GEORGIC

BUILT BY HARLAND AND WOFF IN BELFAST IN 1895, BUILT AS A LIVESTOCK CARRIER ( PROBABLY THE LARGEST LIVESTOCK CARRIER OF HER TYPE EVER BUILT ) BEING  A VESSEL OF 10,077 TONS, WITH A TWIN SCREW STEAM ENGINE, GIVING HER A SERVICE SPEED OF 13 KNOTS. SHE WAS A REPLACEMENT FOR THE NARONIC, WHICH HAD DISAPPEARED ON A VOYAGE TWO YEARS EARLIER. IN 1916 SHE WAS ON VOYAGE FROM PHILADELPHIA TO BREST, ABOUT 500 MILES FROM CAPE RACE  WITH OVER A THOUSAND HORSES ONBOARD AND A CARGO OF WHEAT AND BARRELLED OIL, WHEN SHE WAS SHELLED AND  STOPPED BY THE GERMAN MERCHANT RAIDER 'MOWE',THE CREW WERE TAKEN PRISONER ( ONE CREW MAN WAS KILLED IN THE ATTACK ) AND PUT ONBOARD MOWE, AND GEORGIC WAS SUNK, HORSES, AND ALL THE CARGO WENT DOWN WITH THE SHIP. IT CAUSED QUITE AN ARGUMENT AMONGST THE MOWE CREW AND THE GEORGIC CREW  WHEN IT WAS MADE CLEAR THAT THE VESSEL WAS TO BE SUNK , BUT THIS EVENT HAPPENED MID-ATLANTIC, MOWE PROBABLY COULD NOT SPARE THE CREW TO MAN GEORGIC AND TAKE HER TO A GERMAN HELD PORT AS A PRIZE, APART FROM THAT THERE WERE THE 1200 HORSES TO BE LOOKED AFTER,  SO THE VESSEL WAS SUNK.