CUNARD – WHITE STAR LINER ‘GEORGIC’ OF 1932

Built by Harland & Wolff at Belfast in 1932. Yard No. 896

Official Number: 162365    Call Sign: L H R F

Gross Tonnage: 27,759,  Nett: 16,839.   Length: 683·6ft  Breadth: 82·4ft

Built for the Oceanic Steam Navigation Co. Ltd., (The White Star Line),

and transferred to Cunard – White Star in 1934

2 oil engines, speed: 18 knots

            The Georgic was launched at Belfast by Harland & Wolff for the White Star Line on 12^th November 1931. She was the final ship built for the White Star fleet. She differed from her sister – the Britannic, completed two years earlier – in a number of respects. The Georgic was designed on ambitious lines with an almost straight stem, cruiser stern, and the then fashionable squat funnels with tops parallel to the deck. Unlike her sister, the Georgic had a rounded bridge front. Slightly larger than the Britannic, her original accommodation was for a total of 1,636 passengers: 479 in  cabin class, 557 in tourist class and 600 in third class.

            In April 1931 it was reported that construction work on the Georgic was to be speeded up so that she could enter service in May 1932 instead of June as was originally anticipated. Behind this idea was the fact that some 25,000 Americans were due to visit Dublin to attend the Eucharistic Conference that was to be held there from 22^nd until 29^th June. As it turned out, the Georgic was not completed in time for the conference, and she began her maiden voyage on 25^th June when she left Liverpool for New York.

            The Georgic’s forward funnel was a dummy and housed the radio room and the engineers’ smokeroom. She was designed as a cabin-class ship but her passengers had surroundings and comfort equal to those provided in any de luxe liner of the day. The Georgic’s trials took place in early June 1932 and a large party of guests was taken to join the ship in the Belfast Steamship Company’s motorship Ulster Monarch which was specially chartered for the occasion. The completion of the ship attracted great attention, and in welcoming her to the Mersey for the first time, the Lord Mayor of Liverpool offered his congratulations to the owners. The Georgic made the outward passage of her maiden voyage to New York in rough weather, but even so managed to arrive some twelve hours ahead of schedule.

            In November 1932 the Georgic’s sailing was brought forward two days in order that she could fit in with the postal arrangements for the Christmas mails to the United States. On 11^th January 1933 she made her first sailing from Southampton to New York, having moved south to replace the Olympic whilst that vessel underwent an extensive engine overhaul.

            A record fruit cargo of 51,687 cartons, representing about 3,000 tons, was discharged by the Georgic at Liverpool in October 1933. On 10^th May 1934 the vessel was amalgamated into the Cunard – White Star Line fleet. In June 1934 the Georgic was turned into a floating ballroom in aid of the Liverpool David Lewis Northern Hospital’s building fund. During January 1935 there was fire among some cotton bales in the ship’s forward hold.

            On 3^rd May 1935 the Georgic joined the Britannic on the London (King George V Dock) – Southampton – New York service, and was the largest vessel to use the Thames, being fractionally larger than the Dominion Monarch. In 1939 the Georgic reverted to the Liverpool – New York service and made five round trans-Atlantic voyages on commercial service with cargo and passengers, although she was hampered by the fact that Americans had been ordered not to travel on her as she was a belligerent ship. While she was homeward bound on 11^th March 1940, the Cunard – White Star company was informed that she would be taken off commercial service. After discharging a large cargo at Liverpool, the Georgic was ordered to the Clyde on 19^th April where she was converted into a troopship for 3,000 men.

            At the end of May 1940 the Georgic assisted in the evacuation of British troops from Andesfjord and Narvik, and as soon as she had landed these men at Greenock, she sailed south to assist in the withdrawal from Brest and St Nazaire. She was under repeated air attack and was indeed fortunate in not being hit. Between July and September 1940 the Georgic made a trooping voyage to Iceland, and another to Halifax NS, embarking Canadian troops after landing the evacuees she carried on the westbound passage. From September 1940 until January 1941 the Georgic was employed on a trooping voyage from Liverpool and Glasgow to the Middle East via the Cape, and afterwards trooped from Liverpool to New York and Halifax, and back to the Clyde.

            On 22^nd May 1941 the Georgic left the Clyde under the command of Captain A.C. Greig, OBE, RNR, with the 50^th Northumberland Division for Port Tewfik, Gulf of Suez. She was part of the convoy which had to be left almost unprotected  during the hunt for the Bismarck. She arrived safely on 7^th July 1941, but a week later on 14^th July she was bombed by German aircraft operating from Crete while at anchor off Port Tewfik, with 800 Italian internees on board. Her fuel oil caught fire and the ammunition exploded in the stern area. The Georgic was gutted and the engine room flooded, but her crew managed to slip the anchor cable and beach the ship on 16^th July, half submerged and burnt out. On 14^th September 1941 it was decided to salvage the vessel and the hulk was raised on 27^th October. The hull was plugged, and on 2^nd December the Georgic was taken in tow by the Clan Campbell and the City of Sydney. She reached Port Sudan on 14^th December where she was made seaworthy. It had taken 12 days for the tow to cover 710 miles

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