rare  routine winter crossing, Teutonic arrived in New York  on the 14th.

Eastbound for the first time in the new year,  Teutonic cleared  New York on 20 January 1909 with 57 First, 53 Second and 214 Third Class aboard who enjoyed a rare winter crossing with fine weather all the way across.  They arrived at Plymouth  at  noon on the  27th where 52 disembarked along  with the landing  of 2,502 bags of  mail bags before  she proceeded to  Cherbourg with 45 passengers and 788 bags of mail landing there and  arrived at Southampton  on the  28th, disembarking 229. 

Leaving Southampton for  New York on 10 February 1909, Teutonic had 33 First, 86  Second and 164 Third  Class for  America, and arrived on the 18th. 

It was another dense fog cloaking New York Harbor on 24  February 1909 when Teutonic sailed with a light list  of 20 First, 29 Second and 78 Third and the inbound Kaiser Wilhelm II went aground  in Gedney's Channel in the murk but was soon pulled  off and anchored until the fog cleared.  The White Star liner left her pier on schedule but got no farther than  Quarantine where she anchored at noon, "when the  Narrows looked like a battlement of granite, and did not get away again until wind from south-southwest, permeated with rain, drove some of the vapor  off her course  around 4 p.m." (The Sun, 25  February). "Passengers on another Staten Island ferryboat were frightened by finding the big White Star liner Teutonic, outward bound, towering over them somewhere in the neighborhood of the Liberty statue. The ferryboat backed off and the liner shifted her course a little. The two boats were within a few feet of each other as they passed. (The Evening World, 24 February 1909)." 

Once away,  Teutonic had " fresh  to strong breeze and rough sea,  then fresh to moderate gale  with high  following  sea and then the weather moderated but the  sea was rough" and arrived at Plymouth  at 9:17 p.m. on 3 March 1909. She did the run in  6 days 20 hours 30 mins. at an average speed of 18.71  knots.  She landed 22 passengers and 21 bags of  mail there with another 16  passengers and 11 bags of mail for Cherbourg and on arrival at Southampton the  next  day, landed her  last 90 passengers.

With 26 First, 174 Second and 450 Third Class for America, Teutonic sailed from Southampton and  Cherbourg on 10 March 1909 and Queenstown a day later. She got into to  New York on the 18th.

In company with Campania,  Teutontic left  New York  on 24 March 1909, the White  Star liner going out  with 23 First, 57 Second and 174 Third.   The crossing started with a "light breeze, fine, clear  weather with  a slight  head  sea, then  moderate to  fresh breeze, overcast, with rough  sea," by  the  time  she got  to Plymouth at 1:04 p.m. on the  31st, landing 17 passengers and 659 bags of mail there, then to Cherbourg with 31 passengers and 270  bags of  mail  and  arriving  at Southampton on 1  April where  she landed 209.  

A remarkable and mysterious incident, which nearly involved tragic consequences, occurred on board the White Star liner Teutonic, which arrived at Southampton from New York in the early hours of this morning. One of the passengers was a Mexican, who was believed to have a large sum of money with him, and had been frequently heard to boast of the fact, and on Tuesday afternoon just at that hour of the day when most of those on board were disposing themselves for a quiet siesta, the occupants of the saloon were startled by the sharp report of a revolver shot coming from the direction of the South American's cabin.

A number of passengers, headed by the Mexican himself, at once rushed to the cabin from whence the shot came. They found it full of curling smoke, and the Mexican's revolver, recently discharged, was lying on the bunk, while the disordered state of the cabin showed that it had been thoroughly ransacked, but the would-be thief or thieves had flown.

Cries of pain and alarm were heard from the adjoining cabin, and it was found that the occupant, Miss P. Rudd, a young lady in her teens. had been shot in the neck by a bullet which had penetrated the partition between the cabins. Fortunately, however, the bullet, the force through, of which bad been lessened by the partition which it had passed, only grazed her neck, indicting a superficial injury, and  after being treated by the ship's doctor Miss Rudd was able to be on deck again on the following day. The curious fact about the affair is that nothing stolen from the Mexican's cabin, and it is conjectured that the would-be thief, whose identity still remains a mystery, accidentally discharged the revolver, while ransacking the luggage, and then fled precipitately to avoid discovery.

Southern Daily Echo, 1 April 1909.

With a good list of 52 First, 194 Second and 579 Third Class for New York,  Teutonic sailed from  Southampton on 7  April 1909. The crossing was animated by  boxing matches  on deck and a baby born at sea:

Cabin passengers by the White Star liner Teutonic, in yesterday from Southampton, Cherbourg and Queenstown, were entertained on the pleasant days of the trip by boxing matches' on the main deck. Stokers and steerage passengers, English and Irish, were the boxers, and Ernest Allard of Suffolk, England, although a lightweight, knocked out all comers, including an iron moulder weighing about 170. Winners and losers received showers of silver from the cabin passengers. Nobody was hurt, as the gloves were of the ordinary kind.

A baby was born in the second cabin of the Teutonic to Mrs. Francis Hollie of Detroit, and six days later, on Wednesday, Rev. Mr. Fisher, also in the second christened the little one Mercy Julia Teutonic Hollis. Her father is in Detroit.

The Sun, 16 April 1909.

Teutonic arrived at New York on 15 April  1909.  

Going out again in company  with Campania on 21 April 1909, Teutonic sailed from New York with 43 First, 51 Second  and 163 Third Class passengers.  Typical  for the season, the  crossing encountered  a full  range of weather:  "at the  onset fresh to moderate  breeze, hazy  with rough head  sea, followed by  fine  weather with rough  sea".  She got into Plymouth at 4:43 p.m. on the  28th, landing 46 passengers and 777 bags of  mail there (which were in London within 5  hours four minutes after the ship  arrived) and left at  5:30  p.m. for Cherbourg with  53  passengers and  303 bags  of mail and arrived at Southampton at 4:45 a.m. on the  29th, disembarking her  remaining 161 passengers.  It was reported that one of  her  stokers, known as "Blundell"  had gone missing  since  the  first  day of  the  voyage, but according  to the Western News (29 April 1909), "from the levity  with which the firemen treated the alleged  disappearance, it is  believed  he is  secreted on board  the  vessel, being surreptitiously fed by  his  comrades. The  liner, however, was searched  from  end to end, but no  trace  of  the man has been found."

Log abstract card for  Teutonic 5-12 May  1909  Southampton-New  York crossing. Credit: eBay auction photo.

Clearing the Solent midday on 5 May 1909, Teutonic (Capt. R. Lobez, R.N.R.)  had, on  departure  from Cherbourg  and Queenstown,  37 First, 130 Second and 466 Third Class and with nary a  press mention, arrived at New  York on the  13th.

Paired  once  again with  Lusitania,  Teutonic sailed from New York on 19 May 1909 with 81 First, 100 Second and 211 Third Class passengers. They had  a  rough  and slow passage:  "at  the  onset moderate breeze, heavy  head  sea, in mid-Atlantic fresh  to strong breeze,  heavy  head sea;  thence  to the  Channel  fresh  gale and high  sea," and finally got in Plymouth at 5:23 p.m. on the 26th taking  7 days  37 mins for the  crossing at an  average 18.25 knots.  Landing 75  passengers and 22 bags  of  mail there, Teutonic was  sent on her  way  at 5:44 p.m. for  Cherbourg  where she landed 59  passengers and 17  bags  of mail and had  265  remaining  for  Southampton where she arrived  at 5:50 a.m. on the  27th.

Into the  summer season, Teutonic left Southampton and Cherbourg  on 2 June 1909 and  Queenstown the following day with 46 First, 120  Second and  327 Third  Class passengers who  disembarked  at New  York on the 9th again with  little press mention.  It  was reported, however, that Teutonic's  cricket team was soundly  beaten by the  Jamaicans at Prospect Park on the  13th.

This time, Teutonic's mate for her  New York Wednesday  departure  on 16  June  1909 was Mauretania. The Cunarder went out  with  a "record list"  in saloon whilst Teutonic  contented  herself with 99 First, 97 Second and 160 Third  Class, among  them  Mrs. W.J.  Willett Bruce.  Blotting  her  copy  book, Teutonic  went aground  briefly  in the  Ambrose  Channel:

The White Star liner Teutonic, outward bound, took ground on the west side of the Ambrose Channel when she had almost cleared the Sandy Hook bar about 11 o'clock yesterday morning and sent wireless call for tugs to help her off. The pilot boat New York went  alongside the steamer and later the Merritt-Chapman Relief made a hawser fast to her. She got off on a rising tide at 1:10 o'clock and proceeded undamaged.

It was guessed by a Sandy Hook observer that the liner may have been trying to dodge a dredge working in the channel and  went  too far over  the other side to the westward. The Mauretania, which passed the Teutonic while was fast, found plenty of sea room and she draws several feet more than the White Star ship.

The Sun, 17 June 1909.

Teutonic aground off  Sandy Hook and running full astern to pull herself off. Credit: eBay  auction photo. 

Once on her way, Teutonic  had  a  fair passage across  for the first  four days, then a "fresh breeze to moderate gale, with rough sea, a  fresh gale and  rough sea  being  met  on the last day  of  the  voyage and got into Plymouth at 7:08 p.m. on the  23 June 1909.  Landing 83  passengers  and  23 bags of mail there, she  had  74  passengers  and 11 bags of mail for Cherbourg and a final 204  for Southampton where she docked at noon on the  24th.

Departing Southampton and Cherbourg  for America on 30 June 1909 and  Queenstown the next day, Teutonic went out with 49 First, 85 Second  and 223 Third  Class passengers. She  got in on the morning of  8 July.

There were few liners  with a more athletic and sports minded  crew as  Teutonic's  and she was renown for her  on board  boxing  matches and shoreside meets in New  York for football (soccer),  cricket and track and field competing local teams and clubs as well as rival steamship ones.  During her call at New York, the Teutonic AC challenged  the Baltic AC for  the  Elkington Challenge Cup (880 yards relay) and won it.  Since  the  previous the  Teutonic AC had won three  cups and 36  gold medals  in various  track and field meets.  

The eastbound  Teutonic  cleared  New York  on 14  July  1909 with 98 First, 141 Second and 189 Third Class, going out again with  Mauretania.  Enjoying splendid  weather all the across, she arrived at Plymouth at 1:30 p.m. on the 21st  where  she landed 70 passengers and  23  bags  of  mail.  At  Cherbourg that  evening  she  landed 86 passengers and 10 bags of mail and arrived  at Southampton on the 22nd where  her  remaining 272  passengers  disembarked. 

Log abstract card for  Teutonic's 28 July-4 August 1909 Southampton-New York crossing. Credit: eBay  auction photo.

There were 90 First, 188  Second  and 153 Third Class passengers  destined for New York  embarking in Teutonic at Southampton and Cherbourg on 28 July 1909 and the next day at Queenstown. She  arrived  at  New York on the 5th. The big news of her voyage over was one of  the boxing matches held aboard between one of her stokers and a former champion lightweight of the  British forces:

Other deep sea pugilistic news which developed yesterday was that two of the stokers aboard the Teutonic had had a fight on board the steamship and had made such a good showing that they are to go on at the Sharkey Athletic Club next Wednesday. Rider Vino, one of the huskiest stokers on the ship, was matched against Frank Dymond who has held the lightweight champion-shlp of both the British army and navy. The men were matched to go ten rounds with four ounce gloves. Vino had the best of it until the fifth round, when Dymond rallied and began to give his opponent such a beating that the ship's officers stopped the bout at the end of the sixth round.

The bout was held on the main deck for a purse contributed by the first cabin passengers.

New York Tribune, 6 August  1909.

Departing New York  on 11 August 1909 in Teutonic were 38 First, 53  Second and 269  Third Class passengers. As so often the  crossing  started with light  breeze and fine clear  weather, giving way to "N.W.  breeze and heavy  N.E. swell. In mid-Atlantic strong wind and rough sea, afterwards fine. On the last day of the  voyage  fresh breeze to moderate  gale. She arrived at  Plymouth at 1:30 p.m.on the 18th after making the crossing in 6 days 20 hours 36 mins. At an average  speed  of  18.70 knots. After landing 27 passengers and 693  bags of mail there, she left at 1:50 p.m. for Cherbourg for which she had 59 passengers  and 246 bags  of mail and arrived at Southampton on the 19th to disembark her remaining 109 passengers. 

Log abstract card for  Teutonic 25 August-1  September 1909 Southampton-New  York crossing. Credit: eBay auction photo.

With her  best saloon list in  a long time, Teutonic (Capt. R.W. James)  sailed  from  Southampton and Cherbourg on 25 August 1909 with 261 First, 184  Second and 322 Third Class who disembarked at  New York on 1 September.

Departing  again with Lusitania, Teutonic left  New York on 8 September 1909 with just 16 in First, 58 Second and 127 Third Class passengers. On arrival at Plymouth on the morning of the 15th, Capt. James reported passing, three days  out  of  New  York, a very large  iceberg… "one of the largest he had even seen." (Evening Herald, 15 September 1909). She docked at Southampton at  8:00 p.m. on the 15th.

Teutonic  departed Southampton and intermediate ports  on 22-23 September 1909 with another promising  list of 229 First, 187 Second and 471 Third Class passengers who disembarked  at New  York on the  29th.

Eastbound traffic was  still sparse and there  were but 25 First, 36 Second  and 311 Third  Class booked on Teutonic's 6 October 1909  sailing  for  the Channel ports.  What  begin with fair weather ended with  "a moderate gale and high  sea," and Teutonic  came into Plymouth  at 7:20 a.m. on the  13th  after a smart passage of 6 days 14 hours 2  mins. at an  average  speed of 18.8 knots.  There were 25 passengers and 23  bags  of mail off on the  tender and she raised  anchor  and  was off  on her way in 20 mins. for Cherbourg to land  46 passengers and 12 bags of mail.  Teutonic  arrived at Southampton just after 8:00 p.m. on the  14, landing 297 passenger there. 

Clearing Southampton Water on 20 October 1909 and Cherbourg that  afternoon, and Queenstown the following  day, Teutonic steamed westwards with  a  fair list of  56 First, 246 Second and 238  Third Class passengers who had what the New York Times called a "boisterous voyage" across, arriving at New  York the morning  of the  28th:

The vessel met two severe storms. The first struck soon after she sailed Queenstown. For hours the vessel was buffeted by westerly gales and high seas that repeatedly washed her decks. Mrs. Hiram Saunders Waters of Chicago was struck by a wave and knocked down, receiving a dislocated ankle. 

The second storm was on Tuesday. High seas and violent gales were programme for more than twelve hours. The vessel sustained no damage.

New York Times, 29 October 1909.

Shortly after the White Star liner Teutonic, in yesterday, got out into the open sea from Queenstown she was boarded by the crest of a great wave which mowed off a ventilator and carried away a section of her rail just forward of amidships. As the wave rolled aft it picked. up Mrs. Hiram Saunders Waters of Chicago and hurled her against the after rail of the promenade deck. Her husband saw her pass his cabin window and ran out after her.

He reached her in time to prevent her from rolling off into the sea. Mrs. Waters was taken to her cabin suffering from shook chiefly, although she also had a blackened eye and one of her teeth was loosened. A seaman who was knocked down by the same sea broke two ribs.

The Sun, 29 October 1909.

Mrs. Hiram Saunders, of Chicago, arrived yesterday on the White Star liner Teutonic, from Southampton. The night before sailing she had a dream in which she saw herself carried over the ship's side by a wave. She also saw her husband carried over in his effort to save her. She told the dream to him, but neither gave it much consideration until two days out, when a big wave washed along the promenade deck and carried Mrs. Saunders with it. Her husband saved her, but she had sustained a dislocated ankle and bruises.

One of the Teutonic's stewards dreamed the night before salling that a passenger gave him a tip of £500. His dream also came near being realized, for he received a $5 bill yesterday when the Teutonic docked.

The New York Tribune, 29 October 1909.

Casting off from her  North  River pier on 3 November 1909, Teutonic was again  bound  for the Channel Ports with 29 First, 33 Second and 341 Third  Class passengers who were  favoured with  "fine  weather throughout  the  passage."  Teutonic made Plymouth at 9:01 a.m. on the  10th where  she landed 42 passengers  and 19  bags  of mail and  left  for Cherbourg and Southampton after just  15 minutes, arriving at the  Hampshire port that evening.  

As reported  on 13  November  1909, Teutonic and Majestic would  lay up  at Southampton  that January for overhaul.

It  was a light  westbound list-- 35 First, 120 Second and 150  Third Class-- from Southampton on 17 November 1909  and intermediate ports for Teutonic which arrived at New York on Thanksgiving Day, the  25th, in high  wind  and… a snowstorm.  Indeed,  she and  other liners were all late and Teutonic was due in the day  before. She anchored off  Sandy  Hook  at 7:45 p.m. on the  24th in  the blinding  snowstorm  and  went no further  that  night. 

In company  with Mauretania, Teutonic  departed  New York on 1 December  1909, the  White  Star liner going out with 27 First, 53 Second and 474 Third Class among  them Mrs. Emmeline Pankhurst, the British  suffragette.  They  endured  "rough weather throughout  the passage," and  arrived at Plymouth at 4:20p.m. on the  8th.  After landing 74  passengers and 25 bags of mail, Teutonic made for Cherbourg for which  she  had  113 passengers and 11 bags  of mail and  arrived at Southampton on  the  10th, landing her remaining 367  passengers. 

Credit: The Sun, 24 December 1909.

Off on her last voyage of the year, Teutonic left Southampton  on 15 December 1909. The onset  of the  voyage  was marked  by the  tragic loss of a crewman, Curly Smith, seaman, who fell overboard off the Isle of Wight. When he was spotted going over  the side, liferings were thrown  towards him, the ship stopped  and  a boat lowered but  he  was not found in the  haze.  Capt. James pronounced the man as lost  and during the voyage the passengers took up a collection for Smith's family.  Teutonic arrived  at New York on the 23rd with 43 First,  116 Second  and 245 Third Class passengers.

Enjoying Christmas in  port,  Teutonic and her crew  departed  New  York on 29 December with  22 First, 21 Second  and 208  Third Class passengers.  After  a crossing "at  the onset light breeze and moderate sea, then fresh gale and high seas, afterwards fine," she  arrived at Plymouth at 2:02 p.m. on 5 January 1910.  There, she dropped off 13 passengers  and  23 bags of mail and resumed passage to Cherbourg to land 53 passengers and  12 bags of mail and  had  184 remaining passengers  who disembarked at Southampton on the 6th.

In 1909, Teutonic made 13 westbound crossings carrying  6,979 passengers and 13 eastbound  crossings  carrying 4,170 passengers or  a total of 11,149 passengers. 

Teutonic  postcard, FGO  Stuart. Credit: eBay  auction photo.

1910

Teutonic and Majestic  were laid up in Southampton for the entire  winter and well  into  spring.  On 8 January 1910 the Southampton Times and Hampshire Express reported  that "Arrangements have been made for the Teutonic and Majestic to 'winter' in the  Docks and not down the river. The  vessels will lay  side by  side  at  no. 41 berth."

It was not  until 16 April 1910  that Teutonic impending  return to service was revealed when she returned to  White Star's sailing  list with a departure from  Southampton for New  York of 27  April.  On the  23rd, she was reported to have visited by  the  Junior Institution of Engineers, "lying at the  Test  Quay."

With no  press attention or  mention of any refitting  or drydocking, Teutonic (Capt. James)  sailed from Southampton on 27  April 1910 and after calling  at Cherbourg and  Queenstown, made her first  crossing in five months with 25 First, 143 Second and 515 Third Class.  She arrived off the New York Bar at 3:34  a.m. on 6 May  and  was alongside  later that  morning but again, ignored by the press.  

With 85 First,  64 Second and 106  Third  Class passengers, among them J.J. Guerin, the Mayor of Montreal en route  to the funeral of H.M. King  Edward VII, Teutonic sailed from New  York  for  the  Channel ports on 11 May  1910.  Her crossing accomplished "at the onset moderate to fresh S.W. breeze, followed by  N.W. and  N.E. wind, with heavy rain  at  the  entrance to the  English Channel," Teutonic arrived at  Plymouth at  2:05 p.m. on the 18th, taking 6 days 21  hours 5  mins. Across  at an average speed of  18.64  knots.  She landed 53 passengers and 87 bags of mail there and sailed at 2:35 p.m. for Cherbourg where  she landed  33  passengers and 38 bags of mail and arrived at  Southampton on the morning  of the 19th to land her remaining 260 passengers.  

Departing  Southampton at  noon on 25 May  1910 and after calling  at Cherbourg  and Queenstown, Teutonic was New York-bound with  42 First, 120 Second and 286 Third  Class passengers.  Passing Sandy Hook at 7:00 a.m., 2 June,  she  was alongside her North  River  berth at midday.  One passenger, Greely S. Curtis, a consulting engineer, brought over  with him a Bleriot monoplane, "which  he said  he  would  use  as a plaything rather than for big flights." (New York  Tribune, 3 June). 

Going out with Lusitania, Teutonic's 8 June  1910  sailing from New York had 170 First, 132 Second and 115 Third Class passengers including actress Marie  Tempest who enjoyed "light  variable  airs and smooth seas  throughout  the passage," and arrived at Plymouth at 1:55 p.m. on the  15th.   Teutonic  did  the  passage in 6  days  20 hours 55 mins at an average of  18.67 knots.  She had 103  passengers and 93  mail bags  to  land there and  another 90 passengers and 22 bags  of mail  for Cherbourg  and  arrived  at Southampton early on the  16th to  disembark the remaining 234. 

There were 68 First, 123 Second and 154 Third  Class tickets sold to New York for Teutonic's 22 June  1910 sailing.  She  got into New  York  on the  30th, and among those disembarking was Miss Beatrice  Forbes Robinson, English suffragrette and actress who was  married  two and a half hours after arrival.

Marking the beginning  of the peak  European travel season,  6 July  1910 saw Campania, President Lincoln and Teutonic sailing from New York,  the  White  Star liner going out  with 179 First, 107 Second and 103 Third  Class passengers.  Encountering  "light easterly  to fresh southerly breezes followed  by rain and fog,"  Teutonic put  in a slow crossing of 7 days 27 mins,  averaging 18.27  knots, to  reached  Plymouth at 6:00 p.m. on the 13th.  There, she shed 70 of  her passengers  and 769  bags of  mail, with another 106 passengers and 279 bags to land at Cherbourg and a remaining 218 landing on arrival  at Southampton at 4:00 p.m. the  next day. 

