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RMSRepublic(1903)

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Republic
History
United Kingdom
Name
  • Columbus(1903)
  • Republic(1903–1909)
Owner
  • British & North Atlantic Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. (1903)
  • Oceanic Steam Navigation Company (1903–1909)
Operator
Port of registryLiverpool
BuilderHarland and Wolff,Belfast
Yard number345
Launched26 February 1903
Completed12 September 1903
FateSunk after collision withSSFloridaon 24 January 1909
General characteristics
Tonnage15,400gross register tons
Length570.0 ft (173.7 m)
Beam67.8 ft (20.7 m)
Draft34 ft 1 in (10.39 m).
Depth of hold24 ft (7.3 m)
PropulsionTwin propeller
Speed16 knots (30 km/h)
Capacity2,830 passengers
Crew300

RMSRepublicwas a steam-poweredocean linerbuilt in 1903 byHarland and WolffinBelfast,and lost at sea in a collision in 1909 while sailing for theWhite Star Line.The ship was equipped with a new Marconiwireless telegraphytransmitter,and issued aCQDdistress call, resulting in the saving of around 1,500 lives. Known as the "Millionaires' Ship" because of the number of wealthy Americans who traveled by her, she was described as a "palatial liner" and was the flagship of White Star Line's Boston service.[1]This was the first important marine rescue made possible byradio,and brought worldwide attention to this new technology.

History

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White Star acquisition

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The ship was originally built in Belfast, Ireland, for theInternational Mercantile Marine'sDominion Line(a sister company to the White Star Line) and was namedColumbus.She waslaunchedon 26 February 1903, and made her maiden voyage in October 1903 fromLiverpooltoBoston.[2]After two voyages with the Dominion Line,Columbus,along with three other Dominion liners:New England,Commonwealth,andMayflower,were sold to the White Star Line for use on their new service between Liverpool and Boston.Columbuswas renamedRepublic,the second ship under White Star livery to hold the name (White Star's originalRepublicof 1872 had been sold to theHolland America Linein 1889 and renamedMaasdam), while her three fellow former Dominion liners were renamedRomanic,Canopic,andCretic,respectively.

Collision with SSFlorida

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In the early morning of 23 January 1909, while sailing from New York City toGibraltarandMediterraneanports with 742 passengers and crew and Captain Inman Sealby (1862–1942) in command,Republicentered a thick fog off the island ofNantucket, Massachusetts.Amongst the passengers were some illustrious people, such as James Ross Mellon, his wife Rachel Hughey Larimer Mellon, their daughter Sarah of theMellon banking familyand family maid, Mrs. Sophie Mansfield Curtis, wife of George Munson Curtis (treasurer of theInternational Silver Company), Mrs. Mary Harriman Severance, wife ofCordenio A. Severance,ProfessorJohn M. Coulterwith wife and children, GeneralBrayton Ives,St. Louis millionaireSamuel Cupples,historianAlice Morse Earle,and Mildred Montague, Countess Pasolini.[3][4]Travelling in first class were also Mr. Leonard L. McMurray, who, in 1915, would survive the sinking of theCunard linerLusitania,and Mrs. Bessie Armstead Davis, daughter-in-law of senatorHenry G. DavisofWest Virginiawith two children.

This picture of SSFloridawas taken by Martin & Ottaway, a New Jersey marine consulting firm, afterFloridacollided withRepublic.Floridasurvived the collision and was repaired in 24 days.[5]

Taking standard precautions and maintaining her speed, the steamer regularly signaled her presence in the outbound shipping traffic lane by whistle. At 5:47 a.m., another whistle was heard andRepublic's engines were ordered to full reverse, and the helm put "hard-a-port". Out of the fog, theLloyd ItalianolinerSSFloridaappeared and hitRepublicamidships on her portside, at about a right angle. Two passengers asleep in their cabins onRepublicwere killed whenFlorida's bow sliced into her, liquor wholesale manager Eugene Lynch's wife Mary and banker William J. Mooney. Eugene Lynch was critically injured and died as a result of his injuries at Long Island College Hospital, Brooklyn, 26 January. OnFlorida,three crewmen were also killed when the bow was crushed back to a collision bulkhead.[6]Six people died in total.

The engine and boiler rooms onRepublicbegan to flood, and the ship listed. Captain Sealby led the crew in calmly organizing the passengers on deck for evacuation.Republicwas equipped with the new Marconiwirelesstelegraphsystem, and became the first ship in history to issue aCQDdistress signal, sent byJohn R. Binns.[7]Floridacame about to rescueRepublic's complement, and theU.S. Revenue Cutter ServicecutterGresham[8]responded to the distress signal as well. Passengers were distributed between the two ships, withFloridataking the bulk of them, but with 900 Italian immigrants already on board, this left the ship dangerously overloaded.

