RMS Majestic was a prominent British ocean liner operated by the White Star Line, originally launched in 1914 as the German Hamburg America Line's SS Bismarck. She measured 291.3 meters in length and had a beam of 30.5 meters, with a gross register tonnage of 56,551, making her the largest ship ever operated by White Star under its own flag until 1935 and the largest ship in the world until the SS Normandie’s completion. She featured a classic ocean liner profile with two masts and three funnels, the latter serving to ventilate the engine rooms and exhaust smoke, with the smoke ducts passing inside the ship's sides to maximize interior space. Construction began in Hamburg at the Blohm & Voss shipyards, with her keel laid in 1913. The ship’s completion was delayed by World War I, and she was only finished after the war, handed over to Britain as war reparations. Originally intended to be a German transatlantic liner, she was never fully German in operation, only briefly sailing under the German flag during sea trials in 1922. After her transfer to the UK, she was renamed RMS Majestic and became the flagship of White Star Line, replacing the sunk HMHS Britannic. Propelled by four Parsons turbines powered by 48 oil-fired Yarrow & Normand boilers, Majestic could reach speeds of up to 25 knots. Her interior, designed by Charles Mewès, featured luxurious amenities including a massive two-deck dining room, a large oak-paneled lounge, and a Pompeian-style swimming pool. Her passenger capacity was initially over 4,000 across four classes, but was later reduced to accommodate changing migration and tourism needs. Majestic's service was marked by success in the 1920s, carrying record numbers of passengers across the Atlantic, and she was a symbol of luxury and engineering achievement. However, her career declined with the Great Depression, and by 1936 she was sold for scrap. She was then repurposed as the Royal Navy training ship HMS Caledonia, serving until she caught fire in 1939 and was subsequently scrapped in 1943. Her legacy remains as one of the largest and most luxurious ocean liners of her era.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.