Westbound once  again,  Teutonic sailed from Southampton  at noon  on 20 July 1910 and when  she  cleared  Queenstown  the following,  had 105  First, 165 Second and 123 Third Class passengers, one of whom  had  special  berthing  arrangements:

The modern Atlantic greyhound is the last word in the comfort and convenience of ocean travel, but for once even the varied resources of the White Star Line hare been put to the test. 

The problem was Donald McCormick, the eight-foot drum major of the Kilties Band, who goes out to New York to-morrow in the Teutonic with tho rest of the company.

The ordinary ship's berth, though ample enough for the normal man," was totally inadequate to accommodate the length of limb of this modern son of Anak.

However, the stewards' department, sided, it may be, by the ship's carpenter, have risen to the occasion, and Donald will be able to cross comfortably to the other side in a specially elongated berth without any danger of cramp.

Southern Daily  Echo, 19 July  1910.

The Kilties,  a Canadian concert  band was returning  home after a lengthy  tour in the  Old Country. Teutonic was  reckoned by the  New York Times to  "be the first transatlantic steamship to bring  a story of  rough  weather along the  North  Atlantic," when she arrived late  on 28 July 1910, after battling head seas and southwest gales for  the last  half of her crossing over. 

Going  out with Caronia on  3  August  1910, Teutonic  left  New York with 88 First, 69 Second and 117 Third  Class passengers who enjoyed a much nicer  crossing  than the  trip over with "moderate to  fresh  S.W. wind for the  first  three  days, light airs in mid-Atlantic, then  moderate, light, variable breezes, and smooth sea," and  reached  Plymouth at 1:32  a.m. on  the  11th.  She landed 39 passengers there  in the middle of the night  and  1,049 bags of mail and  was  off  at 2:05 a.m. for  Cherbourg for which  she  had 69 passengers and  388  bags of  mail and  on arrival at Southampton on the  12th, disembarked 187. 

Teutonic arrived  at Southampton during  a  dispute between White Star Line and their firemen and much  depended  on the attitude  of  her firemen, greasers  and trimmers when  they came in  and more importantly, if  they  would sign-on  for her  next  voyage  out.  Adriatic's  firemen had  already refused  to sign but Teutonic's "black gang," probably the toughest and most independent  in the Merchant Navy, decided against joining the strike which was soon settled.

On the  job,  her  stokers had her fireboxes trimmed and the smoke rolling from her funnels as Teutonic clearing her Southampton berth at midday 17 August 1910 and  after  calling at Cherbourg and  Queenstown,  had a  fine  list  of  242 First,  181 Second and 222 Third  Class.  Several of  them caused much interest on arrival  at New  York  on the  24th:

Among passengers arriving  yesterday on the White Star liner Teutonic, from Southampton, were a party of three in the first cabin who had created considerable interest on the voyage over. Two were Italians, who were on the passenger list as Marucci, the Noble Emo of the Counts Castelpidaro, a man about 30 years old, and Aldo Benedetto, a youth of 15, who was dressed in a blue serge Knickerbocker suit, Eton collar, and short socks. The third was Marquis Spencer-Turner,  O.S.M.G., an American, who explained that these Initials indicated that he was a Knight of the Sovereign Order of Malta.

New York  Times, 26 August 1910.   

There were only  33 First,  52 Second and 106 Third for Teutonic's  31 August 1910 departure for the Channel ports and arrived at Plymouth  at 7:15 p.m. on 7 September after a fair weather and smooth  seas passage all the way  across. She landed 34 passengers and 354 bags  of  mail there with another 36  passengers and 90  bags to  drop  at  Cherbourg and arrived at Southampton the following  afternoon, disembarking her  remaining 129 passengers. 

A Liverpool correspondent has discovered is rumoured that when the Olympic and Titanic are completed and placed in the Southampton and New York service of the line the company will transfer from Southampton the well-known liners Majestic and Teutonic to their Liverpool and Canadian trade. Put another way that would mean that the Majestic and Teutonic, having become out of date for the first-class trade being done at Southampton, will return to Liverpool to end their days in respectable mediocrity.

Southampton Times and Hampshire Express,  10 September 1910.

Immune to such musings,  Teutonic  went  about  her business, still  holding her own  in the  "first-class trade"  for  awhile longer  and  clearing  Southampton  on the morning of 14 September  1910, numbering  among her passengers the Bishop of  Salisbury and his  Chaplain (the  Rev. J.S. Johnson)  and Count and  Countess Moltke.  On  departure  from Queenstown the  next day,  she  had 259 First (almost a full house), 166 Second and 315 Third Class.   She got  into New  York on the  afternoon of  the  21st.  

Ignored by the press, Teutonic  left New York on 28 September 1910  with a small enough list-- 27 First, 39 Second and 155 Third--  to warrant the disinterest.   They had a blustery passage  to Plymouth: "at the outset light  to fresh  N.W. and N.E. breezes, followed  by  W.S.W. gale, which continued  for two days, then strong  to moderate S.S.W.  Breeze,"  arriving  there  at 4:15 p.m. on  5 October.  Landing 11 passengers  and 506 bags  of  mail.    she was off  24 minutes later for Cherbourg where 52 passengers left her and on to Southampton whereher remaining 162 passengers disembarked on the 6th.

It was reported on 11 October 1910  that, as the previous winter,  Teutonic and Majestic would be laid up  at Southampton during  the winter months. 

Among those embarking  in Teutonic  for New York at Southampton on 12 October 1910 was Sir William Grey-Wilson, Governor of the Bahamas and Mr. W.B.  Churchward, British Consul at Puerto Rico whilst at Cherbourg the French aviatiors Emile Aubrun, Rene Simon,  C. Audemars and Rene  Barrier  embarked, bound for  the International Aviation Tournament at Belmont  Park.   On departure Queenstown on the 13th, she went  out  with 93 First,  267  Second and 357 Third Class passengers and arrived  at New York  on the 20th. 

Outbound from New York on 26  October  1910, Teutonic  left with  only 20  First, 37 Second and 224 Third Class passengers  whose crossing featured  "moderate to fresh westerly breeze  at the onset, followed by  a S.S.W. gale, light variable breezes  and calms in mid-ocean,afterward  strong  N.W. breezes  to fresh  gale,  which moderated on approaching  the English Channel."  Teutonic got them into Plymouth at 3:40 p.m. on 2 November, doing the passage in 6 days 17 hours 24 mins. at average speed of  18.43 knots.  Fourteen passengers left her  there and 1,109 bags of mail were landed before  she left for Cherbourg with  93  passengers and 394 bags of mail and she  arrived  at Southampton on the 3rd, landing her remaining  181 passengers. 

With 31 First,115 Second and 161 Third Class passengers, Teutonic passed Daunt's Rock, Queenstown  at 1:10 p.m. on  10 November 1910 for New York where  she docked on the  17th.

Outbound for the  Channel Ports, Teutonic passed out of New York  Harbor on 23 November  1910 with 19 First (one of the smallest list  in this class in her history), 56 Second and 215 Third Class passengers.   Teutonic took  her  time getting them to Plymouth and averaging 17.56 knots, she arrived at 12:15 a.m. on 1 December, 7 days 58 mins. out of New York.  She landed 46 passengers, 1,341 bags  of mail and  $150,000 in specie there and resumed passage  to Cherbourg where  she landed 75 passengers and 388 bags of mail. On arrival at Southampton, she disembarked her remaining 171 passengers. 

Work on  completing the Ocean Dock, begun in 1907, was almost complete and it was reported on 19 November 1910 (Southampton Times and Hampshire Express)  that "the new deep water dock has been so far completed that the White Star ship  Teutonic will be  berth there for overhaul in January."

Beginning her  final voyage  of the year,  Teutonic sailed from Southampton on  7 December  1910.  Following her calls at  Cherbourg and Queenstown, she had 50 First, 149 Second and 111 Third Class passengers. Of more  interest,  however, was her record Christmas mail  consignment she brought into New York on  the 16th, totalling 5,174 bags which  compared the previous recent records:

15  Dec 1909  Oceanic 5,134 bags

16  Dec 1908 Teutonic 4,653  bags

19 Dec 1907 Majestic  4,968 bags

20  Dec 1906 Majestic 4,599  bags

Among  those disembarking  were  French  aviators E. Audemars and Andre Bellot who were to  take part in  cross-country flights  at New Orleans and  San  Francisco, and tenor Giovanno Zenatello. 

Mail figured  prominently  on Teutonic's final departure from New York that season (and as events proved forever as a commercial liner) on  21  December 1910. She left with 5,004 bags of  mail and $600,000 in specie, as well as 83 First, 78 Second and 293 Third Class passengers.  The weather across featured "Off the American coast moderate westerly gale to strong westerly breeze,  light  variable  winds and calms in mid-ocean, thence fresh northwest winds  to Plymouth," where she  arrived at7:33p.m. on the28th.  She did the passage, her  last from New  York, in 6 days and 21 hours at an average  speed  of 18.1 knots with daily  runs of 347, 295,419, 409, 411, 448, 437 and 107 up to the Eddystone.  Teutonic landed 54 passengers and 3,920 bags of  mail  at Plymouth.

The White Star liner Teutonic, which reached Plymouth last night, brought 5,004 bags of mail which the ship's purser Mr. J. A. Shepherd, states the largest mail ever despatched from New York by east-bound vessel.  This heavy consignment of mails is largely due to the fact that no German Lloyd liner called at Ply month on Monday, and there iss no doubt that the reduced postage rates between this country and the United States have helped to swell the bully of the enormous correspondence received from the States during the Christmas, 

Of the 5,004 bags of mails brought by the Teutonic. 3,920 sacks were put ashore at Plymouth, 981 bags were for Cherbourg, and the remaining 103 for Southampton. This constitutes a record landing of mails for the Port of Plymouth, the largest previous number having been brought by the Philadelphia of the American Line, on December 26th, 1908 when 3,540 sacks were landed. in addition to the mails, 54 passengers and their baggage were disembarked at Plymouth, as well as 35 tons of silver specie. of the value of 600.000 dollars.

The weight of the mails put ashore was upwards of 100 tons, the rapid handling of which necessitated the engaging of 240 mail porters. Three G.W.R tenders awaited the arrival of the Teutonic in Cawsand Bay where the liner arrived at 7.50 p.m. by Two of the tender were back at Millbay Docks by  9.30 p.m. with passengers and the mails, whilst the third tender remained behind for the specie. The passenger special was despatched for Paddington 10.9 p.m.,the mails in ten vans, making up a train left the docks at 10.42 p.m. whilst the specie was sent  to London by midnight  passenger express, which  left Millbay at 12:10  this  morning. 

Western Morning News, 29  December 1910.

In 1910,  Teutonic made 9 westbound crossings carrying 4,588 passengers and 9 eastbound  crossings  carrying 2,784 passengers or  a total of 7,372 passengers.  

White  Star-Dominion Line  poster featuring Teutonic by artist Montague Birrell Black. Credit: invaluable.com

As is well known, the White Star Line have at present building at Belfast the Olympic and Titanic, vessels which for size will eclipse everyhing afloat, both leviathans being of 45,000 tons They will be propelled in the same manner  the Laurentic. The Olympic will sail on her maiden voyage from Southampton, calling at Cherbourg and Queenstown, to New York On June 14th, and the Titanic will be launched at Belfast on May 31st.

The company's well-known steamer Teutonic will be taken out of the Southampton and New York Trade, and, after being refitted, placed in the Liverpool and Canadian trade in May. She will be altered so as to carry The two Teutonic classes when built was one of the first vessels adapted for of passengers- cabin and third class. mercantile armed cruiser. It was present as such on the occasion of the great naval review held at Spithead, and was visited by the German Emperor, who expressed his satisfaction with everything on board.

Southampton Times and  Hampshire Express, 31 December  1910

White  Star under I.M.M. enjoyed primacy over  all other component lines  of  the  combine, reflecting both their undoubted  prestige and the astonishing amount  of money for which they was acquired.  But  its ensuing  expansion-- to Canada, Boston and  the Mediterranean  was on borrowed wings as it  assumed what it  had not  created or nurtured.  Of all of the  great  lines subsumed by the I.M.M.   into White Star, none  was greater than  Dominion Line whose service from Liverpool into  the  St. Lawrence dated to  1872, followed by new routes  to  Boston and in 1901,  to  the Mediterranean.  In 1903, all that  had been  accomplished by  Dominion  was given to White Star and operations thereafter known as "White-Star  Dominion Line".   

That Dominion were now the  junior partner was demonstrated when the new Alberta  and Albany, laid down  in 1908,  were  instead completed as  Laurentic and Megantic  and ran  under White Star colours with Dominion's Canada and Dominion on the weekly  service.  Amid burgeoning immigration to  Canada, White  Star-Dominion enjoyed booming business and by late 1910 and coincidental with the impending  completion of the first of the monster trio  for the  New York run,  Olympic, plans were made to  place  Teutonic on the  Canadian run  followed by Majestic following completion of  Titanic.   Teutonic would, in  fact,  be  the first actual White  Star ship  to operate on  the  Canadian run and the  first  example of a "demotion" to that route although  she immediately became possibly the fastest (as a rival  to Canadian Northern's Royal George  and Royal  Edward), the longest  and with the highest passenger capacity on the  St. Lawrence  route. 

1911

On Christmas Eve, 1910, White Star announced that Teutonic  "will be  placed in the White  Star-Dominion service, and will voyage between Liverpool and Quebec and Montreal throughout the  season. The  saloon  accommodation is  to  be converted into second cabin, and she will also carry third-class passengers." (Lloyd's  List,  24 December 1910).   It  was further  announced  that Dominion  would  be effectively  replaced  by  Teutonic and  be transferred  to American Line's  Liverpool-Philadelphia in yet  another  of IMM's now  familiar inter combine  tonnage  swaps.  

In an age when The Ocean Liner  assumed great importance and those of White Star, given the anticipated introduction of Olympic that coming  summer, even more headline generating,  the  news  was afforded considerable newspaper coverage:

With the advent of the Olympic next summer the White Star Line must perforce find work elsewhere for one of the steamers now running on the Southampton-New York route, it is the Teutonic which is to be displaced. This famous liner is to be put into the White Star Dominion service to Canada but not before her existing first-class accommodation has been transformed into second-class. While there is no real loss of dignity to a ship which  nowadays put into the Canadian trade the present step is a direct intimation that the crack boat in the New York passenger service is liable to be superseded. Not so many years ago  the Teutonic and her sister-ship the  Majestic represented the last word in Atlantic luxury That, however,  was a period when the steamer of 10,000 tons or less was accounted of monster dimensions.

In point of speed the Teutonic is--and remains — a notable ship. On her  first trip  she  crossed  from Queenstown to New York in 6 days 14 hours 20 min. But two years afterwards when her engine had grown more accustomed to their work she reduced the Atlantic voyage to 5  days 16 hours 31 mins.,  or  an average  speed of 20.35  knots.  It may be doubted if the Olympic will do much better than that, for comfort rather than speed is the modern aim of  the White Star.  The fact may be recalled that the Teutonic and the Majestic were both built for use a armed cruisers by arrangement with the Admiralty They were to carry 4.7’s and to be largely manned by Naval Reserve men. All that has now gone by the board. The removal of the Teutonic to the Canadian service where she should be highly popular,  gets rid of at least one difficulty. If she and the mammoth Titanic had both been running on the Southampton- New York route their names would have caused endless confusion.

The Daily  Telegraph,  2 January  1911.

It  was an important announcement on  many  levels, representing  the  first  direct  transfer of  significant White Star tonnage  to the  Canadian route and the  first  example  of  "demoting" an express liner to the route, in  itself  not perhaps  entirely  flattering.  It  would,  however, place  what was still  one  of  the fastest and best known of all Atlantic liners  on the  St.  Lawrence route and a direct response to the new  Royal Line (Canadian National) Royal  Edward and Royal George  introduced  in 1910 and breaking all speed records on the St. Lawrence run in short order.  

Before the transfer is effected, the saloon accommodation of this vessel will be converted to second cabin, and extensive interior alterations of an attractive nature will be made. The Teutonic will, therefore, only take second and third class passengers in future. 

London Evening Standard, 24  December 1910.

The Teutonic will then fully meet the needs of that increasing section of passengers who, whilst requiring high class accommodation, do not care to pay the higher pricing ruling  in the steamers carrying both first and second class. The Teutonic will, therefore, only take second and third in future, as is already the practice in the came of the Canada and Dominion of the same service. These three twin-screw steamers, in conjunction the 'palatial Laurentic, triple-screw, and Megantic, twin-screw (which latter carry first, second and third class passengers, and are the largest is the trade) should form a very strong com bination, and White Star-Dominion Canadian service will thus he able to meet, the of what promises to be a strenuous Canadian newton next year. 

The third class sleeping  accommodation  on the Teutonic will consist entirely of enclosed rooms---there will not be any open berths and as addition to  the advantages mentioned the  steamer will be the fastest in the  Canadian trade, the importance of the  transfer will  be  recognised. 

Liverpool Journal of  Commerce, 24 December 1910.

The most lasting  result of  Teutonic's redeployment on the  Canadian run was the decision to convert her   as "single class" (saloon or Second Class) ship with  Third Class, as the  first White Star ship of the sort  that came to  be called a "cabin boat" and a type that really  originated on the  Canadian route although it  will be recalled that  White Star's  groundbreaking Cymric  of 1899 had but  one saloon class but  this was rated as  First, and Third  Class only. 

One of the more  popular innovations among Atlantic intermediate liners in the decade before the Great War, were the so-called "Cabin boats," a development perhaps at odds with the prevailing class-consciousness of the Edwardian Era.  Ironically, the Cabin Boat's egalitarian rationality was ruined in the norm bending "Roaring  Twenties" by the contrivance of "Tourist Third."  The Transat's Chicago of 1908 is often and erroniously cited as the first true cabin boat, offering what was  called Classe Democratique as the sole saloon class accommodation, but White Star's Cymric of 1898 must take precedence here. The Canadian route quickly embraced the concept with White  Star-Dominion introducing  the  concept to  their fleet in 1908 with  Dominion and in  1909 and then  Canada a year later.  Donaldson followed with the new Saturnia of 1910, then Cunard's Ascania a year later. The newbuildings for Cunard in 1913, too, were cabin ships and the type became a Canadian run staple. 

However, nomenclature  mattered in the Trans-Atlantic Passenger Conference,  so pre-war there was technically no such thing as a "cabin" or "one-class" liner, rather "one-class (second class)" to qualify for the second class tariff.   Irrespective of what it was called, the appeal remained for Second Class passengers who could  now enjoy "top class" status and enhanced accommodation, deck space and public rooms at the same fare as being sandwiched in the middle on the big steamers.  It also rationalised the layout on smaller intermediate-sized ships as well offering an acceptable trade-off of comfort for speed.  

On 2 January 1911  White  Star Line announced that after  Olympic sailed  on her maiden voyage from Southampton and Cherbourg on 14 June, Adriatic would be  transferred to the Liverpool-New York and Teutonic to the Liverpool-St. Lawrence run of Dominion-White Star Line, carrying only Second and Third  Class  passengers, starting that  May. 

The Teutonic will be one of the biggest liners coming into Montreal, for she outstrips both the Laurentic the Megantic in size, being 582 feet in length, and 58 feet in breadth, as compared with the Laurentic and Megantic's length of 565 feet. The Allen liners Victorian and Virginian are 540 feet in length.

Some of the saloon accommodation of the Teutonic is to be converted into second cabin accommodation to meet the needs of the Canadian service, but the present general line of comfortable appointments will be maintained. 

The ship will replace either the Dominion or the Canada, which have done excellent for the company between Liverpool and Canada in the past.

It is probable that the Teutonic will be followed on the Canadian route by the Majestic, sister ship of the Teutonic, as the White Star line will next year have the Olympic and the Titanic, now under construction on the New York service.

The bigger ships that will be brought  up  the St. Lawrence will enable the White Star-Dominion Line to compete  for the new Canadian mail  contract which is  to  be given out in 1912.

The  Leader-Post, 3 January  1911.

Teutonic would be refitted for her new role at Southampton by  Harland & Wolff's  establishment there, "at the new deep  water dock" (Ocean Dock) which had been built starting since  1907 for  White  Star and American Line and completed in time for  Olympic's maiden voyage that June. 

It should again be noted that what has repeatedly  been asserted in other published accounts of Teutonic, namely that the  refit  was carried out at  Belfast  and included extensively plating in of her  covered promenade decks, etc., are wholly inaccurate.   The  work was done at Southampton  and was mainly concerned with  re-arranging her existing  First and  Second  Class accommodation to one-class  (Second) and providing  all private cabin accommodation for Third  with very  little structural alterations or  changes to her appearance. When completed, she accommodated 550 Second and 1,000  Third Class passengers, more than  any  other  ship on the  Canadian run. 

On 20  February  1911 the Liverpool  Journal of  Commerce reported  that after two more  voyages  on the  New York  run, Majestic would "sail in the  company's  service between Liverpool, Quebec and  Montreal throughout the  summer and autumn in conjunction with the  triple-screw  Laurentic,  and twin-screw  Teutonic.  The  latter steamer is meanwhile  fitted  for  second and third  class passengers, for  whom exceptionally  attractive  accommodation is be provided."  Indicative of the promising  record season to Canada, the Liverpool Journal  of Commerce reported on 15  March that "all companies  having tonnage running to Canadian ports  from Liverpool have been beseiged  with applications from all quarters for accommodation, and quite  a number  of steamers are already  booked  up…"  It  was added  that Laurentic  and Megantic,  alone, carried  over 10,000  third  class passengers  in 1910.   It was further stated that Teutonic would make  her first  voyage to Canada on 13 May.   By 3  April it was reported  that  her conversion  was  "nearing  completion."

The Teutonic will carry cabin passengers in one class only and third class passengers.  The cabin accommodation has been greatly enlarged, and a fine ladies' room  has been added to the public  rooms,  which also include a spacious and beautifully decorated lounge and a smoking room. The stateroom are large and airy.  The  third class has also been rearranged  and all passengers will be berthed  in closed cabins, while the former second  class  dining  saloon  has  been converted  for their use, and a fine  lounging room has been provided on deck.

