She had been the Pride of Britain.
Look at some of the old news reels during the 30s, The British had so much hope for her.
White Star and Titanic, What Could have Been
- Thread starter SsgtC
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Look at some of the old news reels during the 30s, The British had so much hope for her.
SsgtC
Banned
OTL vs TTL. In this time, Queen Mary didn't exist. She was broken up while still under construction when White Star bought out Cunard. Also, ITTL, there really hasn't been a "Golden Age" of liners. Liners are still the most common and primary means of crossing oceans. And the newest ships far outstrip anything that came before.
In OTL, QM was seen as a relic of times past, when the world was bigger and sailing on a liner was an something special. ITTL, ocean liners are just a form of transport. A very luxurious form to be sure, but nothing really special.
In terms of wartime achievements I mean. Titanic served ably and extensively in two world wars, as did her sisters. She rescued 95,000 on the Baltic Express. If nothing else, she deserved to be preserved.
Of course, but she was also nearly 20 years older than QM.
QM had the benefit of being recommissioned, Titanic didn't.
SsgtC
Banned
Keep in mind, by the time the war had ended, Titanic was pretty well clapped out. She was launched in 1911, in service in 1912, survived a brush with an iceberg, fought in two wars (including covering her final sailing from Danzig with her own guns) and was over 30 years old. This when she was designed for a 20-25 year service life. Plus, and this cannot be stressed enough, when White Star sold her to be scrapped, her interior fittings were stripped and sold off. By the time anyone thought to preserve her as a museum ship, those fittings were long gone. Making it almost impossible to restore her. That played a huge factor in the eventual decision to scrap her.
Still, if they ever make songs about her ITTL, perhaps a Sabaton analogue, her song would likely end with something along the sentiments
I’ve survived ice and bomb,
Saved thousands
Transported both soldier and bride
You tried to scrap me
I won’t let you, I’ll return to the sea
Not feeling in the mood to try to make it rhyme. Or make it sound good.
SsgtC
Banned
I hear ya. One thing to point out though, she was sold for scrap BEFORE the war. The RN found her waiting to have her superstructure cut away. The only reason she hadn't been cut up already was that the breakers where overwhelmed with turn off the century ships being retired. If she had still been in active service at the outbreak of war, she may have survived. Mainly due to the fact that her interiors would still be in storage in one place, instead of scattered to the four winds.
XV
SsgtC
Banned
October 1965
The RMS Adriatic departs from Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia just after one in the afternoon on the third. Under orders to economize her operation, she makes the entire passage back to Belfast at twenty knots instead of her usual thirty-two. She will arrive back in Belfast on the twenty-fifth with repairs to begin immediately. She is expected to be out of service for one to two months.
November 1965
George Bruce Ismay and the Directors of White Star evaluate the five remaining proposals for the future of the company. They are as follows:
Option A
White Star to purchase or create an airline to compete directly with the likes of BOAC, Pan Am, Eastern, etc. This proposed airline to be equipped with the latest aircraft and outfitted to the highest standards. First Class accommodations to rival those found on the Titanic-class liners in comfort and Tourist Class to be equal to other carriers First Class. It is felt that this option not only provides for a strong future for the Company, but it ensures that White Star's name and standards are upheld. A note is also attached to the proposal that owning both an airline and a shipping line allows White Star to coordinate operations between the two closely. While this would allow a high level of profitability assuming current trends continue, it also is the least flexible option should circumstances in the future change. Additionally, it would tie up capital for many years, as any acquisition of creation of an airline is regarded to be extremely expensive.
