The Great Liners > White Star Line

ORIGINAL OLD POSTCARD OF WHITE STAR LINE VESSEL RMS OLYMPIC

This item is a very rare find. It is an unused colour postcard of the very famous White Star Line vessel The Olympic. It was the sister ship to the Titanic and has some great history of its own. It is in a very good condition and protected in a plastic wallet.

RMS Olympic was the lead ship of the Olympic class ocean liners built for the White Star Line, which also included Titanic and Britannic. Unlike her sisters, Olympic served a long and illustrious career (1911 to 1935), including service as a troopship during World War I, earning the nickname "Old Reliable."

J. Bruce Ismay, the chairman of White Star Line, and William Pirrie, the chairman of Harland and Wolff shipyard, intended the Olympic-class ships to surpass rival Cunard's largest ships, Lusitania and Mauretania, in size and luxury. Construction of the Olympic began three months before Titanic to ease pressures on the shipyard. Several years would pass before Gigantic (renamed Britannic after Titanic's sinking) was constructed with post-Titanic modifications.

Her maiden voyage commenced on 14 June 1911. Designer Thomas Andrews was present for the passage to New York and return, along with a number of engineers, as part of Harland and Wolff's "Guarantee Group" to spot areas for improvement. Olympic had a cleaner, sleeker look than other ships of the day: rather than fitting her with bulky exterior air vents, Harland and Wolff used smaller air vents with electric fans, with a "dummy" fourth funnel used for additional ventilation.
Item: TT1353 BA149

ORIGINAL OLD POSTCARD OF WHITE STAR LINE VESSEL THE CERAMIC

This item is an unused colour postcard from the White Star Line vessel The Ceramic. It is a rare find which is in a good condition and protected in a plastic wallet. Like all vessels have an interesting life and history this particular liner is no exception.

Ceramic was built by Harland and Wolff, Belfast in 1912 for the White Star Line. Her route was the Australian Service and she began shortly after her launch in 1913. The next year, 1914, Ceramic began what was to be an illustrious military career and began serving as a troop transport. (WWI)

In May of 1916. while in the Mediterranean with 2,500 troops on board, Ceramic narrowly escaped after having two torpedoes being fired at her and was able to out-distance the U-boat. In June of 1917, Ceramic was fired on again in the English Channel. The torpedo missed and Ceramic took off once again out running her attacker. One month later, in July of 1917, Ceramic was chased for 40 minutes by a surfaced U-boat firing her deck guns, and again, she out distanced the U-boat.

After WWI, she went back into service as a passenger ship, sailing from Liverpool to Sydney. In 1939, (WWII) she was requisitioned once again for troop transport duties out of Australia, but continued carrying passengers as well. On November 23, 1942, Ceramic left Liverpool, commanded by Captain R. Elford, on what was to be her last voyage. She was carrying about 200 military personnel (mostly medical staff) and 150 civilians including children.

Sailing in a convoy initially, Ceramic departed the convoy and continued on her assigned route by herself. On the pitch dark evening of December 6, while sailing in bad weather West of the Azores, Ceramic was hit by a torpedo fired from U-515 commanded by Kapitänleutnant Werner Henke. A few minutes later, two more torpedoes hit the engine room below the water line, permanently stopping the ship. About eight lifeboats managed to get launched.
Item: TT1293 BA145

A SOUVENIR ADVERT FOR THE LAUNCH OF THE VESSEL TITANIC

This item is a decorative advert of the maiden launch of the famous vessel RMS Titanic. It is made of tin and the size is 15½" (40cm) x 11½" (29cm). It would look good as a display piece.

The RMS Titanic was an Olympic-class passenger liner owned by the White Star Line and was built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, in what is now Northern Ireland. At the time of her construction, she was the largest passenger steamship in the world.

Shortly before midnight on 14 April 1912, four days into the ship's maiden voyage, Titanic struck an iceberg and sank two hours and forty minutes later, early on 15 April 1912. The sinking resulted in the deaths of 1,517 of the 2,223 people on board, making it one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history. The high casualty rate was due in part to the fact that, although complying with the regulations of the time, the ship did not carry enough lifeboats for everyone aboard. The ship had a total lifeboat capacity of 1,178 people, although her maximum capacity was 3,547. A disproportionate number of men died due to the women and children first protocol that was followed.
Item: TT1327 BA148

A MEMORIAL EDITION BOOK ‘LOSS OF THE TITANIC’ DATED 1817

PRICE REDUCED - There are not many items connected to the RMS Titanic that does not cause a stir and much conversation. This is one such item. It is a Memorial Book published in 1912 the year of the sinking of The RMS Titanic. The book is entitled ‘The Story of the Wreck of the Titanic’ and has over 320 pages. It covers first hand the description of the sad loss of the vessel and is produced with illustrated pictures. It is in a good condition and a very rare find of this kind. There surely cannot be many of these around available to own. Click on the picture to see an original photo of Captain Smith.

The RMS Titanic was an Olympic-class passenger liner owned by British shipping company White Star Line and built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland. At the time of her construction, she was the largest passenger steamship in the world.

