REPUBLIC / COLUMBUS

BUILT BY HARLAND AND WOLFF IN BELFAST IN 1903 AND LAUNCHED AS THE COLUMBUS FOR THE DOMINION LINE,SHE WAS TAKEN OVER BY THE WHITE STAR LINE AND RE-NAMED REPUBLIC. IN 1909 IN HEAVY FOG SHE WAS IN COLLISION WITH FLORIDA ( LLOYD ITALIANO LINE ) JUST OFF NANTUCKET. JACK BINNS THE RADIO OPERATOR ONBOARD REPUBLIC SENT A DISTRESS MESSAGE WHICH WAS RELAYED BY SIASCONET RADIO, THIS MESSAGE BEING PICKED UP BY THE WHITE STAR LINER BALTIC AND THE FRENCH VESSEL TOURAINE. FLORIDA MEANWHILE TOOK OF MOST OF REPUBLIC'S PASSENGERS.BALTIC PROCEEDED TO REPUBLIC'S POSITION AND FOR SIX HOURS CIRCLED THE AREA TRYING TO LOCATE THEM IN THE HEAVY FOG.JACK BINNS GUIDING THEM TOWARDS THE REPUBLIC BY LISTENING TO BALTIC'S FOGHORN AND GUIDING THEM IN BY RADIO.WHEN BALTIC HAD LOCATED THE REPUBLIC,SHE TOOK ONBOARD ALL THE PASSENGERS FROM FLORIDA AND REPUBLIC IN A NIGHT TIME OPERATION IN WHAT WAS FAR FROM IDEAL CONDITIONS,IN ALL 1600 PEOPLE WERE TRANSFERRED ACROSS.THE REVENUE CUTTER GRESHAM TOOK THE REPUBLIC IN TOW.THIRTY NINE HOURS AFTER THE COLLISION REPUBLIC HAD A 30 DEGREE LIST AND SANK  SHORTLY AFTERWARDS TAKING THE SKELETON CREW BY SURPRISE, TO THE DEGREE THAT THE CAPTAIN AND THE CREW ENDED UP BEING PICKED UP OUT OF THE WATER, FOUR PEOPLE DIED IN THE INITIAL COLLISION.SHE ALLEGEDLY WAS CARRYING $3,000,000 WORTH OF NEWLY MINTED AMERICAN GOLD EAGLES,PLUS A NAVY PAYROLL OF ABOUT $265,000. JACK BINNS WAS HAILED A HERO BY THE STAFF OF THE NEW YORK WHITE STAR OFFICE, ( REMEMBER RADIO WAS IN ITS INFANCY AND MUCH IN THE PUBLIC'S EYE,THIS NEW WONDERFUL INVENTION THAT COULD SAVE LIVES ) JACK WAS TOTALLY HORRIFIED BY THE ORDEAL, LATER BACK IN ENGLAND HE WAS AGAIN HAILED AS A HERO AGAIN TO HIS DISMAY.