Basic Info

SS Servia, also known as RMS Servia, was a successful transatlantic passenger and mail steamer of revolutionary design, built by J & G Thomson of Clydebank (later John Brown & Company) and launched in 1881. She was the first large ocean liner to be built of steel instead of iron, and the first Cunard ship to have an electric lighting installation.

Servia was the first of Cunard's new breed of ocean liners. She was the second largest ship in the world at 515 feet long and 52.1 feet wide, surpassed only by Brunel's SS Great Eastern. With her design and construction guided by Admiralty specifications, Servia had many features that satisfied the requirements for her to be placed high on the Admiralty's reserve list of armed auxiliary cruisers, where she could be called into service in times of war. She was named after the historic English name for the country Serbia.

Specifications

Length: 157m
Width: 16m
Draught: 8m

Further Reading
www.norwayheritage.com/p_ship.asp?sh=servi