Option B
Take no firm immediate measures, but begin to explore alternative routes on which to deploy the fleet as their current routes become untenable in the face of air travel. Despite it's obvious drawbacks, this plan has many proponents. Chief among them, the Treasurer of White Star, Thomas Laird. His reasoning being that this was the least capital intensive approach requiring very little money to be spent. However, the drawbacks to this plan were obvious and large. The first being that this plan effectively conceded the game to the airlines without even a whimper. It also overlooked the fact that the only possible routes that wouldn't be served by aircraft were to very small, very distant markets in undeveloped parts of the world. It would be a struggle to make those type routes profitable. Though to their credit, the planning staff had found a way to do so. It would entail the virtual elimination of First Class cabins and amenities, other than a handful of suites for dignitaries, the conversion of most of the former First Class spaces to Tourist Class, and the conversion of the former Tourist Class spaces low in the ship to holds for greater cargo capacity. In effect turning the White Star fleet of luxury liners into fast cargo liners. This plan would however, exclude converting the Titanic-class ships. They were too large for this type of service. Instead, it was suggested to leave them on the North Atlantic run until the end of their useful lives, then either replace them or abandon the service.
Option C
Intensify their already aggressive marketing to attract passengers. In this regard, the marketing department proposed resurrecting an older idea. Create an agreement with the airlines similar to what White Star enjoyed with the Railroad companies. The original idea was to focus this on smaller airlines that did not have transatlantic rights. The airlines could ferry passengers from across Europe, Australia, the South Pacific, North and South America to the major port cities that White Star Served. The passengers would then be transferred via either motor coach or train to the pier where they would then board their liner. After discussions within the marketing department, this idea was then expanded to include the major airlines that did have transatlantic rights. They could offer a combined ticket for those who were somewhat pressed for time but still on a budget. The customer could fly out and sail back, or vice versa. It would be cheaper than flying both directions, but would also shave days off of the time spent traveling. The biggest drawback to this plan, and it was admitted by the marketing department, is that it was doubtful if it was a viable long term strategy. Eventually airline ticket prices would fall and airlines would push the traditional shipping lines off the North Atlantic altogether. And the smaller airlines would either interchange their passengers with the larger carriers, or would secure transatlantic rights themselves. However, the plan would buy White Star time, likely several years, to more fully evaluate the best means of competing with the airlines. It also gave the Board breathing room to chart a better course for White Star without being in panic mode.
Option D
Abandon liner service wholesale and convert the line to full time cruising. White Star had operated a cruise division between for nearly twenty years, starting after the United States enforced prohibition and as a response to the Great Depression. This service was ended shortly before the war against Russia broke out, mainly due to the ships operating it aging and requiring more frequent and expensive repairs. It was argued that with White Star's fleet being significantly younger, this service could be profitable for the company without much effort. An added benefit would be that as the ships were designed for high speed transatlantic service, cruises could be offered from Europe to the Caribbean and South Pacific with relative ease. This last point prompted much discussion about how that was really any different from what they were currently doing with some Board Members grasping the differences and other utterly failing to.
Option E
The compromise option. Take the best of the previous four ideas and use them all. Under this plan, interchange agreements would be reached with the airlines wherever possible. Simultaneously with this, marketing would be ramped up while the option of purchasing or starting an airline was examined in detail. During the annual refits of each ship, work would begin preparing the ships for conversion to either cruise service or to cargo liners (with conversion to cargo liners being the least desired option). During this time frame, intensive market studies would be carried out to determine if cruising was a viable business and if it was, which markets would be best suited for it. Studies would also be performed to evaluate operating ships as cargo liners. This plan, while being by far the most flexible, was also the most expensive.
As each department presented their plans, the various Directors picked them apart to find the smallest flaws in them. After hours of discussion, it was clear that no consensus would be reached that day. And likely, not anytime in the next week either. Mr Ismay, deciding that nothing further would be gained by continuing to argue told his Directors to take the various plans with them, study them, and come up with options to improve each one. They would discuss the plans again the following month. Leaving the Board Room, he was overheard to make a comment to his secretary that, "It's amazing we've lasted this long considering how often we fight like alley cats."
December, 1965
During a conference with White Star, Harland & Wolff informs the Board of Directors that the damage to Adriatic is more severe than originally thought. While removing the fire damaged components of the ship, a workman discovered that several deck frames and ribs had been warped by the heat. Repairing the ship will require far more extensive work than originally estimated. It is also discovered that the passenger that triggered the fire had disabled the fire suppression system in his cabin, explaining how the fire grew to the size it did.
