SS Germanic (1874)

The sister ship of Britannic, delivered in June 1874, Germanic was launched on 15 July 1874. Although fitting out was completed in early 1875, delivery was delayed until May of that year so that she would arrive in time for the summer transatlantic season. Germanic was primarily powered by steam, although she also carried four masts, three of which were square-rigged. She departed on her maiden voyage on 20 May 1875 from Liverpool to New York, arriving ten days later.[2] In doing so, she replaced Oceanic, the White Star's first post-Ismay steamship that was sold by the company in the same year.

Britannic and Germanic cabin plan

In July during an eastbound run, Germanic set a transatlantic speed record of 15.76 knots (average), crossing the ocean in seven days, 11 hours, and 17 minutes, and winning the coveted Blue Riband. In February, 1876, she beat her own record. On a subsequent trip, when the ship was south of Ireland, the propeller shaft sheared and she had to limp into Waterford on sail power alone.

In 1895, Germanic underwent a major refit, during which a larger triple-expansion steam engine was installed, and the rigging was removed. On 13 February 1899, while being coaled at White Star's New York City pier, a blizzard blanketed her decks with a heavy layer of snow. Now top heavy, she listed to port so much that water began to enter doors opened for coaling, and Germanic settled on to the shallow harbour bottom.[3] She was raised, and determined to be worth saving, so she returned to Belfast for repairs that lasted four months.

On 3 September 1903, Germanic left on her final run as a White Star liner. She was then laid up for the winter, and in 1904 was sold to the American Line, one of White Star's sister companies under the International Mercantile Marine Co. umbrella. Still named Germanic, she served on the Southampton to New York route, but for only six voyages. She was transferred yet again to another IMM company, the Dominion Line, a niche company that served the immigrant trade. On 5 January 1905, Germanic was renamed Ottawa. For the next four years, Ottawa plied the Canadian waters, sailing only in the summer, between Quebec City and Montreal. After the 1909 summer season, Ottawa was laid up for winter.

In 1910, the Government of the Ottoman Empire bought the ship from IMM, to become part of a five-ship transport fleet, leaving Liverpool for the last time on 15 May 1911, under the name Gul Djemal, in honour of the Sultan's mother.[4] She was operated by the Administration de Navigation à Vapeur Ottomane of Constantinople. In a few months, she was carrying Turkish soldiers to war duty in Yemen. When World War I began and the Ottoman Empire joined forces with Germany, she again became a troop ship, ferrying soldiers to the Gallipoli Peninsula. On 3 May 1915, Gul Djemal was on this run, carrying over 4,000 soldiers, when she was torpedoed by the British submarine HMS E14, sinking in shallow waters up to the superstructure. he British claimed that most of those on board lost their lives, though Turkish and German sources mention a very limited number of casualties.[5]

Since Gul Djemal had not completely sunk, it was decided that she could be raised and repaired, and afterwards she continued to serve the war effort. In 1918, she carried 1,500 German troops to Dover, to the Allied control point there, where the soldiers were disarmed and sent home.

With the war finally over, Gul Djemal went to work for the Ottoman American Line, again carrying emigrants to new lives in America, making her first trip in this role on 10 October 1921. She was later on service in the Black Sea. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Gul Djemal became a Turkish ship. She was one of the ships responsible in transporting Turks from Crete, Greece to Turkey during the population exchange between Greece and Turkey after the Turkish War of Independence. After this mission she began regular services in the Black Sea .[6]

Gülcemal, in Karaköy, Istanbul. (Estimated photo date between 1928-1937)

In 1928, the ship was transferred to Turkiye Seyrisefain Idaresi and renamed Gülcemal. In 1931, she grounded in the Sea of Marmora, but was refloated and returned to service, surviving World War II, although playing no notable part in it. By 1949, she was a storage ship, and in 1950 converted to a floating hotel. Finally, on 29 October of that year, Gülcemal was moved to Messina for scrapping, having lasted 75 years, three major mishaps and two World Wars. When being demolished, her original White Star Line gold stripe could still be seen along her hull. Only Cunard's SS Parthia (1870) served a longer time afloat than Germanic, ending her days as a lumber tug in 1956. Parthia's record (84 years) as longest serving "floating palace", in any capacity, still holds today.[7]