SS Gallic (1918)

For other ships with the same name, see SS Gallic.

SS Gallic was a cargo steamship 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 cargo ship.

SS Gallic
History
United Kingdom
Name	War Argus (October 1918 – August 1919) Gallic (August 1919 – October 1933)
Owner	Shipping Controller (October 1918 – August 1919) White Star Line (August 1919 – October 1933)
Operator	White Star Line
Port of registry	Liverpool
Route	Australian service
Builder	Workman, Clark & Co. Ltd., Belfast
Yard number	436
Launched	19 October 1918
Completed	12 December 1918
In service	August 1919
Identification	UK official number 142741 code letters JVRD from 1930: call sign GPYV
Fate	Sold to Clan Line in October 1933
United Kingdom
Name	Clan Colquhoun
Owner	Clan Line
Operator	Clan Line (1933–1941, 1946–1947) Ministry of War Transport (1941–1946)
Port of registry	Glasgow
Route	Atlantic cargo service
Acquired	October 1933
In service	October 1933
Out of service	February 1947
Fate	Sold to the Zarati Steamship Co. of Panama
Panama
Name	Ioannis Livanos
Owner	Zarati Steamship Co.
Port of registry	Panama
Acquired	February 1947
Out of service	1949
Fate	Sold to Dos Oceanos Cia de Nav SA in 1949
Panama
Name	Jenny
Owner	Dos Oceanos Cia de Nav SA)
Port of registry	Panama
Acquired	1949
Out of service	1951
Fate	Sold to Djakarta Lloyd NV of Indonesia in 1951
Indonesia
Name	Imam Bondjal (1951–1952) Djatinegra (1952–1955)
Owner	Djakarta Lloyd NV
Port of registry	Djakarta
Acquired	1951
Out of service	1955
Fate	Sold to Japanese breakers in 1955; scrapped at Hong Kong in 1956
General characteristics
Class and type	War Standard Type "G"
Tonnage	7,912 GRT, 4,888 NRT
Length	450.0 ft (137.2 m) registered
Beam	58.5 ft (17.8 m)
Depth	32.8 ft (10.0 m)
Decks	3
Installed power	438 NHP or 5,800 ihp
Propulsion	2 × triple-expansion steam engines 2 × screws
Speed	12.5 kn (23 km/h; 14 mph)

Career

In the latter part of the First World War the UK Shipping Controller ordered a large number of merchant ships, built to a set of standard designs, to replace losses due to German's resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare. One of these was War Argus; one of 22 Standard Type "G" ships. She was built by Workman, Clark & Co. of Belfast, who launched her on 19 October and completed her on 12 December, a month after the Armistice. She was operated by the White Star Line for the government until she was officially declared surplus in 1919. In August 1919, War Argus was purchased by White Star and renamed Gallic.

Gallic then served on the Australian service, and was later switched to Atlantic cargo service. As a result of the Depression and the merger of White Star with the Cunard Line, in October 1933 Gallic was sold to the Clan Line and renamed Clan Colquhoun. She continued her service on the same Atlantic route for the next 14 years. During the Second World War, she was operated by the Ministry of War Transport as a refrigerated cargo carrier; unlike many other cargo steamers, she survived the war without incident.

In February 1947, 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. While under tow from Djakarta to Osaka, on 1 December 1955 Djatinegra was forced to put in at Lingayen in the Philippines with her engine room flooded. She was refloated on 21 February 1956 and was scrapped at Hong Kong shortly after.