This revelation would, over the next several months, trigger a change in shipping board regulations. All passenger carrying vessels would be required to be equipped with tamperproof smoke detectors and fire suppression systems. Mainly, this would involve additional wiring to trigger an alarm on the bridge if the smoke detector was disabled and making the piping to the spray nozzles of the suppression system inaccessible to passengers. That would be accomplished by encasing the piping behind a false ceiling or in a protective box built around the pipes.
While discussing how best to repair Adriatic George Ismay makes the decision to withdraw her from service for an extended period of time. He contracts Harland and Wolff to begin an extensive reconstruction of the vessel, converting her for use as a cruise ship. Though the ship is already entirely air conditioned, many aspects of the vessel are not suited for the tropics. What this means for Adriatic is that her superstructure is to be substantially altered, increasing her open deck areas, removing all but one of her cargo holds and replacing them with cabins and food storage, moving the pool from inside on F Deck to outside on the aft deck, converting her interiors to much lighter colors and various other changes to make the ship herself more appealing. One of the more striking changes was the deletion of the enclosed promenade. Where the Promenade once ran was converted to private deck space, modeled after the private promenades introduced on the Olympic-class. The main difference here being that these Promenade spaces are not enclosed, but opened to the air. The Marketing Department would eventually come to term the spaces "balconies."
While Adriatic is being converted, a process expected to take nearly a year, a study is done to determine where these cruises should begin and end. Several ports are suggested, with the end result being that each will receive a trial with the Adriatic to determine market potential.
January, 1966
Following the decision to convert Adriatic to cruise service, the White Star Board of Directors makes the decision to implement Plan E. Despite attempts to improve all options, Plan E still provided the best means for ensuring the continued success of White Star, despite it's high costs. Another major factor in the decision to implement Plan E was the opportunity provided by the damage to Adriatic. With the ship already needing extensive repairs, it allows White Star to conduct a feasibility study on a large scale with a ship customized for cruising, not simply a liner pressed into it.
A status report on the Adriatic is delivered to White Star this month as well. Harland & Wolff estimate that the conversion work should be completed by September, 1966. In accord with that estimate, White Star begins marketing the first cruise to depart from Southampton with ports of call at Hamilton, Bermuda; Tortola, British Virgin Islands; Bridgetown, Barbados and English Harbor, Antigua. The ship would then return to Southampton. It is intended that she will run this route three times before sailing for New York and sailing out of that harbor.
February, 1966
Japan grants Korea limited autonomy within the Japanese Empire. In conjunction with this move, White Star announces that they will be expanding their service to Japan by including a port call at Pusan, something previously forbidden by the Japanese Authorities. The new service will be inaugurated by the RMS Homeric, one of the Britannic-class.
The RMS Adriatic departs from Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia just after one in the afternoon on the third. Under orders to economize her operation, she makes the entire passage back to Belfast at twenty knots instead of her usual thirty-two. She will arrive back in Belfast on the twenty-fifth with repairs to begin immediately. She is expected to be out of service for one to two months.
November 1965
George Bruce Ismay and the Directors of White Star evaluate the five remaining proposals for the future of the company. They are as follows:
Option A
White Star to purchase or create an airline to compete directly with the likes of BOAC, Pan Am, Eastern, etc. This proposed airline to be equipped with the latest aircraft and outfitted to the highest standards. First Class accommodations to rival those found on the Titanic-class liners in comfort and Tourist Class to be equal to other carriers First Class. It is felt that this option not only provides for a strong future for the Company, but it ensures that White Star's name and standards are upheld. A note is also attached to the proposal that owning both an airline and a shipping line allows White Star to coordinate operations between the two closely. While this would allow a high level of profitability assuming current trends continue, it also is the least flexible option should circumstances in the future change. Additionally, it would tie up capital for many years, as any acquisition of creation of an airline is regarded to be extremely expensive.
