Take A Look At The Fate of Famous Ocean Liners
Thanks to a confluence of new technology and an increased demand for travel between continents in the late 19th century, gigantic ocean-going passenger ships — or ocean liners — emerged not just as a way to travel, but also as a source of national pride.
The age of aviation made these great ships virtually obsolete, which means that many of them were sent to early retirement. From icebergs to fire to the casualties of war, here’s what happened to some of history’s greatest ocean liners.
RMS Empress of Ireland
The pride of the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company, the RMS Empress of Ireland was a comfortable, reliable ship that could complete its route between Quebec City and Liverpool in under six days.
Tragedy struck on May 29th, 1914, when the Norwegian collier SS Storstad collided with the Empress in heavy fog on the St. Lawrence River. While the Storstad remained afloat, the Empress sunk in under 15 minutes, killing 1,012 of the 1,477 people aboard.
SS Great Eastern
The pioneering Great Eastern, built by famed engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, was ahead of its time. Built in 1853, this iron-hulled steamship carried many traits of ocean liners that wouldn’t be built for another few decades.
While the ship was innovative, it may have been just a little too far ahead of its time. After working as a passenger ship in the North Atlantic for several years and later laying transatlantic telegraph cables, she was turned into a floating billboard in Liverpool before being scrapped in 1889.
SS United States
The Blue Riband award for highest average speed on the oceans used to be a big deal — and while it isn’t anymore, the current record holder is still the SS United States, a lightweight ship that was built for speed.
The ship was an object of national pride after it set off on its maiden voyage in 1952. Sadly, the end of ocean liners was near, and the ship quickly passed through a succession of owners. After sitting derelict in Philadelphia for years, it was towed to the Florida coast, where it will be sunken and used as an artificial reef.
MS Achille Lauro
First launched as the MS Willem Ruys for the Dutch Rotterdamsche Lloyd Line, the ship was later sold to an Italian company and rechristened the MS Achille Lauro in 1965.
In 1985, the vessel became notorious after it was hijacked by Palestinian terrorists off the coast of Egypt — an incident that resulted in the murder of an American passenger. After the incident, the ship returned to cruise service and operated under several owners into the 1990s. In 1994, a fire broke out on the ship while it was off the coast of Somalia. All passengers and crew survived, but the ship capsized and sunk.
RMS Carpathia
The RMS Carpathia likely wouldn’t be as famous as it is today if not for its heroic efforts to speed through an ice field to rescue the survivors of the Titanic tragedy.
This small but capable ocean liner made her maiden voyage in 1903. After 15 years in service, the ship — now a troop transport ship — was sunk by a German submarine off the Irish coast in 1918.
SS Nieuw Amsterdam (1937)
The Holland America Line’s flagship, the SS Nieuw Amsterdam, stuck to a seasonal schedule, with transatlantic crossings during the summer months, and tropical cruises during the winter.
The ship was heavily damaged by fire in 1957 and refitted in 1961. She was converted to be exclusively a cruise ship, and was later scrapped in Taiwan.
SS Michelangelo
The glamorous SS Michelangelo was launched in 1962 by Italy’s Ansaldo Shipyards for the Italian Line and had a brief golden age during the twilight of the ocean liner era.
In 1966, a rogue wave struck the ship, breaking windows and killing three passengers. The ship was retired from Italian service in the 1970s and sold to Iran in 1977 to serve as a floating barracks. These plans stalled following the Iranian Revolution, and the ship was eventually scrapped in Pakistan in 1991.
SS Normandie
The beautiful SS Normandie entered service in 1935 as the largest, fastest passenger ship, known for her lavish interiors and reliable service.
After the outbreak of World War II and occupation of France, the ship was seized by U.S. authorities in New York, converted into a troopship, and renamed the USS Lafayette. Before it could carry any troops, the ship caught fire on the Hudson River and capsized. While the ship was salvaged, it was quickly scrapped.
SS Columbus (1922)
The SS Columbus was constructed by the German shipbuilder Norddeutscher Lloyd shortly after the end of World War I.
The ship proved to be a reliable workhorse for the German line and received a refit in 1929 to modernize her interiors. After the outbreak of World War II, the Columbus was ordered to return to Germany when she was spotted by a British destroyer. Rather than hand the ship over, the crew sunk the ship.
