Lapland
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The Lapland was an ocean liner put into service in 1909 by the Belgian-American shipping company Red Star Line , which was used in transatlantic passenger traffic from Europe to New York . She was the second largest ship ever put into service for Red Star and the largest ship under the Belgian flag at the time. In later years the Lapland was used as a cruise ship until she was sold to Japan for demolition in 1934.
The ship
The Lapland was at the shipyard Harland & Wolff in the Northern Ireland Belfast built in contrast to most other steamers their time of iron. The ship was 184.6 meters long, 21.5 meters wide, had two funnels, four masts and a double propeller. With a volume of 17,540 GRT, she was the largest ship ever built for the Red Star Line. The Belgenland , which was put into service by Red Star in 1923 , was considerably larger at 27,132 GRT, but this ship was originally built for the White Star Line under the name Belgic . As usual with Red Star, Antwerp was the home port in Belgium and the ship sailed under the Belgian flag.
The Lapland's dining room, decorated in white and gold, was 21 meters long and stretched the entire width of the ship. The smoking salon was followed by an open veranda café where passengers could enjoy the fresh sea air. In bad weather, the café could be closed with sliding walls. Electrically operated passenger elevators were installed on board the Lapland , which was not a standard on passenger ships at the time. There was also a gym, a darkroom for developing photographs and a stenographer's office. In addition, a glazed promenade deck was available to passengers so that they could go for a walk in wind and rain.
history
The Lapland was launched on June 27, 1908 and completed on March 27, 1909. On April 10, 1909, she left Antwerp for her maiden voyage via Dover to New York, where she arrived on April 18. Her last trip on this route began on April 7, 1914, after which she drove from Liverpool to New York. In April 1912, the Lapland brought home 167 surviving crew members from the sinking of the Titanic , including all 20 surviving female crew members. She docked in Plymouth on the morning of April 29, 1912 .
After Antwerp was occupied by the Germans on October 10, 1914, the Lapland was placed in the service of the Cunard Line and served the route Liverpool – New York together with the Vaderland (II) and the Zeeland (II). She cast off on October 29, 1914 for her first voyage under the British flag. In April 1917 the ship ran into a sea mine near the Mersey lightship , but was able to reach Liverpool safely. Two months later she was handed over to the Royal Navy and converted into a troop transport for 3,000 people.
After the end of the First World War , the Lapland was handed over to the White Star Line . She stayed with White Star until the shipping company got back the ships it needed in the war. On November 24, 1918, the Lapland departed from Liverpool on its first voyage in service with the White Star Line to New York. By August 2, 1919, she completed six crossings on this route. On September 16, 1919 she was moved to the Southampton – New York route, on which she made three crossings by November 27, 1919.
Then the ship came back into the possession of the Red Star Line, but kept the house colors of the White Star Line. She did not get the Belgian flag back either, but kept the British one. The volume increased from 17,540 GRT to 18,565 GRT and the passenger accommodation was redesigned for 389 passengers in the first, 448 in the second and 1200 in the third class. On January 3, 1920, the Lapland set off on the route Antwerp-Southampton-New York on her first voyage for Red Star after the war. From April 1927 the ship carried passengers in the cabin, tourist and third class price categories.
On April 29, 1932, the Lapland made her last voyage on the Antwerp – Southampton – New York route. After that she was only used for cruises from London to the Mediterranean . In the summer of 1933 the stewardess Violet Jessop , a survivor of the sinking of the Titanic , was among the Lapland's crew on two trips . In October 1933 it was sold to Japan for demolition and in January 1934 it was broken up in Osaka .
Web links
- Ship description in The Ships List (approximately in the middle)
- Pictures of Lapland in The Ships List
- Details and photos of the Lapland
- Report of the arrival of Lapland in New York after the maiden voyage ( April 19, 1909 edition of the New York Times )
- Report on the transport of the Titanic crew in the New York Times, April 29, 1912
- General information