Option B
Take no firm immediate measures, but begin to explore alternative routes on which to deploy the fleet as their current routes become untenable in the face of air travel. Despite it's obvious drawbacks, this plan has many proponents. Chief among them, the Treasurer of White Star, Thomas Laird. His reasoning being that this was the least capital intensive approach requiring very little money to be spent. However, the drawbacks to this plan were obvious and large. The first being that this plan effectively conceded the game to the airlines without even a whimper. It also overlooked the fact that the only possible routes that wouldn't be served by aircraft were to very small, very distant markets in undeveloped parts of the world. It would be a struggle to make those type routes profitable. Though to their credit, the planning staff had found a way to do so. It would entail the virtual elimination of First Class cabins and amenities, other than a handful of suites for dignitaries, the conversion of most of the former First Class spaces to Tourist Class, and the conversion of the former Tourist Class spaces low in the ship to holds for greater cargo capacity. In effect turning the White Star fleet of luxury liners into fast cargo liners. This plan would however, exclude converting the Titanic-class ships. They were too large for this type of service. Instead, it was suggested to leave them on the North Atlantic run until the end of their useful lives, then either replace them or abandon the service.
Option C
Intensify their already aggressive marketing to attract passengers. In this regard, the marketing department proposed resurrecting an older idea. Create an agreement with the airlines similar to what White Star enjoyed with the Railroad companies. The original idea was to focus this on smaller airlines that did not have transatlantic rights. The airlines could ferry passengers from across Europe, Australia, the South Pacific, North and South America to the major port cities that White Star Served. The passengers would then be transferred via either motor coach or train to the pier where they would then board their liner. After discussions within the marketing department, this idea was then expanded to include the major airlines that did have transatlantic rights. They could offer a combined ticket for those who were somewhat pressed for time but still on a budget. The customer could fly out and sail back, or vice versa. It would be cheaper than flying both directions, but would also shave days off of the time spent traveling. The biggest drawback to this plan, and it was admitted by the marketing department, is that it was doubtful if it was a viable long term strategy. Eventually airline ticket prices would fall and airlines would push the traditional shipping lines off the North Atlantic altogether. And the smaller airlines would either interchange their passengers with the larger carriers, or would secure transatlantic rights themselves. However, the plan would buy White Star time, likely several years, to more fully evaluate the best means of competing with the airlines. It also gave the Board breathing room to chart a better course for White Star without being in panic mode.
Option D
Abandon liner service wholesale and convert the line to full time cruising. White Star had operated a cruise division between for nearly twenty years, starting after the United States enforced prohibition and as a response to the Great Depression. This service was ended shortly before the war against Russia broke out, mainly due to the ships operating it aging and requiring more frequent and expensive repairs. It was argued that with White Star's fleet being significantly younger, this service could be profitable for the company without much effort. An added benefit would be that as the ships were designed for high speed transatlantic service, cruises could be offered from Europe to the Caribbean and South Pacific with relative ease. This last point prompted much discussion about how that was really any different from what they were currently doing with some Board Members grasping the differences and other utterly failing to.
Option E
The compromise option. Take the best of the previous four ideas and use them all. Under this plan, interchange agreements would be reached with the airlines wherever possible. Simultaneously with this, marketing would be ramped up while the option of purchasing or starting an airline was examined in detail. During the annual refits of each ship, work would begin preparing the ships for conversion to either cruise service or to cargo liners (with conversion to cargo liners being the least desired option). During this time frame, intensive market studies would be carried out to determine if cruising was a viable business and if it was, which markets would be best suited for it. Studies would also be performed to evaluate operating ships as cargo liners. This plan, while being by far the most flexible, was also the most expensive.
________________________
As each department presented their plans, the various Directors picked them apart to find the smallest flaws in them. After hours of discussion, it was clear that no consensus would be reached that day. And likely, not anytime in the next week either. Mr Ismay, deciding that nothing further would be gained by continuing to argue told his Directors to take the various plans with them, study them, and come up with options to improve each one. They would discuss the plans again the following month. Leaving the Board Room, he was overheard to make a comment to his secretary that, "It's amazing we've lasted this long considering how often we fight like alley cats."
