Today in White Star history

I have "borrowed" these facts from liners list. Each day, the history of White Star Line will be posted, if I forget, just email me to remind me!

25 February 1873: Asiatic I makes her only South American voyage for
White Star, after one charter sailing for Lamport & Holt. After the
wreck of Atlantic, Asiatic and her sister Tropic I will be sold to
replenish White Star's capital. Asiatic will become Ambriz, first owned
by African S.S. Co (later known as Elder, Dempster), and later by Cie.
Française Charbonnage et de la Batelage. Ambriz will be wrecked on
Madagascar in February 1903. (Sources: Bonsor's South Atlantic Seaway;
Haws' Merchant Fleets.)

25 February 1902: Leyland's Hanoverian is launched at Hawthorne, Leslie
& Co., Hebburn-on-Tyne. After three trips to Boston for Leyland, and ten
months as Dominion's Mayflower, she's transferred by IMM to White Star
and renamed Cretic. (Sources: Anderson's White Star; Bonsor's North
Atlantic Seaway.)

25 February 1909: At New York, the Lloyd Italiano steamer Florida,
which collided with Republic II last month, is sold at auction by a
United States Commissioner for $220,500, to an "M.A. Mosle of Duchess
County." Distribution of the proceeds will await the outcome of pending
limitation of liability proceedings. (Source: The New York Times, 26
February 1909.)

25 February 1925: At New York, Thomas Smith, a steward on Adriatic II
described as "apparently ... in good health" when the ship arrived three
days ago, dies aboard ship of heart disease. Smith's body will be
returned to England on Adriatic for burial. (Source: The New York
Times, 26 February 1925.)

25 February 1934: Laurentic II makes her final departure from the United
States, leaving Boston en route from New York to Halifax and Liverpool.
She'll remain in service to Canada for the summer. (Sources: Kohler's
White Star and Maple Leaf: R.M.S. Laurentic II; Bonsor's North Atlantic
Seaway.)

Wow! What a really cool thread, I'll be a daily reader for sure! Thanks for doing this for us jgsmuzzy!

26 February 1846: The Liverpool ship brokering firm of Pilkington &
Wilson makes the first sailing for its own account, dispatching the
chartered brig Elizabeth to Montréal. By 1849, the firm will adopt the
trade name "White Star." (Sources: Haws' Merchant Fleets; Anderson's
White Star.)

26 February 1884: La Flecha's Geofreddo (ex-Belgic I) is wrecked at the
mouth of the Mersey, en route to Havana. (Sources: Anderson's White
Star; Oldham's The Ismay Line.)

26 February 1890: John Pilkington, one of the partners in White Star's
founding partnership of Pilkington & Wilson, dies at Oxton. He was 69
years old. (Source: Anderson's White Star.)

26 February 1903: Dominion Line's Columbus (yard number 345) is launched
at Harland & Wolff, Belfast. In December, two months after her maiden
voyage on Dominion's Liverpool-Boston route, White Star will take over
both Dominion's Boston service and Columbus, which will be renamed
Republic II. (Sources: Moss and Hume's Shipbuilders to the World; Haws'
Merchant Fleets; Bonsor's North Atlantic Seaway.)

26 February 1909: Adriatic II arrives in New York. On board are at
least nine known professional card players, recognized by either pier
detectives or stewards; although described as a "jolly bunch," they are
said to have made little money during the voyage because Capt. E.J.
Smith had passengers warned to their presence. Due to the installation
of a "special receiving apparatus," Adriatic was able to remain in
contact with land-based Marconi stations during the entire crossing,
opening the way for a news service to be maintained on future White Star
sailings. (Source: The New York Times, 27 February 1909.)

26 February 1910: Bruce Ismay arrives in New York on Mauretania,
accompanied by IMM vice president Harold Sanderson and IMM director E.
C. Grenfell. Ismay tells reporters that he is making his semi-annual
tour of inspection, and that he expects Olympic to be launched in June
and Titanic six months later. (Source: The New York Times, 27 February
1910; Oldham's The Ismay Line.)

26 February 1912: Bruce Ismay and Harold Sanderson agree that, subject
to approval by J.P. Morgan & Co., Ismay will retire as president of IMM
effective 30 June 1913, to be succeeded by Sanderson. Continued 2
March. (Source: Oldham's The Ismay Line.)

26 February 1914: Britannic II (yard number 433) is launched at Harland
& Wolff, Belfast. Britannic will never operate as a passenger carrier,
but will be converted into a hospital ship during fitting out. (Sources:
The New York Times, 27 February 1914; Mills' Hostage to Fortune; Moss
and Hume's Shipbuilders to the World.)

