Ocean Steamers 1820-1970

Synopsis

Ocean Steamers: A History of Ocean-Going Passenger Steamships 1820-1970 by John Adams presents a history of the steam-powered passenger ship that details its story from the SS Savannah of 1819 to the SS Hamburg of 1969. It contains historical details of all civilian vessels built in the intervening years, with numerous illustrations and previously unpublished material.

Publishers Note

Much of the illustrative material, particularly in the middle section of this book is drawn from a wide range of contemporary sources and in some instances the color reproduction reflects the unusual tints and screening employed at that time.

Likewise professional color transparencies of liners particularly the less well known ships of the fifties and sixties are surprisingly rare. Once again the reproductions of some illustrations must be viewed in the light of the standards of that time.

Back Cover, Ocean Steamers: A History of Ocean-Going Passenger Steamships 1820-1970 by John Adams, 1993. GGA Image ID # 20206ed96b

From the Back Cover

This superbly illustrated history of the steam-powered passenger ship details its story from the Savannah of 1819 to the 83,650-ton Queen Elizabeth of 1940 and on to the last significant steam passenger ship built in 1969, the 25,000-ton Hamburg.

Steam power, the prime mover of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, was applied to ships when stationary steam engines were established as industrial power plants in Europe and America. Until the advent of oil firing in the 1920s, coal was the heat source for ships' boilers.

The logistics of carrying sufficient fuel for long sea journeys profoundly affected the design of the first steamships. Initially, the sail was still required as a supplementary motive power until ships were large enough to bunker sufficient coal for non-stop sea crossings, and refueling on the Pacific trade routes was particularly problematic.

Brunei's Leviathan steamship ideas of 1852 (envisaging ships capable of carrying 15,000 tons of coal) presaged the 19,000-ton Great Eastern launched in 1858, bringing varying degrees of financial ruin to its several owners.

Historical details of this and some four hundred vessels detailed in the author's extensively researched text combine to bring a unique story into one volume, covering over 150 years of passenger ship history.

The book is profusely illustrated in color and black and white, including reproductions of much hitherto unpublished ephemera relating to the ships and the shipping lines described.

212 pages, 270mm x 285mm 264 colour illustrations 162 b/w illustrations

Contents

• Preface
• Introduction
• CHAPTER 1: Life on Board
• CHAPTER 2: Early Days, Wooden Ships 1819—1858
• CHAPTER 3: The Iron Age 1838 — 1881
• CHAPTER 4: The Great Eastern 1854—1887
• CHAPTER 5: The Last of Sail 1865—1891
• CHAPTER 6: The First Steel Hulls 1881—1900
• CHAPTER 7: Edwardian Splendour 1900—1910
• CHAPTER 8 Peril on the High Seas 1910—1920
• CHAPTER 9 Reconstruction 1921—1930
• CHAPTER 10 Luxury Giants ¡931—1941
• CHAPTER 11 Post-War 1947-1950
• CHAPTER 12 Let's go on a Cruise 1951—1960
• CHAPTER 13 The Decline of Steam 1961—1970

Appendices

• Chronological List of Ships
• Early Steamboats
• Index

About The Author

John Adams, a lifelong steam enthusiast, first became interested in ocean steamers when still at boarding school in the 1920s. The craze at the time was to write to the large shipping companies and ask for postcards of their ships. In return would come bundles of colored promotional postcards, many of which appear in this book. Later, his enthusiasm continued, and he amassed many photographs and research on the subject, culminating in this book.

A photographer and filmmaker by profession, he is well known for his excellent railway photography and as the joint presenter of the BBC television program' Railway Roundabout' between 1958 and 1963. He is also President of the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society - the world's first such society.

Explanatory Note. All ships mentioned by name in the text and illustrations are included in this index. Names of vessels that do not fall within the scope of this work are mentioned, where their involvement came via naval action, accidents at sea, etc. Where ships of different periods bore the same name, there is only one entry under that name. All renamings mentioned in the text are included. The Chronological List of Ships indicates the ship's original name. That list is a summary of the more significant ships, and several instances of ships illustrated in the book do not appear on that list. In all cases, the first letter on the ship determines its index order.

