COVER STORY


The Mighty


Peter Newall tells the fascinating story of one of Britain’s most iconic shipping lines


T


he Oceanic Steam Navigation Company Limited, better known as White Star Line, was founded in 1869 by Thomas Ismay, a


Liverpool ship owner. Two years earlier, he had bought the flag and goodwill of White Star Line, a famous sailing ship company operating to Australia that had fallen on hard times. Under the White Star banner, Ismay and partner William Imrie decided to enter the competitive North Atlantic passenger business, which had seen a huge rise in passengers between America and Europe.


White Star


For its first ships, White Star turned to Belfast shipbuilder Harland & Wolff, the start of an association that continued for 60 years. In 1871, the first of a quartet, the 3,707-ton Oceanic, was delivered. These handsome, four-masted ships were a revolution on the Atlantic with their extreme length and accommodation extended to the full width of the hull instead of the traditional narrow midship deckhouse. The main dining salon was also placed amidships where there was least motion and noise from the propellers. From the start, White Star focused on


passenger comfort like larger cabins, gas lighting, electric call-bells and cabin taps (instead of rattling water jugs). Although they carried hundreds of steerage passen- gers, these passengers had to pay extra for a mattress, pillow, towel, soap, knife, fork and spoon in the 1870s. In later years, these basics were included in the fare. Steerage passengers were segregated, with separate accommodation for single men, single women and married couples with children. The new liners also broke the Atlantic crossing records. But, in March 1873, the company suffered its first loss when 


Spring 2012 I WORLD OF CRUISING 25


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