S.S. Celtic (White Star Line) 20,904 Tons Postcard

S.S. Celtic. (White Star Line) 20,904 Tons - Vintage Post Card restored and enhanced by Scenes from the Past. "Hands Accross the Sea". SS Celtic was a steamship built for the White Star Line by shipbuilders Harland and Wolff of Belfast. The Celtic (later the Amerika), the first of two White Star ships to bear the name, was the second of two Oceanic-class liners commissioned by White Star, following the success of their first four steamships (the Adriatic being the earlier of the new pair). The new ship was originally supposed to be named the Arctic, but since the American Collins Line had had a paddle-wheel steamer with that name which had sunk in 1854, the White Star management changed their minds, and settled on the name Celtic. In 1880, a young officer named Edward Smith, who would later become the Line's most celebrated Captain, and the Captain of Titanic, joined the crew of Celtic as her Fourth Officer. On 19 May 1887, at about 5:25 in the afternoon, the Celtic collided with the White Star liner Britannic in thick fog about 350 miles (560 km) east of Sandy Hook, New Jersey. The Celtic, with 870 passengers, had been steaming westbound for New York City, while the Britannic, carrying 450 passengers, was on the second day of her eastward journey to Liverpool. The two ships collided at almost right angles, with the Celtic burying her prow 10 feet (3 m) in the aft port side of Britannic. The Celtic rebounded and hit two more times, before sliding past behind Britannic.