SS Zealandic was a British twin‑screw ocean liner built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast and launched on 29 June 1911. She entered service with the White Star Line, operating the Liverpool–Wellington route in joint service with the Shaw, Savill and Albion Line. Throughout her career she served as a passenger and cargo vessel, was requisitioned for troop transport during the First World War, and later operated under the names Mamilius, Mamari, and Mamari III before being employed as a decoy ship (“Fleet Tender C”) for the Royal Navy in the Second World War. She was lost after being torpedoed by German E‑boats in June 1941.
Construction and specifications
- Builder: Harland and Wolff, Belfast (yard number 421)
- Launched: 29 June 1911; completed 12 October 1911
- Length: 477.5 ft (145.5 m)
- Beam: 63.1 ft (19.2 m)
- Tonnage: 8,090 gross register tons (GRT)
- Propulsion: Two four‑cylinder quadruple‑expansion steam engines, 995 nhp, driving twin screws
- Speed: 13 knots (24 km/h)
- Passenger capacity: 100 first‑class, 45 second‑class, 800 steerage
Service history
Early commercial service (1911–1917)
Zealandic began her maiden voyage on 30 October 1911, sailing from Liverpool to Wellington. She carried both passengers and a substantial cargo of wool; on 22 January 1913 she departed Wellington with a record wool cargo while also serving as an immigrant carrier under charter to the Australian government.
First World War (1915–1919)
On 2 July 1915 the ship evaded a pursuit by German submarine U‑39. In 1917 she was requisitioned by the Royal Navy for troop transport. She was released from military service on 15 June 1919 and returned to commercial operation.
Interwar period (1919–1939)
In 1923 Zealandic rescued the disabled sailing vessel Garthsnaid, for which she was awarded £6,350. The Aberdeen Line purchased her in 1926 and renamed her Mamilius. She returned to Shaw, Savill & Albion in 1932, receiving the name Mamari. Following the 1934 merger of White Star Line with Cunard, she served on the Australian route as Mamari III.
Second World War (1939–1941)
In September 1939 the Admiralty bought the ship for wartime service. She was refitted and disguised as the British aircraft carrier HMS Hermes, operating under the designation “Fleet Tender C” as a decoy vessel. While en route to Chatham Dockyard for conversion back to a cargo ship, she struck a submerged wreck (the Ahamo) on 3 June 1941 near Cromer, Norfolk, and ran aground. Before salvage could be effected, German E‑boats torpedoed the beached vessel on 4 June 1941; the crew were rescued by the tug Sabine and taken ashore at Grimsby.
Fate
The wreck of the former SS Zealandic, then known as Mamari III, remains off the coast of Cromer. She was lost as a result of the combined grounding and torpedo attack in June 1941.
Legacy
SS Zealandic is notable for her varied service life, transitioning from a commercial liner to a troop ship, a rescue vessel, a merchant ship under multiple names, and finally a naval decoy. Her loss illustrates the hazards faced by auxiliary and disguised vessels during the Second World War.