June 26, 1884 the Cunard steamship Umbria was launched at John Elder & Co., Glasgow, Scotland. Umbria
and her sister Etruria were among the first Cunarders with steel hulls and among the last trans-Atlantic liners with only a single screw. They were 519' long with a beam of 57' and could make 19 knots, winning them both the Blue Riband during their careers. Both also suffered shaft fractures, the Umbria on Dec. 31, 1892 while en route to New York and the Etruria in mid ocean in March 1902. While the Umbria was located quickly
and towed to New York the Etruria had a more difficult time.

Since wireless had not yet been invented the Etruria with her passengers and crew drifted aimlessly on the waves for when her shaft broke it also destroyed her rudder and rudderpost so even though she was rigged for sail they couldn't steer the ship. All the people on board could do was wait and hope another ship would happen by and tow them to port. It took several days but finally the William Cliff of the Leyland Line found the disabled ship and towed her to the Azores. From there tugs brought her back to Scotland for repairs.

The most significant achievement of the Umbria occurred on Sept. 23, 1905 when one Sarah Lucetta Stimson
arrived at New York on board the ship. Her brother, Ernest, had paid for her ticket from Liverpool and she
arrived in the new world with $10.00 in her pocket. Her destination was Chicago where she was going to stay
with relatives. Like most she later married and had children, one of which was my grandfather David James Allan Shaw. So in a roundabout way the Umbria's launch one hundred and twenty three years ago
led to launching this very website.

© 2007 Michael W. Pocock
MaritimeQuest.com

SS Umbria, date and location unknown.