View source for Teutonic-class ocean liner

{{Short description|1889–1921 British ocean liners}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{more citations needed|date=January 2022}}

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{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image= Teutonic1890-1900.jpg
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|Ship caption= RMS ''Teutonic'', the first ship of the class
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{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=''Teutonic'' class
|Builders= [[Harland and Wolff]]
|Operators=[[File:White Star flaga.svg|25px]] [[White Star Line]]
|Class before={{sclass|Coptic|steamship|4}}
|Class after=* {{sclass|Naronic|steamship|4}}
|Subclasses=
|Cost=
|Built range= 
|In service range= 1889–1921
|In naval commission range= 1899-1900
|Total ships planned= 2
|Total ships on order=
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|Total ships completed= 2
|Total ships cancelled=
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|Total ships retired= 
|Total ships scrapped= 2
|Total ships preserved=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Ship type= [[Ocean liner]]
|Ship tonnage= 9,984 – 9,965 gross register tons
|Ship displacement=
|Ship length= {{Convert|582|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam= {{Convert|57.7|ft|7|in|abbr=on}}
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|Ship propulsion= Two triple expansion engines powering two propellers
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|Ship speed= {{convert|20|kn|lk=in}} service speed
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|Ship capacity=*1,490 passengers:
*300 First Class
*190 Second Class
*1,000 Third Class
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The '''''Teutonic''-class ocean liners''' were a pair of [[Ocean liner|passenger liners]] named the {{RMS|Teutonic||2}} and {{RMS|Majestic|1889|2}}. these ship were built by [[Harland & Wolff|Harland & Wolff shipyard]] for the [[White Star Line]], specifically for the White Star Line's transatlantic service route. These ships are also renowned as revolutionary for the time, as their main propulsion are [[propeller]]s instead of [[Square rig|square-rigged sails]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Thoroughly Modern Teutonic |url=https://oceanlinersmagazine.com/2021/01/18/teutonic/ |access-date=2024-08-23 |website=www.oceanlinersmagazine.com |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Background==
[[File:TeutonicNavalReview.jpg|thumb|left|''Teutonic'' as seen in the Spithead Naval Review]]
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 {{convert|20|kn|lk=in}}. Construction of ''Teutonic'' and ''Majestic'' began in 1887. White Star had sought to fund the construction of both ''Majestic'' and ''Teutonic'' through the British government, a proposal which was accepted with the stipulation that the [[Royal Navy]] would have access to the two liners in a time of war.<ref name="Teutonic">{{cite web|url=https://www.titanic-titanic.com/teutonic/|title=WHITE STAR LINE SHIPS Teutonic|date=17 June 2019 }}</ref>*<ref name="White Star">{{cite web|url=https://www.whitestarhistory.com/majestic1|title=Majestic (I) - White Star Line History Website}}</ref>
Together, the two new ships replaced the aging {{SS|Baltic|1871|6}} and the {{SS|Republic|1871|6}}, which had both been in service with White Star since 1872. They participated in the Spithead Naval Review on 5 and 6 August, in conjunction with the state visit of [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Kaiser Wilhelm II]].

==Features==

The ''Teutonic''-class ocean liners were both known as the first modern liners because of their modifications to passenger accommodation. Whereas all of White Star's previous liners had only carried two classes of passengers (Saloon and Steerage), ''Teutonic'' and ''Majestic'' introduced changes to that paradigm to include a middle class and improved accommodation.<ref name="Star line">{{cite web|url=http://thegreatoceanliners.com/articles/teutonic/|title=Teutonic - The Great Ocean Liners}}</ref> Unlike the previous White Star Liners, the ''Teutonic'' and ''Majestic'' used [[propeller]]s instead of square-rigged sails as the ship's main propulsion. They were also the last ships of the White Star Line to compete for the [[Blue Riband]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Othfors |first=Daniel |date=12 February 2024 |title=Teutonic – TGOL |url=https://thegreatoceanliners.com/articles/teutonic/ |access-date=2024-09-19 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Careers==
===''Teutonic''===
{{main|RMS Teutonic}}

During the first 18 years of service, both ''Teutonic'' and ''Majestic'', along with their older cousins {{SS|Britannic|1874|2}} and {{SS|Germanic|1874|2}} sailed on the route from their home port of Liverpool to New York City. Once passengers were disbursed at either the White Star Line pier in New York or the immigration centre at [[Castle Clinton National Monument|Castle Garden]], and later on [[Ellis Island]], the ship would be prepared for her return voyage.<ref name="Teutonic" /> Transatlantic races between the ''Teutonic'' and liner {{SS|City of New York|1888|2}} were common in the 19th century. On 14 August 1890, the ''Teutonic'' beat the ''City of New York'' by over three hours, and broke the ocean record by coming from Queenstown in 5 days, 19 hours, and 5 minutes, and breaking the record by 13 minutes.<ref name="Star line" />