The Standard,  18 May 1911.

With work  on her  completed well in advance  of the opening of  the  St. Lawrence to  traffic later that spring, it  was  arranged  to  dispatch Teutonic  on a  round voyage  to New  York carrying  Second and Third only,  from  Southampton on  19 April 1911 that would return to Liverpool, her  new  base for  her Canadian  sailings.

The Teutonic, which takes the regular White Star New York sailing from Southampton tomorrow, is not to return to the Hampshire port. Her destination on the homeward voyage will be Liverpool, from which she is subsequently to trade with the St. Lawrence. For several weeks she has lain in the new deepwater dock at Southampton undergoing extensive alteration, to her passenger accommodation. She has now no first-class cabins, the whole of the saloon quarters being devoted to the requirements of second-class business. As this includes what were the first-class dining saloon. smoke-room, lounge, and reading and writing room, and also the promenade deck, the Teutonic will obviously be as attractive a ship as is in the Canadian service. In eliminating the first-class the White Star are of course only following a practice which they adopted some years ago. 

Liverpool Journal of Commerce, 18  April 1911.

Teutonic left  Southampton at noon on 19 April 1911 and arrived  at New  York, via  Cherbourg, the  evening of the 27th after a slow and stormy  crossing of 7  days  4  hours  and 46 minutes, The Sun (28th) reporting that  she "never  may  be seen here again." She landed 296 Second and 301 Third Class passengers. "The White Star liner Teutonic, which twenty-two years ago was the crack flyer of the White Star Line, made her first trip to this port last night as a second class vessel. The 48,000-ton Olympic, which is due here in June, has forced her back into the "has been" class. While her arrival here last night is the first appearance of the Teutonic as a second rater, will be her last visit to this port. On her return to Liverpool she will be put into the Canadian service." (New  York Tribune, 28  April 1911).

Bidding  final farewell to New York on at 11:00 a.m.  3 May  1911, Teutonic sailed with 249  Second and 290 Third Class passengers for  Liverpool, called at Queenstown, 6:50 a.m.-7:40 a.m. on the 10th and arrived  in the Mersey at 9:00 p.m. the same day, her first  visit  there  in four  years.  Among her  cargo  was 876  quarters  of beef.

"Booked absolutely full," (Liverpool Courier),  Teutonic with  536 Second Class and 763 Third Class passengers, sailed from Liverpool on her  maiden voyage  to Montreal at 7:00 p.m. on 13 May  1911, her passengers from  London departing Euston at 12:10  p.m. and embarking at 5:15 p.m.  

The Teutonic, which the White Star line have transferred from their New York service to the St. Lawrence route, commenced her first voyage to this port on Saturday with 504 cabin and 800 third class passengers. This is a pretty good showing for a first trip, and officials of the company here are pleased with the success which has attended the enterprise of taking the boat off the New York run and putting her on the St. Lawrence route.  She will be replaced on the New York route by the Olympic, the largest vessel afloat at the present time.

The Gazette, 15 May 1911.

Whilst in Montreal on a business trip and  meeting  with White Star-Dominion officials  there, P.A.S.  Franklin,  Vice President of IMM, told the Gazette:

... in order to meet the increased traffic by this route which they feel is bound to accrue during the next few years, they will in all probability, said Mr. Franklin, put the Majestic on this route in the near future. She is the sister ship to the Teutonic, and with these two ships running in conjunction with the Laurentic and Megantic, they will then have a fortnightly service here and Liverpool for each class of travel. 'The Laurentic and Megantic will as heretofore continue to carry on a service for the benefit of those who may desire a ship with three classes, while the Teutonic and the Majestic will appeal to those who prefer what is practically the combination of the first and second classes.

Teutonic comparatively loafed  across on her  first  voyage to Canada and reported 135 miles southeast of  Cape  Race at 7:45 a.m.  on the morning  of 18 May 1911,  occasioning The Gazette the next day to comment, "While she is not  apparently doing any  very rapid  steaming on  this,  her  first  voyage, she  likely  to  do far better  later  on, and  even the  fastest ships on the St. Lawrence  route will  have to look  to the laurels,  when her commander commences to  push  her."  

Teutonic sails from Quebec. Note her unaltered appearance.  Credit: Archives Canada. 

Teutonic  arrived at Quebec the morning of  20 May 1911, "the fine lines and graceful proportions of  the ship are quite  a  contrast  to most  vessels coming into this port.  The  Teutonic is  the longest steamer ever seen in the river, having an overall length  of 582  feet, and her powerful   engines of  18,000  horsepower, capable  of  developing a  speed of knots an hour, it  is  expected she will win the blue  ribbon honors  on  the St. Lawrence route."  (The Standard,  18  May 1911). 

When Teutonic came into Montreal on  21 May  1911, "owing to  her great length there was some difficulty experienced in getting her  to  her  berth  yesterday morning. However, the mooring was successfully completed, and all passengers were ashore and most of them away from the sheds before lunch  time. Captain James, who is command of  the ship, said that with  the  exception of a couple of days of typical North Atlantic  weather he  had had a fair voyage." (The  Gazette).  It was added "in the course of her recent trip her biggest day's steaming was 457 miles, and while this is by no means approaching a record, her average must be considered a distinctly good one considering that she is new to the  route. However, the question of  speed is perhaps not quite so much a matter of  necessity as is that of  comfort, and it is  in this particular she  excels."  It was claimed that her 536 Cabin passengers constituted a record for the  Canadian  run and including crew, Teutonic's compliment comprised 1,648. Of  her new  Canadians, the  Gazette said "Like all the immigrants this  season,  they were  a likely looking  lot  for this country, for  they all appeared to be  possessed  of sufficient capital to carry them through several bad years in the  West, to which they are bound, should  it be  necessary."

A dinner marking the  ship's  entry  into the  Canadian service  was held  aboard Teutonic the  evening  of  the  23rd, "attended by  many well-known  citizens,"  (Montreal Star) which  noted  that "the  Teutonic is  one of the most famous liners in service, and is  a splendid addition to the fine  White  Star  fleet which is now coming  to  Montreal." The next day, Victoria Day, the  ship was opened to visitors from 10:00 a.m. to  4:00 p.m. and "many  took the advantage of the opportunity to look over the ship," (Gazette, 26 May).  That same day  a party of 200 new settlers to the Dominion who came over in Teutonic, arrived at Winnipeg, many to  settle there with others continued to destination further  west via the C.N.R..  Another function, hosted  by Captain  James  and  White Star-Dominion Lines Montreal manager, James Thom, was held aboard on the  26th, a luncheon for  200 passenger  agents and steamship agents. 

Mr. Thom, in welcoming his guests, drew their attention to the fact that the ship, while by no means a new one, was still capable of making the best liners hustle if they wanted to beat her across the Atlantic, while  as a sea boat there was scarcely one that could even today compare with her. Mr. George Ham, who represented the C.P.R.  eulogised the White Star line for their enterprise in putting such vessels as the Teutonic and Majestic on the route, on which he believed there was plenty of room for all, with the Immigration increasing so much every year. It was certainly a good sign for the future of the St. Lawrence, he thought, that such a vessel as the Teutonic, which had in her day been one of the crack boats on the North Atlantic had been placed on the route.

The  Gazette, 26  May  1911.

Credit: The Montreal Star, 27 May  1911.

Teutonic's advent on the  Canadian run and indeed  the  introduction of Olympic, happily coincided  with that  apogee of  The British Empire:  the Coronation of  H.M. King George V in June 1911.  When  Teutonic sailed from Montreal on her  maiden eastbound  crossing  from The Dominion,  many of her  saloon passengers included  those  bound  for London and the coronation festivities.  As was customary for  liners  departing  Montreal,  sailing  time  was at daybreak and embarkation the previous  evening:  

The Teutonic, which is due to sail for Liverpool this morning, has been attracting crowds of visitors during her stay in port, and last night was no exception. Apparently there were but few of the hundreds who thronged her decks who were actually seeing friends spite of the fact that she is carrying 376 in the cabin and 83 in the third class. The majority who were on board had evidently attracted as much by curiosity as by anything else, and were loud in their praises of the ship and her appointments.

The  Gazette, 27 May 1911.

Teutonic sailed on 27 May 1911 with 377 Second  Class and 118 Second  Class as well as six  deportees. Calling  at Quebec at 1:30 p.m.,  Teutonic proceeded  eastbound into the  St. Lawrence, passing Fame Point at 4:00  p.m.  on the 29th and into the Atlantic. Teutonic  arrived at Liverpool  on 2  June. 

Whilst  Teutonic  was coursing  eastwards, the  Southampton Times  and Hampshire Express  of 3 June 1911 picked  up the story  of Majestic joining  on her  on the  Canadian run:   "Mr. Franklin, the vice president of of the International Mercantile Marine, has made the statement that the Majestic will shortly be placed on the Canadian service of the White Star Line. If this turns out to be true, it will not be surprising, because it has been thought all along that she would follow the Teutonic, which in proving a popular boat on the St. Lawrence run. It is not certain when the Majestic will leave this port, but it won't happen this year. Perhaps she will be superseded by the Titanic, which is expected at Southampton early next year, but there is no official intimation on the point." 

The strike by the  International Seamen's Union which  began on  14  June 1911 risked the  scheduled sailings  of Teutonic  and Empress of  Ireland that  weekend for  Canada  from Liverpool, the  350-man crew of the White  Star  liner  refusing  to  sign-on for  the voyage.    Olympic was just  able  to depart Southampton on her  maiden voyage  that day to New York.  Only when White  Star agreed to increased  their wages by 10 s. a month, did Teutonic's men sign on just  before  her scheduled departure and that  of Baltic. 

Departing Liverpool on 17 June 1911, and  after calling  at Queenstown, Teutonic had 210  Second Class and  494 Third  Class passengers  for  Canada.   Making good time, she wirelessed at 3:00  p.m. on the 21st that she was 260 miles east  of  Cape  Race and off Cape Ray at daylight on the  23rd, but as so often that  time of  year, dense fog  encountered  in the Gulf of  St.  Lawrence held  up  her and she  did not  get  into Montreal until 6:00 a.m. on the  25th.  Capt. James told the  Gazette, he could have her in before noon on the 24th otherwise, having made some capital daily runs, the  best being  480 miles.  

Credit: The Gazette,  26 June  1911.

Having embarked  her 485 First Class and 93  Third  Class passengers (and seven deportees),  Teutonic sailed  from Montreal at 4:00 a.m. on Dominion Day (1 July 1911), passing Trois Rivieres at 9:45 a.m. and  in this Golden Age of the Ocean Liner, she went out with Ionian  and Cassandra for Glasgow, Albania, Mount Temple  and Pomeranian  for London.   "It is  not likely  that any  of  the six will attempt  the passage through the straits of Belle Isle, for up  to  the time of their sailing, latest reports  as  to the ice conditions in that neighborhood were far from reassuring." (Gazette,  3 July). Teutonic passed out  of Fame Point at  noon on the 2nd.  She  arrived at  Liverpool  on at 8:00 p.m. on the 8th.

Beginning her third  voyage  to Canada, Teutonic  cleared the Mersey on 15 July  1911, her passengers embarking at Prince's Landing Stage at 5:15 p.m. for  a 6:30 p.m sailing.  After calling at Queenstown,  she numbered 323 Second  Class and 487 Third Class in her passenger list.  At 2:00 p.m. on the 19th, she  reported being  120 miles  east of Belle  Isle and  making knots.  Capt. James wirelessed  the  Montreal office  on the  morning of  the  20th  that Teutonic  had logged 3  days 21 hours  45 mins.  from  Inistrahull to  Belle Isle, a new record for the passage with  daily runs of  267, 464, 457, 465 and 237 miles or  averaging over  460 miles on her three full days' steaming.  But once she was frustrated  by fog after Belle  Isle which slowed her progress and she got into Quebec too late on the  21st  to land her Third Class passengers and instead of  getting into Montreal  at daybreak on the 22nd, she arrived on that afternoon.  Just above Sorel, Teutonic was met in mid river  by the outbound Laurentic, which  a special party, hosted by  White Star-Dominion, of  members of the  National Editorial  Association, as far as Quebec, "The passing of these two great vessels, the Teutonic, only a few years ago the finest and fastest ship afloat, and the Laurentic, the biggest ship coming up the St. Lawrence, a pretty sight, and the ease with which it was done did much to impress the party with the developed capacity of the route." (Gazette, 24 July 1911).  Teutonic was delayed docking and held at  the quarantine station when it  was found that 17  Third Class passengers had trachoma and landed there. 

Teutonic at Quebec with  Allan  Line's Grampian in the river.  Credit:  Archives  Canada.

A record in the handling of freight has been accomplished by the Teutonic, and even the heaviest packages have been delivered in Toronto by this vessel in practically the same time, as have been the malls arriving here addressed to that city. The Teutonic left Liverpool at 7 p.m. on Saturday, 15th, and arrived in, this port at 5 p.m. on Saturday 22nd. The freight which she brought for the Queen City was on board the cars tl at same night and was actually in Toronto on the Sunday afternoon.While there were, of course, no consignees in Toronto who would handle freight on a Sunday, it was there, If they had wished to claim it, and, as a matter of fact, many of them had the packages in their warehouses yesterday morning, a full couple of hours before they received the mall announcing its dispatch by that boat.

The Gazette, 25 July 1911.

Whilst embarking 193 Second Class and 58 Third Class the evening of 28 July 1911 for departure at daybreak  the next  day, the  Gazette  reported:  "Captain James is determined  to lower  the record from land to land  during  the  present  season, and with a ship like the Teutonic, which  was  fast enough  to be  the crack vessel of all the lines  running  to New York in the early nineties, he  should have little  difficulty in accomplishing his  desire, providing the weather  conditions to not  interfere with him." Her departure was marred by  the  death by drowning of a grain trimmer who  jumped  into the water near Teutonic's berth  to save his hat  which  had blown into the water, and he suddenly sank.  Two Teutonic  seamen jumped  in to save him but  he  never surfaced. He left a widow and a nine-month-old baby girl.  Teutonic  went out with four other  liners: Ascania, Cassandra,  Corinthian and Ionian.  The White  Star  flyer  put  in an excellent run, reporting at 4:00 p.m. on 4 August to be just a few miles west of  Malin Head, which the  Gazette  called "quite  a notable performance" and indeed, she arrived at Liverpool at  daylight the following day.

Less timely, more  strikes  broke out and coaling  of  ships in Liverpool,  including  Teutonic, came to standstill for several days starting on 10 August 1911.  Able to  get  away  on schedule but without full bunkers,  Teutonic was sailed late  on the 12th with 511 Second and 336 Third Class passengers.  To conserve coal, she  crossed  at  reduced  speed and on arrival at Quebec on the 20th, took on 200 tons (mainly to ballast her to make  her  stiffer and easier to  answer her  helm up river)  there before proceeding to Montreal  where she docked  on the afternoon  of the  22nd. Although  expected she would  cross  at  half  speed, Teutonic  worked up to rather  better,  averaging  350  miles  a day up to Quebec.  She, at least,  made it cross  with Virginian and Megantic stranded on the other side for  want  of coal and their sailings for  Canada postponed.  

The strike was settled late on  22 August 1911, but White Star-Dominion took no chances and as they had with  Laurentic,  loaded Teutonic with sufficient coal for a roundtrip in Montreal and she went round  to Windmill  on the  23rd to take on  full bunkers (4,000 tons  in all) and would, consequently, sail with little cargo. Embarking her light compliment of 152 Second and 130 Third Class passengers the previous evening, Teutonic  sailed at daybreak on the 26th fully  coaled  and provisioned for  the  round  voyage.   She arrived at Liverpool on  2 September.

During Teutonic's  turnaround in Canada  Dock, Liverpool, she was the  focus  of  wild rumours  that someone was trapped in one of her coal bunkers  when men shifting her coal on 8 September 1911 claimed they  heard "strange  tappings" in  one of the bunkers.   A roll call of workers and a  thorough  search revealed nothing but  the  "Teutonic Mystery"  was good newspaper fodder for several  days  up to her  sailing for  Canada.  

With no further ado,  Teutonic cleared the Mersey on  9 September 1911  for Canada, getting away  at 2:30 p.m. with 496 Second  and 423 Third Class passengers.Arriving at Quebec at 8:30 p.m. on 15 September 1911, Teutonic left there at 9:00 a.m. the following morning and got into Montreal at  7:00 p.m.. Among those  landing  there was a  group of ministerial and lay  delegates  bound  for the  Ecumenical Methodist Conference in Toronto, convening on  4  October.  

White Star-Dominion announced on 21 September 1911 three  special Christmas  sailings  to the Old  County: Canada 2 December, Megantic  9th and  Teutonic  on the 14th, from Portland, Maine,  and Halifax, N.S..  

With a light  list  of  139  Second  and 130  Third  Class embarked  the  previous evening, Teutonic cast off  from her  Montreal pier at  daylight  on 23 September 1911,  passed  Cape Magdalen outbound  at noon on the 24th and arrived at Liverpool very early  on the  morning  of  the 30th in middle of  storm which tossed the  Mersey  ferries about  but, according to the  Liverpool Evening Express, "larger  craft appeared to come and go  with supreme indifference  to the wild  elements. The  Teutonic, of  the  White  Star-Dominion service, arrived very early in the morning from Quebec  and Montreal, and  discharged her  passengers at the Landing  Stage."

Embarking her 320  Second and 269  Third  Class passengers at Prince's Landing  Stage on 7 October 1911, Teutonic  sailed at  2:30 p.m.  for Canada. After "a goodly  share of the  Atlantic's ugly mood last  week,"  she  arrived at Montreal at  12:30 p.m. on  14th.    Teutonic sailed at  daybreak  on the 21st, and after calling  at Quebec later  that  day, had 179 Second  and 186 Third  Class passengers aboard and got into Liverpool on the  28th. 

Credit: The Gazette, 14 November 1911.

No  stranger  to North  Atlantic  weather, Teutonic was  sorely tested on her  next voyage and last to Montreal for the season, before the  St. Lawrence  was  closed  to  navigation.  Sailing from Liverpool on the  afternoon of 4 November  1911.   Teutonic  went straight  into the  first  a series  of gales within five hours  of  clearing  Mersey  Bar. When the battered liner finally got  into Montreal on the morning  of the 13th, a  day and  a half  late, the Gazette recounted a voyage her 111 Second and 375 Third Class passengers  most likely  wished they  could  have missed  entirely:

With every vestige of her deck awnings and curtains ripped to shreds within five hours of leaving Liverpool a week ago Saturday, her life boats filled with water and her forward boom smashed off at the hilt by the mountain seas that swept the liner from stem to stern, the Teutonic steamed into port yesterday morning, only a day and a half late. The ship had not one day of moderate weather on the whole voyage, and simply blew from one gale to another, while the passengers were kept locked below decks until the sheltered waters of Belle Isle were reached. When she entered the Straits the Teutonic was one mass of ice from mast- to main deck, which, passengers declare made her a very pretty picture when they were finally allowed on deck, although the sight was almost too a reminder of the uncomfortable time they had had to be enjoyed. Despite the terrific battering of the waves, which even on the unpoetical chart sheet were termed as 'mountainous,' the vessel suffered no serious damage, except to paint and rigging. But the voyage was one that both officers and men declare they will remember for the balance of their lives, as few except the most hardened sea-goers of the crew escaped violent attacks of sea sickness, while every one of the passengers was laid low. In the heaviest of the hurricane, yesterday week, with seas rolling forty feet and over, the liner made only three knots, and her total run for that twenty-four hours was 186 miles.

The Gazette, 14 November  1911.

The bad weather followed Teutonic right into the  St. Lawrence and although  expected to get into Montreal on the  12th, she "compelled to anchor in the rain and high  wind and Vercheres last night," and only  Royal George made it into Montreal over  the  weekend and she  was three days late. Lake Manitoba arrived in  the port  on  the  14th, logging an extraordinary 17 days for her passage  from Liverpool.  According  to the  Gazette of the  15, "the Teutonic was the  only  boat to report much damage. Her  greater  speed  and bulk are probably responsible  for  what damage  was sustained."

Making  her  final sailing  from Port of  Montreal of the season, Teutonic  departed  at  daybreak on 18  November  1911 and following her  call at  Quebec, had 113 Second and 399 Third Class passengers for  Liverpool where she arrived on the  26th.

Like all Canadian route lines,  White  Star-Dominion had their own alternate  North American ports when the  St. Lawrence River was closed to navigation (usually late November through April) and this was Halifax, N.S., and Portland, Maine.  

Making  her first such  voyage, Teutonic left Liverpool on 30  November 1911 with  53 Second and 181 Third Class, the meagre  passenger  list not atypical  for  a not terribly appealing time for an Atlantic  crossing  at  that time of year. How  unattractive was  shown on her first crossing  and on arrival  at Halifax the  evening  of 7  December, The  Evening Mail reporting that "Teutonic encountered strong winds and rough and high seas almost the entire passage. She made a good run yesterday, however, covering 450 miles. On the 3rd she made only 190 miles.  The  Teutonic is capable of making 20 knots, in fact on her last trip to Montreal she made  474 miles on November 11, an average  of 20  miles an  hours for  twenty-four hours.  The Portland Sunday  Telegram (10 December) reported:  During the trip from Liverpool the decks of the liner were from time to time swept by high seas and during a hurricane on  Dec 3 the weather was so severe that the officers were scarcely able to remain on the decks and had to have a firm hold of the railing. That day the speed of the vessel was so reduced that  the vessel-covered but 190 miles in the 24 hours."

Credit: The Evening Mail, 8 December 1911.

Teutonic  landed 28 Second and 128 Third Class passengers at  Halifax and The  Evening Mail added that "the  officers are all practical strangers to this  port,  having been on the  Teutonic on her former route. They speak highly  of Halifax harbor. She  is  commanded by  Captain R.W. James, her surgeon is Dr. L. Adamson, her purser W.J. O'Hagen and her chef  steward S.H.Tweedle."  Teutonic sailed for Portland shortly  after noon on 8 December 1911.  

