Umbria (1884)

Builder:
John Elder & Company
Glasgow, Scotland
Ordered:
N/A
Keel Laid:
N/A
Year Built:
1884
Launched:
June 26, 1884
Sister Ships:
Etruria
Maiden Voyage:
November 1, 1884
Fate:
Scrapped at Bo'ness, Scotland in 1910.


Owner
British & North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Co.
(Cunard)
Liverpool, England


Dimensions, machinery and performance

Length:
519'
Engines:
1 three cylinder compound
Beam:
57'
Boilers:
9 fire tube (coal fired)
Draft:
28' 9" (depth)
Shafts:
1
Gross Tons:
7,718 (a)
HP:
14,500
Displacement:
13,300
Speed:
19 knots
Crew:
N/A
Funnels:
2
Passengers:
1,510
Masts:
2

Construction notes:
(a):
8,128 after 1890 refit.


History:
Nov. 1, 1884:
Maiden voyage Liverpool - Queenstown - New York. Made over 145 transatlantic crossings
on this route.
June 4, 1887:
Won the Blue Riband (westbound) in 6 days, 4 hours, 12 minuets, 19.22 knots. Held the
record until June 2, 1888 losing to her sister Etruria.
Nov. 10, 1888:
Collided with and sank the French freighter Iberia off Sandy Hook, New Jersey while
outbound from New York. No loss of life reported. Umbria's captain, McMickan was
blamed due to traveling at high speed in fog.

Dec. 23, 1892:
Broken shaft at position 42.48N - 57.17W. Taken in tow by the Hamburg-Amerika liner
Bohemia but the line parted on Dec. 24 in a storm. Some reports suggest the line was
cut onboard the Bohemia. After much difficulty makeshift repairs were made to the shaft
and she arrived in New York on Dec. 31.
Jan. 1900:
Used for two voyages as a transport in the Boer War.
May 9, 1910:
Arrived at Bo'ness, Scotland for scrapping.


Builder's Data
Page revised Aug. 10, 2007