Ally

White Star Line's RMS Republic was built by Harland & Wolff in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1903. Originally built for the Dominion Line as Columbus for Liverpool to Boston service. She was sold not long after completion to White Star.

Republic was part of White Star's "secondary" fleet, smaller steamships used primarily to transport immigrants to America, running the Liverpool - Boston route and later from Mediterranean ports to New York. She was luxurious to a point; she had accommodations for only 200 First class passengers. There were no Second class rooms on Republic. Beyond the First class staterooms were cabins for 2,000 Steerage passengers. Her brief and otherwise uneventful career ended on January 23rd, 1909 in an event that immortalize her forever as a monument to maritime rescue.

It was early morning and Republic was steaming out of New York headed for the Mediterranean. Thick fog had enveloped the ship and as she passed south of Nantucket Island, Captain William Sealby had only marginally reduced her speed. What happened next is nearly verbatim a description of just about every maritime mishap involving a collision between two vessels. At 5:47AM, Captain Sealby and his bridge crew heard a ship's whistle directly ahead and slightly to port. Sealby immediately ordered the engines reversed and told the helmsman to put the wheel "hard over". He signaled to his intention to the other ship with two blast from his horn but it was too late. The small Lloyd Italiano steamer Florida emerged from the darkness and rammed the White Star liner amidships, dropping an anchor in one of Republic's staterooms before vanishing into the fog again.

Republic, mortally wounded, began to flood quickly and developed a list. As the engine and boiler rooms flooded, the ship lost all power. Captain Sealby stayed extremely calm and mustered the passengers and crew on deck and explained that help was on the way. Indeed it was. You see, the ship's wireless operator had already hooked up the brand new Marconi radio set to it's emergency batteries. He proceeded to send out the first distress call in history. Never before had a ship used the wireless to send a call for help. Sending out the letters C.Q.D. (I've read that this meant "Come Quick - Danger" but as yet I have been unable to confirm this), Jack Binns was able to brings several ships to Republic's rescue, including White Star's own Baltic, as well as Cunard Line's Lucania. Baltic became lost in the fog herself and Binns was able to guide her to his stricken ship without another accident.

All but four of Republic's more than 2,000 passengers were saved. The crew tried to have her towed inland in an effort to save her, but the sea claimed her. When she sank she was the largest vessel ever to have gone to the bottom. But only five short years later, another White Star vessel would go to the bottom and claim that prize...