December, 1965
During a conference with White Star, Harland & Wolff informs the Board of Directors that the damage to Adriatic is more severe than originally thought. While removing the fire damaged components of the ship, a workman discovered that several deck frames and ribs had been warped by the heat. Repairing the ship will require far more extensive work than originally estimated. It is also discovered that the passenger that triggered the fire had disabled the fire suppression system in his cabin, explaining how the fire grew to the size it did.
This revelation would, over the next several months, trigger a change in shipping board regulations. All passenger carrying vessels would be required to be equipped with tamperproof smoke detectors and fire suppression systems. Mainly, this would involve additional wiring to trigger an alarm on the bridge if the smoke detector was disabled and making the piping to the spray nozzles of the suppression system inaccessible to passengers. That would be accomplished by encasing the piping behind a false ceiling or in a protective box built around the pipes.
While discussing how best to repair Adriatic George Ismay makes the decision to withdraw her from service for an extended period of time. He contracts Harland and Wolff to begin an extensive reconstruction of the vessel, converting her for use as a cruise ship. Though the ship is already entirely air conditioned, many aspects of the vessel are not suited for the tropics. What this means for Adriatic is that her superstructure is to be substantially altered, increasing her open deck areas, removing all but one of her cargo holds and replacing them with cabins and food storage, moving the pool from inside on F Deck to outside on the aft deck, converting her interiors to much lighter colors and various other changes to make the ship herself more appealing. One of the more striking changes was the deletion of the enclosed promenade. Where the Promenade once ran was converted to private deck space, modeled after the private promenades introduced on the Olympic-class. The main difference here being that these Promenade spaces are not enclosed, but opened to the air. The Marketing Department would eventually come to term the spaces "balconies."
While Adriatic is being converted, a process expected to take nearly a year, a study is done to determine where these cruises should begin and end. Several ports are suggested, with the end result being that each will receive a trial with the Adriatic to determine market potential.
January, 1966
Following the decision to convert Adriatic to cruise service, the White Star Board of Directors makes the decision to implement Plan E. Despite attempts to improve all options, Plan E still provided the best means for ensuring the continued success of White Star, despite it's high costs. Another major factor in the decision to implement Plan E was the opportunity provided by the damage to Adriatic. With the ship already needing extensive repairs, it allows White Star to conduct a feasibility study on a large scale with a ship customized for cruising, not simply a liner pressed into it.
A status report on the Adriatic is delivered to White Star this month as well. Harland & Wolff estimate that the conversion work should be completed by September, 1966. In accord with that estimate, White Star begins marketing the first cruise to depart from Southampton with ports of call at Hamilton, Bermuda; Tortola, British Virgin Islands; Bridgetown, Barbados and English Harbor, Antigua. The ship would then return to Southampton. It is intended that she will run this route three times before sailing for New York and sailing out of that harbor.
February, 1966
Japan grants Korea limited autonomy within the Japanese Empire. In conjunction with this move, White Star announces that they will be expanding their service to Japan by including a port call at Pusan, something previously forbidden by the Japanese Authorities. The new service will be inaugurated by the RMS Homeric, one of the Britannic-class.
SsgtC
Banned
Not necessarily. Liners are still the primary mode of transport across oceans. White Star is just exploring their options at the moment. And having a ship that needed extensive repairs gave them an easy excuse to convert her to a cruise ship and see if it works. More a case of preparing for the worst just in case.
As for the Titanics, likely not. Again, liners are still dominant and are likely to remain so for at least the next 10 years. You're more likely to see White Star slowly convert their smaller ships to cruising as passenger volumes decrease in order to keep their flagship service full. And with everything they're trying, it's not out of the question that the two Titanic-class ships serve they're entire lives running a weekly Southampton-New York express service. At most, IF passenger numbers begin dropping hard, they'll get some modifications to allow them to offer cruises in the winter months.
