“The Emigrant (II)”

Description

"A young aspiring Irishman ... leaving Queenstown quay in Cork" for the Yankee shore on the Teutonic in 1894; "we all gave many a wail, As we took ... one parting glimpse of lovely Inisfail." The ship safely passes icebergs and lands on Ellis Island.

Notes

The liner _Teutonic_ was put into service at Belfast in 1889, sailing from Queenstown to Sandy Hook from that year until 1907, when Queenstown was dropped in favor of service to Cherbourg. In 1911, the ship began to sail to Montreal. She was converted to a troopship during the First World War, and scrapped in 1921. (Source: Lincoln P. Paine, _Ships of the World_).

According to John Malcolm Brinnin, _The Sway of the Grand Saloon: A Social History of the North Atlantic_, p. 305, the ship had one other distinction: She was armored. The ship, which sailed for the White Star line, was the first liner designed to be capable of conversion into an auxiliary cruiser. She also was among the first to truly dispense with sail-carrying masts (Brinnin, p. 306). I doubt any of this affected her performance as a liner, though. - RBW

References

  1. Ranson, pp. 52-53, "The Emigrant" (1 text, 1 tune)
  2. Roud #7350
  3. BI, Ran052

About

Author: unknown
Earliest date: 1946 (Ranson)
Found in: Ireland