RMS Britannia

RMS Britannia painted by Charles Turner, 1950s.
History
United Kingdom
Name	RMS Britannia
Namesake	Britannia
Owner	British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company
Ordered	March 1839
Builder	Robert Duncan & Company, Greenock, Scotland
Launched	5 February 1840
Maiden voyage	4 July 1840
Out of service	Sold to the Reichsflotte in March 1849
German Confederation
Name	SMS Barbarossa
Acquired	March 1849
Out of service	Transferred to the Prussian Navy in June 1852
Prussia
Name	SMS Barbarossa
Acquired	June 1852
Fate	Sunk as a target ship in July 1880
General characteristics
Class and type	Britannia-class steamship
Tons burthen	1,154
Length	207 ft (63 m)
Beam	34 ft (10 m)
Draught	16.8 ft (5.1 m)
Propulsion	Paddle wheels Two-cylinder side-lever engine 740 ihp Three masts
Speed	8.5 knots (15.7 km/h)
Range	640 tons coal
Capacity	115 passengers
Crew	82

RMS Britannia was an ocean liner of the British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, later known as Cunard Steamship Company. She was launched on Wednesday 5 February 1840,^[1] at the yard of Robert Duncan & Company in Greenock, Scotland. The ship and her Britannia-class sisters, Acadia, Caledonia, and Columbia, were the first ocean liners built by the company.