SsgtC
Banned
That's news to me. She was just launched 5 years ago in May, 1960 and is currently White Star's flagship. She only entered service in 1961.
Sorry. Wrong TL. This is what I get for having too many TLs to read.
XVI
SsgtC
Banned
May, 1966
The first casualty in the war against the airlines is announced. P&O announces that due to increased competition from airlines and other competitors (a thinly veiled reference to White Star) they are withdrawing from the Europe to North America Transatlantic trade and will be focusing on their service to India and the Orient. Left unsaid is that they will continue to offer sailings from North America to the Orient and from the Orient to Europe.
The Board of Directors for White Star were stunned by this. While it was true there had been a slight downturn in passenger numbers due to airlines siphoning them away, it wasn't believed to be severe enough to warrant the wholesale abandonment of the transatlantic trade. Not yet, at any rate. The initial panic soon subsided and, after a little digging, it was found that P&O hadn't been entirely honest in their press release. They were abandoning transatlantic service primarily due to the competition from White Star. Though P&O had a modern, comfortable fleet, they lacked the panache that White Star had. People wanted to be seen sailing on a White Star vessel, their reputation for luxury and style having been well established. It also provided a rare opportunity to rub elbows with the rich and famous.
Nevertheless, the announcement drives home to the last few doubting board members that the threat from the airlines is very real. Accordingly, White Star steps up it's marketing efforts even more so. The board also takes the decision to alter their marketing slightly in the Orient to proclaim that White Star is the only line offering sailings that can connect the Orient to the whole world. Shortly afterwards, when P&O issues their own new marketing plan, White Star realized their mistake and was forced to offer a retraction.
August, 1966
On the 11th of the month, Adriatic is floated out of dry dock to begin her sea trials after conversion to a cruise ship. Though no alterations had been made to her power plant, there were some questions about how she would handle. Her superstructure had been drastically altered along with numerous other changes within the hull. She would spend the next week tied up along side going through a litany of engine tests to ensure everything still worked after being out of service for ten months. She would depart on her sea trials on the 19th. They are expected to last three days.
While on her trials, on the 20th of August, Adriatic responds to a distress call from the MS Gripsholm of the Swedish American Line. The Gripsholm was inbound to Gothenburg via Cobh on her final crossing before being sold for scrap when her port propeller shaft fractured, damaging the hull and flooding the engine room. The distress called stated that they had lost power and were attempting to evacuate the passengers, but were listing to port and the starboard lifeboats were unusable. The Adriatic, under the command of Captain William J Law, responded at full speed, slicing through the seas at 32 knots. Also responding to the distress call was White Star's flagship, RMS Titanic. Though nearly three knots faster than the Adriatic, she was also much further away.
Upon Adriatic's arrival on the scene, Captain Law ordered all gangway doors on the lee side opened, boarding nets and slings prepared and launched roughly half of his own boats, those being all he could man with the crew that was onboard at the time. As the Gripsholm's passengers were being brought on board, the Gripsholm began losing her fight with the sea. She was observed to be going down by the stern with an increasing port list. On the radio, the Adriatic ordered her boats to speed up their work as the Gripsholm was likely to roll over before much more time had past. This decision was made by Captain Law against the advice of his officers, who wished to order the boats to stand clear, in spite of the dangers posed by the sinking Gripsholm.
In the end, Adriatic succeeded in rescuing all but forty-five of the passengers and crew of the Gripsholm. Of those left behind, twenty had perished in the engine room when the propeller shaft fractured and tore loose inside the engine room, twenty were unaccounted for (and later presumed to have become disoriented and trapped as the ship foundered) and five, including her Chief Officer Kjell Smitterberg, were lost when the ship rolled over while searching for the missing passengers. Just as the Gripsholm slipped beneath the waves, RMS Titanic arrived on scene. In addition to launching three of her boats to search for survivors in the water (none were found) she also sent her Ship's Doctor, medical supplies, blankets, bedding and additional crew to her smaller fleetmate (Adriatic had no stewards, maids, waiters or other "Service Crew" and only three cooks on board). That completed, the two ships, along with the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Swiftsure which had also responded and provided the Adriatic with additional medical personnel, ordered up thirty-two knots, Adriatic's best speed, and headed for Belfast.
