RMS Georgic (1932)

Built at Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, the RMS "Georgic" was the last ship built for the White Star Line before its merger with the Cunard Line. She was the sister ship of the "Britannic". Like "Britannic", "Georgic" was a motorship, and not a steamer, fitted with a diesel powerplant.

Construction

She was built for the Liverpool-New York route. She was finished and launched in 1931, and sailed on her maiden voyage on June 25, 1932. In 1933, she replaced the aging RMS "Olympic" on the Southampton-New York route. Her design was very similar to that of her sister ship, with the sleek profile and the two squatted smokestacks. She was powered by a diesel powerplant which in turn powered electric motors, which turned the propellers. She hit a top speed of 19 knots on speed trials. At 711 ft long, and a volume of 27,759 gross tons, she wasn't the greatest liner of her time, but she kept the White Star Line on their feet during the great depression.

Career

With the outbreak of World War II, the "Georgic" was requisitioned for troopship duties. On July 7, 1941, the "Georgic" was docked at the Port Tewfik. German aircraft were sweeping the skies in that area and spotted the "Georgic", which they proceeded to attack. They dropped two bombs, and one striked the stern, which caught fire as a result. As the fire spread, the flames reached the ship's fuel and ammunition, which exploded, destroying the entire stern area. They decided to abandon ship and "Georgic", now sinking by the stern, but afloat, was left to burn in port. Seeing that "Georgic" was half-destroyed and sunk in port, they decided it'd be worth it to salvage and repair "Georgic". In the next month "Georgic" was raised and temporary plugging of the hull was finished. She was then towed stern first to Port Sudan where she was completely repaired and made seaworthy. After a year she arrived in Bombay where hull-repairs were complete. In January, 1943 she left Bombay for Belfast where Harland and Wolff would give her a complete refit. After December, 1944, her exterior was completely redone. The first (front) funnel had been removed and the fore mast had been shortened. She resumed service as a troop transport, and the "Georgic" resumed war duties between Italy, the Middle East and India until 1948, when she was returned to Cunard-White Star and began the immigrant service between Liverpool, Australia, and New Zealand. Since she was the last White Star Line vessel, she and her sister Britannic were the last vessels allowed to fly the White Star Line burgee. She continued Transatlantic commercial service until 1961, when she was scrapped by the Shipbreaking Industries Ltd at Faslane.

External links

* [http://www.titanic-whitestarships.com/Georgic_1931.htm "White Star Ships"]