RMS Homeric, originally launched as Columbus, was an ocean liner built for Norddeutscher Lloyd and launched in 1913 at the F. Schichau yard in Danzig, Germany (now Gdańsk, Poland). Columbus was ceded to Great Britain in 1919 as part of German war reparations. She was sold to the White Star Line in 1920, which named her Homeric. Her sister ship Hindenburg remained in German ownership and was renamed Columbus. Homeric was operated by White Star from 1922 to 1935.
History
The White Star Line originally planned for its three Olympic-class liners, Olympic, Titanic and Britannic, to operate a weekly transatlantic express service. However Titanic was lost on her maiden voyage after striking an iceberg in 1912, and Britannic was lost in the First World War after striking a mine in the Aegean in 1916. Another of the line’s express ships, the 17,000-ton Oceanic of 1899, was also lost during war service in 1914. When Olympic re-entered civilian service in 1920, she lacked any suitable running mates. Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles which entitled Britain to war reparations, White Star looked to obtain some large German liners which had been under construction during the war but were left unfinished. One was the 56,000-ton Bismarck, the third and largest of Albert Ballin’s great Imperator-class trio, left unfinished at the Blohm & Voss Shipyard. This was equally sold to the White Star Line and Cunard Line and renamed Majestic. Another was the 34,000-ton Columbus at F. Schichau in Danzig.
Launched on 17 December 1913, Columbus was the first of two vessels ordered by Norddeutscher Lloyd (North German Lloyd) for their Bremerhaven to New York service. At 34,000 tons, Columbus was, at the time, the largest twin-screw ship powered by reciprocating engines in the world. She was built for a relatively modest service speed of just a shade over . White Star Line purchased the unfinished Columbus in 1920, and renamed her Homeric. The ship was completed and entered service two years later.
In 1920 construction was resumed under the watchful eye of officials sent down from Harland and Wolff, but work was slow, plagued by material shortages and a workforce that had no ambition to finish the ship only to hand it over to the British. Finally completed in late 1921, the Homeric was handed over by a reluctant builder. The new liner performed remarkably well on her trials; she was noted for her stability in rough weather, a characteristic that would earn her many loyal passengers.
Interiors
Except for the First-Class dining saloon of the Homeric, which was located on D-Deck, all the First-Class public rooms were located on the boat deck in one long, continuous sequence. At the forward end, beneath the navigating bridge one deck above, was a drawing room with plate glass windows offering views of the bow and the sea beyond. After the drawing room came a reading and writing room, followed by the lounge, music room, smoking room, and a glass-enclosed veranda at the aft-end of the deck. The sides of each room offered "an unbroken vista" of the full 340-foot length of this sequence of rooms.
The largest of the main suite of rooms was the lounge, 94 ft. long and 47 ft. wide, with a 20-foot-high vaulted skylight at its center. The lounge was dominated by two large paintings at each end, one of Columbus landing in the New World, and the other of Columbus being received by Queen Isabella and Ferdinand II. Between the windows were fluted columns with gilded Doric capitals, and the room was furnished in an assortment of styles and upholstery. At the center of the room the carpet could be removed to reveal a circular dance floor with room for 300 dancers. The First-Class dining room, located on D-Deck, was overlooked by a gallery and featured "an inverted dome of crystal pendants...centered in a ceiling of white and gold." The Smoking Room was decorated in the Old Dutch style, with floor-to-ceiling walnut paneling and a carved, white-painted ceiling. On either side of the room were 18-foot-high bow windows hung with buff and olive-colored silk curtains. The furniture was overstuffed and upholstered in Morocco leather and wool tapestry.
Other amenities on board included 3 elevators, 2 for First Class and 1 for Second, a gymnasium, hairdressing salon, typewriting room, and dark room. Children had their own playroom and dining saloon, and there was a covered deck for sports.