On their arrival, the survivors of the Gripsholm were quickly placed in lodging ashore, paid for originally by White Star though later reimbursed by the Swedish American Line, the loaned Titanic crew members returned to their ship and Titanic resumed her outward bound voyage to New York. Adriatic was then moved from the passenger piers to the Harland & Wolff yard for final fitting out and handover to White Star. Captain Law meanwhile was ordered to provide a statement for the subsequent inquiry into the loss of the Gripsholm. Seeing as she had been built by Armstrong Whitworth in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the British Board of Trade would be holding an inquiry as well as the Swedes.
While the inquiry into Captain Law's actions was merely standard procedure, George Ismay made his feelings on the matter extremely clear. He ordered that special medals be struck for the crew of the Adriatic to recognize their crucial roll in saving the passengers and crew of the Gripsholm. He also ordered two plaques, one to be placed in the First Class Lounge and the other to be placed on the Bridge, commemorating Adriatic's roll in the rescue. He also personally commended Captain Law and his crew and ordered that they be given a hazardous duty bonus to their pay.
After her arrival back at Harland & Wolff, final adjustments are made to Adriatic along with minor repairs. She is also given another coat of paint to ensure that the ship is shinning when she reenters service. Adriatic is handed over to White Star on the last day of August, 1966. Her first cruise is scheduled to depart from Southampton on September 12th.
The first casualty in the war against the airlines is announced. P&O announces that due to increased competition from airlines and other competitors (a thinly veiled reference to White Star) they are withdrawing from the Europe to North America Transatlantic trade and will be focusing on their service to India and the Orient. Left unsaid is that they will continue to offer sailings from North America to the Orient and from the Orient to Europe.
The Board of Directors for White Star were stunned by this. While it was true there had been a slight downturn in passenger numbers due to airlines siphoning them away, it wasn't believed to be severe enough to warrant the wholesale abandonment of the transatlantic trade. Not yet, at any rate. The initial panic soon subsided and, after a little digging, it was found that P&O hadn't been entirely honest in their press release. They were abandoning transatlantic service primarily due to the competition from White Star. Though P&O had a modern, comfortable fleet, they lacked the panache that White Star had. People wanted to be seen sailing on a White Star vessel, their reputation for luxury and style having been well established. It also provided a rare opportunity to rub elbows with the rich and famous.
Nevertheless, the announcement drives home to the last few doubting board members that the threat from the airlines is very real. Accordingly, White Star steps up it's marketing efforts even more so. The board also takes the decision to alter their marketing slightly in the Orient to proclaim that White Star is the only line offering sailings that can connect the Orient to the whole world. Shortly afterwards, when P&O issues their own new marketing plan, White Star realized their mistake and was forced to offer a retraction.
August, 1966
On the 11th of the month, Adriatic is floated out of dry dock to begin her sea trials after conversion to a cruise ship. Though no alterations had been made to her power plant, there were some questions about how she would handle. Her superstructure had been drastically altered along with numerous other changes within the hull. She would spend the next week tied up along side going through a litany of engine tests to ensure everything still worked after being out of service for ten months. She would depart on her sea trials on the 19th. They are expected to last three days.
While on her trials, on the 20th of August, Adriatic responds to a distress call from the MS Gripsholm of the Swedish American Line. The Gripsholm was inbound to Gothenburg via Cobh on her final crossing before being sold for scrap when her port propeller shaft fractured, damaging the hull and flooding the engine room. The distress called stated that they had lost power and were attempting to evacuate the passengers, but were listing to port and the starboard lifeboats were unusable. The Adriatic, under the command of Captain William J Law, responded at full speed, slicing through the seas at 32 knots. Also responding to the distress call was White Star's flagship, RMS Titanic. Though nearly three knots faster than the Adriatic, she was also much further away.
