SS Ionic (1902)
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | SS Ionic |
| Operator |
|
| Builder | Harland and Wolff , Belfast |
| Yard number | 346 |
| Laid down | 1902 |
| Launched | 22 May 1902 |
| Completed | 15 December 1902 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Scrapped in 1936, Osaka, Japan |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Athenic-class ocean liner |
| Tonnage | 12,352 GRT |
| Length | 500.3 feet (152.5 m) |
| Beam | 63.3 feet (19.3 m) |
| Depth | 45 feet (14 m) |
| Installed power | 604 NHP |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 14 knots (26 km/h) |
| Capacity | 688 passengers |
SS Ionic was a steam-powered
History
Ionic was launched at
In 1914, at the beginning of World War I, Ionic was requisitioned as a troop ship for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force and in 1915 she narrowly missed a torpedo by less than 15 yards while steaming through the Mediterranean Sea. On 31 January Ionic returned to her former New Zealand passenger service via the Panama Canal.
In 1927 Ionic came to the aid of the crew aboard a French fishing vessel, Daisy, that had run aground in
Ionic's final refit before the Cunard-White Star merger was completed in 1929. She was converted to accommodate only cabin class and third class passengers. In 1934 after the White Star Line and Cunard Line merged, Ionic was sold to Shaw, Savill & Albion Line. Ionic kept her name but her prefix "SS" was changed to "RMS". The RMS Ionic was scrapped two years later in 1936 in Osaka, Japan. The Auckland War Memorial Museum has preserved her ship's bell.
Citations
- ^ "Ireland. Belfast". The Times. No. 36775. London. 23 May 1902. p. 4.
References
- "Ionic's Last Trips In Pacific Recall 33-Year Service". Christian Science Monitor. 9 September 1936. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
Announcement by the Shaw Savill & Albion Company that the liner Ionic is to be sold at the end of this year recalls the 50 years of the history of direct steam service between New Zealand and the homeland.