TS Hamburg
The TS Hamburg, launched in 1968 and entering service in 1969, was the first German transatlantic liner built after World War II and was an innovative ship — but unfortunately, this was at the very tale end of the era of ocean liners.
Just a few years later, in 1973, the ship was sold to a Soviet shipping company and renamed the Maxim Gorkiy. From there, it was used mostly for cruises. In 1989, the Maxim Gorkiy suffered a close call when it struck an iceberg near Svalbard but didn’t sink. After decades of service, it was finally scrapped in 2009.
RMS Olympic
The first of three gigantic sister ships built by the White Star Line, the RMS Olympic was the only one of the trio to enjoy a long career.
The ship was a reliable fixture on the transatlantic route before World War I, served as a troopship during the war, then returned to her old route afterwards. After a career that spanned 24 years, the Olympic was retired and scrapped.
RMS Caronia
The elegant RMS Caronia was nicknamed the “Green Goddess” for her light green hull. Built for the dual purpose of transatlantic crossings and pleasure cruises, the ship was first launched in October of 1947.
Later in her career, the Caronia became unreliable and was eventually given up on. While being towed to a breaker’s yard in Taiwan, the ship broke loose from its lines and was wrecked in Guam.
SS Andrea Doria
This Italian luxury liner served as a symbol of Italy’s postwar revival and was notable for its lavish interiors and modern design. Sailing primarily between Genoa and New York, the Andrea Doria was appreciated by elite travellers and postwar immigrants alike.
In 1956, in dense fog off the coast of Nantucket, the ship collided with the Swedish liner MS Stockholm. Thanks to its safety features, it stayed afloat for nearly 11 hours before eventually capsizing and sinking. In all, only 46 lives were lost of the more than 1,600 people onboard.
HMHS Britannic
The ill-fated sister ship of the Olympic and Titanic, the Britannic was launched in 1914. Because of poor timing, the ship never carried passengers and was immediately pressed into service as a World War I hospital ship.
The Britannic was indeed successful in this role for over a year, but while passing through the Mediterranean in 1916, she hit a mine and sunk in a matter of minutes.
SS Paris (1916)
The SS Paris had a rough start, as World War I delayed its launch for years. When it finally launched in 1921, the liner became known as the “Aristocrat of the Atlantic.”
The Paris had a venerable career in the Atlantic, but this came to an end in April of 1939 when she capsized and sunk in a dry dock in Le Havre, France. She stayed in this position until 1947, when she was finally scrapped.
RMS Empress of Australia
The long and eventful career of the RMS Empress of Australia began in 1913, when it was launched as the SS Tirpitz for Germany’s Hamburg-America Line. After it was seized by Britain in the aftermath of World War I, it was renamed the RMS Empress of Australia and transferred to Canadian Pacific to serve routes between Canada, Europe, and Asia.
The ship assisted with rescue efforts following the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake in Japan, and later served as a troopship during World War II. After a brief return to civilian service, the ship was decommissioned in 1952.
SS Imperator
Most people knew this ship as the RMS Berengaria, but she was originally launched as the SS Imperator by Germany’s Hamburg America Line. As part of war reparations, she was sold to Britain after World War I.
The Berengaria was thought of as one of Britain’s finest ocean liners, even though she was German-built. Years of ocean-going travel took its toll, and the great ship was demolished in 1946.
RMS Aquitania
Cunard Line built three massive ships — the Aquitania, Mauretania, and Lusitania to compete with their rival’s big three — the Olympic, Titanic, and Britannic.
The Aquitania, like many ships of her time, was pressed into service during World War I. After returning to passenger service, she was known as a reliable liner. Later on, she served as a troop ship in World War II. The Aquitania was retired in 1949 and scrapped the following year.
MS Gripsholm
The diesel-powered MS Gripsholm was a very modern ship for its time, built to accommodate both transatlantic and luxury cruises. After demand for transatlantic service waned, the Gripsholm was sold to Karageorgis Lines, renamed Navarino, and served mostly Mediterranean routes.
Several more ownership changes followed, but the ship remained in operation until 2001. This made it one of the last mid-century ocean liners to remain active into the 21st century.
RMS Mauretania (1906)
The Mauretania made an immediate impact after being launched in 1906, winning the coveted Blue Riband in 1907 — holding the speed record for 20 years.