Reminding of her Blue  Riband winning past as the last  of the  White  Star  record  breakers,  Teutonic managed a minor record on her  new route when she arrived  at Portland,  Maine, at 4:46 a.m. on 9 December 1911,  from Halifax, her 17-hour, 10-minute passage cutting more than an hour  off  the previous best for  the  run.  She landed 21 Second and  141 Third Class passengers  there.  She briefly  joined Megantic in the harbour which  sailed at 10:30 a.m.:

The steamship Megantic of the White Star line sailed yesterday morning at 19.30 with 800, passengers and a large general cargo. This her last trip here for the season, and to take proper notice of the same the Fu-Fu Band, composed of 23 members of the steward's department of the steamship Teutonic under the leadership of B. Clark, the director, played a serenade as the Megantic slowly steamed out into the harbor. This furnished much amusement for the passengers of the Megantic, and they clearly showed their appreciation and interest.

Portland Sunday Telegram, 10 December 1911.

Teutonic  left Portland for Halifax and Liverpool on 14 December 1911: "With tuneful blasts from the Teutonic FuFu band and cheers from a large crowd gathered at the dock, nearly 800 passengers returning to their native lands to pass the holidays with the 'old folks at home' sailed on the steamer Teutonic today for Liverpool. More passengers will be taken on at Halifax. All carried an extra amount of luggage, taking home presents purchased in the 'new land' for their relatives who have never been able to come to America. It is expected that the greater number of these people will return after the holidays or early in the spring."(Morning Sentinel, 15  December 1911). Almost all of her  passengers were Canadians, from as far as  Edmonton, Saskatoon and Winnipeg via St. Paul and Chicago to Portland  on special trains of the Grand Trunk Railway.

Homewards,  Teutonic called at Halifax on 15 December 1911 and left for Liverpool at 10:00 a.m.  "with a full  passenger list," which in reality consisted of 237 Second and 579 Third Class, reflecting her  special Christmas excursion.  They were favoured  with a  very fast winter crossing of just 5 days 19 hours with  Teutonic arriving  at Liverpool on the 21st.

In 1911, Teutonic made 9 westbound crossings carrying 6,485 passengers and 9 eastbound  crossings  carrying 4,107 or  a total of 10,592 passengers. 

Teutonic  at Quebec. Credit:  Archives Canada.

1912

Laid up at Huskisson Dock,  Liverpool for  overhaul  until February, Teutonic was  the scene of a tragic accident  on 15  January 1912 when two  of  her  crew found  a revolver in the captain's cabin in  a  case containing four  of the weapons and whilst  of them was  handling it, it  discharged, entering  the shoulder of John Groom, aged 27, of Bootle.  He  was taken to hospital but died late that  night.  

Returning to service,  Teutonic sailed  from Liverpool on  10  February 1912 with  155 Second and 347  Third Class passengers. Arriving off Halifax  in a heavy snowstorm, she was due to berth there at 8:00 a.m. on the 16th, but was not able to berth  until 4:00 p.m. that afternoon   where she landed 286 passengers.  One, William J. Barrett, looking for an exchange  office to  buy a ticket  for Montreal, opened instead a side door to the pier and fell right into the  water between wharf and ship, "He held himself on the edge  of an ice cake until rescued with considerable difficulty," (Telegraph-Journal, 19 February).  Among her passengers was Capt. McDade of the  schooner Hibernia, of Hansport,  N.S. which was abandoned  at  sea and her crew finally  rescued  by the steamer Dennis and taken to Liverpool.   Teutonic left  Halifax on the  18th and got into Portland at 1:00 a.m. on the 19th. 

Sailing from Portland  at 10:00 a.m. 24 February 1912 with 33 Second and 50 Third  Class passengers, Teutonic arrived at Liverpool at 2:00 p.m. on 2  March at 2:00 p.m., coming  in a half hour after Cymric from New  York. 

On 22 February 1912 the Canadian Olympic Committee announced that the team for the 1912 Games to be held in Stockholm  that July, would sail from Montreal on 15 June in Teutonic, train at Crystal  Palace  London and then continue to Stockholm to arrive on 2 July a few days before the games started. 

Teutonic left Liverpool at  2:30p.m. on  9 March  1912 for Halifax and Portland with 366 Second and 821 Third  Class.  On  arrival at  Halifax on the morning of  the 16th, she landed 560 of her passengers there.  Once  again winter weather on the Nova Scotian coast  impacted  schedules and although due to arrive at Portland on the  morning of the 17th,  a severe snowstorm had  her, instead, coming  in  at 8:00 a.m.  On the 18th "after  a rough passage  of  nine  days," (Sun-Journal) and landed 597 passengers. Teutonic left Portland on the 23rd for Liverpool with 48 Second and 56 Third Class passengers where she arrived on the 30th.

One of the  most prolonged and impactful of the  strikes  which  were an increasing  challenge to the perceived  order of  the Edwardian Era in Britain--  the national coal strike-- began on 28 February 1912 and soon had one million miners  take part, with crippling  effects to  national industry,  railways  and shipping which  were so dependent on coal, and lasted for  37  days, ending on 6 April after a minimum wage for miners was established.  In the  meantime,  White  Star,  like  most British based lines, had to  cancel  numerous sailings  and lay  up ships for want  of coal. On 13 March it was announced  that in addition to cancellation  of Oceanic's sailing from Southampton to  New  York  on the 27th  and  that of Majestic  from Liverpool to Boston on 10 April, Teutonic's 6 April departure for Portland and Halifax was cancelled and instead  Cymric's  scheduled departure  from Liverpool to Boston on  6 April would depart on the 10th for Portland.  

Teutonic was laid up  in Huskisson Dock from 30 March 1912 and would not return to service until her scheduled next  sailing, and her  first that season to the  St. Lawrence, from Liverpool on  4 May.  Preparatory to that, she was drydocked in the  Canada Graving Dock  on 20 April.

Credit: The Gazette, 14 May 1912.

With  547 Second and 736 Third Class, Teutonic resumed service upon her  2:30 p.m. departure  from Liverpool  on 4  May  1912 for Quebec and Montreal.  Braving strong westerly winds, fog and rain  from Cape  Race and Father  Point, passing the latter at 1:30 p.m.  On the 12th, Teutonic  got  into Quebec early  the following  morning  and Montreal that  evening  after a  long and miserable 8-day crossing:

White Star liner Teutonic arrived at Montreal last night, after a passage that, to judge from her log, must have been trying to those of her passengers who were not good sailors. Teutonic left Liverpool about 4 p.m. May 4. There was a moderate sea with passing showers May 5, and rough sea the next two days, while by the 8th the strong winds of the previous days had become a gale. May 9 and 10 were marked by fog and mist, and several small 'bergs were passed, moderate sea being the report for the Gulf. The passage from Liverpool Bar to Father Point occupied 8 days, 2¼ hours. 

The Gazette, 14 May  1912.

On her first  eastbound  crossing  from the  port  that season, Teutonic, with 229 Second and 58 Third  Class passengers, cleared Montreal  at  daybreak on 18  May  1912. She reported passing  numerous  icebergs  on both sides  of her  track across  the  North  Atlantic in a wireless received  at Malin Head,  Ireland, on the  25th, and arrived  off Prince's Landing Stage, Liverpool at  noon  that  day.  She had, in fact, put in a record time for  a White  Star  liner on the Montreal-Liverpool crossing:

The record time for a White Star liner going from Montreal to Liverpool has been wrested from Laurentic, the previous holder of the record, by the Teutonic, which, sailing from Montreal May 18, did the 2,635 miles to Liverpool Bar in six days and fifteen minutes, knocking three hours and fifteen minutes exactly from Laurentic's record. White Star officials are of opinion that it will be a considerable time before the present record is broken or before Teutonic is retired from the St. Lawrence route in favor of a newer vessel.

The Gazette, 10 June 1912.

Teutonic shows  off  her post summer  1912 appearance with collapsible  boats under her lifeboats  at her  existing radial  davits with  extra boats decked  on her poop deckhouse. Credit: Merseyside Maritime Museum.

As a consequence of the  outrage over insufficient lifeboat  accommodation, specifically  on British liners, after the loss of Titanic, a scramble to provide sufficient boats  for all ensued that summer of 1912.  For Teutonic, like most others, it meant the expedient of  collapsible boats under the existing lifeboats, which  gave her her final peacetime appearance. 

When Teutonic cleared the Mersey  for Canada on 1 June 1912, her 350 Second and 729 Third Class passengers were joined by no fewer  than 23  stowaways who  were  found soon after departure.  As the ship had sailed amid  rumours of yet another seaman's  strike,  the men, who  were  mostly of  a  seafarer background, were  suspected of trying to get to the other side to find work.  They made  the  roundtrip and turned  over  to Liverpool police  on return. During the voyage, the  infant son of  two Third Class passengers was baptised aboard by the Rev. W.A. Perry who was named Horace George Edward Star, The  Gazette (10 June) adding: "The name of the ship is often conferred in baptism, but Horace may  be grateful when he grows up that instead of being called  Teutonic he  received one of the names of the line to which the ship belongs."  Teutonic  arrived  at Montreal just after  6:00 p.m. on the 8th. 

Among the  404 Second and 79 Third Class passengers embarking in Teutonic for Liverpool the  evening  of 14 June 1912 were 45 of  Canada's Olympic Team bound for  the games in Stockholm and despite the hour of her sailing-- 1:00-2:00 a.m. on the  15th, 200-300 wellwishers waved them off  from the  pier.  "This boat was selected on account of her ample deck accommodation for training and her speed,"(The Winnipeg Tribune). Teutonic arrived at Liverpool on  the 23rd. 

With 283 Second and 483 Third  Class  aboard,  Teutonic sailed from Liverpool on 29 June  1912 and they experienced an unseasonably  and very cold crossing of  the  North Atlantic and  even  on arrival  at Quebec where  a stiff nor'easter came  up the river.  One Third Class  passenger, a Mrs. Morgan, "suffered a cardiac affection which terminated fatally"  and was buried at  sea.  Teutonic berthed at Montreal at 9:45 a.m. on  7 July,  her passengers  really feeling  the sudden heat wave  that gripped  the city after their cold crossing.  It was  peak season and  Teutonic arrived  along  with Lake Champlain, Scandinavian and Letitia. Most of  Teutonic's Third Class and many Second Class  were settlers bound for the  West. 

Among a patrol  of  American Boy Scouts from Montclair, N.J, the Albatross Patrol,  which belonged  to  the elite  Baden-Powell Boy Scouts, sailing in Teutonic for England for  a six-week  tour (including being received  by Sir Baden-Powell and presented  to H.M. King  George V) was Master Irving Hull-Mitchell, son of P.V.G. Mitchell, asst. passenger travel manager of White Star-Dominion Line  in Montreal.  They were among the 285  Second and 120 Third Class embarking  on the  evening  of 12 July  1912 for departure,  along  with  Scandinavian and  Letitia,  at daybreak the  next  day.  Capt. James' sailing orders gave  him  the option of using the shorter course through the  Straits  of Belle Isle,  "but it  was  uncertain last night  whether  he  would avail himself of this clause  in his sailing orders."(Gazette, 13  July). Teutonic arrived at Liverpool  at  4:00 p.m. on the 21st.

"Teutonic, July 27-- Second  Class passengers embark at Prince's  Landing Stage 12 30 p.m. Steamer sails at  2 30 p.m. Special from  Euston  9 30  a.m." was the typical sailing announcement in the  British  papers and 418 Second and 574 Third Class  passengers took notice, joining  Teutonic  on  a well patronised high summer westbound  sailing.  She went out with  Lusitania,  bound  for New York. Coursing westbound, Teutonic  reported at 4:40 a.m. on 2 August to be 125 miles northeast of  Cape  Race and 40 miles east of  Fame Point as of  3:15  p.m. on the  3rd.  She got into Montreal at 7:15 p.m.  on the 4th, and would have made  a record passage were  it not for one  day  at reduced turns owing to  adverse weather conditions  and logged 454 miles on  29 July. "The passengers also included many professional musicians and vocalists who were organized on the trip by Miss P. Alfonte, of Chicago, who has been performing in Leipsic and Berlin, with the result that a the concerts on Teutonic this trip will be long remembered by all who had the privilege of attending them. " (Gazette, 5 August 1912). Over 100  of her passengers were through  booked  to the United  States.  

Homewards from Montreal at  daybreak on 10 August 1912, Teutonic went out  with 169 Second and 80 Third Class passengers and  specie  for the Bank of England comprising 44  silver ingots worth $24,000.  As had  become custom, she sailed  in company with Allan's Scandinavian and Donaldson's Letitia.  Not sailing with Teutonic were two  of  her  firemen who  had been charged with  stealing from the  ship's stores who were  sentenced  to  a month's hard labour  ashore followed by  deportation.  Teutonic arrived in the Mersey on the 18th.

With a good list of 525 Second and  629 Third Class passengers, Teutonic departed Liverpool on 24 August 1912. She put in a capital passage,   proving still  had the makings of  a greyhound  at the ripe old age of  23.   Indeed, she  set two new  records:  Liverpool Bar to Father Point  6 days 1 hour  40 mins. and Quebec to Montreal in 9  hours  exactly, 15 mins. under the  old record.  She left Quebec at  8:00  a.m. on the 31st and arrived at berth  at Montreal  at 5:00 p.m. precisely. "Teutonic seems to have experienced only the fag end of the recent gale on the Atlantic, the sea having been rough on two days out of the six, though on August 29 the log states there was a very rough sea. The distance covered during the slowest day's steaming was 433 miles, and during the quickest, which was on August 26, 461 miles." (Gazette, 2 September). 

Among her passengers landing at Quebec on 30 August 1912 were 109 "domestics" going out to jobs in Ontario under the auspices of the  Women's  Domestic Guild  which prompted  the Gazette (31 August)  to  comment: "If a few more ships emulated the example of the White Star liner Teutonic which arrived at  Quebec last  night from Liverpool, the  servant problem would not be so acute  in Canada  as housekeepers often say it is."

Log abstract card for Teutonic's 7-14  September  1912 Montreal-Liverpool crossing. Credit: eBay auction photo.

Sailing  from Montreal at daybreak on 7 September 1912, Teutonic  made Quebec at 2:25 p.m. and had a total of  166 Second  and 100 Third Class, going out, as usual,  with  Scandinavian and Letitia. Teutonic arrived at Liverpool on the 15th. 

Credit: Commercial,  2  December 1912.

"One the surest signs of the prosperity of the country is to be found in the ever-increasing numbers who have money to spend on foreign travel. The White management report that already they fear the provision for Christmas sailings they have made may prove inadequate, so unexpectedly brisk have the bookings been to date," so reported  The  Gazette on 12 September 1912 in announcing  White  Star's programme of  Christmas sailings to  the Old Country from Portland, Maine, and Halifax, N.S.: Laurentic on 7 December, Teutonic on  the 14th  and  Canada on  the 21st.  Megantic would make  an extra sailing  just before  the closure  of the St. Lawrence for the season, on  23 November. 

Credit: The Gazette, 30 September 1912.

Off again  for  Canada,  Teutonic  cleared Liverpool on 21 September 1912 with 536 Second and 440 Third  Class passengers who, according to the  Gazette, "were prostrate in consequence"  of  two  days of heavy  seas at  the beginning  of the crossing.  Teutonic  put in another smart passage  regardless, managing to  depart Liverpool on  Saturday and making  Montreal on the following  Saturday (28th) by  5:00  p.m., logging 6 days 7 hours 13 mins from Liverpool Bar  to Father Point.  

Eastbound from Montreal at daybreak on 5 October  1912,  Teutonic  went out with 151 Second  and 113 Third  Class  passengers following  her  call at Quebec where  she  arrived  at 1:50 p.m. that  day and got  into Liverpool  on the  12th. 

Credit: The Gazette, 28 October 1912.

There were 186 Second and 355  Third Class embarking Teutonic at Liverpool on 19 October  1912 for  Quebec  and Montreal, arriving at the  former at midnight on the 26th and at the latter on the following afternoon.  And doubtless glad to  see the end of what  had  been a rough crossing, according to The Gazette (28 October):  For five days of the seven during which her voyage lasted, White Star liner  Teutonic, which her voyage which arrived here from Liverpool yesterday, reported westerly to northwesterly gales strong and rough seas. Fierce, squally weather and whole northwest gales and tremendous seas was the report for October 23. There still seems no indication of the storms on the Atlantic abating. " One of her passengers, Mr. H.A. Nelson, of Huddersfield, England, was completing  his 43rd trip  across  the Atlantic.

Starting  her  final crossing  from Montreal for the  season at daybreak  on 2 November  1912, Teutonic sailed with 107 Second and 686 Third  Class. She and the Allan liner  Corsican arrived at Liverpool together on the  9th. 

Making her  last voyage of the  year  and first that  season to Portland and Halifax, Teutonic sailed from Liverpool on 30 November 1912 with 78 Second and 280 Third Class passengers.  They enjoyed  a routine  crossing which  got them into  Halifax on the afternoon of  6  December  after a crossing of  6 days 20 hours where 44 Second and  204 Third disembarked.  Proceeding  to Portland on the 8th, she  arrived there at 1:50 p.m. on that afternoon.  Her return Christmas crossing was hugely popular with  special trains organised from western Canada including Edmonton with what was called the largest  eastbound special yet dispatched  from that  city on the 9th,  departing at 9:00 a.m. and run in two sections, each  with eight coaches, and routed via the Grand Trunk Railway into Portland.   In all four special trains were run and  had Teutonic  well-booked with 442 Second and 829 Third Class passengers, sailing on 14 December and reaching  Liverpool on the 21st. 

In 1912, Teutonic made 10 westbound crossings carrying 8,381 passengers and 10 eastbound  crossings  carrying 4,205 or  a total of 12,586 passengers.  

Official White  Star-Dominion card for  Teutonic, by  Montague Black. Credit: eBay auction photo.

1913

As usual, Teutonic underwent her annual overhaul at Liverpool until mid February 1913.  

It was  announced  on 27 January  1913 that the  St. Patrick's Chapter of  Royal Arch Masons of Toronto  would be coming over  to visit  chapters in Ireland  and Scotland and sail across in  Teutonic departing Montreal on 3 May, which would  make a special call at Queenstown to land them. The party  would return on Teutonic's 14 June sailing from Liverpool. 

Credit: The Evening Mail, 22 February  1913.

Returning  to service,  Teutonic left  Liverpool for Halifax and Portland on 15  February 1913 with  231 Second and 560  Third Class. Enjoying "an uneventful  voyage with good clear weather all the  way," (The  Evening Mail, 22 February), Teutonic had only one day of  rough weather, recording  daily  runs  of 369,  450, 432, 437,  338, 417  and 152 miles,  she  put  in a fine  passage indeed, logging 6 days  9 hours  for  the  2,645-mile run from Liverpool Bar.   Coming  into Halifax at 9:00  p.m. on the 21st, too late to clear quarantine, she anchored off  for the night and berthed the following morning where  she landed 111 Second  and  142  Third Class  passengers. Sailing at 12:25  p.m. on  the 22nd for  Portland,  she  arrived there on the 24th to land her remaining passengers, many  of whom were settlers bound west  by special Grand Trunk  Railway  trains.  

Homewards, Teutonic cleared  Portland on 1  March  1913 for  Liverpool  with  47 Second and 60 Third Class passengers and  arrived  there on the  8th.

The  Kewaskum Statesman of 1 March 1913 reported that  "eight new trans-Atlantic  liners are under construction for the exclusive use  of  the Canadian trade. These are being built by White Star, Canadian Pacific and Cunard companies.  The  liners to  be built for White  Star are to  be of the same type as the Laurentic and Majestic, and will be replace  the  Canada and  the Teutonic."

Teutonic sailed from Liverpool on 15  March 1913 with a  good list  of  533  Second and 671 Third Class as emigration to Canada  continued  to burgeon and already the year  was  shaping up as one  of  the busiest with many  sailings  booked  up through  April.  The Salvation Army in Britain  was a major  sponsor  of immigrants  to the Dominion, both  domestics  and  farmers, and in March alone, it  sent over 500 agriculturists,  after training  at the Army's  Hadleigh Farm for three  to four years. Among them  were 185  aboard Teutonic which arrived  at Halifax at 11:15 a.m. on the 23rd,  late after meeting "very  adverse weather conditions," after two  fine days at the onset of  the  crossing.  She was a full two days late, "being swept on the way across by  a tidal wave which put  of  the  fires and did  great damage."(The Vancouver Sun, 31 March) and took an extraordinary 7 days 23 hours on the passage.  After landing 600 of her passengers  there, she   departed  for Portland at 6:20 p.m. and arrived the following day.

Departing  Portland on 29 March  1913,  Teutonic  had  56 Second and 85 Third Class passengers  for Liverpool where she arrived  at 6:00 p.m. on 5 April. 

Credit: The  Gazette, 8 April 1913.

On 7 April 1913 Hon. L.P. Pelletier, Postmaster-General of the Dominion of Canada announced a new trans-Atlantic  mail contract, which  increased Canada's contribution to $1 mn., "Canada's growing  wealth enables her to bear  greater share in  carrying  Dominion mails," headlined  the  Gazette, and changed the existing weekly  service  by  four steamers, there  would be, starting in May,  a  tri-weekly service  in summer, by  12 steamers, and a bi-weekly one in winter  by  eight  steamers with  an extra  one  held  in reserve.   

The  contract  was with  Allan Line, Canadian Pacific, Canadian Northern and White  Star-Dominion.  The summer mail boats were Allan's  Victorian, Virginian, Corsican,  Tunisian, and until the  advent  of  the  magnificent Alsatian and Calgarian,  Grampian and Hesperian;  Canadian Pacific's Empress of  Britain and Empress  of Ireland; Canadian  Northern's Royal George and Royal Edward; and  White  Star-Dominion's Laurentic  and Megantic.  In  the  winter the ships  would comprise Empress of  Britain, Empress  of  Ireland, Alsatian, Victorian,  Virginian and  the  relief ship  would be  Teutonic for "any  steamer disabled or  delayed." 