▓▓▓ "A" ▓▓▓

1. Abyssinia
2. Adelaide
3. Admiral Hipper
4. Admiral Scheer
5. Admiral von Tirpitz
6. Adriatic
7. Afric
8. Africa
9. Agamemnon
10. Alaska
11. Alaunia
12. Albania
13. Albertic
14. Alcala
15. Alcantara
16. Algeria
17. Almanzora
18. Amazon
19. America
20. Amérique
21. Anapo
22. Andrea Doria
23. Andania
24. Andes
25. Antelope
26. Antilles
27. Antonia
28. Aquitania
29. Arabia
30. Aragon
31. Araguaya
32. Arawa
33. Arcadia
34. Arcadian
35. Archimedes
36. Arctic
37. Arctic Queen
38. Argentina
39. Argentina Star
40. Arkadia
41. Arlanza
42. Armadale Castle
43. Arno
44. Arundel Castle
45. Ascania
46. Asia
47. Aslan
48. Astoria
49. Asturias
50. Athenic
51. Atlantic
52. Atlantique
53. Atlantis
54. Atlas
55. Atrato
56. Augusta Victoria
57. Aurange
58. Aurania
59. Ausonia
60. Austral
61. Australasian
62. Australia
63. Australis
64. Avon
65. Awatea
66. Azure Seas

▓▓▓ "B" ▓▓▓

1. Balmoral Castle
2. Baltic
3. Baltimore
4. Barbarrossa
5. Batavia
6. Berengaria
7. Bermuda Star
8. Bertha
9. Bezmi Alem
10. Bismark
11. Blücher
12. Bosphorous
13. Bothnia
14. Braemer Castle
15. Brasil
16. Brasil Star
17. Bremen
18. Bretagne
19. Britannia
20. Britannic
21. British Queen
22. Briton
23. Brittany

▓▓▓ "C" ▓▓▓

1. Calabria
2. Caledonia
3. California
4. Calpe
5. Calypso
6. Cameronia
7. Campania
8. Canada
9. Canberra
10. Canton
11. Cap Arcona
12. Cap Polonio
13. Cap Trafalgar
14. Capri
15. Carabia
16. Caribbean
17. Carinthia
18. Carla C
19. Carmania
20. Carnival
21. Caronia
22. Carthage
23. Cathay
24. Cedric
25. Celtic
26. Ceramic
27. Charity
28. Cheshire
29. Chicago
30. China
31. Chitral
32. Chiyo Maru
33. Christoforo Columbo
34. Chusan
35. City of Benares
36. City of Berlin
37. City of Chester
38. City of Glasgow
39. City of Limerick
40. City of Lincoln
41. City of London
42. City of Manchester
43. City of Montreal
44. City of New York
45. City of Paris
46. City of Philadelphia
47. City of Richmond
48. City of Rome
49. Cleopatra
50. Colombian
51. Colombo
52. Colon
53. Columbia
54. Comet
55. Comorin
56. Conte de Savoia
57. Constantinople
58. Corinthic
59. Costa Riviera
60. Covadonga
61. Cuba
62. Curacao
63. Cuzco
64. Cymric

▓▓▓ "D" ▓▓▓

1. Darro
2. Deccan
3. Demerara
4. De Octobre
5. Deseado
6. Desna
7. Deutschland
8. Devonshire
9. Diogenes
10. Doric
11. Dresden
12. Drina
13. Dromedary
14. Drottningholm
15. Duchess of Atholl
16. Duchess of Bedford
17. Duchess of Richmond
18. Duchess of York
19. Dunotter Castle
20. Dunvegan Castle

▓▓▓ "E" ▓▓▓

1. Earl of Beaconsfield
2. Edinburgh Castle
3. Egypt
4. Eleanor Margaret
5. Emperor of India
6. Empress of Asia
7. Empress of Australia
8. Empress of Britain
9. Empress of Canada
10. Empress of China
11. Empress of England
12. Empress of France
13. Empress of India
14. Empress of Ireland
15. Empress of Japan
16. Empress of Russia
17. Empress of Scotland
18. Enrico C
19. Eugenio C
20. Esperence Bay
21. Etruria
22. Europa
23. Europe

▓▓▓ "F" ▓▓▓

1. Fairstar
2. Faith
3. Farralones
4. Festivale
5. Finland
6. Flandre
7. Flavia
8. Flavian
9. Forerunner
10. France
11. France IV
12. Franconia
13. Frederich der Gross
14. Fulda

▓▓▓ "G" ▓▓▓

1. Galileo
2. Galileo Galilie
3. Gascon
4. Genova
5. Georgia
6. German
7. Gladiator (HMS)
8. Gneisnau
9. Goeben
10. Gothic
11. Great Britain
12. Great Eastern
13. Great Liverpool
14. Great Western
15. Grief
16. Grosser Kurfust
17. Guglielmo Marconi