Shortly before midnight on 14 April 1912, four days into the ship's maiden voyage, Titanic hit an iceberg and sank two hours and forty-eight minutes later, early on 15 April 1912. The sinking resulted in the deaths of 1,517 of the 2,223 people on board, making it one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history. The high casualty rate was due in part to the fact that, although complying with the regulations of the time, the ship did not carry enough lifeboats for everyone aboard. The ship had a total lifeboat capacity of 1,178 people, although her maximum capacity was 3,547. A disproportionate number of men died due to the women-and-children-first protocol that was followed.

The Titanic used some of the most advanced technology available at the time and was popularly believed to have been described as "unsinkable." It was a great shock to many that, despite the extensive safety features, the Titanic sank. The frenzy on the part of the media about Titanic's famous victims, the legends about the sinking, the resulting changes to maritime law, and the discovery of the wreck have contributed to the continuing interest in, and notoriety of, the Titanic.
Item: TT1303 BA146

SILK LADIES HANDKERCHIEF 1922 SOUVENIR FROM THE SS PITSBURGH

This item is from The SS Pittsburgh of The White Star Line. It is a beautiful Silk Ladies Handkerchief which shows the ship woven on and the ships name. It is a souvenir item from the 1920’s and was originally sold onboard during a voyage. It is in a fabulous condition and the size is 10½" (27cm) square. Click on the picture for a closer look at this item.

The Pittsburgh was originally built solely for the American Line of Liverpool by Harland and Wolff, Belfast, in 1913. Construction was stopped at the outbreak of WWI and it wasn't until 1922 that she was ready for service. At this time, the American Line had been purchased by the Red Star Line which in turn was now a part of the International Mercantile. (IMM) With IMM owning the Red Star Line as well as the White Star Line, it was decided to transfer Pittsburgh to White Star at the time of her launching.

She made her maiden voyage from Liverpool to Boston on June 6, 1922. Pittsburgh's regular route was Boston from Hamburg and Bremen. In November 1922, she rescued the crew of the sinking Italian cargo vessel Monte Grappa. In January 1925, the Pittsburgh was transferred to the Red Star Line and ran the Antwerp-Southampton-New York route. In February 1926, she was renamed Pennland. In 1935, Pennland was sold to Arnold Bernstein of Hamburg. In 1940, Pennland was refitted as a troop transport and in 1941 she was bombed and sunk during a German air raid in the Saronic Gulf near Athens.
Item: TT1299 BA146

RARE SEPIA PHOTO OF THE WHITE STAR LINE VESSEL THE TEUTONIC

This is an original B/W photo of the famous old vessel from the White Star Line The Teutonic. Launched at Liverpool, England in the late 1880’s the ship was at one time the jewel in the crown of the White Star Line Company. The photo is fixed to a red velvet plaque and the size is 10" x 8" (25cm x 20cm). Very collectable.

In the late 1880s, competition for the Blue Riband, the award for the fastest Atlantic crossing, was fierce amongst the top steamship lines, and White Star decided to order two ships from Harland and Wolff that would be capable of an average Atlantic crossing speed of 20 knots (37 km/h).

Construction of the Teutonic and the Majestic began in 1887. When Teutonic was launched on January 19, 1889, she was the first White Star ship not to have square rigged sails. The ship was completed on the July 25, 1889 and participated in the Spithead Naval Review on August 1, commemorating Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee.
Item: TT1287 BA145

3 DOMINOES FROM THE WHITE STAR LINE SHIPPING COMPANY

This item is an unusual find. It is a set of 3 dominoes believed to be made for the White Star Line Shipping Company. All of the dominoes show a superb view of a liner embossed on the top. The image of the three funnelled ship is a generic design used by Spears games who manufactured them, and is based loosely on the Canadian Pacific ships "Empress of Asia" & "Empress of Russia". But they also read on the sides ‘RMS TITANIC – WHITE STAR LINE’ over stamped across them. This was believed to be to remember the 50th anniversary of The Titanic's tragic loss in 1912. It is unclear of the complete origins of these dominoes but they are thought to be from between 1912 and 1932.
Item: TT636 BA85

A 1933 CRUISE PROGRAMME FROM WHITE STAR LINE VESSEL HOMERIC

This item is a ‘summer cruise programme’ from the vessel The Homeric of The White Star Line Shipping Company. It is a programme from 1933 and it is in a good condition. The overall size is 5½" x 8½" (14cm x 22cm).
Item: TT584 BA78

AN OPEN UP WORLD CRUISE MAP FROM THE LINER THE SS BELGENLAND

This is an interesting item from the ‘Red Star Line’, and offshoot shipping company of the White Star Line. It is an open up World Cruise map from the liner The SS Belgenland. It is in a superb condition, ideal for framing, and shows many details of the vessel and its voyages. The map reads on it: “THE LARGEST STEAMER EVER TO CIRCLE THE GLOBE” – 1929. The Red Star Line was originally from Antwerp, Belgium and was wound up as a company in 1914, where it was taken over by The White Star Line.
Item: TT281 BA34

THE LOSS OF THE TITANIC REMBERANCE SONG SHEET OF MUSIC

This is an interesting and unusual item to have found. It is an original music sheet of the ‘song of remembrance’ written in early 1912, commemorating the terrible loss of The Titanic and the 1,500 or so passengers who perished. Here is a chance to purchase an item, which is ever so rare and the only one we have come across in many years. It is in newspaper size and opens out with the song music across the centre of the two pages. It is slightly worn around the edges but otherwise in one piece, considering it is now over 90 years old. To our knowledge, there are not many of these around today so it quite original.
Item: TT280 BA34