The million dollar cost to the  Dominion  (an increase  over  the  previous $650,000) was offset by  saving the $180,000 paid  to the U.S. Government for transhipment of Canadian mails  via New  York, and Britain would pay  for  the carriage  of  her mail to  Canada. Summer sails would be  on Tuesdays,  Thursdays, and Saturdays  from Montreal  and Quebec in summer and from St.  John, NB, and  Halifax, NS, in winter,  with British  mails landed  in summer at Quebec although  that for the Maritimes  would  be  taken off  at Rimouski. The contract marked  a high point for  Canadian trans-Atlantic  services and with it  and such  new liners  as Alsatian and Calgarian, usher  in a golden age  for the  Dominion's trans-Atlantic links with  the  Mother Country.  

Credit: The Gazette, 11 April 1913.

On 16 April 1913, White Star-Dominion that  Teutonic would fulfill  her  relief mailship role  immediately  and, in fact,  be the first  dispatched from Canada on the  new  sailing  day of Tuesday from Montreal and Quebec on 6 May and 3 June.  As such, she was replacing the CNR liner  Royal  George for  two roundtrips after she had been seriously damaged running aground on Beaumont Shoal ten miles below Quebec on 30 October 1912 and still undergoing repairs. 

With 536 Second and 716 Third Class passengers, Teutonic departed  Liverpool on 19 April 1913 on her  first  voyage of the season to the St. Lawrence, indeed  she was among the first  so  dispatched preceded by Lake Manitoba,  Ionian and Tunisian.  During her  voyage across news was received  of  the launch,  at Belfast, of  the  magnificent new  Ceramic for  the Australian route. Thanks to her speed,  Teutonic  was the first  passenger  steamer to reach Montreal that  season, docking at Shed no. 4 at 8:00 a.m. on  the 27th. 

Credit: The Montreal Star, 28 April 1913.

Capt. James gave the Gazette a full report  on the voyage  over:

Though there is less ice in the North Atlantic this year than usual, Captain James stated he had met an iceberg and several  growlers had farther east on this voyage than he had ever encountered before. It was in 48 degrees 46 minutes north latitude and 40 degrees 40 minutes west longitude, that the ice was met with, but after 43 degrees 50 minutes west longitude, no more was seen except some heavy field ice 36 miles southeast of Cape Ray, and about two miles to the south of the steamer's track. The weather was fine and clear through the voyage, though the sea was at times rough, but in spite of this, the Teutonic made an excellent voyage averaging well over 400 knots daily, covering the long course to the south of Cape Race in 6 days, 16 hours.

The crossing was marred by the tragic death of Miss  Sarah Baker, by heart failure following  sea-sickness on 21 April 1913and she was buried  at sea. She was bound for Winnipeg to  marry her  fiance there.  Most of  Teutonic's passengers were settlers bound the  West  and landed at Quebec to board special trains there and in all, that  first weekend of the  St. Lawrence  season, Teutonic, Tunisian and Lake  Manitoba  landed 5,225 new  Canadians  in the Dominion.   In addition, Teutonic came in with  no  fewer than nine stowaways who would be deported immediately and taken  back to England on the return sailing  for  prosecution. 

First White Star-Dominion liner to carry  His Majesty's Mails from Canada under  the new contract, R.M.S. Teutonic, embarked her 306 Second  and  269 Third Class passengers the  evening  of  5 May  1913 and sailed at  3:35 a.m.  the  following  day. Among them was her  party of Masons from Toronto, Canadian champion swimmer George Hodgson  and, boarding at Quebec (where  she arrive at noon that day),  the six  cadets representing Canada in the rifle matches in England, "who were  given  a rousing  send-off, there being a large  crowd on the deck to wish them bon voyage."  Making  her special call at Queenstown earlier  that day, Teutonic arrived  at Liverpool at  9:00 p.m. on the 13th. 

Credit: The Daily Mirror,  15 May 1913.

Bookings remained brisk that season and there  were 506 Second and 761 Third Class embarking Teutonic  at Liverpool on 20 May 1913 for Canada."Some disappointment was felt at the local offices of the White Star line yesterday when it was decided that it would be better for the Teutonic to come to her berth at Montreal this morning rather than last night. The Teutonic, had she been allowed to come into port last night, as she could easily have done, would have accomplished trip from Liverpool, including the stay made at Quebec, within the week. arrived Quebec yesterday morning, but was detained there until early in the afternoon, and, though she has been known cover the distance from Quebec to this port in nine hours, it was felt that the time of her arrival would be inconvenient for passengers, so a wireless message was despatched to Captain James advising him to anchor for the night below Longue Pointe, and to disembark his passengers at Montreal after they had breakfasted this morning." (Gazette, 28 May 1913).

With 380 Second and 181 Third Class embarked the previous  evening, Teutonic sailed from Montreal at 4:00 a.m. on 3 June 1913 and reached Liverpool on the 10th. 

Teutonic  left Liverpool  on 17 June 1913 with 500 Second and 710 Third Class including  two who had, extraordinarily, managed  to  have embarked on and occupied their allotted  cabin  in Lake Manitoba, also  sailing that day, until the rightful  occupants arrived  and it was all sorted out.  Arriving at Quebec at 5:45 p.m. on the  24th, Teutonic, came in with Royal George and Pretorian and the  three proceeded, almost  in convoy  to  Montreal, arriving  the following morning with  some 3,000  passengers among  them and all reporting  strong gales across. 

Mr. J. Dempsey, chief electrician of the White Star liner Teutonic, has a remarkable record. He joined the Teutonic on her maiden voyage and has remained with her ever since. The Teutonic made 279 trips since she was launched and Mr. Dempsey has not missed one of them. Before joining the Teutonic Mr. Dempsey made 65 voyages in the ship to which he formerly belonged.

The Gazette, 1 July 1913.

Her passenger list swelled by a party  of 150  Unitarian ministers and laymen bound for an international Unitarian congress in Paris,  Teutonic  had 473 Second and 270 Third Class aboard when she departed Montreal on 1 July 1913 and left Quebec that  evening at 9:55 p.m. for Liverpool where she docked at  noon on the 9th.

Credit:The Gazette, 21 July 1913.

Departing Liverpool for Canada on 12 July  1913, Teutonic  put in a fast run, arriving Montreal at  5:00 p.m. on the 19th, the  Gazette reported that "Captain James is  confident that,  if he could get  favorable  weather  conditions, he  could clip several hours  off  the best previous time the vessel  has  yet  accomplished  since her transference to the  St. Lawrence route." Arousing  considerable interest was a party  of 34 Hungarian immigrants arriving  in the ship. The  voyage was marked by the  death of a fireman, John  Burns, the day after departure, and he was buried  at sea and the mysterious  disappearance  of another,  John Clarke, who was believed  to have  fallen overboard. 

Donaldson's Athenia, Teutonic (with 253 Second and 193 Third) and Royal  George cleared Montreal  for  England  at  daybreak on 26 July  1913 and the  rivalry  between the latter  two ships was  noted  by  the  Gazette: "Considerable emulation exists between the firemen on board the Royal George and those belonging to the Teutonic, and, if their officers did not exercise proper restraint, there would Inevitably be a race between these two fast ships, the fastest sailing from the port of Montreal. Last time the Teutonic and Royal George cleared together they kept close together until their respective routes diverged, and when farewell blasts were blown by their syrens and they parted in the fog beyond Cape Race, it was impossible to say which boat was leading."  Teutonic arrived  at Liverpool on 3 August.

With 486 Second and 560 Third Class aboard,  Teutonic  cleared  the  Mersey  on 9  August 1913 and it was another classic but  entirely "unofficial"race  between her  and Royal George as the crossed almost together and especially close off Cape Race as described  by the  Gazette:

No steamship official ever admits that steamers belonging to his line race with other steamers, but it cannot be denied that occasionally two steamers, within signalling distance of each other, steam very fast together, for a considerable distance, so uninitiated might be pardoned for thinking they were racing. The two fast incoming liners, Royal George and Teutonic, the former from Bristol and the latter from Liverpool, were within 38 miles of each other, eastward of Cape Race, at 2.15-p.m. on Thursday. Both vessels showed exceptional speed from that point to Cape Ray, the C.N.R. liner gaining 50 minutes on the White Star boat. From Cape Ray to Fame Point, the pace was faster still, the Royal George only gaining five minutes during the time the latter distance, was being covered. As will by reference to the Gulf and River reports published today, only an hour and five minutes separated the two ships at Fame Point, a period of time which represents but a few miles of water between them. 

The Gazette, 16 August 1913.

Credit: The Gazette, 18 August 1913.

Arriving at Quebec at 11 a.m. on 16 August 1913, Teutonic was followed by  Royal  George an hour  later after  a thrilling race  that reminded of those between Teutonic  and Inman sisters in her  youth and again, wonderfully described by the Gazette on the 19th:

The officers of the White Star liner Teutonic and the C. N. R. liner Royal George, maintain, as was ex-expected of them, that  there was no race from Cape Ray to Quebec, but admit that they were quite unable to ' persuade the passengers of the delicate distinction which is supposed to exist between a race and a mere simultaneous exhibition of speed between two rival steamers.

At 2.15 p.m. on Thursday, the Teutonic was 175 miles east of Cape Ray, which is 553 miles from Quebec, and the Royal George was 213 miles east of the same point. There was thus a distance of 38 miles separating the two ships. The Teutonic arrived at Quebec at 11 a.m. on Saturday, and the Royal George an hour later.

The advent of the latter vessel was greeted by a cheer from the Teutonic's disembarking passengers, which was answered by those on the decks of the Royal liner. The firemen of both vessels worked as enthusiastically as though they had money depending on the event, those who were off duty volunteering to help those whose turn it was 10 replenish the furnaces with coal. 

Both ships came up the river to Montreal yesterday, and last night their crews were discussing the merits of the respective boats. Members of the crew of the Teutonic speak of having won, because their vessel was the first to arrive at Quebec, a claim which is utterly repudiated by the Royal George's crew, who state that they left the other side later than the Teutonic, and that the 38 miles between them eastward of Cape Ray was reduced to about 15 by the time the Teutonic reached Quebec. 

There are also highly technical discussions as to the quality of the coal used on either liner, in which It is unsafe for a landsman to take part. The liners may be said to have covered a distance of about 800 miles within 45 hours, and this without any undue haste, for these two vessels are, by common consent, the two fastest ships coming to Montreal, though there are probably some on the Royal Edward who would be inclined to dispute this statement also.

The  Gazette, 18 August 1913.

Teutonic gained  a passenger during the voyage  with the birth of  a baby girl to  a  passenger  in Third Class who "fortunately  did  not  receive the name  of the boat in baptism, otherwise she would  have  gone through life with  names of Teutonic, or Teutonia, Himelspacker, which  have proved  a severe handicap." (Gazette).  

Homewards,  Teutonic went out at daybreak on 23  August  1913 with 211 Second  and 184  Third  Class passengers, in company with Royal George and Donaldson's Letitia.  Teutonic  reached  Liverpool on the  30th. 

Royal George and Teutonic cleared their  respective homesports of  Avonmouth  and Liverpool on 6 September 1913, the  White  Star liner  having 515 Second and 548  Third  Class passengers. Bad weather in the Gulf alternating  from heavy  rainstorms and thick fog  precluded  the two rivals  from "having  a go" against each other  and both  arrived on the other side  late, the  C.N.R. ship getting into  Montreal  at  7:50 p.m. on the 14th, 24 hours late, whilst Teutonic did  even get  into  Quebec  until  3:30 p.m. and  finally reached Montreal on the  15th, almost  48  hours off  her timetable. She came  in with  a  new Chief Purser, R.H.  Harris. 

Sailing  at  daybreak on  20 September 1913, Teutonic had 196 Second and 254 Third Class passengers on departure  Quebec that  evening for Liverpool where she arrived on the 28th.

On 2 October  1913 the winter  mail  schedule was  released and confirmed that Halifax  would be the  terminus  rather  than St. John, N.B. and Teutonic  detailed  as relief mailboat from Liverpool on 29  January 1914. 

Credit: The Gazette, 10 October 1913.

Passenger loads  held  up even later  in the  season and there were 404 Second and 303  Third  Class departing Liverpool aboard Teutonic in 4  October 1913. Those (including the shipping correspondent of  the Montreal Gazette!)  hoping for another race between  Royal George  (which left Avonmouth the same day) and  Teutonic were not  disappointed  this time:

The two fast liners, Royal George and Teutonic, have again been signalled inward within a comparatively short distance of one another. About two months ago these vessels both showed a fine turn of speed in company, while coming up the Gulf and river, and there seems every indication of another simultaneous exhibition of fast steaming, which the uninitiated might mistake for a race. Last voyage one of the  two liners came Cape Race route and the other through the Straits of Belle Isle. This time the Teutonic signalled 200 miles east of Belle Isle at p.m. Wednesday and the Royal George 270 miles east of the same point at 10 p.m., that there was then a difference of one hour plus 70 miles between the two.

The Royal George caught up somewhat yesterday, for there was only a difference of three hours a between them, the Teutonic being abeam of Belle Isle at 10 a.m. and the C.N.R. liner at 1 p.m., the extra two hours separating the boats being less as regards distance than the miles which, besides one hour in time, divided them the previous night. They are due to arrive at Quebec tomorrow morning.

The  Gazette,  10 October 1913.

Both ships put in  racing  times  despite two days  of  gales and heavy seas, the  same conditions that conspired  aboard the burning emigrant  ship Volturno at the same  time, but Royal  George in the  end was frustrated in her  final push  owing  to  a slight degrangment of her steering  gear.  Teutonic  won the  day and the unofficial "race" arriving  at Montreal on the evening  of  12  October  1911 and prompting  the Gazette to laud: "taking the weather into account, her  recent passage must be allowed to rank among  the vessel's very best performances since  she was first  put on the St. Lawrence route."

With  134  Second and 230 Third Class, Teutonic left Montreal on 18 October 1913 at  daybreak and Quebec at 2:30 p.m.  and had a most eventful  crossing with a rather disconcerting   incident on  the  morning  of the  22nd, 172 miles east of Belle Isle. 

With  134  Second and 230 Third Class, Teutonic left Montreal on 18 October 1913 at  daybreak and Quebec at 2:30 p.m.  And had a most eventful  crossing with an rather  alarming  incident on  the  morning  of the  22nd, 172 miles east of Belle Isle: 

The White Star liner Teutonic arrived in the Mersey tonight after a perilous voyage from Montreal with nearly 400 second and third class passengers and a valuable cargo. 

When about 172 miles east of Belle Isle last Wednesday morning the Teutonic encountered a thick fog. It was impossible to see more than a few yards ahead. The captain slackened speed and a strict lookout was maintained. These conditions lasted during the whole of Wednesday. In the evening a warning that ice was about was received from a passing steamer. The atmosphere was bitterly cold.

Most of the passengers were below, singing and reading, when the officer posted at the forecastle head made a frantic rush across the deck to report to Captain James that an enormous iceberg had been sighted right ahead, almost on top of the vessel. 

The captain promptly put the helm hard a port and the engines full speed astern.

Then slowly the liner swung to starboard just in the nick of time, and the iceberg, towering as high as the funnels, passed silently along the port side within al few yards of the stern. A member of the crew said he had never seen a man in a greater hurry than the officer who rushed from the forecastle head to report the presence of the iceberg.

The Gazette, 28 October  1913.

At the offices of the White Star Line in Montreal, copies  of the Marconi  messages received  from the  Teutonic show that  for nearly twelve hours the steamer's engines were either  stopped or were barely  moving when she  in  fog off the Straits of Belle  Isle. At 3. 30 o'clock  on the afternoon of October 21st the  Teutonic  was  132  miles, east-north-east, of  Belle  Isle. At 1.42 o'clock the next morning she was  172  miles, having  taken ten hours  to go forty."

The Montreal Star, 28 October 1913.

Credit: Daily Mirror, 28 October 1913.

Teutonic's arrival at Liverpool on 27 October  1913  occasioned the worldwide  reporting of the incident  and put the  veteran ship  into the headlines like she had not enjoyed  for a decade.  Then, as now, the  combination of  iceberg and White  Star liner  seemed irresistible.  Indeed, even today,  contemporary Titanic  "enthusiasts" cite the incident  as  some  sort  of vindication for  the  similar manouevers  excecuted  on another  bridge  a  year and a half earlier with  tragic results, ignoring.  of course,  the fact that Teutonic's master wisely  heeded the  wirelessed warnings of   ice  in his path  and was already  had his ship  at dead slow in dense fog  at the time of the incident.   Then, too, Capt.  James, had luck, as did his Teutonic.  His  400 passengers "drew  up and signed a testimonial to  the skillful manipulation of Captain James in  avoiding  a calamity like  that  of  Titanic."

The  Teutonic's  escape was solely  due  to  the  promptitude  and magnificent  seamanship of Captain James, and when the  passengers afterwards  became  aware of the sensational incident they were  loud in their praise.

Belfast Weekly Telegraph, 1 November  1913. 

Credit: The  Gazette, 12 November 1913.

The now "in the news" Teutonic went about  her duties and sailed  from  Liverpool on 1  November  1913 on her  last  voyage  to the St. Lawrence for the season,  going out  with 145 Second  and 207 Third Class passengers, and, of course  Royal  George, too, from Avonmouth.  Both steamed westwards into  a  fierce and  prolonged  North Atlantic  gale and  the two fastest liners  on the  Canadian run  would still  be two  days  late  in arriving in the  Dominion. On the 9th, Teutonic  reported at 1:20 p.m. to still be  125 miles  east of  Fame Point and  Royal  George passed  Rimouski at 4:35 p.m..  Teutonic  reached  Quebec on the  10th, leaving  there  at 7:15 p.m.  and  Royal George, getting  the better  of her,  made Montreal that  evening,  and the White  Star  liner  did not  get  into Montreal  until 1:30  pm  on the  11th.   By doing  so, she had logged 10  days  for  the passage  from Liverpool, her  slowest  crossing  that  season.  She came in with H.H. Pomeroy resuming  his  duties  as  Chief Purser and First Officer Hollingsworth relieving Chief Officer Binks  who  was  on leave. 

Bidding  farewell to the  port until next spring,  Teutonic  left Montreal in the wee  hours  of 15 November  1913 with 134 Second  and 422  Third Class  passengers and cleared  Quebec  at 4:15 p.m. and arrived at Liverpool on the 23rd. 

Making her first  voyage  that  season to  Portland and Halifax,  Teutonic  cleared Liverpool  on 29 November  1913 with 79 Second and 270 Third Class passengers.  With no Royal George  to race  against, Teutonic  chose, instead, to have a go  against Empress of Ireland, carrying H.M.  mails,  and on 5 December,  The  Evening  Mail  (Halifax)  that "yesterday  it  appears she is  beating out  the  mail  boat Empress  of  Ireland  in the  race  to  Halifax.   The  Teutonic  was 461  miles east  of  Halifax  yesterday  afternoon at two  o'clock should be  thus  be here  at four  o'clock this  afternoon." It was  to be a banner  day for  the Nova Scotian port with  an "epoch-marking" fleet  of arrivals that day: Empress  of Ireland,  Virginian, Scandinavian  and  Teutonic.  Evocative  of an era when The  Ocean Liner stirred  imagination  and civic pride in  the  ceaseless progress of The  Edwardian Era, was The  Evening  Mail's (6  December) account  of  that  memorable day  in the port of Halifax: 

Credit: The  Evening Mail, 6 December 1913.

This was the order of a procession of ships up Halifax harbor yesterday at dusk: The 550 foot liner Scandinavian, coming from Portland specially to take the overflow Christmas passengers for Liverpool; the government steamer Stanley, towing the disabled schooner Right of Way; the tug Togo, and the 565 foot liner Teutonic, closely prest by the 518 foot Empress of Ireland after a race clear across the Atlantic. 

Perhaps equally imposing was the spectacle at terminals as side by side the "Big Four," Virginian, Scandinavian, Empress Ireland and Teutonic, slung out their gangways and derricks to debark and embark their wealth in human and merchant freight--eloquent evidence of the increasing importance of Halifax port. These late arrivals brought the exact total of tonnage at the docks during the day up to 56,540 for transoceanic shipping.

Steaming bow upon bow on courses parallel and two miles apart, the White Star steamer Teutonic and the royal mail steamship Empress of Ireland fought for supremacy since early Thursday morning and not until they made Sambro was it decided which should enter first. Although begun upon the departures from Liverpool, the thrills of the race of these ocean greyhounds did not come until the Empress overhauled a three hour handicap the Teutonic enjoyed until striking a fog bank Wednesday evening. She then slowed down until daylight. Thereafter it was neck and neck to Halifax with the Empress, her officers say, giving way to avoid collision. The Teutonic, which set out three hours earlier than her rival, was 6 days 5 hours and 3 minutes on the voyage.

Teutonic landed 31 Second and  59  passengers at Halifax on 5  December 1913, sailed the following morning and arrived  at  Portland  that evening, too late to clear Quarantine so anchoring for night,  she came in at  daylight on the  7th, landing  her remaining  200 passengers.  

Departing  Portland on 12  December 1913, Teutonic, making her special Christmas  in the Old Country sailing, she called at Halifax on the  13th and went  off the next day with a tremendous  list  of  296 Second and 723 Third Class passengers who landed at Liverpool on the  20th. Among her passengers were no fewer than 123  deportees.  They comprised but 7,000 of  the passengers that White  Star Line vessels  had  landed in England in the last eight days. 

As reported on 12 December 1913,  Teutonic would make a roundtrip from Liverpool to  St. John, N.B., in January  1914 and be the  first White Star  liner to visit the port.  This would have her departing Liverpool on 28 January  1914 and St. John on  11 February.   This was in the  capacity of Teutonic  as  a relief mailboat and as replacement  for  one  voyage  for her arch rival  Royal George  which  was undergoing her annual  overhaul and the  C.N.R.  "Royals" always  using St. John as their winter  terminal. 

'The St. John (N. B.) people are congratulating themselves over the fact that the steamer Teutonic, of the White Star Dominion line, is to make a call there in February, belicving that other sailings of the same line will follow. As understood here, the Teutonic will make a special trip to St. John, sailing from Liverpool on Jan. 28, and leaving the provincial port on Feb. 11, carrying the Canadian mails both ways, and also taking freight at the latter port, she not coming to Portland on that trip. Whether or not other boats of the White Star-Dominion line will call at St. John during the winter is uncertain, but it is considered very unlikely. In any event, it will not interfere with the regular weekly schedule of sailings from this port. The Teutonic is booked for two more sailings from Portland during the winter, on March 21 and April 18.

