RMS Samaria (1920)

Transatlantic ocean liner and Royal Mail Ship

History
United Kingdom
Name| RMS Samaria
Namesake| Samaria
Owner| Cunard Line
Operator| Cunard Line
Port of registry| Liverpool
Route| Liverpool – various
Builder| Cammell, Laird & Co, Birkenhead
Yard number| 836
Launched| 27 November 1920
Completed| 8 April 1922
Maiden voyage| 19 April 1922
Identification|

* UK official number 145923
* code letters KLWD (until 1933)
*   * call sign GJCF (1934 onward)

Fate| Scrapped 1956
General characteristics
Type| Ocean liner
Tonnage| 19,602 GRT, 11,866 NRT
Length| 601.5 ft (183.3 m)
Beam| 73.7 ft (22.5 m)
Draught| 54 ft 0 in (16.46 m)
Depth| 40.7 ft (12.4 m)
Decks| 2
Installed power| 2,527 NHP
Propulsion|

* 2 × screws
* double-reduction gearing
* 6 × steam turbines

Speed| 16 kn (30 km/h; 18 mph) (service speed)
Capacity| 315 first class, 350 second class, 1500 third class as built
Crew| 434
Notes| Passenger accommodations were altered several times in the ship's career.

RMS Samaria was a transatlantic ocean liner built for Cunard Line. She was completed in 1922 and served until 1955. In the Second World War she was a troopship in the Royal Navy. Samaria was scrapped in 1956.[1][2] Samaria was a sister ship of RMS Scythia and half-sister of RMS Franconia.[3]

## Building

[edit]

Cammell Laird & Company in Birkenhead built Samaria for Cunard Line, launching her on 27 November 1920.[1] Fitting out for service took somewhat longer than usual due to post war demands on industry but in due course Samaria entered service in April 1922. She was an intermediate liner designed with an emphasis on fuel economy, hence her service speed was about 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph).

## Service

[edit]

Intended to augment Cunard's transatlantic service Samaria ran on the Liverpool to Boston and New York City route with periodic stops in Cobh, and appealed to those first and second class passengers looking for comfort at reasonable rates and who were not in a hurry.[4][5] Originally the ship was intended to make a profit in the immigrant trade with third class passengers. However the end of unrestricted immigration to the United States in the mid-1920s necessitated the first of several reconfiguration of passenger accommodations as third class became "tourist."[4]

Throughout the 1920s and 1930s Samaria was frequently employed as a cruise ship. In September 1940 she took part in the evacuation of children from the UK to the US under the scheme set up by the Children's Overseas Reception Board (CORB). In 1941 the ship was taken over by the Royal Navy and served as a troopship until 1948 when she was returned to Cunard and refitted for passenger service. Between 1948 and 1955 Samaria was assigned almost exclusively to the Canadian route with service to Montreal, Quebec, and Halifax along with her sister-ship RMS Scythia. In November 1955 she completed her last transatlantic crossing and was subsequently sold for scrapping, which was completed in 1956 at Inverkeithing, Scotland.[1][2][4]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Cairis, Nicholas T (1979). Passenger Liners of the World Since 1893. Bonanza Books. pp. 52. ISBN 0517-28875-3.
2. ^ a b "RMS Samaria II". Norwegian Heritage Emigrant Ships Database. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
3. ^ Wilson, RM (1956). The Big Ships. London: Cassell & Co. p. 78.
4. ^ a b c "RMS Samaria from Ancestry.com". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
5. ^ "Samaria II". GreatShips.com. Retrieved 6 August 2014.

* v
* t
* e

Ships of the Cunard Line

Current fleet|

* 2004 RMS Queen Mary 2
* 2007 MS Queen Victoria
* 2010 MS Queen Elizabeth
* 2024 MS Queen Anne

Former ships
1840-1994|

* 1840 RMS Unicorn
* 1840 RMS Britannia
* 1848 SS Satellite
* 1853 SS Arabia
* 1856 RMS Persia
* 1862 RMS Scotia
* 1863 RMS Hecla
* 1865 SS Java
* 1867 SS Russia
* 1870 SS Abyssinia
* 1870 SS Parthia
* 1874 SS Bothnia
* 1878 SS Aleppo
* 1879 SS Gallia
* 1881 SS Servia
* 1881 SS Catalonia
* 1882 RMS Aurania
* 1884 SS Oregon
* 1884 RMS Umbria
* 1885 RMS Etruria
* 1892 RMS Campania
* 1893 RMS Lucania
* 1898 SS Ultonia
* 1899 SS Ivernia
* 1899 RMS Saxonia
* 1903 RMS Carpathia
* 1903 RMS Pannonia
* 1904 RMS Slavonia
* 1905 RMS Carmania
* 1905 RMS Caronia
* 1907 RMS Lusitania
* 1907 RMS Mauretania
* 1909 SS Thracia
* 1910 RMS Franconia
* 1911 RMS Albania
* 1912 RMS Laconia
* 1913 RMS Andania
* 1913 RMS Alaunia
* 1914 RMS Aquitania
* 1914 SS Orduña
* 1916 SS Royal George
* 1917 RMS Aurania
* 1920 SS Albania
* 1921 RMS Berengaria
* 1921 RMS Scythia
* 1922 RMS Samaria
* 1922 RMS Laconia
* 1922 RMS Andania
* 1922 RMS Antonia
* 1922 RMS Lancastria
* 1921 RMS Ausonia
* 1922 RMS Franconia
* 1924 RMS Aurania
* 1925 SS Letitia
* 1925 RMS Ascania
* 1925 RMS Alaunia
* 1925 RMS Carinthia
* 1934 RMS Majestic
* 1934 RMS Olympic
* 1934 MV Georgic
* 1934 MV Britannic
* 1934 SS Laurentic
* 1936 RMS Queen Mary
* 1939 RMS Mauretania
* 1940 RMS Queen Elizabeth
* 1945 SS Valacia (Empire Camp)
* 1947 RMS Media
* 1947 RMS Parthia
* 1949 RMS Caronia
* 1954 RMS Saxonia
* 1955 RMS Ivernia
* 1956 RMS Carinthia
* 1957 RMS Sylvania
* 1969 MS Queen Elizabeth 2
* 1970 SS Atlantic Causeway
* 1970 SS Atlantic Conveyor
* 1971 MV Cunard Adventurer
* 1972 MV Cunard Ambassador
* 1975 MS Cunard Countess
* 1976 MS Cunard Princess
* 1983 MS Sagafjord
* 1983 MS Caronia
* 1986 MS Sea Goddess I
* 1986 MS Sea Goddess II
* 1993 MS Cunard Crown Jewel
* 1993 MS Cunard Crown Dynasty
* 1994 MS Royal Viking Sun

For MoWT|

* 1940 SS Pasteur
* 1941 SS Empire Barracuda
* 1940 MV Empire Audacity
* 1943 SS Empire Battleaxe
* 1943 SS Empire Broadsword
* 1945 MV Empire Ettrick

Years indicate year of entry into Cunard service.
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