26 February 1921: Edward F. Wright, IMM's General Superintendent at New
York, retires after a fifty-four year career on the New York waterfront,
during which "he has waved an official farewell to more than 2,000,000
ocean travelers." (Source: The New York Times, 27 February 1921.)

26 February 1932: Harold Sanderson dies at Rapallo, Italy. (Sources: The
Times (London), 27 and 28 February 1932; The New York Times, 27 February
1932.)

26 February 1925: Leaving New York on her second Mediterranean cruise
of the season, Adriatic II goes aground on a mudbank off Bay Ridge,
Brooklyn, at 3 a.m. She will be freed about four hours later, pulled
into deep water at high tide by four tugs directed by White Star's
Marine Superintendent, Capt. James Thompson. After an inspection reveals
that she has suffered no damage, Adriatic continues on her way. (Source:
The New York Times, 27 February 1925.)

26 February 1935: The directors of White Star Line, Ltd., recommend
that the company be wound up, with Sir William McClintock as liquidator.
(Source: The New York Times, 27 February 1935.)

26 February 1936: Homeric, anchored off the Isle of Wight since last
October, is sold to shipbreaker Thomas W. Ward of Inverkeithing for
£74,000. She was taken out of Cunard White Star's cruise service this
winter because of her high operating cost. (Sources: The New York
Times, 27 February 1936; De Kerbrech and Williams' Cunard White Star
Liners of the 1930s; Haws' Merchant Fleets.)

Thanks for posting these, they are very interesting!

27 February 1896: After more than ten years on the White Star/Shaw,
Savill & Albion New Zealand service, Doric I arrives in San Francisco
from Liverpool to begin her career on the White Star/Occidental &
Oriental transpacific route. Not counting an overnight anchorage at the
entrance to the Straits of Magellan, she made the 13,600 mile trip in
forty-one days at an average speed of over 14 knots. (Source: The New
York Times, 28 February 1896.)

27 February 1897: When Britannic I arrives in New York from Liverpool,
twelve sacks of mail originating in Bombay are held at Quarantine for
disinfection from bubonic plague. (Source: The New York Times, 28
February 1897.)

27 February 1915: At Naples, a gale pulls Canopic loose from her
moorings; she causes slight damage above the waterline to three nearby
ships: Gianicolo, Tellus and St. Ninian. (Source: Eaton and Haas'
Falling Star.)

27 February 1916: Carrying only two passengers and no passenger staff,
Cedric arrives in New York in White Star commercial service after having
served as a troop transport and an armed merchant cruiser since November
1914. She has been returned to commercial service so that her large
cargo capacity can be utilized to carry supplies, especially munitions,
to England and she will remain in commercial service for the remainder
of the war. (Sources: The New York Times, 31 October 1914, 2 February
1915 and 3 January, 28 February and 8 March 1916; Bonsor's North
Atlantic Seaway.)

28 February 1885: Gaelic II (yard number 172) is launched at Harland &
Wolff, Belfast, for the Occidental & Oriental joint service in the
Pacific. (Sources: Moss and Hume's Shipbuilders to the World; Anderson's
White Star.)

28 February 1898: After her cargo is unloaded at Liverpool, Bovic
damages her bow by striking her dock entrance. (Source: Eaton and Haas'
Falling Star.)

28 February 1904: Retired White Star commander William H. Thompson, 63,
dies at New York's Presbyterian Hospital, from complications following
foot surgery. Captain of Oceanic I during the 1872 rescue of the crew
of Mountain Eagle (see 8 January) and commander of Britannic I when she
won the Blue Riband in 1876 (see 4 November), Thompson worked in
the insurance business in New York after retiring from the sea.
(Source: The New York Times, 1 March 1904.)

28 February 1908: Bruce Ismay arrives in New York on Mauretania, for
what he describes as his annual visit. (Source: The New York Times, 29
February 1908.)

28 February 1916: At Santa Cruz, Tenerife, Athenic receives British
prisoners from the German raider Möwe; they were originally aboard J.
Westoll's Westburn, which Möwe captured and later scuttled. Later in
1916, Möwe will capture and scuttle Georgic I. (Source: Haws' Merchant
Fleets.)

28 February 1918: Olympic is unsuccessfully attacked by gunfire from a
German submarine in the Mediterranean. (Source: British Admiralty's
Merchant Shipping (Losses).)