▓▓▓ "H" ▓▓▓

1. Hamburg
2. Hansa
3. Hanseatic
4. Harrisburg
5. Hawke (HMS)
6. Hector
7. Helena Sloman
8. Helenus
9. Hermann
10. Hibernia
11. High Flyer (HMS)
12. Highland Brigade
13. Hilary
14. Himalaya
15. Hobsons Bay
16. Holland
17. Homeland
18. Homeric
19. Hope
20. Hudson

▓▓▓ "I" ▓▓▓

1. Ile de France
2. Imperator
3. Impératrice Eugenie
4. Independance
5. Ionic
6. Islam
7. Island Sun
8. Isabel Secunde
9. Ivernia
10. Ixion

▓▓▓ "J" ▓▓▓

1. Jason
2. Java
3. Jervis Bay
4. John Elder

▓▓▓ "K" ▓▓▓

1. Kaikoura
2. Kaiser Friedrich
3. Kaiser-I-Hind
4. Kaiser Wilhelm II
5. Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse
6. Kaiserin Auguste Victoria
7. Karlsruhe
8. Kashmir
9. Kenilworth Castle
10. Kenya
11. Kenya Castle
12. Kiautshon
13. Kinfauns Castle
14. King Alexander
15. Knoxville
16. König Albert
17. Koniginbluise
18. Kraljica Marija
19. Kronprinz Wilhelm
20. Kronprinzessin Cecilie
21. Kroonland

▓▓▓ "L" ▓▓▓

1. L' Atlantique
2. Laconia
3. Lafayette
4. Lake Champlain
5. Lake Megantic
6. Lake Nepigon
7. La Lorraine
8. Lamont
9. Lancashire
10. Lancastria
11. La Plata
12. La Provence
13. La Provence II
14. Largs Bay
15. La Savoie
16. Laurentic
17. Leonardo da Vinci
18. Leonid Sobinov
19. Leopold II
20. Leviathan
21. Libertad
22. Liberte
23. Liffey
24. Lismore
25. Liverpool
26. Llandaff Castle
27. Llandovery Castle
28. Llanstephen Castle
29. Lord Spencer
30. Louisiana
31. Louisville
32. Loyalty
33. Lucania
34. Luisianna
35. Lusitania
36. Ly-Ee-Moon

▓▓▓ "M" ▓▓▓

1. Maasdam
2. Macedonia
3. Magalanes
4. Magdalena
5. Main
6. Majestic
7. Maloja
8. Malolo
9. Malwa
10. Mammoth
11. Manhattan
12. Mantua
13. Mardi Gras
14. Margarita L.
15. Mariposa
16. Marmora
17. Massachusetts
18. Mataroa
19. Mataura
20. Matsonia
21. Mauretania
22. Mauretania (Il)
23. Maxim Gorkij
24. Meade
25. Media
26. Medic
27. Medina
28. Melusia
29. Metagama
30. Michelangelo
31. Milford Haven
32. Minho
33. Minneapolis
34. Minnehaha
35. Minnesota
36. Missanabie
37. Moltke
38. Monarch of Bermuda
39. Monarch Star
40. Monarch Sun
41. Mondego
42. Monticello
43. Montroyal
44. Mooltan
45. Moozoofer
46. Morea
47. Moreton Bay
48. Mount Vernon
49. Moskwa

▓▓▓ "N" ▓▓▓

1. Naldera
2. Narkunda
3. Nea Hellas
4. Nellor
5. Neva
6. New Australia
7. New York
8. Nieuw Amsterdam
9. Norman
10. Normandie
11. Normania
12. Northern Light
13. Northern Star
14. Northland
15. Northumberland
16. Nouveau Monde
17. Nyanza

▓▓▓ "O" ▓▓▓

1. Ocean Monarch
2. Ocean Queen
3. Oceania
4. Oceanic
5. Oceanic Independence
6. Ohio
7. Olympia
8. Olympic
9. Ophir
10. Orama
11. Oranje(SÂ)
12. Orcades
13. Oregon
14. Orford
15. Oriana
16. Orient
17. Oriental President
18. Orinoco
19. Orion
20. Ormuz
21. Oronsay
22. Orontes
23. Orsova
24. Orvieto
25. Osterley
26. Othello
27. Otranto
28. Otway
29. Oxfordshire