The venerable ship served in World War I and also had a long career plying the North Atlantic as a passenger ship. Unlike the Aquitania, the Mauretania didn’t make it to World War II. She was retired in 1935 and later scrapped.
RMS Windsor Castle (1959)
A hybrid passenger-cargo ocean liner, the RMS Windsor Castle was completed in 1960 and was the last flagship of the Union-Castle Line. The ship mostly completed a mail and passenger service between Britain and South Africa.
The ship was sold to Greek shipping magnate Yiannis Latsis in 1977 and became a mostly stationary ship. Years later, in 2005, the ship was sold for scrap.
TSS Stefan Batory
Originally launched as the MS Maasdam for Holland America, this mid-sized liner was built for transatlantic crossings but later gained most of its fame under the Polish flag as the TSS Stefan Batory.
The ship became an object of cultural pride for Poland, and carried thousands of Poles to a new life in North America. Later on, the ship was used as a cruise ship to destinations in Scandinavia and the Mediterranean. After being withdrawn from service in 1988, the Stefan Batory was finally scrapped in 2000.
RMS Queen Elizabeth
The elegant RMS Queen Elizabeth was the largest ship ever built when she was launched, and held that record for 56 years. After serving as a troop ship in World War II, she made her first commercial voyage in 1946.
With the decline of transatlantic passenger shipping, the Queen Elizabeth was simply too large and inefficient for the dwindling numbers of passengers. She was retired in 1968, then caught fire and capsized before being dismantled.
SS France (1960)
Like the Queen Elizabeth, the France was a beautiful, massive ship with poor timing — built just in time to experience the end of the age of ocean liners. Put into service in 1962, the ship was sold to the Norwegian Cruise Line in 1979 and renamed the SS Norway.
The Norway became a beloved and pioneering cruise ship and enjoyed a long career with several renovations and refits. The ship was finally scrapped in 2006.
RMS Empress of Britain
Canadian Pacific launched the RMS Empress of Britain in 1930, and it immediately became the largest and most luxurious liner operating under the British flag. After World War II broke out, the ship was requisitioned for military service and converted into a transport ship.
On October 26th, 1940, the ship was attacked by a German aircraft off the coast of Ireland. The ship, now on fire, was then struck by a German U-boat torpedo and sank. Over 400 people survived, but 49 lives were lost.
RMS Lusitania
The RMS Lusitania was launched in 1906 and served as a passenger liner until the First World War. While on a transatlantic crossing in 1915, she was sunk by a German U-boat off the Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland. 1,197 people were killed, many of them American.
The tragedy was a major turning point, as it changed public sentiment in the United States and was largely responsible for the U.S. entering the war.
SS Morro Castle (1930)
The American ocean liner SS Morro Castle had a regular route between New York and Havana in the 1930s and was known as a luxurious, comfortable ship to travel on.
In the middle of the night while en route to New York, the Morro Castle caught fire in 1934. The ship was beached along the Jersey Shore, creating a spectacle for those who assembled on the beach the following day.
MS Kungsholm
Built during a transitional time for the industry, the Swedish American Line’s MS Kungsholm was designed not just for transatlantic service, but also luxury cruising.
It was a fine example of a luxurious midcentury ocean liner, primarily plying the route between New York and Gothenburg, Sweden in its early years. Later on, the ship transitioned to a new status as a full-time cruise ship. Later on, it was acquired by Carnival Cruise Lines, renamed the Mardi Gras, and was finally retired in the early 2000s.
RMS Queen Mary
The only ocean liner on this list that still exists, the RMS Queen Mary was one of the most famous ocean liners of all time. She operated for the Cunard Line between 1936 and 1967.
The city of Long Beach, California bought the famous ship in 1967 and was towed to Long Beach to be converted into a floating hotel and tourist attraction. It remains there to this day, though there are doubts about its long-term future.
RMS Titanic
Everyone knows what happened to the Titanic. While the ship is often depicted as the crowning achievement of its age, it was simply a luxurious ocean liner — one that was virtually identical to its two sisters.
Of course, the fact that Titanic famously struck an iceberg and sank on her maiden voyage immediately made it legendary. Approximately 1,500 of the 2,224 people on board died that night.