Upon Adriatic's arrival on the scene, Captain Law ordered all gangway doors on the lee side opened, boarding nets and slings prepared and launched roughly half of his own boats, those being all he could man with the crew that was onboard at the time. As the Gripsholm's passengers were being brought on board, the Gripsholm began losing her fight with the sea. She was observed to be going down by the stern with an increasing port list. On the radio, the Adriatic ordered her boats to speed up their work as the Gripsholm was likely to roll over before much more time had past. This decision was made by Captain Law against the advice of his officers, who wished to order the boats to stand clear, in spite of the dangers posed by the sinking Gripsholm.
In the end, Adriatic succeeded in rescuing all but forty-five of the passengers and crew of the Gripsholm. Of those left behind, twenty had perished in the engine room when the propeller shaft fractured and tore loose inside the engine room, twenty were unaccounted for (and later presumed to have become disoriented and trapped as the ship foundered) and five, including her Chief Officer Kjell Smitterberg, were lost when the ship rolled over while searching for the missing passengers. Just as the Gripsholm slipped beneath the waves, RMS Titanic arrived on scene. In addition to launching three of her boats to search for survivors in the water (none were found) she also sent her Ship's Doctor, medical supplies, blankets, bedding and additional crew to her smaller fleetmate (Adriatic had no stewards, maids, waiters or other "Service Crew" and only three cooks on board). That completed, the two ships, along with the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Swiftsure which had also responded and provided the Adriatic with additional medical personnel, ordered up thirty-two knots, Adriatic's best speed, and headed for Belfast.
On their arrival, the survivors of the Gripsholm were quickly placed in lodging ashore, paid for originally by White Star though later reimbursed by the Swedish American Line, the loaned Titanic crew members returned to their ship and Titanic resumed her outward bound voyage to New York. Adriatic was then moved from the passenger piers to the Harland & Wolff yard for final fitting out and handover to White Star. Captain Law meanwhile was ordered to provide a statement for the subsequent inquiry into the loss of the Gripsholm. Seeing as she had been built by Armstrong Whitworth in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the British Board of Trade would be holding an inquiry as well as the Swedes.
While the inquiry into Captain Law's actions was merely standard procedure, George Ismay made his feelings on the matter extremely clear. He ordered that special medals be struck for the crew of the Adriatic to recognize their crucial roll in saving the passengers and crew of the Gripsholm. He also ordered two plaques, one to be placed in the First Class Lounge and the other to be placed on the Bridge, commemorating Adriatic's roll in the rescue. He also personally commended Captain Law and his crew and ordered that they be given a hazardous duty bonus to their pay.
After her arrival back at Harland & Wolff, final adjustments are made to Adriatic along with minor repairs. She is also given another coat of paint to ensure that the ship is shinning when she reenters service. Adriatic is handed over to White Star on the last day of August, 1966. Her first cruise is scheduled to depart from Southampton on September 12th.
SsgtC
Banned
One note I forgot to put in the update. Unlike the Adriatic or Titanic, the Gripsholm is a real vessel. IOTL, she was built by Armstrong Whitworth in 1924 and was the first Motor Vessel built for the Transatlantic trade. She was sold to NDL in 1954 and renamed Berlin. She was scraped in 1966 IOTL.
Likewise, her Chief Officer is also a real person, as is William Law of the Adriatic. IOTL, Kjell Smitterberg was the Chief Officer onboard the Gripsholm of 1957. He would later go on to command the Kungsholm for Swedish American Line.
Likewise, her Chief Officer is also a real person, as is William Law of the Adriatic. IOTL, Kjell Smitterberg was the Chief Officer onboard the Gripsholm of 1957. He would later go on to command the Kungsholm for Swedish American Line.
Very good. Perhaps White Star Line should have its own medals, recognised by the British Government and Whitehall. How many White Star Line sailors went in harm's way aboard their ships through war and peace? And the 'destroyer' HMS Swiftsure? The cruiser Swiftsure was broken up in '62, I presume with different wars occurring that the RN's cruiser force isn't so badly mauled?
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