THE GEORGIC OF 1931
From LLOYD`S REGISTER, 1933 - 34:
CEORGIC - Official Number 182365 Call Sign: L H R F
Steel, Twin screw, oil engines
Gross Tonnage 27,759 Net Tonnage 16,839
Built in 1932 by Harland & Wolff at Belfast; registered in Liverpool
Owned by the Oceanic Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. (The White Star Line)
Length 683.6 feet. Breadth 82.4 feet
The Georgic was launched at Belfast by Harland & Wolff for the White Star Line on 12th November 1931. She was the final ship to be 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 stem and the then fashionable squat funnels with tops parallel with 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 cabin class, 557 tourist class and 600 third class.
In April 1931 it was reported that construction work on the Georgic was to be speeded up in order 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 22nd June until 29th June. As it turned out, the Georgic was not completed until June, and she began her maiden voyage on 25th June when she left Liverpool for New York.
The Georgic`s forward funnel was a dummy and used as a radio room and engineers` smoke room. 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 early in June 1932 and a large party of guests was taken to Belfast 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 to New York in rough weather, but even so managed to arrive some 12 hours ahead of schedule. In September 1932 a ball was held on the Georgic in Gladstone Dock, Liverpool, in aid of the new headquarters of the British Legion.
In November 1932 the Georgic`s sailing was brought forward two days in order that she could fit in with the postal arrangements for Christmas mails to the United States. On 11th January 1933 she made her first sailing froni Southampton to New York, having been brought in to replace the Olympic while that vessel underwent an extensive engine overhaul. Over 2,000 local people visited the Georgic, the proceeds being given to local charities.
A record fruit cargo of 51,687 cartons, representing about 3,000 tons, was discharged by the Georgic at Liverpool in October 1933. On 10th May 1934 the vessel was amalgamated into the Cunard - White Star fleet. June 1934 saw the ship once again turned into a floating ballroom in aid of the David Lewis Northern Hospital`s building fund. During January 1935 there was a small fire among some cotton bales in the Georgic`s forward hold. On 3rd May she joined the Britannic on the London - Southampton - New York service, and was the largest ship 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 in her as she was a belligerent ship. While she was homeward bound on 11th 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 19th 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 to assist in the withdrawal from Brest and St. Nazaire. She was under repeated air attack but was fortunate in not being hit; her crew were highly commended by the soldiers she rescued. Between July and September 1940 she made a trooping voyage to Iceland, and another to Halifax, N.S., collecting Canadian troops after landing the evacuees she carried on the westbound voyage. 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 22nd May 1941 the Georgic left the Clyde under the command of Captain A.C.Greig, O.B.E., R.N.R., with the 50th 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 7th July 1941, but a week later on 14th July she was bombed by German aircarft while at anchor off Port Tewflk, with 800 Italian internees on board. Her fuel oil caught fire and the ammunition exploded in the stern area. The Georgic was beached on 16th July, half submerged and burnt out. On 14th September it was decided to salvage the vessel and the hulk was raised on 27th October. The hull was plugged, and on 2nd December the Georgic was taken in tow by the Clan Campbell and the City of Sydney. She reached Port Sudan on 14th December where she was made seaworthy.
The Georgic left Port Sudan on 5th March 1942 and was towed by T. & J. Harrison`s Recorder, with the tug St. Sampson steering from astern. On the following day, a strong north-westerly gale forced all the ships to heave-to on a northerly heading. The St. Sampson was damaged during this manoeuvre and cast off her towline. She drifted away and eventually foundered. Her crew were picked up by the hospital ship Dorsetsbire which happened to be passing.
Meanwhile, the Recorder was joined by the tug Pauline Moller and the British India steamer Haresfield. Between them, they managed to bring the Georgic to Karachi on 31st March, 1942 without any further untoward incidents. The Georgic remained at Karachi until 11th December whilst temporary repairs were carried out. She then sailed to Bombay, arriving on 13th December, where she was dry-docked for hull cleaning and further repairs. Finally she loaded 5,000 tons of pig iron ballast and on 20th January 1943 the Georgic left Bombay under her own power for Liverpool where she arrived on 1st March, having made the passage at 16 knots. Shortly afterwards she sailed to Belfast but had to anchor in Bangor Bay until 5th July awaiting a berth. After seventeen months the Georgic emerged on 12th December 1944 with one funnel and a stump foremast. She was now owned by the Ministry of Transport, with Cunard-White Star as managers. After trials the Georgic left Belfast for Liverpool on 16th December 1944.
During 1945 the Georgic trooped to Italy, the Middle East and India. On Christmas Day she arrived at Liverpool with troops from the Far East, including General Sir William Slim, C-in-C South East Asia. Early in 1946, the Georgic repatriated 5,000 Italian prisoners of war, and a few weeks later she had a smallpox case among some 5,000 Naval and R.A.F. personnel homeward bound from Bombay. A further case developed and both were landed at Suez. In June 1946 on a homeward voyage from Bombay there was trouble between civilian women and service women and this led to the barring of civilians on troopships unless no other transport was available.
In September 1948 the Georgic was refitted by Palmers & Co., at Hebburn, for the Australian and New Zealand emigrant trade. She retained her White-Star livery, and could accommodate 1,962 one-class passengers. In January 1949 the Georgic made her first sailing on the Liverpool - Suez - Fremante - Melbourne - Sydney run with 1,200 "assisted passages". However, when leaving the landing stage a rope wrapped round one of her propellers and she had to re-dock. During the summers from 1950 until 1954, the Georgic was chartered back to Cunard and made seven round voyages to New York each year as a one-class liner. In 1950 she was based at Liverpool, but Southampton was her terminal port from 1951 until 1954.
In the winter of 1954/55 the Georgic resumed ‘assisted passage voyages to Australia, and on 16th April 1955 she arrived at Liverpool with troops from Japan. She was then offered for sale, but the Australian Government chartered her for the summer. The Georgic`s final voyage was from Hong Kong to Liverpool with 800 troops, and she arrived on 19th November 1955. On 11th December she was laid up at Kames Bay, Isle of Bute pending disposal. In January 1956 the Georgic was sold for scrapping, and on 1st February arrived at Faslane for demolition by Shipbreaking Industries Ltd.
From the LNRS Bulletin, Vol. 42, No. 2. Autumn 1998
Reproduced here by kind Permision.
