SS Lapland
{{Short description|Early 20th century ocean liner}}
{{More footnotes needed|date=April 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
| {{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image | Ship image = SS Lapland.jpg | Ship caption = }} {{Infobox ship career | Hide header = | Ship country = | Ship flag = | Ship name = Lapland | Ship namesake = Lapland | Ship owner = *Red Star Line (1909–14)
| Ship operator = *Red Star Line (1909–14)
| Ship registry = *{{flagicon|Belgium|civil}} Antwerp (1909–14)
| Ship identification = *official number 137398 (1914–33)
| Ship route = | Ship ordered = | Ship awarded = | Ship builder = Harland & Wolff, Belfast | Ship original cost = | Ship yard number = 393 | Ship way number = | Ship laid down = | Ship launched = 27 June 1908 | Ship sponsor = | Ship christened = | Ship completed = 27 March 1909 | Ship maiden voyage = 10 April 1909 | Ship out of service = 1933 | Ship fate = Scrapped at Osaka, 1934 | Ship notes = Hit mine, April 1917 | Ship badge = }} {{Infobox ship characteristics | Hide header = | Header caption = | Ship class = | Ship type = | Ship tonnage = *as built: {{GRT|17540}}
| Ship displacement = | Ship length = {{cvt|605.8|ft|m|abbr=on}} | Ship beam = {{cvt|70.4|ft|m|abbr=on}} | Ship height = | Ship draught = | Ship depth = {{cvt|37.4|ft|m|abbr=on}} | Ship hold depth = | Ship decks = | Ship deck clearance = | Ship ice class = | Ship power = 2,343 NHP | Ship propulsion = *2 × quadruple-expansion engines
| Ship speed = {{convert|17|kn|km/h|abbr=out}} | Ship range = | Ship endurance = | Ship boats = | Ship capacity = 1,500 passengers{{clarify|reason=At which stage in her career?|date=October 2020}} | Ship troops = | Ship complement = | Ship crew = | Ship time to activate = | Ship sensors = *by 1930:
| Ship armament = | Ship armour = | Ship notes = }} |
SS Lapland was a steam ocean liner built in Ireland for the Belgian Red Star Line, as Red Star's flagship, similar in appearance to the fellow liners SS Samland, SS Gothland and SS Poland, but far larger. She was a half sister to White Star Line's "Big Four." They were similar in many ways, such as the island bridge, 4 masts, 2 funnels. But Lapland had a less luxurious interior.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}
Her ownership passed to the International Navigation Company in 1914 and the UK Leyland Line in 1927. In the First World War she was converted into a troop ship. In 1933 she was sold to Japanese buyers who scrapped her in 1934.
Building
Harland & Wolff built Lapland in Belfast, launching her on 27 June 1908 and completing her on 27 March 1909.{{cite journal |year=1908 |title=Launches and Trial Trips |journal=International Marine Engineering & Naval Architect |volume=31 |issue=August |pages=28 |publisher=Marine Engineering, Inc., New York—London |url=https://archive.org/stream/marineengineer31londuoft#page/28/mode/1up |access-date=31 January 2018}} She was {{convert|605.8|ft|m|abbr=on}} long and had a beam of {{convert|70.4|ft|m|abbr=on}}. She had twin screw propellers, each driven by a four-cylinder quadruple-expansion engine,{{cite book |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/30/30b0693.pdf |year=1930 |title=Lloyd's Register |chapter=Steamers and Motorships |place=London |publisher=Lloyd's of London |via=Plimsoll Ship Data |access-date=25 October 2020}} and her service speed was {{convert|17|kn|km/h|abbr=out}}.{{sfn|Harnack|1930|p=356}}
Red Star years
On 10 April 1909 Lapland began her maiden voyage from Antwerp via Dover to New York City under the Belgian flag. Lapland was one of a fleet of Red Star liners that between them provided weekly sailings on the route.{{sfn|Wilson|1956|p=37}}
In April 1912 White Star Line chartered Lapland to repatriate 172 surviving members of Titanic{{'}}s crew to the UK after they had been detained in the USA for investigations. She also carried 1,927 bags of mail that Titanic had been scheduled to carry.{{cite web |url= https://titanicbelfast.com/Discover/On-This-Day/April-20/Lapland-and-Titanic.aspx |title=Lapland and Titanic |work=Titanic Belfast |access-date=25 October 2020}} Lapland arrived in England on 28 April, 13 days after Titanic sank.