The White Star linerBaltic,commanded by CaptainJ. B. Ranson,also responded to the CQD call, but due to the persistent fog,Balticwas not able to locate the driftingRepublicuntil that evening. Once on-scene, the rescued passengers were transferred fromGreshamandFloridatoBaltic.Because of the damage toFlorida,that ship's immigrant passengers were also transferred toBaltic,but a riot nearly broke out when they had to wait until first-classRepublicpassengers were transferred. Once everyone was on board,Balticsailed for New York.

At the time ofRepublic's sinking, ocean liners were not required to have a full capacity of lifeboats for their passengers, officers, and crew. On the busy North Atlantic route, assistance from at least one ship was believed to be ever-present and that lifeboats would be needed only to ferry all aboard to their rescue vessels and back until everyone was safely evacuated. That scenario, unlike during theRMS Titanicsinking,played out flawlessly during the ship's sinking, and the six people who died were lost in the collision, not the sinking itself.

Republicsinking by the stern after the collision

Captain Sealby and a skeleton crew remained on boardRepublicto make an effort to save her. Crewmen from theGreshamtried using collision mats to stem the flooding, but to no avail.[9]By this time, the steamersNew YorkandLucania(fromCunard) had also arrived and waited while a futile attempt was made byGreshamto takeRepublicunder tow. On 24 January,Republicsank stern first; at 15,378 tons, she was the largest ship to have sunk until then.[10][11]All the remaining crew were evacuated before she sank.

Reported cargoes

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Some reports indicate thatRepublicwas carrying gold and other valuables when she sank. One report is that she was carrying gold worth $250,000[12]in American gold coins to be used as payroll for the US Navy'sGreat White Fleet. In addition to the US Navy coin-monies shipment, various sources reported[13][better source needed]on a much larger cargo, $3,000,000 in US gold double eagles ($20). Among these,The Washington Postreported, "Three million dollars in gold coins lie in the rotting hulk of the White Star liner Republic, lost off Nantucket in January, 1909. TheRepublic,damaged in a collision, was being towed toward New York by the Coast Guard cutterGresham,when she sank in 240 feet of water. A salvage attempt in 1919 was unsuccessful. "[14]And again one year later, "In 1909, the [White] Star Liner Republic was damaged in a collision. While being towed to safety, she sank in over 200 feet of water. At the present, all attempts to salvage the $3,000,000 in her holds have been unsuccessful."[15]The New York Times reported, "The White Star Liner Republic, lost off Nantucket Shoals in 1909, carried $3,000,000 in gold eagles. However, the Republic rests in 185 [270] feet of water."[16]

Rediscovery

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The wreck ofRepublicwas found by CaptainMartin Bayerlein 1981. the wreck lies upright roughly 50 miles (80 km) south ofNantucket Island[10][11]at40°26′0″N69°46′0″W/ 40.43333°N 69.76667°W/40.43333; -69.76667in a depth of around 270 feet (82 m) of water.

See also

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References

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  1. ^"The Republic and The Delhi".Daily Telegraph.London. 16 April 1912.
  2. ^Dunn, Laurence (1964).Famous Liners of the Past Belfast Built.London: Adlard Coles. pp. 70–71.
  3. ^"RMS Republic II People On Board".WRECKSITE.25 November 2010.Retrieved11 October2022.
  4. ^"RMS Republic Passenger List".RMS Republic.30 May 2021.Retrieved11 October2022.
  5. ^"SS Florida / SS Republic Collision (TBT)".Martin & Ottaway.13 August 2014.Retrieved26 May2018.
  6. ^"Ship Wrecks of New England - SS Republic".att.net.Archived fromthe originalon 15 June 2006.
  7. ^"Rescue at Sea".The American Experience.PBS.Archived fromthe originalon 9 November 2012.Retrieved22 March2012.
  8. ^"Gresham, 1896"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 27 September 2012.Retrieved16 November2010.
  9. ^"TITANIC - A Voyage of Discovery (allships)".Archived fromthe originalon 24 May 2006.Retrieved11 December2018.
  10. ^abPickford, Nigel (1999).Lost Treasure Ships of the Twentieth Century.Washington, D.C.:National Geographic Society.ISBN0-7922-7472-5.
  11. ^ab"Treasure of the RMS Republic".New York: MVSHQ, Inc. 2009.Retrieved22 March2012.
  12. ^Connolly, James B. (1945).Sea Borne - Thirty Years Avoyaging.Doubleday, Doran and Company, Inc.ISBN978-1406768947.
  13. ^"The Rumor, The Reports, The Legend | RMS - Republic".
  14. ^Diving Bell Gropes for Lost Gold, By Robert Talley The Washington Post, June 24, 1934, Pg. M5.
  15. ^Lusitania's Treasure of Gold and Gems to Be Salvaged By Alexander J. Wedderburn, Jr. The Washington Post, Dec. 1, 1935, Pg. B6.
  16. ^Clarence E. Lovejoy, Maps Give Skippers Chance at Sunken Gold - Week-End Cruising Can Now Include Treasure Hunt New York Times, July 10, 1959, 18.
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