In 1897 ''Teutonic'' reassumed her military role for a review commemorating Victoria's 60th anniversary. During the [[Second Boer War]] in 1900, she served as a troop transport. In 1901, ''Teutonic'' encountered a rogue wave, which washed two lookouts out of the crows nest who survived. In 1905, the ''Teutonic'' was in [[New York Harbor]] when a fire (which started in the electrical room) broke out which threatened the ship. The firemen managed to control the situation and the fire was put out.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VjoqAAAAIBAJ&dq=Teutonic+class+ocean+liner&pg=PA7&article_id=2747,7267656|title=Teutonic in The Pittsburgh Press}}</ref>
In 1907 ''Teutonic'', along with ''Majestic'', was transferred to White Star's new 'Express Service' between [[Southampton]] and New York. In 1911, the ship was replaced in the White Star lineup by the new {{RMS|Olympic||2}} and transferred to the [[Dominion Line]] for Canadian service. By 1913 ''Teutonic''{{'}}s age meant that she no longer attracted the top class passengers, and so was refitted to carry only second and third class passengers. In October 1913 the ship narrowly avoided the same fate as {{ship||Titanic}} when, at {{convert|172|mi}} east of [[Belle Isle (Newfoundland and Labrador)|Belle Isle]] off the [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]] coast, she ran so close to an iceberg that she avoided collision only by reversing her engines and putting the helm hard aport.<ref name="Teutonic" />

In 1914, with the start of World War I, ''Teutonic'' became an armed merchant cruiser once again, being commissioned into the 10th Cruiser Squadron. In 1916, she was refitted with 6-inch guns, and served as a [[convoy]] escort ship as well as being used for [[Troopship|troop transport]]. She was [[Ship breaking|scrapped]] at [[Emden]] in 1921.<ref name="Star line" />

===''Majestic''===
{{main|RMS Majestic (1889)}}
[[File:N.Y. (City) Harbor- SS MAJESTIC - full, broadside view LCCN2006687010.jpg|thumb|left|RMS ''Majestic'' at sea]]
On 2 April 1890, ''Majestic'' left Liverpool on her maiden voyage to [[New York City]]. There was a strong desire among the White Star management to regain the coveted Blue Riband, the award for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic, from [[Paris]], France. The ''Majestic'' failed, but eventually achieved the goal on a westbound voyage between 30 July and 5 August 1891, with an average speed of {{convert|20.1|kn}}.<ref name="Majestic (I)">{{cite web|url=http://www.du.edu/~tbjokne/rms_majestic.html|title=The Majestic (I)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060920074504/http://www.du.edu/~tbjokne/rms_majestic.html|archive-date=2006-09-20}}</ref> ''Majestic'' held the honour for a mere two weeks, as ''Teutonic'' completed a crossing on 19 August with a speed of {{convert|20.35|kn}}. ''City of Paris'' regained the Blue Riband a year later.<ref name="White Star" />

In 1895, ''Majestic'' was captained by [[Edward Smith (sea captain)|Captain Edward Smith]], who commanded her for nine years. When the [[Boer War]] started in 1899, Smith and ''Majestic'' were called upon to transport troops to [[Cape Colony]]. Two trips were made to South Africa, one in December 1899 and one in February 1900, both without incident. Charles Lightoller served as a deck officer under Smith during this period.<ref name="Majestic">{{cite web|url=http://thegreatoceanliners.com/articles/majestic-i/|title=Majestic (I) - The Great Ocean Liners}}</ref> In 1902–1903, the ship underwent a refit, which included updates to much of her passenger accommodations, new boilers, and taller twin [[Funnel (ship)|funnels]], after which she returned to the Liverpool–New York run. When ''Titanic'' entered service in April 1912, ''Majestic'' was retired from White Star's New York service, biding her time at Birkenhead's Bidston Dock. When ''Titanic'' was lost on her maiden voyage, ''Majestic'' was returned to service in her former role. She was scrapped on 5 May 1914.<ref name="Majestic" />

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Teutonic leaving Liverpool.jpg|Illustration of ''Teutonic'' leaving Liverpool
File:StateLibQld 1 170295 Teutonic (ship).jpg|The bridge of ''Teutonic''
File:RMS Majestic postcard.jpg|''Majestic'' after her 1902 refit
File:DINNER (held by) R.M.S.MAJESTIC (at) (SS;) (NYPL Hades-271716-467876).tiff|''Majestic''{{'}}s dinner menu
</gallery>

==Citations==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline|Teutonic (ship, 1889)}}
*{{Commons category-inline|Majestic (ship, 1890)}}

{{White Star Line ships}}

[[Category:Blue Riband holders]]
[[Category:Ships built by Harland and Wolff]]
[[Category:Passenger ships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Steamships]]
[[Category:Ships of the White Star Line]]