SS Doric (1883)

SS Doric (1883)

SS Doric was a British ocean liner operated by the White Star Line. She started her journey in 1883, built by the famous Harland and Wolff shipyards in Belfast. She was the sister ship of the Ionic, which began service just a few months earlier.

At first, the Doric and Ionic were used by the New Zealand Shipping Company to travel from London to Wellington. By 1885, both ships began working together with the White Star Line and the Shaw, Savill & Albion Line on the same route.

After being updated in 1895, the Doric was no longer needed for trips to New Zealand. She then worked for the Occidental and Oriental Steamship Company, traveling between Hong Kong and San Francisco. In 1906, the Doric made her last trip for this company.

In 1911, the ship, now named Asia and sailing for the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, got stuck on some rocks. All passengers were safe, but some local fishermen took items from the ship and started a fire.

Characteristics

The Doric was a bit bigger than the Arabic and the Coptic. It was 134 metres long and 13.5 metres wide. It could carry 70 passengers and 900 emigrants, plus lots of cargo, including meat in a special cold storage area.

The ship had a low funnel with the company's colors and four masts for sails. It used steam power to travel at about 13 knots, or 24 km/h. Later, it was updated to go a bit faster, up to 14 knots or 26 km/h.

History

The ship was built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast and launched in 1883. It was called Doric and was the sister ship to the Ionic. These ships were larger versions of two earlier ships named the Arabic and the Coptic. The Doric was made of steel, which was new for the shipyard. It was the first ship of the White Star Line to have the name Doric.

In 1885, the Doric began traveling from London to Wellington, stopping at places like Tenerife, Cape Town, and Hobart on the way there, and returning through Cape Horn, Montevideo, and Rio de Janeiro. In 1895, the ship was updated with new machines. Later, it sailed between San Francisco and Hong Kong. In 1906, the ship was sold and renamed Asia. In 1911, the ship ran aground near Taichow Islands, Wenzhou, and was lost, but everyone on board was saved.

Legacy

The ship in Rudyard Kipling's poem "McAndrew's Hymn" was inspired by the Doric. Kipling said the ship in his poem was based on the old Doric. This ship once sailed for White Star and later worked for Shaw, Savill, and Albion. It traveled to New Zealand via the Cape of Good Hope.