RMS Baltic - B Deck

RMS BALTIC - BRIDGE DECK "B"


The Bridge Deck

B-Deck was the topmost strength deck and extended continuously for 555 feet amidships. Though the Fo’c’sle and Poop Decks were at the B Deck level, they were separated by well decks approximately 52 feet in length each and hence were not considered part of the deckhouse proper.

The First Class Suites

On B and C-Decks were the “special staterooms” of unparalleled luxury that the Olympic-quartet was so famous for. Brochures, magazines and newspapers all boasted of the eleven luxurious styles in which the various bedrooms and sitting rooms were decorated. These were, namely, the Adam style, Italian Renaissance, Georgian, Regency, Empire, Louis Quatorze (Louis XIV), Louis Quinze (Louis XV), Louis Seize (Louis XVI), Queen Anne, Modern Dutch and Old Dutch. While this is an impressive array of popular styles from centuries past, the number is made even more impressive by designs created by variations of many of these styles. Consequently, there were nineteen unique representations of eleven period styles. Additionally, there were two special styles of Harland & Wolff’s own design.

Forward of the Grand Staircase, where the First Class en suites were installed during the 1926-1927 overhaul. Each one had their own bathroom and can be booked together as ‘apartments’. Aft of the two Parlour Suites were 34 staterooms, of which 24 - twelve on each side - were larger “special staterooms”. Interconnecting doors were provided between each large stateroom and the ones on either side, thus allowing two or more rooms to be booked in an en suite arrangement. Each of these staterooms had its own private wardrobe room and access to a private bathroom and a private water closet, both of which were shared between two rooms.

The Restaurant Reception

The Aft Grand Staircase’s landing on B-Deck also severed as a reception for the À la Carte. It was paneled in white with a green carpet, two windows with cream curtains, brown wicker chairs and crystal chandeliers.

The À la Carte

Located between the turbine engine casing and the forward 2nd Class staircase was the À la Carte Restaurant. This was a feature of the Olympic-quartet that proved highly popular, as it gave passengers the freedom to dine at hours of their choice and without being restricted to set courses or fixed menu choices. The room was decorated in the French style, Louis VI, and featured walls with delicate walnut veneers set off by gilded swags and festoons. These gilded swags were repeated in the plaster ceiling and on the boarders of the china. Crystal chandeliers hung overhead, but with a subtle difference from those on shore: these fixtures had been constructed to hang rigidly from the ceiling making the gentle sway of the Baltic less noticeable to diners.

The Second Class Smoking

Located above the Second Class Lounge, this male-only smoking bastion was paneled in carved oak. The furniture, also of oak, was upholstered in dark green Moroccan leather to further add to the masculine air. The floor was laid with linoleum tiles and tucked aft on either corner of the room were a bar for spirits and a lavatory for the passengers' comfort after imbibing in those spirits. Majolica lights illuminated the space and most probably the hands of the card players who used this room to while away the hours in a little friendly competition.

The Tourist Promenade

The Baltic was one of the last large passenger liner fitted with a Poop Deck. A poop is a raised deck at the stern of a vessel. Its original intent was to help guard the rear end of a ship from being swamped by large waves coming from astern. However, by the time ships reached Baltic’s size, the poop had outlived its usefulness and was discarded as a design feature.

Baltic’s Tourist Class passengers used this space to rest on benches or to promenade and play deck games. They were, however, obliged to share it with cargo and mooring machinery like the bollards and fairlead. Also located on the poop deck was the aft docking bridge, seen in the background of the photograph at left. This was an elevated platform running the width of the ship containing a wheel, docking telegraphs, a telephone, and other equipment to assist in the docking of the ship.

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