White Star


WHITE STAR LINE The three luxury liners depicted in the illustration below, R.M.S. Majestic, R.M.S. Olympic, and R.M.S. Homeric, belonged to Britain's White Star Line and sailed together from approximately 1922 (the year which marked the maiden voyages of both ``Homeric" and ``Majestic") until 1935, the year the oldest ship, ``Olympic," (sister ship of ``Titanic", completed in 1911), was retired from service. These three massive steamers crossed the North Atlantic from Southampton, Great Britain to New York City, stopping in Cherbourg, France. The sizes of the ships are shown on the card below. In an effort to calm the nervous traveler, White Star compared its three luxury liners to several well-known European landmarks. ``Majestic", at 56,000 tons, made its first trip to New York on 10 May 1922 and is compared to St. Vitas Cathedral in Prague. ``Olympic", at 46,439 tons, crossed the Atlantic for the first time on 14 June 1911 and is compared to the Palace in Budapest, Hungary, while the ``Homeric", some 33.526 tons, --the smallest of the three--made its first trip to New York with White Star on 15 February 1922 and is compared to Palace Schoenbrunn in Vienna, Austria.

Below is an additional rendering of ``Homeric" along with the weights of it, ``Majestic," and ``Olympic." ``Homeric" thus seems to have gained a bit of weight (1,166 tons to be exact) sometime between the completion of construction (1920) and the date of this drawing (22 March 1922).

White Star Line had numerous offices in Europe and the United States. While the line's ``big three" (``Majestic," ``Olympic," and ``Homeric") maintained the popular Southampton-- Cherbourg--New York route, White Star provided passages from Liverpool and Queenstown to other major American ports such as Boston, Massachusetts; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Portland, Maine. Services also extended to Canada, namely Halifax, Montreal, and Quebec, and the Mediterranean as well.

Below is a schedule for 23 May 1922 to 19 September 1922 listing White Star Line's sailings between Liverpool and Philadelphia via Queenstown (Cobh), Ireland. Lines affliliated with White Star include Red Star Line (Antwerp--Cherbourg-- Halifax--New York, via Southampton and Plymouth), American Line (Hamburg--New York direct), Atlantic London Transport Line (London--New York), and Leyland Line (Liverpool to Boston, New Orleans, Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America). White Star Line eventually merged with Cunard Line in 1934.

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