Teutonic (1889)
HMS / HMT Teutonic

Builder:
Harland & Wolff Ltd.
Belfast, Northern Ireland

Ordered:
N/A
Keel Laid:
March 1887
Year Built:
1889
Launched:
January 19, 1889
Type:
Passenger
Completed:
July 25, 1889
Fate:
Scrapped 1921 in Emden, Germany.


Dimensions, machinery and performance:

Length:
582'
Engines:
2 triple expansion
Beam:
57' 7"
Boilers:
12 Howdens forced draught double ended
Draft:
24'
Shafts:
2
Tons:
9,984 GRT
HP:
17,100
Displacement:
16,740
Speed:
19 knots
Crew:
415
Funnels:
2
Passengers:
1,490
Masts:
3


Owner:
Oceanic Steam Navigation Co.
(White Star Line)
Liverpool, England
Aug. 16, 1915:
The Admiralty


History:
July 25, 1889:
Completed and taken to Liverpool for conversion as an Armed Merchant Cruiser.
Eight 4.7" guns installed.
Aug. 1, 1889:
Departed Liverpool for the Spithead Naval Review in honor of HM Queen Victoria's 50th
year as Monarch.
Aug. 3, 1889:
Inspected by HRH Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) and Kaiser Wilhelm II of
Germany. While on board the Kaiser was so impressed it is said that he remarked
" We must have some of these".
Teutonic did not take part in the actual review since it was postponed until the 5th. due
to bad weather. She left Spithead on the 4th. and returned to Liverpool to have the guns
removed and begin her maiden voyage.
Aug. 7, 1889:
Maiden voyage, Liverpool - Queenstown, Ireland - New York.
Aug. 19, 1891:
Won the Blue Riband (westbound) 5 days 16 hours 31 minutes 20.35 knots taking it from
her sister ship Majestic. Held the record until July 27, 1892 losing to the City of Paris.
(Teutonic was the last White Star ship to hold the Blue Riband.)
June 26, 1897:
Present at HM Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee (60 years) Naval Review at Spithead,
once again as an Armed Merchant Cruiser.
1898:
Collided with the US transport ship Berlin at New York Harbor.
Late 1900:
Used as transport in the Boer War.
Feb. 1901:
Hit by a rogue wave, 2 crewmen injured.
(Possibly caused by an earthquake however, I can find no record of an earthquake that
generated a tsunami at that time.)
June 12, 1907:
Route changed to Southampton - Cherbourg, France - New York.
Early 1911:
Refit to a two class ship for 1,550 passengers.
May 13, 1911:
Transferred to White Star-Dominoin Line, route changed to Southampton - Quebec -
Montreal (summer) and Southampton - Portland, Maine (winter).
Sept. 1914:
Requisitioned by the Admiralty for use as an Armed Merchant Cruiser.
Sept. 12, 1914:
Commissioned as an Armed Merchant Cruiser assigned to the 10th Cruiser Squadron.
Operated north of the Faeroe Islands.
Aug. 16, 1915:
Bought by the Admiralty.
Dec. 1916:
Placed in reserve.
Oct. 1917:
Recommissioned as AMC and assigned to the 2nd Cruiser Squadron. White Sea escort duty.
1918:
Taken over by the shipping controller and used as a transport (cap. 1,500) on the UK -
Alexandria, Egypt route, managed by White Star.

1921:
Laid up at Cowes Roads, Isle of Wight.
1921:
Sold for scrap to Dutch shipbreakers who resold her to a German firm.


Notes:
Hull #208 (Harland & Wolff).
Designed by Alexander M. Carlisle.
Building cost £2,000,000
Built under the Auxiliary armed cruiser agreement.
First passenger ships built for easy conversion to AMC's.
Made over 185 trans-Atlantic crossings for White Star.
Sister ship, Majestic.


Builder's Data
Page published Jan. 16, 2007