Portland Argus via Telegraph Jourrnal, 18 December  1913.

In 1913, Teutonic made 11 westbound crossings carrying 10,128 passengers and 11 eastbound  crossings  carrying  5,367 or  a total of 15,495 passengers.  

Credit: eBay auction photo.

1914

Making  her  first  voyage  of  1914,  Teutonic left Liverpool at 3:00 p.m. on 28 January  on her maiden voyage  to  St. John with  115  Second and 196 Third Class  passengers  and 1,502 bags of mail and 231  baskets of  parcels.  Her arrival  at  St. John,  coming  in at 6:30 a.m. on 6  February and berthing at no.  6 wharf,  Sand Point, was afforded maiden voyage  attention by the local  press, indicative of the fame that the  now  quarter of  a century  old  Teutonic  still  possessed.   The local Telegraph-Journal gave  a  full  accounting  of  the voyage across:

A great iceberg more than 120 feet, in height drifted close to the eastbound steamers lane on February 3 according to the log of the royal mail steamer Teutonic which arrived here yesterday, and a medium-sized berg, field ice and numerous growlers were also sighted by the big White Star liner on the same day. The ice report of the Teutonic says that a large iceberg was sighted drifting near the eastbound track at 10.30 a. m. on the 3rd. and, a medium berg at 1 p.m., and field and growlers were passed between the points at which the huge menaces to navigation of the bergs were seen. 

'The positions latitude 46.46 north, longitude 46.53 west; and latitude 46.21 north and longitude 41.33 west.

The steamer left Liverpool at 5.24 p.m. on January 28 and up to noon next day had made 269 miles. Her daily runs for the days following were 384, 297, 243, 337, 243, 307, 381 and 229.

The work of discharging the cargo of the White Star liner is in charge of H. S. Gregory &  Son and the stevedores handled the mail matter, 1,502 bags and 298 . packages, in I hour and 37 minutes. 

The officials of the White Star Line spoke highly of the careful, quick way in which the work of unloading the mails und freight was carried on

Telegraph Journal, 7 February 1914.

Credit: Telegraph  Journal 9  February  1914. 

Even the ship's coaling  at St. John was  afforded full press  attention:

A Canadian record for coaling the White Star liner Teutonic was established by the St. John plant of the  Dominion Coal Company on Saturday, and all previous coaling records for the Teutonic were shattered with the exception of the New York time. The bunkers of the big liner were filled in 22½ hours by the local men, and 1,950 tons of coal were handled during the record-breaking performance. Two towers were used for the work, one on each side of the steamer and the time of coaling would have been considerably reduced had a sufficient number of trimmers been on hand at all times. For a first  trial the remarkable work of the St. John coalers is all the more and justifies the confidence of creditable, the ability of local men to lead in 'longshore work against any port. 

Two days was the time required to coal the Teutonic at Boston, Portland, Montreal and Halifax, and the chief engineer of the White Star liner spoke in very complimentary terms of the fast work of the St. John men.

Telegraph Journal, 9 February 1914.

On 8 February 1914  Teutonic  was opened  to public inspection at her  Sand Point berth.

Then a thick vapor, denser  than  any fog, induced  by rapidly  failing  temperatures, completely  enveloped  the Bay  of  Fundy and Teutonic's  planned sailing from St. John at noon on 11  February  1914 for  Halifax and then Liverpool put  off until it cleared. She did not sail from St. John until the 13th at  11:30  a.m.  direct with  no call at Halifax and going  out  with 49 Second and 219 Third Class and 1,020 bags  of mail and  254 packages  of parcel post. Meeting with  very  heavy  weather  across  once  again, she did not arrive at Liverpool until  the  21st

By now, Teutonic's schedule  was so out  of kilter  that  on 16 February 1914 White  Star announced she would be unable to  stick  to  her  scheduled sailing from Liverpool on  the 21st  (to Halifax and Portland) and passengers  would, instead,  be rebooked in  Cymric departing  Liverpool for  Portland on the  24th.  It was further  announced that after the 28th, White Star-Dominion ships would  depart  Liverpool on Saturdays at  4:30 p.m. instead  of  2:30  p.m..

Laid  up at Liverpool in the meantime, Teutonic was to have resumed service on 21 March 1914 but this was cancelled and she remained  in limbo in the north-end  docks.  There, she had two fires  break out aboard within an hour of  one another on 1 April, "it is stated that damage was not great of both  fires was quickly  reached and the flames extinguished. Some overhaul work was  proceeding on board, and waste accidentally  caught fire, both  outbreaks being at a considerable distance from each other."   In  both cases, it  was determined that  the  fires had been caused  by sparks  from an electric welder.  

Finally back in service  with  her  departure from Liverpool on 18  April 1914, Teutonic  sailed with 419 Second  and 738 Third  Class  passengers, and 1,060 tons of cargo,  on the first  White Star-Dominion  voyage to the St. Lawrence  that  season, and  scheduled to depart Montreal  for home on 2 May. Nature, as so  often, had  other ideas and  on the  22nd it  was reported  that the  ice  conditions in Cabot Straits, the lower  Gulf of St. Lawrence and between  Lake St. Peter and Montreal were "very  bad" and the  veritable "first fleet" of  17 arriving  steamers  would likely not be able  to  navigate  into  the  river including Teutonic, La  Touraine, Englishman, Montford, Royal  George and  Saturnia.  The Evening Mail  (Halifax) of  the 23rd reported  that  whilst  no  definite  word had  been received, "it is  thought  probable  that  she  will come to  this port."  Confirmation by wireless was received that evening when Teutonic was 380 miles east of Cape  Race as of 8:55 p.m.  and reported to be making  for  Halifax where  she was expected  to arrive late on the evening  of the 25th. There  was  additional delay  owing to  ice  encountered and instead, Teutonic finally reached  Halifax at  1:30 p.m. on the  27th.

Quick work was made handling the 1187 passengers of the Teutonic at Halifax. They were all got off on Monday night by three special trains, two on the Intercolonial and one on the Canadian Pacific, and the three trains are due arrive here this morning. Most of the passengers will then be sent west the regular trains, which will be run in sections to accommodate the crowd.

The  Gazette, 29 April 1914.

Of course,  ice  conditions improved substantially  almost  as soon as  Teutonic  got  into Halifax  so  it was  decided, after  she landed  her passengers, to have her  proceed immediately  to Montreal  to discharge  her  cargo there and  sail   to Liverpool on 2 May  as  originally scheduled. She  left  Halifax at 8:30 a.m. on the 28th for Montreal and making knots,  came straight  up the  River without  pausing at Quebec (she would stop there outbound as usual  and discharge her  inbound  cargo for the port  then), passing the Ancient Capital  at midnight.  "She will probably make  as  speedy  a  trip  to  this  port as  ever  been record  for  so  large  a  vessel,"  predicted  The Gazette the 30th. She  got into Montreal at 10:30 a.m. on 1 May.

There will be a busy time around the Teutonic during her short visit 10 the port, as she will have to discharge her cargo and take on a full load for her return trip, together with 300 second and 450 third class passengers, and start her return journey on Saturday, in order to keep her scheduled place as a mail steamer. As usual with Saturday sailing the Teutonic will carry a large consignment of mail.

The Gazette, 29 April 1914.

Completing  a hasty  48-hour turn  around  that  entailed  unloading  her  inbound  cargo,  coaling, provisioning  and loading her  outbound cargo  and heavy mail  consignment but still off  her  schedule  by  a day,  Teutonic sailed  for  Liverpool  at 10:30 a.m. on 3 May  1914, embarking her 305 Second  and 484 passengers, "an exceptionally heavy list for so early in the  season on the  eastbound run " (Gazette, 4  May)  at  7:00  a.m.  Coursing eastwards  with time to make up,  Teutonic  was  again  frustrated by  spring weather conditions on the Canadian run:

The commander of the White Star Dominion liner Teutonic sends the following Ice reports:

May 6, 10 a.m. E.S.T. Crossed 50  and 47 W. in 44.12 N. Northward heavy field Ice and now numerous bergs.

May 7, 2 a.m. E.S.T, 310  miles E.S.E. Cape Race. From 44.20 and 49.30 to 44.10 and 49.00 W. passed  heavy ice field; thence to 44.10 and 48,00 W. numerous bergs and growlers. Stopped even hours, dense fog, ; now  clear. Proceeding via Fastnet. 

The Gazette,  8 May 1914.

Reporting 200 miles west  of Fastnet at 4:00 p.m. on 10  May 1914,  Teutonic got into Liverpool the following day.

On 11 May 1914 it was  reported that Teutonic's  sister ship, Majestic,  laid up since  February, had  been  sold  for breaking up  to Messrs.  T.W. Ward and arrived at Morecambe the  new previous day. 

In hopes perhaps for the routine, boring  voyage  which had  hitherto  eluded her the first  quarter of  1914,  Teutonic  set out  from Liverpool for Canada on 16 May  with 206 Second and 701 Third Class passengers no  doubt desirous  of the same. In this  they were alas  disappointed, this  time it  was heavy  fog  which  persisted off  Cape  Race for  three  days  and had  Teutonic  at standstill  as  a result.  Finally, on the  25th a  wireless  was  received  by  the  Montreal office  from Capt. James: "Teutonic  at  5  p.m. (E.S.T.) crossed 54  W. and  4520 N.,  weather  clear. Expect  to  arrive  Montreal 5 p.m. on Thursday. All well."  

Calling  at Quebec  on  28  May 1914,  Teutonic  arrived the  following  morning  at a Montreal  reeling  from the news of  the  sinking of  Empress of Ireland the  previous  day  after colliding with the collier  Storstad  in the  St. Lawrence with appalling loss of life. 

The  Gazette still reported on  Teutonic's fog  and ice bound  crossing:

After having been delayed for days in the fog off Cape Race the White Star Dominion liner Teutonic arrived safely in port early yesterday morning. Captain James reported that immediately after the fog had cleared growlers and several big 'bergs were sighted In close proximity to the liner, while from 10 o'clock that morning till six in the Teutonic passed innumerable 'bergs and growlers. 

No less than eight vessels were held up In the same fog area as the Teutonic, these being the Pretorian, Admiral Pickard; Monmouth, Corsican, Saturnia, Mount Temple, Royal George and Royal Edward. The Teutonic  was unfortunate in being unable to through a gap in the ice fields which had been reported to her, the channel having closed at the time of her arrival and she ran into the fog when skirting to the south to avoid the field.

Over a thousand passengers were brought over by the liner, there being a death on board during the voyage, a Galician, by name John Bar, who has a brother in Montreal, dying on May 26th, from erysipillis. His body was buried at sea. 

The Teutonic will not be able to take her regular sailing owing to the delay caused by fog, leaving a day later than originally planned, on Sunday morning, Instead of Saturday daybreak. Amongst her saloon passengers will be Laurence Irving's Company.

 

The Gazette, 30 May 1914.

 

The  contingent of  Salvationists booked to sail in Teutonic cancelled their passage after so many of those who had  departed Montreal  just a day before  in Empress of Ireland had perished.  Sailing at daybreak on 31 May 1914, a day late,  Teutonic went out with 297 Second and 263 Third  Class passengers in a solemn mood and her ensign and houseflag at  half-mast.   Among those aboard was English actor Laurence Irving and his  theatrical company who  were originally  booked in Empress of Ireland but changed  at  the last  minute to the later sailing  in Teutonic.  She  also had  aboard 51  members of  the Salvation  Army party  that were  survivors of  the  tragedy.  Arriving  at Quebec at 6:15  p.m.,  she passed near  the site  of  Empress of Ireland's sinking the  following early morning:

A signal evidence of the respect and sympathy caused everywhere by the disaster, was given by the White Star Dominion liner Megantic Sunday when passing the place where the Empress of Ireland disappeared from view. All mustered on the port side. the ship's engines stopped to allow vessel to become stationary, and all the passengers uncovered and joined in the singing of "Abide With Me." Going out on the same day the White Star liner Teutonic mustered the ship's company  at six  o'clock in the morning to do the same thing.

The  Gazette, 2 June 1914.

Teutonic arrived at Liverpool on 9 June 1914.

White Star-Dominion Line announced  on 15 June 1914 that they  would be placing orchestras aboard their "cabin boats" Teutonic  and Canada as they, of course, had long done with  their First  Class liners.

Teutonic departed Liverpool on 13 June 1914 with 154 Second and 377 Third Class passengers for  Canada and arrived at Montreal early on the evening  of the  21st, and as usual, The Gazette  gave a full account  of  the passage:

Since the Teutonic's last appearance acquired  a  five  string orchestra, a new feature appreciated  by the passengers on her westbound trip ended yesterday when she  berthed at the White Star-Dominion shed.  The Rev. Fressley Smith, Dean of Argyll and the Isles, was one of and passengers on board, these totalling 531, 154 being in the cabin.  On her  eastbound trip a troop of  white  and black minstrels  composed of members of the  crew,  gave  a concert on  board, the proceeds, which  amounted to sixteen guineas, going  to swell the Empress of Ireland fund.  The troop will give another entertainment at the weekly Sailor's Institute  Concert tomorrow. The Teutonic ran into very  cold weather all the way over, conditions at time being almost wintry. She was delayed seven hours fog but  made her fastest passage of the season.

The Gazette,  22 June  1914.

Making her first traditional Saturday  at daybreak departure from Montreal in some time, Teutonic sailed from Montreal on 27 June 1914 with 414 Second and  340 Third Class passengers.  She went out with La Touraine, Ascania, Corsican and Saturnia, all cabin boats and  showing just how this type thrived  in the  Canadian trade.  Dominion Day was celebrated aboard  and featured  a "novelty"  in deck sports:

Life Belt Race 

Novel and Useful Sport On White Star Teutonic. 

A novelty was introduced into the programme of sports, one of the forms of the celebration of Dominion Day. which took place on the White Star liner Teutonic on her last eastbound voyage, this being a life-belt race.

Captain James was the judge, the proper tieing of the life-belt rather than the speed at which it was accomplished being the principal object. A little girl proved to be the winner, donning her belt and tieing it securely in the short space of twenty-three seconds.

This innovation in the sports intended partly to make the passengers familiar with their life-belts and the mode of adjusting them without in any way causing alarm, and it succeeded admirably.

Hamilton Daily Times, 24  July  1914.

Teutonic arrived at Liverpool at 6:00 p.m.  on 4 July 1914.

With 171 Second  and 360 Third  Class passengers, including the famous Canadian oarsman Bobby  Dibble,  for Canada, Teutonic  sailed from Liverpool on 11 July 1914 and got into Montreal the  evening  of  the 19th after a good fast  passage  despite  a few hours  of delaying owing to fog.

Going out in company  with Andania, Corsican and Saturnia at daybreak  on 25  July 1914, Teutonic  had 216 Second and 361  Third Class, "the White  Star Dominion liner's  steerage  list particularly  gratifying to officials of the  company, as  they have not met the  cut in steerage rates from $22 to $20." Like all outbound liners that weekend, Teutonic reported "dense fog" off Cape  Ray  at 4:00 a.m. on the  27th,  and all four ships  were anchored off  for  the night  on account  of it.  She arrived at Liverpool on 3  August.

The next day,  Great Britain declared war on  Germany and thus  began  the  unspeakable tragedy, loss  and waste of  The  Great War. Initially, most of the trans-Atlantic  services,  save those  of  Germany,  continued  as  scheduled and indeed  initially well patronised  by  neutral Americans fleeing  a  Continent at war.  

Log abstract card for Teutonic's last westbound commercial crossing, 9-15 August 1914, Liverpool-Montreal. Credit: eBay auction photo.

Teutonic's  scheduled  departure  from Liverpool for  Canada of  8 August 1914  was maintained  and she got  away with 481  Second and 278 Third Class  passengers. She arrived  at Montreal on the 17th with Tunisian and Virginian, "their upper  and lower decks crowded with passengers," and totalling some 3,000  in all,  whom the local papers were eager to interview regarding  their "escape" from Europe and some, like Mr. Rutland B. Stanley, who resisted offers of $2,000 for  his ticket  in Liverpool  just  before sailing. 

Mr. and Mrs. O.J. Poucher have arrived home after spending the summer in France, Ireland and England.  They report a delightful holiday, ending with a degree of excitement when the s.s. Teutonic, on which they crossed the Atlantic, was held up in mid-ocean for one night, with all lights and fires extinguished.

At one time the searchlights from a German cruiser were on the boat and the captain afterwards attributed their escape to a dense fog which had arisen. The vessel sailed for three nights without lights. To show the eagerness of Canadians and Americans to reach home, many of the passengers in the steerage section of the Teutonic were people who had booked as first-class passengers on the s.s. Aquitania. 

Mr. and Mrs. Boucher were in England when war was declared.

Edmonton Journal,  3  September 1914.

Clearing Montreal at daybreak on Saturday, as usual, on 22 August 1914, Teutonic bid farewell to the  Dominion with  103  Second and 677  Third Class, the latter swelled by 50 French reservists  going home to  join the colours as well as  several young men determining to enlist on arrival.  Teutonic  arrived at Liverpool at  7:00 a.m. on the 30th.

Credit: The Montreal Star, 5 September 1914.

That would prove to be  Teutonic's final passenger  voyage, ending  a  quarter of  century  of White  Star  commercial service, which  compares  favourably  with Britannic  (III)'s 30, Germanic's 28, and Olympic's  24.

In 1914, Teutonic made  6 westbound crossings carrying 4,196 passengers and 6 eastbound  crossings  carrying 3,716 or  a total of 7,912 passengers. 

We ne'er see our foes, but we wish them to stay;

They always see us and they wish us away;
If they run we will follow, we will drive them ashore;
For if they won't fight we can do no more.

Heart of Oak.

Armed at first with  her  old  4.7 in. guns she was  later  given more modern 6 in. guns, and had the unenviable job of plodding backwards and forwards between Iceland and  Rockall, a cold,  dreary and depressing  business, but  an essential one.

J.H. Isherwood, Sea  Breezes, July 1953. 

Somewhat  remarkably, Teutonic would finally and meaningfully realise  her designed role as an armed merchant cruiser,  a full  quarter of a century  after her teasing appearance  at Spithead that far off summer  of  1889. Then, she was showing  off for the Kaiser  of  Imperial  Germany and now she  was performing her long envisaged military role in  not only  the most  successful use of  the Armed Merchant Cruiser, the North Sea Blockade  of Germany and interdiction of neutral flag shipping, but participate in the most  successful naval blockade in history. And one of the most brutal and sustained  wars against a  civilian population to  date in modern warfare, directly  responsible for the  deaths  of an estimated 425,000-763,000 German civilians  due  to  starvation and disease.  It also inspired the German response in the  form of the first used  of  submarine warfare to effect a "blockade"  of  the British  Isle  which, too,  morphed  into unrestricted submarine attacks on  ships regardless of  their nationality, status  or purpose.

So the now  incongruously named Teutonic went to  war, fulfilling  Thomas Ismay's original bold concept but against an enemy unimaginable when he first  conceived it. 

1914

The day  before  she was  scheduled to sail for Montreal, booked  solid with  1,500  Canadians  and Americans desperate to  get  home, she was requisitioned by the  British government on 4  September  1914, also cancelling, of course,  her  scheduled eastbound departure from Montreal on the 19th September.  On the 8th, it was reported  that  British Admiralty  had appointed  Capt.  John R. Segrave to assume command Teutonic. 

The day  before  she was  scheduled to sail for Montreal, booked  solid with  1,500  Canadians  and Americans desperate to  get  home, she was requisitioned by the  British government on 4  September  1914, also cancelling, of course,  her  scheduled eastbound departure from Montreal on 19 September.  On the 8th, it was reported  that  British Admiralty  had appointed  Capt.  John R. Segrave to assume command Teutonic. 

For a ship that had been "converted" into the role 25 years earlier in but 48 hours,  Teutonic's  metamorphisis  into a real  naval auxiliary  in Sandton Dock took  a bit longer but  still  impressive. Arriving at Liverpool from Montreal on 30 August 1914, one officer and 11 ratings, from  Portsmouth, embarked in her on 10 September  and her main complement,  including  two  Lieutenants (R.N.R.),  six midshipmen (R.N.R.) and 151 ratings the next day.  He full  compliment is  listed as 57  officers and 380 ratings.  Teutonic was fully  armed with a full compliment of  eight Mk VII six-inch QF naval guns, as well as two QF 57 mm  Hotchkiss guns.

H.M.S. Teutonic (and yes,  she kept her name regardless of  the  considerable  ironic  qualities it  now  assumed) was commissioned  at   Liverpool at 0900 hrs. 11 September  1914 under  the  command of Capt.  Herbert Chatterton, and assigned pennant no.  M.52.  The major work of commissioning a ship, storing  and provisioning,  occupied her  crew  for the  next  few days.  On the  17th,  Teutonic passed out into the Mersey  to  undergo compass adjusting  and trials including firing  her  main battery.  She then proceeded to  Scapa Flow, base of  the Home Fleet, where she  anchored on  the  19th.

Teutonic, unlike many other liners "converted" into AMC's, was  truly built  and designed  with  the role in mind especially   her  epic cruising  range. Even on arrival  at  Scapa, she reported having 4,205  tons in her bunkers.  She and her fellow AMCs would  periodically  return to  Liverpool to  take on bunkers  and provision and be on patrol for three weeks or so.  

Initially, Teutonic  and her  AMC fleetmates were  assigned to Cruiser  Force  B, later called the  Tenth Cruiser Squadron, based out of Scapa Flow on patrols in the North Sea  between Norway and the  Shetland Islands.  The mighty Home Fleet was sufficient to keep  the German Navy bottled up in harbour as well the German merchant marine, what  was left of it that was not interned in overseas ports. The  main role of  the 10th Cruiser Squadron was to interdict neutral merchantmen potential "contraband" goods, mails and male passengers of  military age  suspected of trying to get to Germany  to enlist.  Ships would be challenged, stopped and searched by a  boarding party. Suspect mail or passengers were removed for inspection or  interoggation and if  contraband cargo were found (the definition of  which was  at  the discretion of the British), the ship was taken to Kirkwall under  British supervision for unloading of it.  It was, of course, all in total disregard of the rights of free passage of  neutral ships… Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and American among others… but  when one possess the  pre-eminent and most powerful  navy in the world, might indeed makes right.   Initially  aged Edgar-class light  cruisers were assigned  to the  role, but it was soon found  that AMCs  with  their much  greater range, high freeboard and accommodation were far more suited  to the  role.

