Georgic Ship¹

• (Child) Birth*: Georgic Ship was born in 1931; GEORGIC 1931
  The GEORGIC was the last liner built for the White Star Line before they became part of Cunard-White Star Line. Built by Harland & Wolff, Belfast, she was a near sister ship to the BRITANNIC. She was a 27,759 gross ton ship, overall length 712ft x beam 82.4ft, two funnels, two masts, twin screw and a speed of 18 knots. There was passenger accommodation for 479-cabin, 557-tourist and 506-3rd class. Launched on 12th Nov.1931 she was the largest British motorship, and started her maiden voyage on 25th Jun.1932 when she left Liverpool for New York. She continued on this service except for two Southampton - Cherbourg - New York sailings in 1933, and in 1934 came under the ownership of the Cunard-White Star Line. On 3rd May 1936 she transferred to London - Southampton - New York sailings, starting her last voyage on this route on 17th Aug.1939. She subsequently made five Liverpool - New York voyages and in April 1940 went to the Clyde for conversion to a troopship. She assisted in the evacuation of troops from Norway, followed by further evacuations from St Nazaire and Brest and then made trooping voyages to Iceland and Halifax. She then made voyages to the Middle East via the Cape and then several between the UK and Bermuda, New York and Halifax. In July 1941 she was bombed and badly damaged by fire at Port Tewfik, Suez. She was beached, later refloated and towed to Port Sudan by the cargo ships CITY OF SYDNEY and CLAN CAMPBELL. After temporary repairs she was towed to Karachi, where she received more repairs and sailed for Bombay under her own power. Here she was drydocked and eventually sailed for the UK on 20th Jan.1943. Rebuilt as a troopship under the ownership of the Ministry of War Transport by Harland & Wolff, she was transformed into what was probably the best fitted troopship in the world. It was at this time that one of her funnels was removed. For the next three years she was engaged in trooping duties to Italy, the Middle East and India. In Sept.1948 she was again altered to an emigrant ship at Palmers, Hebburn with accommodation for 1,962 passengers. She started sailings from Liverpool to Fremantle, Melbourne and Sydney in 1949 and made emigrant voyages until 1953 with some chartered sailings to New York for Cunard also during this period. After 1953 she made several Atlantic sailings to the US and Canada, and also made a trooping voyage to Japan in 1955. She transported the Australian 2 Battalion and ancillary units from Sydney to Penang in October1955. This voyage completed, she sailed to Saigon and transported The French Foreign Legion back to Marseille. 1956 scrapped at Faslane. Apart from her trooping years, she was painted in White Star Line colours and never wore Cunard livery. [Steamers of the Past by J.H.Isherwood, Sea Breezes Magazine, July 1973][North Atlantic Seaway by N.R.P.Bonsor, vol.2,p.770]²
• (Deceased) Death*: Georgic Ship died in 1956.²

• (Ship) Passenger List*: Georgic Ship passenger list included Olive Miller and Colin Joseph Lamoureux when she sailed on 28 July 1950 at Georgic, Liverpool, England, . Ticket no 297384, New York, Olive Lamoureux, tourist class, age 28, 25 Perth Road, Dundee, Scotland, housewife, Canada.¹