SS ''Gallic'' was a cargo

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

built in 1918. During her career, she had six different owners and sailed under the flags of the United Kingdom, Panama and Indonesia. She underwent seven name changes during her 37-year career. She was scrapped at Hong Kong in 1956, the last surviving

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 ...

cargo ship."SS Gallic," de Kerbrech, Richard (2009). ''Ships of the White Star Line.'' Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Publishing. p. 179.

Career

Owing to the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and the increased demand for cargo vessels, the British government set into motion a programme to rapidly build emergency cargo ships. Of those, 22 of the Standard "G" Type were ultimately built. Among those was the SS ''War Argus'', built for HM Shipping Controller by Workman, Clark & Co. of

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

in 1918. She was launched on 19 October and completed on 12 December, a month after the end of the war."SS ''Gallic II'' ", "Titanic and Other White Star Line Ships"
/ref> She was then operated by the White Star Line for the government until she was officially declared surplus in 1919. In August 1919, the ''War Argus'' was purchased by White Star and renamed SS ''Gallic''. The ''Gallic'' then served on the Australian service as a cargo vessel, and was later switched to Atlantic cargo service. As a result of the Depression and the merger of White Star with the

Cunard Line 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, Berm ...

, in October 1933 the ''Gallic'' was sold to the

Clan Line The Clan Line was a passenger and cargo shipping company that operated in one incarnation or another from the late nineteenth century and into the twentieth century. History Foundation and early years The company that would become the Clan Lin ...

and renamed ''Clan Colquhoun''. She continued her service on the same Atlantic route for the next 14 years. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, she was operated by the

Ministry of War Transport The Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) was a department of the British Government formed early in the Second World War to control transportation policy and resources. It was formed by merging the Ministry of Shipping and the Ministry of Transport ...

as a refrigerated cargo carrier; unlike many other cargo steamers, she survived the war without incident. In February 1947, the ''Clan Colquhoun'' was sold to the Zarati Steamship Co. of Panama and renamed ''Ioannis Livanos''. However, her new owners sold her in 1949 to another Panamanian shipping company, the Two Oceans Navigation Company SA (''Dos Oceanos Compania de Navegacion SA''), which renamed her ''Jenny''. In 1951, she was sold to Djakarta Lloyd NV of Indonesia, which renamed her ''Imam Bondjal'', but changed this to ''Djatinegra'' in 1952. In 1955, after 37 years of service, she was sold to Japanese breakers for

scrapping Scrap consists of recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap has monetary value, especially recovered me ...

. While under tow from

Djakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital city, capital and list of Indonesian cities by population, largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coa ...

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

, on 1 December 1955 the ''Djatinegra'' was forced to put in at

Lingayen Lingayen, officially the Municipality of Lingayen ( pag, Baley na Lingayen; ilo, Ili ti Lingayen; tgl, Bayan ng Lingayen), is a 1st class municipality and capital of the province of Pangasinan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has ...

in the Philippines with her engine room flooded. She was refloated on 21 February 1956 and was scrapped at Hong Kong shortly after.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gallic (1918) 1918 ships Standard World War I ships Ships of the White Star Line Steamships of the United Kingdom Merchant ships of the United Kingdom Ministry of War Transport ships Steamships of Panama Merchant ships of Panama Steamships of Indonesia Merchant ships of Indonesia Ships built in Belfast