H.M.S.  Teutonic  left Scapa Flow on her first patrol on 20 September 1914 and her first neutral ships to be boarded  and  inspected were Urd (Norway) and Blanche (Sweden)  the following  morning and the  British Nellie Dodds searched that  afternoon as well. Most days on patrol were routine and tedious, made worse by  the  atrocious weather conditions so often encountered.  Her log for the 27th stated: "noon: strong gale with heavy cross  sea;  ship labouring  heavily." On 17 October she returned to Liverpool to bunker ,  docking at Canada Dock, and her crew got a respite from North  Sea weather and even coaling  was  done  by  shore  labour.  She took on a good 5,400 tons.

Commencing her second wartime patrol on 24 October  1914, Teutonic left Liverpool and made directly for Faeroe Islands,  arriving on station on the  28th.  Interpersed with  searching the odd trawler,  she faced "Gale. High  W'ly sea on 10 November.  Shipping water over  all." This gave way to hail storms and "high confused sea."  on 12 November. She returned to Liverpool on the  20th, docking in Huskisson Dock. In addition to  coaling, her logs mentioned "hands painting masts &  funnels."     

Teutonic sailed from Liverpool on 27 November 1914 on her third  patrol in squally weather and off Barra on the 29th, stopped  and boarded the  Swedish Sydic and endured  deteriorated  weather which  evolved into  "strong  gale, very high  sea, squally" by  1 December.  She rendezvoused with H.M.S. Cedric on  the 20th to  transfer a wireless receiver to  the ship.  Christmas Day was observed in "mod gale, rough  sea,  clear  weather" and lost  her wireless aerial on Boxing Day which was repaired  with the ship slowed to 40 rev. in high  seas. Teutonic and her  crew would,  at  least, ring  in  the  New  Year  in port,  arriving  at Liverpool on the 29th and entering  Canada  Dock late that morning.

H.M.S. Teutonic. Credit: eBay auction photo.

1915

On 5  January  1915 Capt. George P.  Ross assumed command  of  Teutonic, in relief  of Capt. Chatterton. 

H.M.S. Teutonic departed Liverpool on the afternoon of  8  January  1915  on her fifth  patrol of the war. On the 15th  she was close enough to signal H.M.S. Alsatian and later,  H.M.S. Orotava. On the evening  of the 12th,  her officers reported  sighting the  Aurora Borealis in the Northern Sky in a  gentle breeze, fine and clear " and by the next day  at  1920 hrs, she "hove  to" in  a  high  sea, deteriorating to a  "strong gale, squally and rain, high  sea."  On the 24, she  stopped and boarded four  British trawlers and on the  26th the outbound Kronprinz Gustav Adolf (Sweden)  bound for  Buenos  Aires was intercepted and cleared.  A floating mine was spotted on  the 30th, "which  was  sunk  by  rifle fire" and two others  the  next  day. On 6 February 1915,  Teutonic  arrived in Glasgow, docking Princes Dock that afternoon. 

At Glasgow, Teutonic was  coaled and "hands  employed painting ship," and  she shipped two six-pounder naval guns.  On 16 February 1915,  clearing   her  Clyde berth at  1:35 p.m. and by  the next day,  in "moderate gale and high  sea,"  Teutonic was  off Oversay by  the following  morning.  It was  not  a month to  be a poor  sailor in such  waters and at 3:25 p.m., her log reported her "shipping heavy  seas  over forecastle  head" and her  way reduced  to 20 revs in a heavy gale. There was even  a single neutral ship, Clara of Swedish, to stop and board  on the  26th  and an American steamer, El Siglo,  outward from Bremen, that  was of sufficient interest  that  she was sent by  a prize crew  (one  midshipman, one petty officer  and  four ratings)  to  Stornoway for contraband  inspection.  Teutonic stopped her first liner, Scandinavian  American Line's Hellig  Olav, en route from New  York  to  Copenhagen.  Her sister ship, Oscar II, was stopped and boarded on  3 March, outbound  for  New York.   Adding to a "full house"  of Scandinavian American liners, the flagship  Frederick VII  was signalled on  the  6th but permitted to proceed. One of  Teutonic's  six-pounders  was put to  use after  breakfast on  the  7th, sinking a loose German mine.  Meeting her  erstwhile  fleetmate Cedric on  the  next  day, a fireman was transferred  to her.  After an eventful patrol,  Teutonic arrived at Liverpool on  the  11th,  berthing in Canada  Dock  at 0900 hrs.

Another White  Star  reunion of sorts  was effected on 14  March 1915 when Teutonic  was shifted alongside Cymric to commence coaling.  Teutonic finally  received  a drydocking this turnaound and entered  Canada Dry  Dock the  morning  of the 20th and after her hull was  cleaned and painted, she  was undocked  on the  23rd and shifted to Huskisson  Dock to resume coaling. In all, she shipped 4,474 tons  of  coal and 7,007 tons  of oil  during her turnaround.

The small hours of  27 March  1915  found  H.M.S.  Teutonic  clearing Rock Light, outbound on her  seventh patrol. Getting to business early, she stopped and put a prize crew  (1 Lt., 1 P.O. and 4 ratings) aboard Herman Frasch to take to an unidentified  port for contraband inspection. Another  prize crew was put aboard Patia on 1 April to take  her  into Stornoway.  On the  6th, Teutonic put  a  prize  crew on  an American-flagged  ship, Joseph W. Fordney, bound New  York to  Malmo, to take her into Kirkwall  for  inspection. Later that  same day, the  Swedish Sir Ernest Cassel was taken to Kirkwall.  The following day,  the  ship  was put  to dead slow to allow an operation  to  be  effected by  the ship's  surgeon.   The Scandinavian  American liner  Helig Olav was boarded  on the  10th and  ordered to  proceed to Kirkwall but  without  a  prize crew aboard. The rotation of  prize crews was becoming a challenge and on the 13th, Teutonic sent two officers and 10 men over to H.M.S. Alsatian to  augment her crew. Another busy  patrol  ended on arrival back  at Liverpool  on the  21st.   

Herr bunkers filled with 5,237 tons,  Teutonic sailed from Liverpool  on  5 May  1915 on patrol no. 8 and wasting no time, stopped and put a prize  crew  aboard  Augusta (Sweden) the  very  next day and she  was  taken into Kirkwall.  In her first  encounter with one  of  the beautiful  Norske  Amerikalinje  sisters, Kristianiafjord, bound  Bergen to New  York, she was  boarded on the  7th and allowed  to proceed. On the 9th,  a hospital patient, Midshipman  Fairnie,  was  transferred to  H.M.S. Digby, the Furness liner also  serving as an A.M.C..  A prize crew was  sent  to  take  the  Swedish Nordic  into  Kirkwall on  the  11th and the same for Kronprinz Gustav, also of Sweden. Teutonic returned  to Liverpool on the  27th.

Patrol no. 9 got underway from Liverpool on 3 June  1915 and an "early customer"  was  the  Swedish  Princessan Ingeborg on  the 10th,  sent to  Kirkwall with a prize crew.  On the  11th, it was so  rough that it  was impossible  to  board the Norwegian barque  Torrey and  she was  instead signalled to proceed to Kirkwall. There was even a pursuit  of  a  German  merchantman,  Konsul Schultz, on the 22nd but had  to  be abandoned when she  got  into  Norwegian territorial waters off Kya Island.  On  1  July,  Teutonic returned to Liverpool.

On her  tenth patrol, Teutonic  left Liverpool  on 10 July  1915.  A crewman, John  Jones, trimmer,  was posted missing  on  the  12th. Even Norwegian whalers were  stopped  and on the 24th Flidd  was boarded  and  a prize crew  took  her into  Lerwick.   On arrival back at Liverpool on 6 August, Teutonic coaled (4,980 tons) and provisioned as  usual.

Given the financial collapse of White Star's owners, the  International Mercantile Marine, which  went into receivership in late 1914 and the desire of  the Admiralty  to economise save a small fraction of a war that was spiraling  out of  control in every fashion, including expediture, Teutonic was purchased by  the  Admiralty effective 16 August 1915. This saved considerably over  wartime chartering costs and White  Star were selling a ship whose age effectively precluded any  future  commercial trading.  

Within two days of her departing Liverpool on Patrol 11, 15  August  1915, Teutonic had stopped and boarded  two ships, the Norwegian barque Hebe and Dagmar, and put  prize crews aboard.  On this patrol, Teutonic put  into Greenock on the  19th for additional coaling, from lighters. The  need  for the added bunkers was that she  was  detailed to  Russia's White Sea, and departed on the  21st with a cargo of  torpedoes for  British submarines in support of  the  Imperial Russian Navy to protect the  vital supply route into Murmansk.  Arriving  off Cape  Kanin on the  27th, Teutonic  transferred  her  torpedoes and  supplies to Lord  Stewart and was on her way to resume her usual  patrolling station.  On arrival at  Scapa Flow on 2 September, Commander  Adrian H. Smyth,  assumed command with Capt  Ross  going  to  H.M.S. Marlborough. After taking  on 1,000  tons of  coal and 15,000 gallons of  water. 

Teutonic left Scapa Flow on 6 September 1915 on Patrol no. 12.  She experienced  a brief malfunction to her  port  engine on the  17th which  was repaired in  a few  hours  and after a rather uneventful patrol,  returned to Liverpool on the  23rd. 

When Teutonic left  Liverpool on Patrol no. 13 on  20 October  1915, she had a passengers, a Lt. Commander, a Sub Lt., a midshipman and  a signal rating bound for the A.M.C. Victorian which  she  rendevoused with  on  the  22nd.  On the 24th, the  log notes: "observed brilliant display of  the  Aurora Borealis"  and earlier the Norwegian Mons was boarded by  a prize party and taken to Kirkwall.  Two other  ships, Otta and Gulfaxe,   were so handled on  the  26h.  The American Polarine was taken by  a prize crew from Teutonic into Kirkwall on  4 November.  On the 16th, an armed  guard  was put  aboard the  N.A.L. Kristianafjord.  Teutonic put into Busta Voe, Shetland Islands, on the 16th, and coaled  from a collier  there, takng  on 1,000 tons in all, before resuming patrol on the 18th.   She got  back to Liverpool on the 24th and managed to hit the White Star tender Megantic whilst swinging in  Canada  Basin, "doing slight damage to her upper works."

On 4 December 1915, stoker 1st class Tom Pictor, fell off the  gangway coming aboard,  and fell into the  water  and whilst rescued and brought on the quay, could not be resusitated and died of  drowning. 

Patrol 14 for H.M.S. Teutonic commenced  from Liverpool on 6  December  1915. It was not until the  22nd that she sent a vessel, the Norwegian Terje Viken  to  Kirkwall with  a prize  crew. Christmas Day was spent at Busta Voe coaling.  

1916

Teutonic returned  to  Liverpool 11 January 1916.  She  entered Canada Dry  Dock on the 23rd and undocked on  29th. 

In January  1916 Teutonic  assumed the  role  of  flagship  of  the  Second Division of  the 10th Cruiser  Squadron under Capt.  Robert E.R.  Benson, Commodore.

Teutonic cleared Liverpool on 4 February  1916, beginning   Patrol 15 and by the 6th, was  hove-to, "shipping heavy  seas fore &  aft" and "vessel rolling and pitching.  Taking  heavy seas on board."  Other than contend with  filthy weather and a rendezvous with  the  Commodore  Ship H.M.S. Alsatian, this patrol  was as short on  merchantmen interceptions  as it was on good weather. On the  25th, Teutonic put  into Busta Voe  for coaling  from the colliers Bangarth and  Jessie. She  left  there on the 27th  and returned to Liverpool on  12  March. 

North Sea Patrol no. 16  got underway on departure  from  Liverpool  on 29  March  1916 and by  the following day Teutonic  was "plunging and  shipping  heavy  seas." On 1 April she rendevoused with  H.M.S. Alsatian and H.M.S.  Otway and  brought  over  mail and crew to  them.  Other than her compatriots, she  sighted  no other  ships  and arrived at  Scapa  Flow  on  the  13th for bunkers  and water.  Leaving here on the  17th she  resumed her  patrol duties.  Meeting  H.M.S.  Alsatian, flagship  of  the  10th  Squadron,  on the 20th, Teutonic was inspected by the  Admiral Sir  Reginald Godfrey Tupper,  commanding  the Squadron. Teutonic called at Busta Voe from 30 April-4 May  and then resumed her  duties. She returned to Liverpool  on  the 10th.

On 28 March 1916 there was a mutiny by eight  of  Teutonic's firemen  who were placed under  arrest and removed to  H.M.S.  Eagle under military  escort by order  of Admiral Stileman. 

Teutonic's seventeenth North Sea  Patrol got underway on departure  from  Liverpool  on 29  March  1916 and by  the following day she  was "plunging and  shipping  heavy  seas." On 1 April she rendevoused with  H.M.S. Alsatian and H.M.S.  Otway and  brought  over  mail and crew to  them.  Other than her compatriots, she  sighted  no other  ships  and arrived at  Scapa  Flow  on  the  13th for bunkers  and water.  Leaving here on the  17th she  resumed her  patrol duties.  Meeting  H.M.S.  Alsatian, flagship  of  the  10th  Squadron,  on the 20th, Teutonic was inspected by the  Admiral Sir  Reginald Godfrey Tupper,  commanding  the Squadron. Teutonic called at Busta Voe from 30 April-4 May  and then resumed her  duties. She returned to Liverpool  on  the 10th.

Capt. John S. Luard  assumed command  of  Teutonic  in April 1916, and Commodore  of  the  Second  Division of the 10th Cruiser Squadron. 

Now a real veteran as an A.M.C.,  Teutonic cleared the Mersey on her  18th patrol  on 23  May 1916. By the 25th she  had taken up her station, working  with  H.M.S. Otway. Gun drills, "in accordance with G.O. 1st  May  1916"  was  carried out and "expended  11 rounds of  6 Pdr steel shell" on the 26th.  The Dutch Yildum  was boarded on the  27th and Buffalo  the next day and the Norwegian  Inland  on the  29th. Putting into  Busta Voe  for coaling on 5-6  June, she rendezvoused with the  flagship  Alsatian on  the  7th and carried out gun practice with  her  on the  12th. It was back to  Busta Voe for bunkers 18-19.  Two  of the ships Teutonic stopped  and boarded  were British, bound from Brest  to Archangel with munitions as part of  the epic chartered fleet organised by  Hudson's  Bay Co.  Under  contract  to the  French Government to supply  the Russians. Liverpool seemed a distant memory that  summer and it was back  to Busta  Voe 6-7 July for coaling.   She finally  returned to the Mersey on  the 12th.

Other than give her  crew a taste  of  terra  firma,  the main reason for  Teutonic's return to Liverpool was a badly  overdue  drydocking  and she went  straight into Sandon graving dock on arrival and floated out  on 16  July 1916.   

By the  time Teutonic left  Liverpool on 5 August  1916 on Patrol  no. 19, she  must  have looked quite  spruce having  been chipped  and painted  extensively  by her  crew. By  the  7th she  had joined  up  with  Alsatian on patrol. On the 11th she signalled the Scandinavian America liner  United  States but she  was allowed to proceed.  Two  Norwegian sailing  vessels  were boarded on  the16-17th.  Coaling ensued at Busta  Voe 22-24th and three ships, including the Dutch Westerdyk, boarded  on the  29th.  The Russian Tserarevich Alexei  and  the Norwegian Drammenfjord were boarded on 6 September.  Coaling ensued at Busta Voe 13-14th and Teutonic eventually returned  to Liverpool on  the  28th.

During her  turnaround at Liverpool, a fireman, J. Bishop,  apparently  fell overboard  and  drown  in the Alexandra dock  basin on 11 October 1916.

No. 20 began on 20  October 1916 and  Teutonic joined H.M.S. Victorian on patrol on the  22nd. The U.S.-flag steamer Healdton was boarded and  searched on  the 27th and another  American, the schooner  Norseman on the  31st. Teutonic coaled at Busta  Voe 9-11 November. On the 18th she came upon San Tirso which  was apparently disabled and taken in tow with the tug Sarah Jolliffe relieving her on the  22nd.  Teutonic coaled at  Busta  Voe 26-29th and returned to Liverpool on 11 December.

By some yuletide miracle,  Teutonic's crew  enjoyed Christmas ashore in Liverpool

1917

Teutonic started the year as she ended it, "in reserve"  in  Alexandra  Dock, Liverpool. On  20 January  1917, the P&O steamer Pera, swinging around in  dock,  hit her and damaged some railings on her  starboard  upper deck.  Her stand down  became  semi-permanent when she  shifted on the  31st to  Canada Tongue  for lay-up and placed out  of commission.

With the  character of  the  war  completely  changed with  the entry  of  the  United  States into it in April and the Russian Revolution  in October 1917, Teutonic was recommissioned in October to  act as a convoy  escort for the White Sea run.  

Still alongside  Canada Tongue, Liverpool, Teutonic  was  put back  into commission at 0900 hrs. on 1 October  1917 by  Capt.  Arnold-Forster, R.N. and by  the end of the day had signed  on 30 boys, 2 AB's,  an engineering officer, surgeon,  two  deck officers. 10 stokers and 160  seamen. After taking  on the remainder of her compliment,  Teutonic sailed  from Liverpool on the 5th  October 1917 on brief trials in the river before returning  to  West  Sandon Basin for  coaling. 

Teutonic left Liverpool on 16 October 1917 and arrived at Loch Ewe on the  18th to  join her first White  Sea bound convoy.  This departed on the  20th with the Russian transports and former liners, Czar, Czaritza and Dwinsk, and the TBD's Munster and Moon completing the escort.  The 1,560-mile run from Loch Ewe to  Kola  Inlet  was  done  in good time, the  convoy arriving on 26 October. While there, Teutonic swapped  four  officers  and 241  ratings for  an equal number  from the pre-dreadnaught battleship  H.M.S. Glory, flagship of the British North Russia  Squadron. 

On 30 October 1917 Teutonic  departed Kola Inlet for  Loch  Ewe and making a fast run  (making 16-17 knots for  much  of it), arrived at  Loch  Ewe on 3 November. She left there on the 6th for Liverpool, arriving  on the 7th.  

With Russia descending  into revolution, chaos and ultimately civil war, Teutonic  found herself back  on what  was left of  the now  disbanded 10th Cruiser  Squadron doing a North Sea patrol, commencing with  her departure from  Liverpool on 19 November  1917. Arriving  on station on the 21st, was inspected by Vice-Admiral Tupper  who came over from the flagship  H.M.S. Alsatian. The first neutral flag ship to  be boarded was the  Danish Kentucky  on the  23rd. A submarine  was sighted at 1022 hrs on the  28th six miles off the port bow, hands  called to  General Quarters and Teutonic  responded to  telegraphs  at full  ahead  and turned  to  starboard.   The  submarine  did  not  give  chase  and  by  1036 hrs, normal course and speed (13 knots) resumed. On 1-2 December gunnery  practice on a target was carried out  for the  starboard 6-inch main battery and on the  3rd for  the portside  battery. Teutonic called at  Scapa Flow 8 December and took on bunkers from the collier  Symoon.  Leaving Scapa on the 15th, Teutonic resumed patrol and rendezvoused ith  the flagship  Alsatian on the 20thin the  snow,  her  captain  going  to her by  launch. On the 23rd, the Danish Moskov  was boarded  and the following day, the  NASM liner Nieuw  Amsterdam. Christmas was  observed  at  sea and on the  27th,  Teutonic returned to Liverpool.

1918

Teutonic  started  the  new year  with  a new commander,  Capt. Otto H. Hawke-Genn, as of 11 January  1918. She was also received a new  pennant no.,  MI.93.

Twenty-nine years to  the  day  she  launched at Belfast, Teutonic  sailed from  Liverpool  on  19  January 1918. She met  up with  Alsatian  on the  22nd and then proceeded on  a nostalgic  voyage  for her:   a trans-Atlantic crossing  to Halifax.  Winter weather played havoc  with her  forward  guns  as Teutonic tended  to  bury her nose in  head seas and always  shipped  water, often saturating her main armament  cordite charges which had  to be  thrown overboard. On the  25th, the port gun screen was  carried  away  by the sea and on the  27th,  her starboard  6-pounder  was frozen in its  mount. When  Teutonic arrived  at  Halifax on the  29th, she was  coated with ice  and  one of  her  anchors  was completely  frozen up and could not  be released. Once alongside,  "hands  turned  to  to clear  ice and snow  from ship." 

Departing Halifax  on  5 February 1918, Teutonic acted as an escort  to an outbound convoy which  included Adriatic,  Cassandra, Corsican and  Ordina.  When her  starboard  condenser broke  down, she  proceeded  on her port  engine  only at 12 knots until  it could be repaired.  Approaching  the  Irish Coast, a  considerable flotilla  of  TBD's:  Beagle,  Badger, Savage,  Pelican, Pigeon, Ossoy,  Harpy  and Marne provided  additional escort  in these U-boat  infested  waters.  Passing  the Old Head  of Kinsale at 2136 hrs. on the  14th,  Teutonic arrived  at Liverpool the  afternoon  of the 16th.

A second trans-Atlantic voyage got underway  on 25 February 1918 when Teutonic  cleared the Mersey, Halifax-bound.   The destroyers H.M.S. Nicator and  Bulldog  followed her out  to into Irish  Sea  and  then  she  proceeded  independently  in heavy  weather.  Halifax was  reached on the  morning  of  7 March. Embarking one officer  and 15 seamen  from U.S.S. San Diego, Teutonic,  after  extinguishing a fire  in no. 4  bunker,  sailed the morning  of  the 11th  for  another once  familiar port: New York where she  docked  at Pier 61 North River on the 13th. 

