 |
| Even though she was operated by the White Star Line and Shaw, Savill, and Albion, Ceramic wore White Star Livery. |
This joint service competed with ships of the P&O
(Peninsular and Orient Line), Aberdeen Line, and Blue Anchor Line on the
southern seas. In the early years of the
twentieth century the quality of accommodation and service improved and profits
soared. While not as glamorous (or as
swift) as the North Atlantic liners, the colonial route ships were fine
vessels. Competition was just as fierce
and the shipping lines needed to innovate in order to attract customers.
By the time of the Ceramic’s
launch in 1912 (which marked a comeback of sorts after the Titanic disaster) White Star operated a
small fleet of passenger-cargo liners to Australia and New Zealand including Runic and Suevic.
Ceramic was seven
decks high with accommodation for 600 third class passengers and 836,000ft3 of
cargo space, nearly half of which was refrigerated. The four masts supported derricks for
hoisting the cargo aboard. In an eerie foreshadowing of events to come two
naval guns were concealed on the after decks.
 |
| Ceramic in harbor. A Canadian Pacific Empress is docked in the background. |
Harland and Wolff fitted combination reciprocating engines
with an exhaust turbine similar to—but on a smaller scale—than those in the Olympic-class liners. The arrangement was fuel efficient and
reduced vibration and was especially suited for the long voyages Ceramic would sail.
On July 24, 1913 Ceramic
departed Liverpool for Australia via Cape Town and quickly became a popular
vessel. The next year she began war
service carrying Australian troops.
During the Great War she had several close calls with U-Boats but each
time her crew managed to maneuver quickly and steam away.
 |
| Ceramic at sea. |
In 1920 Ceramic resumed
her peacetime sailings and became known as the Queen of the Southern Seas
making routine and uneventful sailings to and from Australia. She
remained the largest vessel on the route until Shaw Savill’s Dominian Monarch entered service in 1939.
She passed into Shaw Savill ownership upon the merger of Cunard and White Star
in 1934. Her new owners modernized Ceramic’s interiors and increased
passenger comfort with new single berth cabins, reduced passenger capacity, a
new verandah café (which could be fully enjoyed on the southern route), and
mechanical improvements. She was not
converted to an oil burner, however, but the updates improved coal-burning
efficiency and increased her speed to 16 knots.
 |
| Ceramic's large cargo capacity is evident by the numerous cargo booms and hatches. |
Ceramic was
requisitioned for wartime service in 1940 carrying freight, foodstuffs, and
some passengers. She sailed several voyages in convoy. In November 1942 she departed alone, from
Liverpool with 378 passengers and 278 crewmembers. On December 6 she was steaming west of the
Azores when she was torpedoed by U-515. Ceramic
sank before distress signals could be sent and all but one person aboard,
engineer Eric Munday, was lost in the sinking.
Munday was rescued by U-515
and taken prisoner. The true nature of the tragedy was not
realized for several months until Munday was able to record his story.
 |
| SS Ceramic (1913-1942) Built by Harland & Wolff, Belfast, Northern Ireland. 18,481 GRT, 675 feet long, 69.5 feet wide. Triple expansion reciprocating engines and low pressure turbine. Triple screw, service speed 15 knots. As built, 600 (820 maximum) third class passengers. |
