GOTHIC

'GOTHIC' WAS ONE OF FOUR SHIPS, HER SISTER SHIPS WERE ATHENIC/2ND,CORINTHIC/2ND AND CERAMIC/2ND. SHE WAS BUILT IN NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE IN 1948. SHE WAS 15,900 TONS AND HAD ACCOMMODATION FOR 85 PASSENGERS. SENT TO CAMMELL LAIRD IN 1951 TO BE REFITTED AS THE ROYAL YACHT, WITH THE INTENTION OF UNDERTAKING A TOUR OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND, DUE TO THE DEATH OF KING GEORGE THIS VOYAGE DID NOT TAKE PLACE.

 IN 1953 SHE WAS RETURNED FOR ANOTHER REFIT AND LATER CARRIED QUEEN ELIZABETH AND THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH TO THE CARIBBEAN AND THEN ACROSS THE PACIFIC FOR THE TOUR OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND.

GOTHIC WAS DAMAGED BY FIRE IN 1968 DURING A VOYAGE FROM BLUFF TO LIVERPOOL,VIA THE PANAMA CANAL.THE BRIDGE AND RADIO ROOM WERE DESTROYED IN THE FIRE , LEAVING THE VESSEL WITH NO OTHER COMMUNICATION THAN THE MARCONI MARINE 'SALVITA' EMERGENCY LIFEBOAT TRANSCEIVER, WHICH THE SHIPS RADIO OFFICER USED ON THE H.F. DISTRESS FREQUENCY ( 8364 kHz ) TO SEND A DISTRESS SIGNAL, WHICH WAS HEARD BY AWARUA RADIO/ZLB.

GOTHIC'S RADIO CALLSIGN WAS 'MAUQ'. SHE MADE IT BACK TO WELLINGTON WHERE SHE WAS TEMPORALLY REPAIRED, NEW RADIO ROOM EQUIPMENT WAS FLOWN FROM THE U.K ( A MARCONI OCEANSPAN TRANSMITTER AND AN ATALANTA MAIN RECEIVER ) WHICH PROVED NOT TO WORK SO WELL AS THE TRANSMITTER HAD BEEN SUPPLIED WITH A LIMITED NUMBER OF TRANSMIT FREQUENCIES ( ALL CRYSTAL CONTROLLED IN THOSE DAYS ) AND GOTHIC HAD TO RELAY HER MESSAGES MOSTLY THROUGH  SHAW SAVILL & ALBION'S  VESSEL  MYSTIC.

 GOTHIC WAS SCRAPPED AFTER ONLY ONE MORE VOYAGE.

MARCONI MARINE RADIO EQUIPMENT USED ON GOTHIC