SS Doric (1883) facts for kids
SS Doric at Queen's Wharf in Wellington
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 United Kingdom |
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| Name | SS Doric |
| Owner |  White Star Line |
| Operator |
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| Route | United Kingdom−New Zealand |
| Builder | Harland and Wolff, Belfast |
| Yard number | 153 |
| Launched | 10 March 1883 |
| Completed | 4 July 1883 |
| Maiden voyage | London−Wellington, 6 January 1885 |
| Out of service | 1906 |
| Fate | Sold to the Pacific Mail Steamship Company in 1906 and renamed Asia. |
 United States |
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| Name | SS Asia |
| Owner |  Pacific Mail Steamship Company |
| Route | San Francisco, California−Hong Kong |
| Acquired | 1906 |
| Out of service | 1911 |
| Fate | Wrecked 23 April 1911 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Ocean liner |
| Tonnage | 4,784 gross register tons (GRT) |
| Length | 440.1 ft (134.1 m) |
| Beam | 44.2 ft (13.5 m) |
| Height | 28 ft (8.5 m) |
The SS Doric was a large British ship called an ocean liner. It was owned by the famous White Star Line, known for building big ships. The Doric started sailing in 1883. It was built in Belfast by a company called Harland and Wolff.
The Doric was a sister ship to the Ionic, which was finished a few months earlier. Both ships first sailed from London in the United Kingdom to Wellington in New Zealand. Later, the Doric was used on a route between Hong Kong and San Francisco.
In 1906, the Doric was sold and renamed Asia. It continued to sail on the same route. Sadly, the ship ran aground on rocks in 1911. All the people on board were safe, but the ship was later destroyed.
Contents
History of the Doric
Building the Ship
The Doric was built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast. It was launched, meaning put into the water for the first time, on March 10, 1883. The Doric was a sister ship to the Ionic. These ships were bigger versions of two earlier ships, the Arabic and the Coptic.
The Doric was special because it was one of the first ships built by Harland and Wolff using steel. Before this, they only used iron. It was also the first White Star Line ship to be named Doric. Another ship with the same name was built much later in 1923.
On July 4, 1883, the ship left Belfast for London. On the way, it stopped at Holyhead. There, Thomas Henry Ismay, who was the head of the White Star Line, came aboard with other important guests to see the new ship.
Sailing to New Zealand
When the Doric and Ionic were ordered, their exact purpose wasn't fully clear. However, it's thought they were planned for the route to New Zealand. At that time, two shipping companies, Shaw, Savill Line and Albion Line, had just joined together to form the Shaw, Savill & Albion Line. They wanted to compete with another company, the New Zealand Shipping Company.
The route from London to Wellington in New Zealand was becoming very popular. The White Star Line and Shaw, Savill & Albion Line quickly agreed to work together. This meant they would share ships and services on this important route.
The Doric started its first trip on this joint service on January 6, 1885. It sailed to Wellington, stopping at places like Tenerife, Cape Town, and Tanzania. On the way back, it sailed around Cape Horn and stopped in Montevideo and Rio de Janeiro. The White Star Line provided the crew, but Shaw, Savill and Albion managed the ships. The journeys were usually calm and without problems.
By 1893, the White Star Line had a newer ship called the Gothic. This new ship meant that the Doric and the Coptic were no longer needed as much on the New Zealand route.
Service in the Pacific and Its End
In May 1895, the Doric went back to the Harland & Wolff shipyards. Here, it was updated and improved. Its old engines were replaced with newer, more efficient ones. This made the ship faster and changed its size slightly.
In 1896, the Doric was moved to a new service. It began sailing for a joint service between the White Star Line and the Occidental and Oriental Steamship Company. This new route was between San Francisco and Hong Kong. The New York Times newspaper once reported that the Doric arrived in San Francisco with a huge amount of cargo, including many chests of tea.
The Doric made its last trip for the White Star and Occidental & Oriental service on August 8, 1906. Later that year, it was sold to the Pacific Mail Steamship Company for £50,000. They renamed the ship Asia. The Asia continued to sail on the same route.
On April 23, 1911, the Doric, now named Asia, ran aground in thick fog. This happened near the Taichow Islands in South China. All the crew and passengers were safely rescued from the ship. However, local fishermen later took things from the ship and then set it on fire, destroying what was left.
Ship Details
The Doric was a bit larger than the earlier ships Arabic and Coptic. It was about 134 meters (440 feet) long and 13.5 meters (44 feet) wide. It was very similar to its sister ship, the Ionic. The Doric was built to carry a lot of cargo. It also had space for 70 first-class passengers and could carry 900 people who were moving to a new country. It even had a special cold storage area for carrying meat.
The ship looked like other White Star Line ships of its time. It was long and had a fairly short funnel, which is the ship's smokestack. The funnel was the company's color, a brownish-yellow with a black top. Around the funnel were four masts that could hold sails.
The Doric was mainly powered by steam engines. These engines were some of the first built by the Harland & Wolff shipyards themselves. They used a type of engine that could push the ship through the water at about 13 knots (about 15 miles per hour). In 1895, these engines were replaced with newer, more fuel-efficient ones. This allowed the ship to reach a speed of 14 knots (about 16 miles per hour).
Images for kids
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SS Doric at Queen's Wharf in Wellington