In 1914 she made her last voyage between Antwerp and New York, was transferred to the US-owned International Navigation Company{{cite web |url= http://shippingandshipbuilding.uk/view.php?year_built=&builder=&ref=202477&vessel=LAPLAND |title=Lapland |work=Shipping and Shipbuilding |publisher=North East Maritime Forum |access-date=25 October 2020}} and began sailing between Liverpool and New York.
First World War
On 29 October 1914 Lapland began the Liverpool – New York City crossings under the UK flag while under charter to Cunard Line. In April 1917 she struck a naval mine off the Mersey Bar Lightship, but managed to reach Liverpool. She sailed from Halifax to Liverpool on 29 September 1916 with Canadian troops of the 150th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. In June 1917 she was requisitioned and converted into a troop ship. Among her passengers in August 1917 were aviators of the 1st Aero Squadron, the first unit of the United States Army Air Service to reach France.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}
Post-war
File:Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford 02.jpg and Mary Pickford aboard Lapland in June 1920]]
On 24 November 1918 she began her first voyage after the Armistice when she sailed from Liverpool for New York for the White Star Line and on 1 August 1919 started her sixth and last round voyage on this service. On 16 September 1919 she was transferred to the Southampton – New York route under charter to White Star Line. She made three round voyages on this route, the last starting on 27 November 1919.
Lapland was refitted with passenger accommodation for 389 first, 448 second and 1,200 third class passengers and her tonnage was revised to {{GRT|18565}}. On 3 January 1920 she resumed service for Red Star Line but under the UK flag when she sailed from Antwerp via Southampton to New York. In 1927 she was transferred to Leyland Line and that April she was refitted to carry cabin, tourist and third class passengers. On 29 April 1932 she started her last voyage between Antwerp, Southampton, Le Havre and New York.
In 1932{{sfn|Wilson|1956|p=56}} and 1933 she was used on short cruises from London to the Mediterranean. Between June and September 1933 she carried 5,000 cruise passengers.{{sfn|Wilson|1956|p=209}}
In October 1933 was sold to Japanese buyers for scrap. She was broken up in Osaka, starting on 29 January 1934.
References
{{reflist}}
Bibliography
- {{cite book |last=Bonsor |first=NRP |title=North Atlantic Seaway |volume=2 |publisher=Brookside Publications |isbn=978-0905824017 |page=850 }}
- {{cite book |last=Harnack |first=Edwin P |orig-year=1903 |year=1930 |title=All About Ships & Shipping |place=London |publisher=Faber and Faber |edition=3rd }}
- {{cite book |last1=Kint |first1=Andre |last2=Vervoort |first2=Robert |year=1990 |title=De Red Star Line, Antwerpens Vergane Glorie |place=Antwerp |publisher=Vries Brouwers |isbn=978-9061747222 |pages=98–99 |language=nl }}
- {{cite book |last=Wilson |first=RM |year=1956 |title=The Big Ships |place=London |publisher=Cassell & Co }}
External links
{{commons category|Lapland (ship, 1909)}}
- {{cite web |url= https://bob.plord.net/Ships/MS-2/Belgium/Lapland.html |title=Lapland |work=Bob's Stuff}}
- {{cite web |url= https://www.cabinliners.com/lapland.html |title=S.S.Lapland |work=Cabin Liners}}
{{April 1917 shipwrecks}}
{{White Star Line ships}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lapland}}
Category:Maritime incidents in 1917
Category:Ocean liners of the United Kingdom
Category:Passenger ships of Belgium
Category:Ships built in Belfast
Category:Ships built by Harland and Wolff
Category:Steamships of Belgium
Category:Steamships of the United Kingdom