History
 



RETURN TO THE HOMEPAGE                                                                                                                                                                                               M/S BELGENLAND 1914
 


Her Early Years (1914 - 1922):

The Belgenland was one of Red Star Line's more well known ships and sailed on their Antwerp to New York transatlantic service and carried many migrants from Belgium to the USA during the Interwar Years.

Built by Harland & Wolff in Belfast in 1914, she started her life as Belgic for White Star Line as a general cargo ship. Because she was needed for the war effort, she was hastily finished with only two smokestacks and a superstructure only one deck high. Initially used for carrying cargo, in 1918 she was given accommodations for up to 3,000 troops. Her gross tonnage was listed at 24,547 tons. However she was soon requisitioned by the British Government as a troopship during the First World War. She remained in this role until 1921. In April 1921 her troopship role was over and she was laid up in Liverpool.

There were no berths available at any of the shipyards so that she could be rebuilt. Eventually Harland & Wolff in Belfast finally had a free berth, and in March 1922 she was towed to Belfast, where work on her reconstruction began in earnest.

Red Star Line era (1922 - 1935):

She was given to the Red Star Line and renamed Belgenland. She was the second Red Star Line ship to be given this name. She was given a superstructure four decks in height and a third smokestack. Her tonnage was increased to over 27,000 gross tons, making her Red Star Line’s largest and most luxurious ship. On the 17th March 1923 she was completed as the Belgenland for the Red Star Line. Liverpool remained her homeport and port of registry. As Red Star Line was part of the Liverpool group that owned White Star Line. On the 4th April 1923 she sailed on her maiden voyage from Antwerp bound for New York. She remained on route for a decade, and occasionally spent time on extensive world and winter cruises.

On the 4th December 1924, she embarked on a 133-day World Cruise — one of the longest attempted by a luxury liner at the time - advertised as "The Largest Ship to Circle the Globe". One of her most famous passengers was Albert Einstein. Returning to Germany on board her in 1933, he found out Adolf Hitler had become Chancellor of Germany. Immediately Einstein got off the ship at Antwerp, sailed on another Red Star Liner back to the the USA (the Westernland), and vowed never to return to Germany. Also in the 1920s, a White Star Line stewardess, Violet Jessop, famous for surviving the Titanic sinking, sailed on Belgenland on two World Cruises while employed for Red Star Line.

Sadly the 1930s Great Depression hit Belgenland and Red Star Line hard. Laid up in the winter of 1932-33 in Antwerp, she made only three voyages the following summer, and they were Mediterranean cruises. The millionaires who took her lengthy and expensive cruises were now unable to do so. Then she was laid up again in September in London. Eventually Red Star Line decided to put her up for sale.

Her Final Years (1935 - 1936):

The Atlantic Transport Company purchased her in January 1935 and renamed her ‘’Columbia’’. She was then placed with their subsidiary, Panama Pacific Line and placed on their New York to California service via the Panama Canal. This venture failed and another attempt was made to place her on the New York –  West Indies route, but this too failed. She was too large for either service and was once again laid up — this time permanently. On the 22nd April 1936 she sailed from New York bound for Boness in Scotland where she arrived on the 4th May 1936 to be scrapped by P & W McLellan.





 

(c) The AJN Transport Britain Collection 2008                                                                                                                                                                        A TRANSPORT BRITAIN WEBSITE