DESIGN CONTEST
This month the Oceanliner Designs Discord had an exciting design contest where contestants were tasked with designing a tender vessel serving the fictional oceanliner RMS Watermark. After receving some incredible entires we’ve narrowed down the Top 5 - but now we need YOU to vote! Review the top 5 ships posted on this page and then follow this link to cast your vote for the ship design YOU think is the best!
DESIGN 1 - SS STARLAND by MARIE ANTOINETTE
“Original built for the Bibby Line as the "Falconshire" by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company. Laid down in February 19, 1921, launched July 14, sea trails August 10 and delivered to the owners on August 19, 1921.
Characteristics:
Yard No. 819 Length B. P. : 236'-0" Length O. A. : 242'-3" Beam: 38'-6" Keel to Beam: 20'-3" Waterline: 14'-0" Tonnage: 1314 GRT Speed: 13.52 knots at cruising, 16.81 knots at maximum. Capacity: 1st & 2nd class: 321 total (class number can be varied due to shared accommodation) 3rd class: 102 Crew: 15 Originally built for and owned by the Bibby Line, "Falconshire" operated as a fine passenger & baggage tender in the port of Cherbourg from 1921 until 1935, when Bibby Line unlisted from the Cherbourg stopover for all of their vessels as it was deemed unprofitable due to low passenger count. The "Falconshire" was laid up for sale for a little over two months and the chairman of Oceanliner Designs Line thought she was just perfect for their new ocean liner, the S. S. Watermark. She entered service as the S. S. "Starland" and had an uneventful career for the rest of her life, until 1961 where during one of her service trip, smoke started coming out of the interior wall panels and a fire broke out and it had to be extinguished. The interior was moderately damaged and she had to be laid up for repairs, it took her 3 months to return to service. She was then sold for scrap in 1972 as the Oceanliner Designs Line gave up on her. She sat in the Port Avant of Cherbourg for the next 5 years, a man purchased the "Starland" in 1977 and towed her all the way to Florida where she was refitted became a Tampa Bay Area coastal excursion tender and her name was kept. She is still in service today with weekly excursions with a great amount of tourists on her.”
DESIGN 2 - SS Filigrane by Nic
“Originally built for the Cunard line in 1922 by Vickers Limited as the S.S. Dacia, she ferried passengers and luggage to Cunard’s new intermediate liners during their winter cruises. Following the 1934 merger of the White Star and Cunard Line, Dacia was deemed too old-fashioned and ceased her tendering duties. The following year, she was sold to the Oceanliner Designs Line and renamed the S.S. Filigrane to serve the company’s newest liner, the T.S.S. Watermark, which was due to enter service in 1937. The old tender was thoroughly refurbished from the inside out. Her tall single stack was shortened, and painted in the company's livery, and her promenade was partially enclosed for passenger comfort.”
DESIGN 3 - SS Emblem by RAPIERBUCH82299
“Technical Details : Scale : 1,9:1 Name : Emblem Full Length : 80,5m (152 blocks) Beam : 11m (21 blocks) Height to bridge : 16,8m (32 blocks) Company : Ocean Liner Designs Line Shipyard : John Brown & Company Decks : 6 Boilers : 2 double-ended admiralty three drum water-tube boilers Engines : 2 triple-expansion reciprocating steam engines Electrical-generators : 2 diesel-generating sets Port : Melbourne Service : Tender for the Watermark and Cruises around Australia -Provisional cabins are added in times of cruising Crew : 38 Minimum Passanger Capacity : 1st Class : 200 Tourist Class : 200 3rd Class 150 4 voyages to the Watermark will be required with this Capacity Accommodation : See pictures
History : Start of Construction : 2nd February 1936 Launched : 20th December 1936 Start of Career : 10th June 1937
First Voyage from the Clyde to Australia as a world cruise with provisional cabins to promote the Watermark and a cruise around Australia after arrival
13th March 1938 : The Watermark entered service and the Emblem could start her tender service for the Watermark when she arrived 2 weeks later in Melbourne
1938-1939 : Normal tender service until the start of WW2
1939-1944 : Service as Accommodation Ship
1944-1946 : Rebuilt into a troop ship for the fight against Japan
1946 : The Watermark survived WW2 and the Emblem can return to tender service after 5 years of WW2 and 1 year of post-WW2 troop service
1946-1968 : Normal tender service with few refits and some cruises
1968-1971 : Laid up because the Watermark ended her service
1971 : bought by the HADAG (Hafendampfschiffahrts-Actien-Gesellschaft) for service as a Seebäderschiff (ferry to East Frisian Islands in Germany)
1971-1983 : Normal service but her old engines which often needed to be rapaired made her unprofitable for use
1983 : Sold to an Australian businessman for use as a yacht but disappeared during the voyage to Australia (last contact on December 24th)
The crew of her is still missing to this day and no trace of her was found. For a long time she was a unknown ship but when her story was covered again in 2024 in a video by "Mike Brady" she became a ship well known by many in the Oceanliner community.”
DESIGN 4 - TSS Johan van Oldenbarnevelt III by Icemonster360
“Built in 1932 to serve alongside the TSS Watermark, the TSS Johan van Oldenbarnevelt III was constructed at John Brown & Company, Clydebank Scotland along with TSS Watermark. She was designed to act as a tender for TSS Watermark as the waters of Melbourne harbour are too shallow for the giant liner to enter. When TSS Watermark was out of Melbourne, TSS Johan van Oldenbarnevelt III, would have occasional cruises out of Melbourne, with her having sufficient cabins for cruisers. TSS Johan van Oldenbarnevelt III would serve this purpose well until 1939 when she was commissioned to serve as a troop transport in WW2, her duty would be to transport troops in waters that the larger liners were too big to serve in. She would serve this role well until the war ended in 1945, only encountering a couple minor collisions. In 1947 she was refitted along with TSS Watermark to once again serve alongside each other. This would continue for several more years until the rise of the jet age. TSS Watermark and TSS Johan van Oldenbarnevelt III would soon become unprofitable and their owners were forced to sell the iconic duo of Melbourne harbour. TSS Watermark was sold to operate as a hotel and museum in the derelict fitting out dock of the now closed John Brown & Company shipyard, however TSS Johan van Oldenbarnevelt III would have a different fate. TSS Johan van Oldenbarnevelt III was purchased by an Australian businessman to operate as a floating hotel in Melbourne harbour, becoming a popular tourist destination that is still popular to this day, cherished by the many visitors that still walk her decks, such as the curious ship nerd and called Michael Brady, who is occasionally seen having fan meet-ups on her decks.”
DESIGN 5 - SS Copyright by Oceanic Star Line
"I took inspiration from a handful of different tenders Length, Around 200 ft Beam, Around 38 ft Built by John I Thorneycroft & Co. Many similar amenities to the Nomadic, so many comfortable seating areas as well as a small bar for the first class passengers."