RMS Majestic: The 'Magic Stick'

Laid down and constructed for the German Hamburg Amerika Line, Majestic was ceded to Britain’s White Star line to replace the Britannic, a sister ship of Titanic sunk during the war. At 56,000 tons she was the world’s largest ship until the Normandie was built. With sumptuous interiors, luxurious restaurants and public rooms, she plied her trade until 1936 when she was destined to be sold for scrap. Rescued and converted into a training ship for naval cadets, she sailed for Rosyth as HMS Caledonia. Here she survived in a static role until 1940 when she was burned out. She spent most of her life on the Southampton-New York run but cruised to Canada and on short cruises from Southampton too. Mark Chirnside’s previous two works, on the Olympic-Class ships, have become the definitive works on these white star vessels and have earned him two ‘Books of the Month’ from Ships Monthly.