▓▓▓ "P" ▓▓▓

1. Pacific
2. Paramatta
3. Paris
4. Parisian
5. Parthia
6. Pasteur
7. Patria
8. Patriach
9. Patriot State
10. Patrochus
11. Pelus
12. Pembroke Castle
13. Pendennis Castle
14. Pennsylvania
15. Pera
16. Perseus
17. Persia
18. Persic
19. Philadelphia
20. Pischevaya
21. Poonha
22. Port Henderson
23. Porto Said
24. President
25. President Cleveland
26. President Grant
27. President Lincoln
28. Pretoria Castle
29. Prinzess Irene
30. Prinz Ludwig
31. Provence
32. Prut
33. Pyphrus

▓▓▓ "Q" ▓▓▓

1. Queen Anna Maria
2. Queen Mary
3. Queen of Bermuda
4. Queen Elizabeth
5. Queen Elizabeth II
6. Queen Frederica
7. Queen of the South
8. Quetta

▓▓▓ "R" ▓▓▓

1. Raffaelo
2. Rainbow
3. Rajputana
4. Rakaia
5. Ranchi
6. Ranpura
7. Rawalpindi
8. Razmak
9. Regina Magna
10. Reina Del Mar
11. Remuera
12. Republic
13. Rex
14. Rhapsody
15. Rhodesia Castle
16. Rhone
17. Riviera
18. Rochester
19. Rotomahana
20. Rotterdam
21. Royal Charter
22. Royal Odyssey
23. Royal Victoria
24. Royal William
25. Ruahine
26. Runic
27. Russia
28. Rvndam

▓▓▓ "S" ▓▓▓

1. Saale
2. Samaria
3. Samos Sky
4. Santa Magdelena
5. Santa Maria
6. Santa Mariana
7. Santa Mercedes
8. Santa Paula
9. Santa Rosa
10. Santiago
11. Sarpeden
12. Satina-E-Arab
13. Sandiphul
14. Savaal
15. Savannah
16. Saxon
17. Saxonia
18. Scharnhorst
19. Scot
20. Scotia
21. Scotstoun
22. Scythia
23. Seawise University
24. Sempione
25. Servia
26. Shalom
27. Shinyo Maru
28. Sinbad
29. Sirius
30. Sophia Jane
31. Sophocles
32. Southland
33. Southern Cross
34. St Louis
35. St Paul
36. Statendam
37. Steela Polaris
38. Stefan Batory
39. Stockholm
40. Storstad
41. Suevic
42. Sydney
43. Sylvania

▓▓▓ "T" ▓▓▓

1. Tainui
2. Tamaroa
3. Tenyo Maru
4. Teutonic
5. Theodor
6. Tirpitz
7. Titanic
8. Torino
9. Tosa Maru
10. Transvaal Castle
11. Transylvania
12. Trinacria
13. Tuscania
14. Trojan
15. Tyrrhenia

▓▓▓ "U" ▓▓▓

1. Uganda
2. Ulysses
3. Umbria
4. United States

▓▓▓ "V" ▓▓▓

1. Vaal
2. Vaderland
3. Vandyck
4. Varna
5. Vasari
6. Vaterland
7. Vaubin
8. Veendam
9. Vesta
10. Vestris
11. Vesuvio
12. Viceroy
13. Viceroy of India
14. Victoria
15. Victorian
16. Victoria Louise
17. Viñeta
18. Virginia
19. Virginian
20. Volendam
21. Voltaire
22. Von Steuben

▓▓▓ "W" ▓▓▓

1. Walmer Castle
2. Washington
3. Wassau
4. Waterman
5. Weser
6. Westpoint
7. Windsor Castle
8. Worcestershire

▓▓▓ "Z" ▓▓▓

1. Zealandia
2. Zeeland
3. Zeppelin

Publication Information

• A White Mouse publication, an imprint of New Cavendish Books Ltd
• First edition published in Great Britain by White Mouse Editions, 1993 Copyright © New Cavendish Books, 1993
• Designer: Jacky Wedgwood Editor: Narisa Chakra Production: Allen Levy
• Typeset by Wyvern Typesetting Ltd, Bristol.
• Printed and bound in Hong Kong under the supervision of Mandarin Offset, London
• New Cavendish Books Ltd 3 Denbigh Road, London W11 2SJ
• ISBN 0 904568 89 X