RMS Cedric

RMS Cedric at sea in 1903[1]
History
United Kingdom
Name	RMS Cedric
Operator	White Star Line
Port of registry	Liverpool
Route	Liverpool – New York
Builder	Harland & Wolff, Belfast
Yard number	337
Launched	21 August 1902
Completed	31 January 1903
Maiden voyage	11 February 1903
Out of service	1931
Identification	UK official number 115354 code letters TSVB by 1913: call sign MDC[2]
Fate	scrapped in 1932
General characteristics
Class and type	Big-Four class
Tonnage	21,073 GRT, 13,520 NRT
Length	700 ft (213.4 m) overall 680.9 ft (207.5 m) registered
Beam	75.3 ft (23.0 m)
Depth	44.1 ft (13.4 m)
Decks	4
Installed power	1,524 NHP; 14,000 ihp (10,000 kW)
Propulsion	Two four-cylinder quadruple expansion reciprocating steam engines: Two screws
Speed	17 kn (20 mph; 31 km/h)
Capacity	As built: 2,875 passengers (365 first, 160 second, 2,350 third)
Crew	486 officers and crew
Notes	Ship colours: black hull with gold line, red boot-topping, upper works white, funnels: White Star Buff

RMS Cedric was an ocean liner owned by the White Star Line. She was the second of a quartet of ships over 20,000 tons, dubbed the Big Four, and was the largest vessel in the world at the time of her entering service. Her career, peppered with collisions and minor incidents, took place mainly on the route from Liverpool to New York.

Requisitioned as an auxiliary cruiser in World War I, Cedric carried out patrol missions until 1916. Her large size being a handicap in this function, she was then transformed into a troop transport and transported soldiers from Egypt and Palestine, then from the United States in the direction of the European fronts. She then resumed civilian service in 1919.

In the 1920s Cedric faced competition from increasingly modern ships. After having been refitted several times to adapt to new clienteles, she was withdrawn from service in 1931 and scrapped the following year.