SS ''Zealandic'' was a British

ocean liner An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). Ca ...

initially operated by

White Star Line The White Star Line was a British shipping company. Founded out of the remains of a defunct packet company, it gradually rose up to become one of the most prominent shipping lines in the world, providing passenger and cargo services between t ...

. She was used both as a passenger liner and a cargo ship as well as serving during both world wars. As "Fleet tender C" she was used as a decoy for the British aircraft carrier HMS ''Hermes''. She was sunk en route to the dock where she was to be converted back to cargo use.

History

''Zealandic'' was constructed by

Harland and Wolff Harland & Wolff is a British shipbuilding company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It specialises in ship repair, shipbuilding and offshore construction. Harland & Wolff is famous for having built the majority of the ocean liners for the W ...

in Belfast, launched on 29 June 1911, and made her maiden voyage on 30 October 1911, from

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, New Zealand. She was used in joint service with the Shaw Savill and Albion Line for the Liverpool to Wellington route. During one such voyage on 22 January 1913, ''Zealandic'' departed Wellington with a then record cargo of exported wool, while also being chartered as an immigrant carrier by the Australian government.

First World War

On 2 July 1915 she had a close encounter with German submarine '' U-39'' which pursued her; the ship's speed enabled her to escape. She remained in White Star Line service on the route until 1917 when, due to the First World War, she was commandeered by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

for the transportation of troops. On 15 June 1919, she was released from military service and returned to the White Star Line.

Between the wars

The ship was awarded £6,350 following the successful rescue of the disabled sailing vessel ''Garthsnaid'' in 1923. ''Zealandic'' towed ''Garthsnaid'' to safety between

Cape Howe Cape Howe is a coastal headland in eastern Australia, forming the south-eastern end of the Black-Allan Line, a portion of the border between New South Wales and Victoria. History Cape Howe was named by Captain Cook when he passed it on 20 Apr ...

and

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. The

Aberdeen Line The Aberdeen Line was a shipping company founded in 1825 by George Thompson of Aberdeen to take sailing vessels to the St. Lawrence river, carrying some passengers and returning with cargoes of timber. The business flourished and grew to 12 sa ...

purchased ''Zealandic'' in 1926 and subsequently renamed her ''Mamilius''. The ship was later transferred back to Shaw Savill and Albion in 1932, and renamed ''Mamari''. When White Star line merged with

Cunard Cunard () is a British shipping and cruise line based at Carnival House at Southampton, England, operated by Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. Since 2011, Cunard and its three ships have been registered in Hamilton, Bermu ...

in 1934 she served on Shaw, Savill & Albion's Australian route, bearing the name ''Mamari III''.

Second World War

The ship was sold in September 1939 to the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral * Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings *Admiralty, Tr ...

for military service during the Second World War, and was refitted to be disguised as the British carrier HMS ''Hermes''. In this form she carried the name "

Fleet Tender Fleet tenders were British merchant ships fitted with a wooden superstructure to resemble battleships or aircraft carriers during the Second World War. They were built to fool German reconnaissance planes, and known as fleet tenders to conceal the ...

C". On 4 June 1941, while on course for

Chatham Docks Medway Ports, incorporating the Port of Sheerness and Chatham Docks is part of Peel Ports, the second largest port group in the United Kingdom. The Ports authority is also responsible for the harbour, pilotage and conservancy matters for of ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

to be converted back to a cargo vessel, she was attacked by German aircraft off the English coast near

Cromer Cromer ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish on the north coast of the English county of Norfolk. It is north of Norwich, north-northeast of London and east of Sheringham on the North Sea coastline. The local government authorities are Nor ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

. While trying to evade the attack she struck a submerged wreck (the ''Ahamo'' at 53-22N, 0-59E which had struck a mine on 8 April that year) and ran aground. She was intended to be salvaged and refloated; however, before this was possible the beached ship was torpedoed by German

E-boat E-boat was the Western Allies' designation for the fast attack craft (German: ''Schnellboot'', or ''S-Boot'', meaning "fast boat") of the Kriegsmarine during World War II; ''E-boat'' could refer to a patrol craft from an armed motorboat to a lar ...

s. The crew were taken off by the rescue tug ''Sabine'' and landed at

Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town and the administrative centre of North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes directly to the south-east forming a conurbation. Grimsby is north-east of Linco ...

Notes

References

External links

Now it can be told
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zealandic Passenger ships of the United Kingdom Ships of the White Star Line 1911 ships Ships built in Belfast Ocean liners of the United Kingdom Troop ships of the Royal Navy Maritime incidents in June 1941 World War II shipwrecks in the North Sea Ships built by Harland and Wolff Ships of the Aberdeen Line