Next episode for Alternate History is the never built RMMV Oceanic.
Construction: 1928 - 1932
The keel was laid down on June 28, 1928 and from 1928 to August 12, 1932 to consctruction began.
On August 12, 1932, the Oceanic launched from the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast.
From September 2, 1932 to May 12, 1934 the Oceanic underwent interior installation and started her sea trials in June of 1933.
Early Service: 1934 - 1939
The Oceanic made her first voyage on June 21, 1934 from Southhampton to New York City and was an instant success.
Cunard-White Star Line was then quickly joined by the RMS Queen Mary and soon enough the larger RMS Queen Elizabeth.
USS Atlantic: 1940 - 1946:
In late August 1939, alongside the Queen Mary, the Oceanic was on a return run from New York to Southampton. The international situation led to her being escorted by the battlecruiser . She arrived safely and set out again for New York on 1 September. By the time she arrived, had been declared and she was ordered to remain in port alongside until further notice.
In March 1940, Queen Mary and Normandie were joined in New York by Queen Mary's new running mate Queen Elizabeth, fresh from her secret voyage from Clydebank. The three largest liners in the world sat idle for some time until the Allied commanders decided that all three ships could be used as troopships.
Queen Maryleft New York for Sydney, Australia, where she, along with several other liners, was converted into a troopship to carry Australian and New Zealand soldiers to the United Kingdom.
However, the Oceanic remained in New York harbor next to the Normandie, for 2 years.
Normandie was destroyed by fire during her troopship conversion.
In January of 1942, the Oceanic was seized by the United States Navy for use as a Troop Transport Ship. And in late June, she was renamed the USS Atlantic, and she began her conversion to a troop transporter.
The Oceanic witnessed the slight burning and slight capsizing of the USS Lafayette, formerly SS Normandie on February 9, 1942 .
During the Lafayette fire, some fire spread to the Atlantic but it was quickly put out, and due to the fire, the ships voyages were postponed until the damage was done.
The Atlantic was commissioned in April that year but the Lafayette took an extra 6 months to repair the damage caused by the fire.
The Atlantic survived the war and returned to ocean crossings in 1947.
USS Atlantic in New York Harbor docked next to USS Lafayette: 1942
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Return to Ocean Crossings: 1947 - 1966
From 1946 to 1947, the Oceanic was returned to her original livery but since Cunard- White Star Line had dropped the "White Star" named, the Oceanic had her funnel painted Red.
In 1954, she was repainted with her Upper Hull painted White and the Funnels were painted all Yellow.
But when the first commercial jet flight took place in 1958, the Transatlantic Route was quickly overshadowed and in 1966, the Oceanic was put up for sale along side the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth.
In 1967 the Oceanic was purchased by Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, the owners of the SS Normandie formerly the USS Lafayette, and owners of the new Super Liner the SS France.
The Oceanic was renamed the SS Montpellier, and underwent a minor refit, in her interiors so she could be used for cruises and was minorly painted with her Funnels painted in the traditional CGT Red and Black.
Montepellier docked in New York: 1968
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Montpellier: 1967 - 1979
Montepellier was bought with the intention of using her as a Cruise Ship and not an Ocean Liner.
While successful in her cruises, the French market didn't work out very well but was enough to keep her going but the 1973 Oil Crisis only made things worse as oil skyrocket from 3$ to 12$ a barrel. The Montepellier is to expensive to operate and is laid up in Le Havre in 1974.
Chandris Line: 1979 - 1980
In 1979, the Montepellier was bought by the Greek Cruise Line, Chandris Line to sail on the popular cruise route from Europe to Australia.
She underwent a refit and heavy modification that removed her back and front funnels and decommissioned many of her boilers to save on fuel. This heavy reduced her speed to 20 Knots, but that was enough for cruising.
And she was renamed to Melbourne, and became quite a popular ship. However her age and the cost made her harder to operate and she was laid up again in late 1980.
The Abandoned Chandris Liners: 1980 - 1992
The Melbourne, was laid up Elefsina Bay, Piraeus and was moored off next to the SS Italis former SS America.
But it was soon moored away from the Italis in 1990.
Melbourne After Moved From Beside The Italis:
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But without a purpose and due to her age, no-one wanted her, and so enough the Melbourne was finally sold for the scrap yard in early 1992, and was crapped in Alang, India.
