RMS Ultonia

In the late 1890s Cunard had only a small number of vessels running on the transatlantic trade, with , Cephalonia and Pavonia operating the passenger service on the Boston route. These were introduced in the early 1880s and were around each. In 1893 Cunard had also introduced and as fast express liners between Liverpool and New York, with these winning the Blue Riband speed record, but this was later won by Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse of the Norddeutscher Lloyd line in 1897. Cunard decided to follow White Star Line in producing smaller, more profitable liners of more moderate speed, oriented at the Liverpool–Boston service, to replace Catalonia, Cephalonia, and Pavonia. Ultonia was the first of these, built as a cargo liner but adapted to carry passengers, and was soon followed by the Ivernia-class: , and the later, smaller . ==Design and construction==

Deck plan From top to bottom: • Navigating Bridge, an open flying bridge. • Promenade Deck or Boat Deck, containing the captain's quarters, chart room, and wheel house. • Bridge Deck, housing engineers, officers, and petty officers. • Shelter Deck, a central full-width deckhouse under the bridge deck originally set out for the carriage of cattle, later converted for passengers. A small deckhouse at the stern of the ship housed the steering gear room. • Upper Deck, spanning the full length of the ship, originally cattlemen were housed at the rear, and crew at the very front, but later converted for passengers. • 'TweenDeck, a cargo deck. • ''Lower 'Tween Deck / Orlop Deck'', only over No 1 and No 2 holds, this was insulated and refrigerated. • Two boiler rooms sat in the middle of the ship, one with four singled-ended boilers, the other with one and adjoining coal bunkers. The engine room sat behind the rear boiler room on the Tank Top, the top of the double bottom. Six cargo holds, with number one forward, and ballast tanks fill out the remaining space. The lower portion of the ship had eight watertight bulkheads extending up to the Upper Deck, and dividing Ultonia into nine watertight compartments. Rigging Four staysails and two jibs were included in the rigging plan for Ultonia, described as a "four masted fore and aft schooner". == History ==

Ultonia was launched on 4 June 1898, measuring by by , and assessed at with engines by Sir C. Furness, Westgarth & Co, Middlesbrough. Originally designed for cargo and cattle, third-class accommodation for 675 passengers was fitted in 1899. Ultonia left Liverpool carrying passengers for the first time on 28 February 1899, with 102 passengers at departure and an additional 27 picked up at Queenstown, Ireland, before proceeding to Boston. Departing Boston on one of these voyages on 5 August 1899, Ultonia hit a ledge just outside the main channel of Boston Harbor at Nantasket Roads, which was the typical route at the time. This area is now called the Ultonia Ledge, located southeast of Boston Light, and is as shallow as at mean lower low water according to modern nautical charts. This event spurred the alteration of ships' courses in the area to avoid the ledge, the dredging of Nantasket Roads to a depth of to be safe for large steamships, and also the later dredging of the wider northern approach via President Roads, which is now the main channel for large ships entering or exiting Boston Harbor. In 1904, the ship was refitted to accommodate 120 second-class passengers, and 2,100 third-class passengers, increasing the tonnage to 10,402 gross register tons. == Sinking ==

During World War I, Ultonia was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean from Fastnet, Ireland, on 27 June 1917 by the Imperial German Navy submarine under Captain Hans Rose. One life was lost in the attack. ==See also==