Amerique History

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ith the increasing rate of emigrants in the later half of the 19 th century, many shipping companies were born. The British CuLine had been established since the 1840s, and now several American companies also came to life. Magnificent liners suchCunards pioneerBritannia ruled the waves. One of the most respected ship engineers and every other kind of engineer a

ll for that matter was the Briton Isambard Kingdom Brunel. He created ships well ahead of their time with marvels such as Gestern and Great Britain. The most spectacular of his ocean liners was the enormous recordbreaker Great Eastern who emerg60. She outmatched the second largest ship six-fold in size and the ships space and luxury were beyond measuring for the tiOne of the shipping companies that came to life after 1850 was the French Compagnie Gnrale Transatlantique who started

business in 1861. The companys first vessel, the Lousiane went out on hemaiden voyage in 1862, on what was C.G.T.s first Atlantic crossing. This sthe Compagnie Gnrale Transtalantiques glorious history that would last the end of the 20th century.

The Lousiane had been built in Greenock, Scotland and after some yearC.G.T. or the French Line felt it was time to start to build their own ocealiners in their own country. In 1862 the French Line ordered a new vessel cAtlantique from the Chantiers de lAtlantique shipyard in Penhot, St. NazaThe French still trusted their British shipbuilding companions, and the projewas under the supervision of John Scott & Co., Glasgow. The Atlantiques was laid on October 15 that year. About eighteen months later the ship wasready for her launching, but under a different name. It had been changed toImpratrice ugenie and this French marvel with the title of being the first

ench trans-Atlantic liner to be built in France had cost an astonishing two million francs to construct, and that was the hull only

s more than double the price of a British ship of the period, but the French Line had aimed on safety and the Impratrice ugs equipped with thick one-inch hull plates.The 1860s was a period when liners powered by engines and other ships were being converted from the conventional paddle he more efficient propeller. However, the Impratrice ugenie was powered by engines geared to two giant paddle wheels. Etwo had a diameter of nearly forty feet and together they were able to push the ship to a service speed of 11 knots. On Febru1865, the engines proved worthy when they served the Impratrice ugenie on her maiden voyage between St. Nazaire and

uz in Mexico.Even though the Great Eastern was the largest ship in the world with nearly 19,000 gross tons, the Impratrice ugenie was nall ship. At 3,400 gross tons she was actually quite large for her time and on May 5, 1866 she carried the largest load of

ssengers and cargo ever with 900 passengers, 500 tons of cargo and Fcs five million in specie. Four years later, the Impratrgenie had been renamed back to her original Atlantique.The Atlantique had two sisters altogether, all put in service later in 1865. They were the France and the Nouveau Monde. In 1

Atlantique and her sisters went to Maudsley & Leslie in order to be lengthened to 400 feet. After the job was completed, the sre sent to London for re-engining by Maudlsey, Sons & Field. When the ships came back into service, without the paddle wheJanuary 16, 1874 they had had their tonnage increased to 4,600 each, and a third mast had been added to the two previous. second time the Atlantique was renamed, this time to Amerique. Now she

uld for the first time enter the route to New YorkLater in 1874, the most odd mystery occurred when the Amerique wasandoned in a gale 100 miles off Brest, France on April 14. The ship startedake on water much faster that the pumps could handle and all 83

ssengers and 152 crew were hurriedly transferred to other ships who leftscene quickly and went to disembark the passengers in Plymouth.

eryone thought they had seen the last of what they considered a doomeder. But not long afterwards two British ships were astonished to find the

merique abandoned and drifting not far from her last reported position. Its seen to that she was pumped out on the spot and then she was sent

y slightly listing to starboard to Le Havre for reparation work. The Frenche was very surprised when they found out about this on April 19. The

Atlantique/Impratrice ugenie/Amerique1865 - 1895

e Impratrice ugenie as originally built.rawing by Duncan Haws)


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merique resumed service within a month.n spite of that the Amerique seemed to be a lucky ship because of thisident, she was not immune to further damages. On January 7, 1877 she went ashore on the coast of New Jersey at Seabrightcause of financial problems the ship was not attended for in four months, but finally on August 11, she was back in service. Optember 22, 1886 the Amerique was transferred to the Havana service. Six years later, the Amerique was once again re-engis time to very modern triple expansion engines by the C.G.T. yard at Penhot. This alteration increased her service speed to 1ots. The end of the Amerique came in 1895. She was bound for Havana on January 28, just outside Savanilla, Colombia whes wrecked. The ship was considered too badly damaged and too old to put back into service and she was subsequently scrap

Daniel O

The paddle steamerImpratrice ugenie at sea.

The Atlantique/Impratrice ugenie/Amerique -Specifications:Length: 364 feet (111.2 m), 400 feet (122.2 m) after 1

refit.Beam: 44 feet (13.4 m)

Tonnage: 3,400 gross tons, 4,585 gross tons after 187refit.

Engines: Two cylinder simple expansion enginespowering two paddle wheels. These werereplaced with a single propeller in 1873. Reengined with triple expansion engines durin1892 refit.

Servicespeed:

11-12 knots

Passengers: Approximately 900 people


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THE STEAM-SHIP

AMERIQUETHE DERELICT VESSEL SAFE AT PLMOUTH

REPORT OF THE SALVORS -- SIX OR EIGHT FEET OF WATER IN HERENGINE-ROOM AND COAL-BUNKERS ---THE OTHER COMPARTMENTSDRY---PASS ENGERS ' BAGAGE AND CARGO IN GOOD CONDITION.

PLYMOUTHApril 19.--The direlect French steam-ship Amerique was towed into this harbor yesterday bythe steamers Spray, from Newport, for Gibraltar, and F. T. Barry, from Panama.

The Captain of the Spray reports that he encountered the Amerique on the 15th inst., inlatitude 470 40', drifting in the trough of the sea.

On being boarded, she was found to be abandoned, with six or eight feet of water in herengine-room, stoke-hole, and bunkers. The other compartments of the steamer were dry.Her spars and steeringgear were intact.

The Spray immediately took her in tow, and was afterward assisted by the steamer F. T.

Barry.

The pumps on the Amerique were set at work, and when she arrived in Plymouth harboryesterday the water in the engine compartment had gained only two feet. The pumping isstill going on.

The ship's chronometers and the baggage left by her passengers have been saved, and it isexpected that a large portion, if not all her cargo will also be preserved.

NO DISPATCHES RECEIVED BY THE AGENT.Up to a late hour last night Mr.Mackenzie, the resident agent of the Transatlantic Line, hadnot received any dispatches relating to the saving of the Amerique. He could not, therefore,say anything about it, except that such a rescue would be likely to prove more disastrous to

the company than the loss of the vessel, as it was first described. He did not export anytelegrams from Europe until today in relation to the matter.

The New York TimesPublished: April 20, 1874

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Amerique History