29 February 1912: A few hours after leaving Queenstown for New York,
Oceanic II loses a blade from her port propeller. She will arrive in
New York on 7 March, a day late as a result of averaging only 16.57
knots for the trip. This trip is Capt. Herbert J. Haddock's final one
as Oceanic's commander before he takes over Olympic from E. J. Smith,
who is being transferred to Titanic. (Source: The New York Times, 1 and
8 March 1912.)

29 February 1912: Before Celtic II sails from New York to Liverpool
Purser Brewer asssures reporters that forty Australian Boy Scouts on a
trip around the world, who are travelling in steerage because they are
unable to afford second-cabin accommodations will be well cared for
during the crossing. (Source: The New York Times, 1 March 1912.)

29 February 1924: At New York, special agents of the U. S. Treasury
Department board Olympic and seize 138 bottles of Bass ale and a keg of
lager found on board in violation of current Prohibition laws. (At the
moment, foreign flag ships are permitted to bring into U.S. ports only
small quantities of whiskey, brandy and port for medicinal use on the
eastbound voyage, and while in U.S. territorial waters, even these must
be kept under seal.) The seizure is apparently in response to
complaints by prohibitionists that alcohol is being served to passengers
on British liners' eastbound voyages. (Source: The New York Times, 1
March 1924.)

29 February 1936: On her return from New York, Majestic II is laid up at
Southampton and placed on "stand by" status until Queen Mary is ready
to enter service. (Sources: Braynard's Classic Ocean Liners; Bonsor's
North Atlantic Seaway.)

As always, very interesting, keep them coming!

Glad you are enjoying them!!

1 March 1871: Advertisements are published in British papers, including
The Times and the Liverpool Daily Post, announcing that the
"magnificent, new, full-powered STEAMSHIPS of the Oceanic Steam
Navigation Company (Limited)" will sail from Liverpool to New York, with
a call at Queenstown, beginning with Oceanic I on 2 March. Continued 20
March.(Sources: The Times (London), 1 March 1871; Oldham's The Ismay
Line.)

1 March 1900: Cymric, under title of HM Transport No. 74, makes the
second
of her two troop transport voyages Liverpool-Cape Town. (Sources:
Anderson's White Star; Haws' Merchant Fleets.)

1 March 1905: After a three-week visit to New York, Bruce Ismay leaves
for home on Baltic II. (Source: Oldham's The Ismay Line.)

1 March 1906: After a three-week visit to New York, Bruce Ismay leaves
for home on Hapag's Amerika. (Sources: The New York Times, 1 and 2
March 1906; Oldham's The Ismay Line.)

1 March 1911: The New York Harbor Line Board issues its report to
Secretary of War Dickinson, recommending that he reject IMM's
application to lengthen the Chelsea piers to accommodate Olympic and
Titanic. The report also recommends rejection of the pier lengthening
proposals of Cunard, the French Line, Hapag and the New Jersey Riparian
Commission. Continued 6 March. (Source: The New York Times, 2 March
1911.)

1 March 1913: In a ceremony at the White House, U.S. President William
H. Taft presents a Congressional Gold Medal to Cunard Capt. Arthur H.
Rostron, in recognition of his rescue of Titanic's survivors. (Sources:
The New York Times, 1 and 2 March 1913.)

1 March 1915: Cretic (Capt. Howarth) is detained at Gibraltar because
she has in her cargo 1,000 barrels of lubricating oil consigned to firms
in Switzerland, declared to be war contraband; the oil will be unloaded
before Cretic will be allowed to continue on to Genoa. This is the
second time that Cretic's cargo for this trip has been found to contain
contraband. (See 15 February.) Continued 27 May. (Source: The New York
Times, 6 March 1915.)

1 March 1933: Olympic returns to service after a four and a half month
layup during which she underwent substantial engine improvements and a
general overhaul which changed her passenger accommodations from 675
first class/561 tourist class /819 third class to 618 first/447
tourist/382 third. She will arrive in New York on 8 March, "[l]ooking
like a new ship. (Sources: The New York Times, 8 March 1933; Chirnside's
RMS Olympic: Titanic's Sister; de Kerbrech and Williams' Cunard White
Star Liners of the 1930s; Mills' R.M.S. Olympic: The Old Reliable.)

1 March 1943: Almost 20 months after being bombed at Port Tewfik in July
1941, Georgic II arrives in Liverpool after a forty-day, unescorted trip
from Bombay. (See 20 January.) At Liverpool, the Admiralty and the
Ministry of War Transport will have her surveyed to determine her fate.
Continued 16 March. (Sources: de Kerbrech's Last Liners of the White
Star Line; Bonsor's North Atlantic Seaway; Haws' Merchant Fleets.)