Eastbound, Teutonic left New York on 16 March  1918 in convoy  O.V.9 which  included the famous  flagship of  Admiral  Dewey, U.S.S. Olympia, and arrived at Liverpool on the  28th

Carrying an undisclosed  amount  of bullion, Teutonic  sailed from  Liverpool on 6 April 1918 with the U.S.S. Allen escorting until the  afternoon of  the 7th. Two eastbound convoys, one escorted by  H.M.S. Orcoma  and the other  by H.M.S. Victorian were passed on the  12th. Teutonic arrived at Halifax on the 15th where she landed  her bullion and, on the  16th, her main 6-inch armament, all eight  guns and  ammunition, were all unshipped and landed.  Her 1 gunnery  officer  and 76  ratings, too, were discharged to  H.M.C.S. Niobe. Thus  concluded  Teutonic's career  as an Armed Merchant Cruiser. She was also given another new  pennant number, MI. 50.  She sailed on the  afternoon of  the 16th and arrived  at New York the morning of the  18th,  docking  at Pier 61.

Making her first  voyage carrying troops, Teutonic left New York on 25  April 1918 in convoy, taking up  her station directly astern of  U.S.S. Leviathan.  Whilst the main convoy sailed to Brest,  France,  Teutonic arrived  at Liverpool on 6 May and later docked in  Canada Basin on the 8th.

In convoy with Baltic,  Adriatic,  Caronia and   Minnekahda,  escorted by H.M.S. Beagle,  Foxhound and Pincher, Teutonic  cleared  the  Mersey on 16  May 1918 and arrived at New York on the  25th.

For some reason not indicated in her logs, she seems to have  idled about New York Harbor, at anchor, for a number  of weeks and did not sail until  20 June  1918 and arrived at Liverpool on 1 July.

Sailed from Liverpool on 15  July 1918 for New York where she arrived  on  the  24th, berthing  at Pier 62. 

Teutonic cleared New  York  on 16  August 1918, "1.03 p.m.  Statue of  Liberty abeam," for  England. An otherwise unremarkable crossing was  punctuated by  a  fire in the  forward fan room at 0300 hrs on the  24th  that  was extinguished in ten  minutes.  Off Ireland on the  26th, the destroyers Michael, Morsby and Manners joined the convoy and Teutonic arrived at Liverpool on the 28th, landing four  companies  of American troops there.

After a short  turnaround, Teutonic was again  westbound  on 5 September  1918 but this time to another once  familiar  destination for  her: Quebec where  she  arrived on the  14th.

Departing  Quebec  on 28  September  1918, Teutonic  reprised  her  role as lifesaver  when  she  rescued  the  crew of  Huntscliff (the  former DOAL steamer Rufidji (1911/5,442 grt) seized by  the  British at Simonstown in 1916) which  foundered  off the coast of  Ireland in heavy seas 8-12 October, saving all 90 aboard. Another  familiar  port for the ship, Queenstown,  was reached on the  14th and Teutonic  proceeded to Liverpool where  she arrived  on the  16th, landing Huntscliff's crew.

H.M.T. Teutonic  showing her following  her  1919  refitting  into a fulltime  transport, restored to  full White  Star  Line  colours  with  the company acting  as  the ship's manager. Credit: titanic inquiry  project. 

The White Star liner Teutonic arrived in Southampton Docks this morning from the East via Marseilles, having on board a number  of troops from those parts. This the  first  time  the Teutonic has  called at Southampton since she  sailed from here on  April 19th, 1911 from which port trip she then went to Liverpool, and carried on her services until the outbreak of war. She then became a troopship, and is still engaged on that business under the Government.

Southern  Daily  Echo,  5 November  1919.

"The  war  to end all wars,"  had the ironic  result of ensuring instead a succession of smaller conflicts in a world suddenly  bereft of  the empires-- German, Austro-Hungarian,  Ottoman and Russian-- that  ordered  it for centuries. So  it was  that one of the supposed  victors,  Great  Britain,  found demand  for  its military,  at  land  and sea,  on  new fronts well after the Armistice.  Its fleet of transports, denuded of the  "call ups" of liners  and  mailships returned  to their rightful  owners to resume, at least the commerce of The British Empire.  So it was that  Teutonic, aged and worn, but  still stout  and speedy,  and  more importantly, owned by  the  government, would finally fulfil one last  duty and one last envisaged role-- that of a fast transport-- as the last act in her long  and  eventful  life.

1919

Still owned  by  the Shipping Controller,  Teutonic  spent the first  half of  1919  undergoing  a substantial  refit  to adopt  her  as a  fulltime transport  and  giving her  the  appearance that has  oft but  erroneously attributed to  her refit  for the Canadian  Run in 1911.  Put  under  full White  Star management and restored  to  their  colours, H.M.T. Teutonic was reconfigured  into a  transport that  could  carry as many  as 1,500 soldiers.  Her lower  promenade  deck was plated-in and extended aft  as was the aft one-half of the promenaded deck and extensive work done inside  to provide messing and lavatory facilities.  She was given a new wheehouse  replacing her  open  bridge.  

The Teutonic (White Star Line) embarked at the Devonport Dockyard yesterday nearly 1,400 Imperial troops for Port Said. The transport is commanded by Capt. Marshall, D.S.O., and is due to leave for the Mediterranean to-day. The  embarkation was expeditiously carried cut, the troops having arrived earlier in the day by special trains. In all  95 officers and 1,248 other ranks joined the liner, the troops including men of the 11th and 20th Hussars and a brigade of  artillery. Lady Bols, wife of Maj.-Gen Sir L.J. Bols, and Mr. Gary (United States Consular  Service) are also  taking passage in the  steamer to Egypt. 

Western Morning  News, 12 July  1919.

Teutonic's initial  service  as a  troop  transport  was facilitating the  epic demobilisation and reassignment  of British  Forces  in the  Middle  East which included extensive "shuttle"  voyages  between Egypt  (Port Said and Alexandria) and Marseilles.

Towards this end,  Teutonic  arrived  at Port Said on 20 July 1919 and then logged the  following port calls:  Port Said dep 29 July, Malta call 30th, Marseilles   dep. 6 August, Alexandria  dep. 13th, Malta call  16th and arrive at Marseilles on 17th. She  left  Marseilles on the  21st for  Alexandria, calling at Malta 23rd and returned at Marseilles on 3  September.

Apparently idle at  Marseilles for four weeks,  Teutonic resumed  service with  her departure on 3  October  1919 for Alexandria where she  arrived on the 6th. Sailing from there  on  the 8th, she arrived at Malta on the  11th. With  1,600 men  from  Salonika and  the Middle East, Teutonic  sailed  direct  to  Southampton on the 29th where she  arrived  on the morning  of 5 November.

Teutonic  sailed from Southampton on 11  December  1919 for  Marseilles, passing Gibraltar on the  16 and arriving  Alexandria on the  20th. Homewards,  she left there on Christmas Eve and from Malta on  the  28th

H.M.T. Teutonic showing her substantially altered superstructure. encyclopedia titanica.org John A. Zdanowicz

1920

Teutonic arrived at Plymouth  on 6  January  1920 with 1,800  troops from Egypt, Malta and Gibraltar including the  1/5th Somerset  Light  Infantry.  She  arrived at  Liverpool  on the 8th. 

Due to sail from Liverpool   on the  afternoon of 21 January  1920 with  900 officers and  other  ranks  of  the  Highland  Light Infantry  for Gibraltar, Malta, Port Said  and Alexandria, Teutonic  was not  going  anywhere when  150 of  her  firemen, who  had  signed  on  the previous  day,  went on strike.  "Their  complaint is  that  the  accommodation on the vessel  is not equal to  that  they are entitled to, and they contend  that the  coolies who brought the  vessel from Egypt to  this  country are being  provided with better  quarters  on the  return  voyage  than the  Britons who  have  to work the  ship." (Glasgow  Herald, 22  January  1920). The ships's  seamen also  went  out  in  sympathy.  

A deadlock  occurred, and at five  o'clock  the  firemen, who numbered about eighty, came ashore, followed by  the sailors, who  adopted a sympathetic  attitude  towards the firemen.  Lengthy  efforts were made to  settle the  dispute,  but  without avail. At a  quarter-past seven o'clock the Teutonic, with  the help  of  some  of  the soldiers  aboard, was moved  into mid-river, where  she lay at anchor  pending  the decision of the authorities  as  to the  course  to  be taken  under  the  circumstances. 

Liverpool Daily Post, 22 January 1920. 

When alternate accommodation was provided  for the  firemen, the crew rejoined the ship at 8:00 a.m. on  23 January  1920, and  Teutonic sailed at 2:00 p.m. for  the  Mediterranean. The Liverpool Journal of  Commerce  reminded their readers that Teutonic "was formerly one of the  crack  White  Star liners." Calling at Gibraltar on 27 January 1920 Teutonic arrived at  Alexandria on 6 February.  Homeward she left  on the 10th, calling at  Malta on the  14th and Gibraltar on  the  17-18th and  returned to Liverpool on the  23rd. 

Initially for Bombay, Teutonic sailed  from Liverpool on 8 March 1920,   passed Gibraltar 12 March and called at Port Said  on the 18th but plans to continue  to India were apparently  cancelled for on the  21st  she  left Alexandria  to  return to Liverpool where she  docked on the  31st.

On 20 April 1920 it  was reported that  the Ministry  of Shipping was asking  for  tenders  for Teutonic, "… the  grand old ship will probably  go  to the shipbreakers unless  a foreign company buys her." (Evening News, 20  April 1920). In the event, there were either no takers  and Teutonic, now long  impervious  to such insults, carried  on as usual.

Teutonic cleared Liverpool  on 4 May 1920 for Alexandria, calling at Malta on the  11th and arriving on the 14th.  Departing Alexandria on the 18th,  on departure from Malta on the  22nd,  one of the  soldiers fell overboard, "he  was, however,  a good  swimmer, and  keeping himself  afloat, was picked  up by  one of the  ship's boats." (Liverpool Echo, 29 May 1920). Passing Gibraltar on the 25th, Teutonic returned  to Liverpool on the 29 May 1920 with 200  officers, 212 other ranks and  90 naval personnel with Lt.-Col. A.C. Jaffs (Westminster Dragoons) the  Officer-in-Charge. Among  the  men were 35 officers and 50 other ranks who  had  been in Russia assisting the  White Russians in the civil war against the  Bolsheviks. Also returning was a contingent of the Z Squadron, Royal Air Force, returning from a punitive  expedition against Dervishes in  Somaliland.   

One of a remarkable seven fires that  the Liverpool Fire Brigade had to deal with on 8 June 1920 broke out at 11:00 p.m. in one of  Teutonic's boiler rooms whilst lying in  Canada Dock. "An outbreak of fire occurred on the White Star liner Teutonic lying in the Canada Dock, Liverpool. The fire and quickly originated above to the boiler stokers' house, spread to their galley. Then it went to the officers' quarters, above which it burnt a hole through the upper deck. After an hour's struggle the fire brigade gained control of the flames. Considerable damage was done, especially in the officers' quarters, where some furniture was destroyed. The ship will require some time to be refitted." (The Sunday People, 13 June 1920).

In the  event, Teutonic was able to sail on time on her next, and supposed last voyage  of  the trooping season to the east.  With 1,100 officers and other ranks as well as naval personnel, bound  for Gibraltar, Malta and Egypt, she sailed from Liverpool on 15 June  1920, and was the last transport to leave port before the trooping season ended for  the monsoon  season the the  east. Clearing  Gibraltar on the 19th and when arriving at Malta on  the  22nd, was described  as being "packed with troops,"  so much  so that  she could not take aboard  the 2nd Bat. Essex Reg., under  urgent orders to proceed  to  Constantinople.  Teutonic arrived at Alexandria  on the 24th.  Two new ports for her, at age 31, Constantinople and Constantia,  beckoned  on her  sailing  from Alexandria on 1  July.  She arrived at Constantinople on the 3rd

Homewards, Teutonic  cleared Constantinople on 6 July 1920 and calling  at Malta on  the 11th and passing Gibraltar on the  14th, arrived at Liverpool on  the  18th.  "About 400 officers and men  were  disembarked… from the Teutonic, which  arrived in the  Mersey on Sunday  from the Black Sea. Some of  the men had married Russian girls whilst  on foreign service." (Hull Daily Mail,  20 July).  Half a dozen Russian wives were among those  disembarking.  'They make good wives and are very industrious and clean,' said one of the soldiers who had been stationed in the Crimea. ' Many of the Russian women are great admirers of everything British since they made the acquaintance of our men, and. are very anxious to come to England, which they imagine must be a perfct Paradise as a place of residence compared with Russia.'

International events prevailing meant Teutonic  would not be "done for the season," and on 31 July 1920 she sailed from Liverpool  for  Port Said, passing  Gibraltar on 4 August, called at Malta on the  8th  and arriving  at Alexandria on the  11th. She left there on the 18th, called at Constantinople on the 21st and passed out of  Gibraltar on the  29th, returning to Liverpool  on 2 September. This would prove the  very last regular troop transport departure  from the  Mersey  with all ensuing movements from Southampton and Plymouth. 

Leviathans of  a day long  past, like the  old  White  Star  flyer Teutonic, which  is  also for  disposal. The Ministry  of  Shipping have longer  any use for the Teutonic or  Orotava, apparently, and they  will pass to  new owners or  the breakers' yard. What memories the mention of the  Teutonic arouses! When  she  first  came to Southampton she  had a fame which forever will  be associated with  her. As far back as 1889 she was at the  Naval  Review  at Spithead, but no one thought at that  time  that  the White  Star Line would  send  their  chief  ships  to Southampton. She has lately  been  doing good  work as a transport, and although  no  longer  the  property of the  White  Star Line, she is seldom referred to  other  than as the White Star liner  Teutonic.

Southampton Times and Hampshire  Express, 21 August  1920.

Amid another  flurry of  rumours regarding her imminent  demise, Teutonic was then laid  up at Canada Tongue berth, Liverpool until the onset of the transport season in  autumn. 

Not yet done and roused from lay-up, Teutonic left  Liverpool on 13 November 1920 for Southampton, arriving there on the 15th.   Destined again for Egypt, she sailed  on the  18th. Calling at Gibraltar on the  21st, Teutonic got into Alexandria on the 26th.  Homewards from Constantinople and Alexandria  on  3  December, she called at Gibraltar on the 9th and berthed at Southampton, no.  34,  at 9:00  a.m. on the 13th, landing 1,440 officers and other ranks of the Highland Light Infantry, detachments of the  R.M.L.I, R.A.F, Royal Artillery and some Australians.

The stalwart transport sailed from  Southampton on 23 December 1920 with  122 officers and 1,240 other ranks (Army, Navy and R.A.F.) for Alexandria, via Gibraltar.  Among them were men bound to join H.M.S. Iron Duke, flagship of the  Mediterranean fleet.  

Credit: The Graphic, 7 August  1920.

1921   

Calling at  Gibraltar on 28 December 1920, Teutonic rang in 1921 and  her 32nd year in service on  arrival at Alexandria on  3 January 1921. Leaving there on  the  8th, "for Constantinople, Malta and  Southampton," Teutonic left Constantinople on the 14th,  called at Malta  on the  16th and cleared Gibraltar on the 20th.  Arriving  off the Isle  of  Wight on the  evening of the 23rd, she anchored  off Cowes  for the night and came up  the  Solent to  dock at  Berth 39 berth at Southampton at 8:30 a.m. the following  morning.

She came from Constantinople, Malta, and Gibraltar, and had on board about 1,380 officers and men of various units. 

Within few days she will go into dry dock for overhaul, and will then be prepared for further trooping service in the Mediterranean, with Southampton as her home base. 

On her last voyage eastward from Southampton she took from Gibraltar to Malta the Countess of Medina, formerly the Counterss Nada Torby, daughter of the Grand Duke Michael, whose husband is gunnery lieutenant on H.M.S. Cardiff, flagship to the third light cruiser squadron.

Southern Daily  Echo, 24 January 1921.

H.M.T. Teutonic cleared Southampton Water the afternoon of 8 February 1921 for Gibraltar, Malta,  Alexandria and Constantinople with 102 officers, 49 warrant officers and 1,207 other ranks.  Among them were 137 R.A.F. personnel and 93 naval  ratings.   Calling at  Gibraltar on the 12-13th, Malta (15th),  Teutonic arrived at Alexandria  on the 18th, departing on the  24th. She left Constantinople on 1 March, paused at Malta on the 4th,   called at Gibraltar  on the  7th and arrived at Southampton on the morning of the 10th, landing over 1,000 officers and other  ranks. 

Credit: Western Morning News, 21 April 1921. 

Teutonic  sailed from Southampton on 23  March 1921 "for  Bombay." Passing Gibraltar on the  26th, calling at Malta on the  29th and arriving at Alexandria on the 31st, Teutonic proceeded on 6 April to Constantinople.   Plans to  proceed to Bombay apparently  scrubbed, Teutonic left Constantinople on the 10th for home, calling at Malta on the  13-14th where she  embarked the 1st Loyal Regt.  (North  Lancashire) and made straight  for  Plymouth  where she arrived the evening of the 19th and landed  her  troops the following morning.  Also aboard were two lion cubs, Mary and Abdullah,  from Somaliland, a gift  to  the London Zoo by Governor Sir Godfrey Archer, who were accommodated in large pens built for them on the Boat  Deck with a Somali  keeper  to look after them.  Also aboard were two lion cubs from Somaliland, a gift  to  the London Zoo by Governor Sir Godfrey Archer.  Teutonic arrived at  Southampton on the 21st, docking at berth 33  at 10:45 a.m.. 

Ending her final voyage,  Teutonic landed troops  at Southampton on 21 April  1921. Credit: Western Morning News, 21 April 1921.

This would prove to be Teutonic's final voyage.  Although  stated to have  sailed from Southampton "to  Falmouth"  on 26 April 1921, her arrival there  is not known. On 31 May H.M. Government advertised her "at Falmouth" as being for sale as well as Himalaya  and Orotava. The previous  day Teutonic was reported to be "at Cowes Roads," and  ironically would end her days in  Britain at  the sight of  her first triumph almost exactly  32  years  previously.

Credit: The Guardian 31 May  1921

Many thousands of  travellers scattered over  the  world's surface will hear  of  the  Teutonic's impending  fate with  a sense of personal loss.

Liverpool Echo, 13 August 1921.

In her own day the Teutonic, which is to be broken up, was considered the last word in luxurious ocean traveling. One of her passengers on the trial trip said that great liners were often called doting hotels; the Teutonic seemed to him to have all the convenience and comfort of a Pall Mall clubhouse. When, on July 27th, 1889, 'wrote an onlooker, the Teutonic first appeared to there were few among the many experienced public view, as she lay anchored off Holyhead, critics present who did not frankly confess their ideal of symmetry surpassed.'

Liverpool Daily Post, 15 August 1921.

The sale of Teutonic to the Dutch  shipbreakers Messrs. Holland  Co. Ltd. of  Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht  was reported on  12 August 1921.  She  would  be towed from Cowes Roads to Holland by tugs of Messrs. L. Smit and Co.. Indeed, she left in tow under  two Smit tugs that very day  "for Rotterdam," but instead arrived at  Antwerp  on the  14th. Teutonic  was again sold in September to German breakers and scrapped  in Emden, ironically  her first  and final landfall in her namesake region.

There is little room for sentiment in business, but there are many people in 'Southampton, Liverpool, and New York who will regret to know that the Teutonic left Cowes Roads on Saturday to he broken up. It seems a most inappropriate: ending to a fine career. One could almost wish that when the Dutch get hold of the ship they will change their minds and give her a further period of service. The Teutonic has a place of her own in the record of ocean progress, and to the people of Southampton she will long be a favourite theme of discussion. She was one of the first four ships with which the White Star Line opened their Southampton service that important development in Channel traffic that has meant so much to the port.

Southampton Times & Hampshire  Express, 20 August 1921.

The Teutonic was  then  32 years old. She had outlived her sister by seven years and had lived  to see her place taken on the express  service  by a ship four times  her tonnage. As she was towed  away by the Dutch tugs she may have look old-fashioned but still carried her air of graceful nobility. Her name is  not  likely to be  revived  but it will  be always live in the annals of  the  Atlantic ferry. 

J.H. Isherwood,  Sea  Breezes, July 1953. 

R.M.S.  Teutonic, The Pride  of The Ismay  Line, stands out  to sea.  Credit: eBay  auction photo.

R.M.S. Teutonic  1889-1914

 289 westbound crossings completed

 289 eastbound crossings completed

1,750,762 nautical miles steamed

238,059 westbound passengers carried

142,572 eastbound passengers carried

380,635 total passengers carried

Record crossings:

Westbound 12-19 August 1891

5 days 16 hours  31 mins

Eastbound 21-27 October  1891

5 days  21 hours  3 mins

Built by  Harland & Wolff Shipbuilders, Belfast no. 208 

Gross tonnage        9,686 (as built)                                                                 

Length: (o.a.)        582 ft. 

              (b.p.)        565 ft. 8 ins. 

Beam:                     57 ft. 8 ins. 

Machinery:            twin three-cylinder (43", 68", 110" dia) 60" stroke triple-

                                expansion engines 17,500 ihp, twin-screw                                

Speed:                    20 knots service

Passengers            300 First 175 Second 850 Third

                               550 Cabin (Second)  1,000 Third   (1911)

Officers & Crew   300 

Armed Merchant  Cruiser,  Their Epic  Story, Peter Plowman, 1985
The Atlantic Ferry, Arthur J. Maginnis, 1892
Merchant  Fleets, White  Star Line, Duncan Haws, 1990
Ships and Ships  Models,  Frank C. Bowen, 1933
Ships of the  White Star Line, Richard de  Kerbrech, 2009
The Ismay Line, Wilton J. Oldham, 1961
White Star, Roy Anderson, 1964

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Topfoto

http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/H.M.S._Teutonic_(1889)

https://www.ggarchives.com/OceanTravel/ImmigrantShips/Teutonic.html

https://www.maritimequest.com/liners/teutonic_1889.htm

https://www.naval-history.net/OWShips-WW1-08-HMS_Teutonic.htm

https://www.loc.gov/pictures/

https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime-museumhttps://www.marinersmuseum.org/

https://www.rmg.co.uk/national-maritime-museum

https://www.shipsnostalgia.com/

https://collections.nationalmuseumsni.org/results

https://www.tathamhistory.org.uk/

At Sea, Happy Aboard R.M.S. Teutonic.  Credit: topfoto

© Peter C. Kohler