Red Star Line
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2010) |
The Red Star Line was an ocean passenger line founded in 1871 as a joint venture between the International Navigation Company of Philadelphia, which also ran the American Line, and the Société Anonyme de Navigation Belgo-Américaine of Antwerp, Belgium. The company's main ports of call were Antwerp[1] in Belgium, Liverpool and Southampton[1] in the United Kingdom and New York City[1] and Philadelphia[citation needed] in the United States.
Contents |
[edit] Owners
The company was founded by Clement Griscom, who led it from its founding until the International Mercantile Marine Co. took it over in 1902. Red Star Line survived IMM's financial crisis in 1915. In the 1930s Red Star Line was part of Arnold Bernstein Line.[1]
[edit] Heritage
In the city of Antwerp, the former warehouses of the Red Star Line were recently landmarked and will reopen as a museum in 2012 by the City of Antwerp. The works of art of the Red Star Line emigrants made by the Antwerp artist Eugeen Van Mieghem (1875-1930) will be exhibited there next to Red Star Line memorabilia of the collection of Robert Vervoort.
[edit] Ships
Red Star Line ships had a black funnel with a white band bearing a five-pointed red star.[1] The house flag was a white burgee with a red star.[1]
Some Red Star ships were given names ending in "-land". Notable Red Star ships included:
- Abbotsford chartered from Gourlay Brothers Ship Builders of Dundee in 1874.
- Adria chartered from the Hamburg America Line in 1899.
- Arabic chartered from the White Star Line from 1926-1929.
- Belgenland (1878) sold to Italy in 1905 and renamed SS Venere.
- Belgenland (1914) completed as troopship Belgic for White Star Line. Transferred to Panama Pacific Line, renamed Columbia.
- Berlin chartered from American Line for 7 voyages 1895-1898.
- Cambroman chartered from the Dominion Line for 4 voyages 1907.
- Conemaugh was the SS Sacrobosso. Purchased in 1890 after salvage. 1897 transferred to New York - Seattle trade, 1904 went missing at sea.
- Finland
- Friesland Sold to Italy in 1911 and renamed La Plata.
- Gothland Bought in 1908 from White Star Line, renamed from Gothic. Transferred in 1911 to White Star Line's Australia service and name reverted to Gothic. Transferred again in 1913 to Red Star Line and name changed to Gothland. Scrapped in 1913.
- Kroonland
- Lapland
- Pennland Launched in 1922[1] for American Line as SS Pittsburgh. Sold to Red Star Line in 1935 and renamed Pennland. Served as Allied troop ship in the Battle of Dakar in 1942.
- Rhynland Sold to Italy in 1906, renamed Rhyna and scrapped.
- Rusland, built as Kenilworth in 1872 for American Line. Purchased in 1877, ran aground on Long Island on 19 March 1877, subsequently broke in two and declared a total loss.[2]
- Vaderland (1872). Sold to France in 1879 and renamed Geographique.
- Vaderland (1900). Renamed Southland in 1915. 1917 torpedoed and sunk off Irish coast; loss of 4 lives.
- Westernland Launched in 1918[1] for White Star Line as Regina. Transferred to Red Star Line in 1930 and renamed Westernland. Transferred to Bernstein Red Star Line of Hamburg in 1935. Served as Allied troop ship in the Battle of Dakar in 1942.
- Zeeland. Bought as SS Java from Cunard Line in 1878. Sold to France in 1889.
The pictures shown below are from a Red Star Line brochure that agents based in the United States and Canada gave out to potential passengers.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Smoke Room - Second Class - Finland
Red Star Line offices:
- Main Office - 9 Broadway, New York
- Boston - 84 State Street
- Chicago - 90-96 Dearborn Street
- Minneapolis - 121 S. Third Street
- Montreal - 118 W. Notre Dame Street
- New Orleans - 219 St. Charles Street
- Philadelphia - 1319 Walnut Street
- Portland, Maine - 1 India Street
- San Francisco - 319 Geary Street
- Seattle - 709 Second Avenue
- St. Louis - 900 Locust Street
- Toronto - 41 E. King Street
- Washington - 1306 N.W. F Street
- Winnipeg - 205 McDermot Avenue
[edit] In popular culture
The Red Star Lines appear in the Mario Puzo's The Godfather Part II when the young Vito Corleone arrives in New-York. His identification badge is from the Red Star Lines company.
The Paris football club FC Red Star Saint-Ouen are named after the Red Star Line, on which the club's founder Jules Rimet's English housekeeper had travelled.
[edit] References
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Red Star Line ships |
[edit] Sources and further reading
- Flayhart, William. The American Line. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0-393-04710-5.
- Harnack, Edward P (1938) [1903]. All About Ships & Shipping (7th ed.). London: Faber and Faber. p. 566.
