CM Models 1/1250 CM451 Laurentic, White Star Line 1909-1914
Laurentic is a 1/1250 scale, metal, waterline model of this unique liner by CM Miniaturen CM451. This model is fully painted in White Star Line colours matching the period 1908 to 1914. CM usually does not paint the decks on the models except with the base colour used as a primer. In this case the base colour is white, see photograph.
Laurentic is one of two identical vessels ordered for the Liverpool to Canada run in 1907 by the Dominion Line. Her sistership was the Megantic. The parent company of Dominion Line wasJPW Mogan's International Mercantile Marine and IMM also owned the White Star Line. It was decided that the new vessels would be transferred to White Star and be re-named from Alberta and Albany to Laurentic and Megantic and they were designed to compete with the Allan Line's smaller Victorian and Virginian. The Allan Line ships were both turbine steamers, built for speed and IMMdecided that there was no need to compete for absolute speed as long as they could maintain the same scheduled transatlantic schedule, so Laurentic and Megantic were fitted withdifferent propulsion systems designed for efficient and reliable performance on the ocean and up the rivers at both ends of the journey. Laurentic had two triple expansion engines plus a low pressure, exhaust steam turbine connected to a third propellor but Megantic had two quadruple expansion engines driving two propellors.
Laurentic proved to be faster than Megantic, she produced 20% more pwer and used 12-15% less fuel than Megantic and it was these figures that caused the Olympic, Titanic and Britannic liners to be fitted with three screws and divided power to the propellors. It was the speed of Laurentic that enabled the Liverpool Police to overtake Canadian Pacific's Montrose and arrest Dr Crippen for murder when he docked in Canada in July 1910.
In September 1914, Laurentic was taken over by the British Government to bring Canadian troops to Britain and once there she was converted to an Armed Merchant Cruiser, see HMS Laurentic, CM-P1223.
Megantic continued taking passengers across the Atlanic into WW1 with occasional use as a troopship. Megantic seems to have been painted grey at some point during the war and there is one picture of Megantic inthe background of a WW1 photograph showing that she might have been given a dazzle pattern in 1918.