EUROPEAN / TROPIC / ARTICO / TRANSYLVANIA

BUILT BY HARLAND AND WOLFF IN BELFAST IN 1896 FOR THE W.INDIA & PACIFIC STEAMSHIP COMPANY, AND LAUNCHED AS THE 'EUROPEAN'. SHE WAS THE SISTER SHIP TO 'AMERICAN' ( LATER WSL 'CUFIC' ) IN 1900 SHE CAME UNDER LEYLAND CONTROL ( W.INDIA & PACIFIC STEAMSHIP COMPANY, BEING TAKEN OVER BY LEYLAND'S ) IN 1901 SHE WAS  ( AND THE REST OF THE FLEET ) TAKEN OVER BY PIERRE PONT MORGAN, WHO THE FOLLOWING YEAR WENT ON TO FORM THE IMMC,  AND IN 1904 SHE WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE WHITE STAR LINE AND RE-NAMED ' TROPIC '. IN THE YEARS 1917 - 1919 SHE WAS USED BY THE UK SHIPPING CONTROLLER FOR THE WAR EFFORT. IN 1919 SHE REVERTED BACK TO HER PEACE TIME DUTIES. IN 1923 SHE WAS SOLD TO AN ITALIAN COMPANY BASED AT GENOA, BUT RETAINED THE SAME   NAME. THE FOLLOWING YEAR SHE WAS SOLD TO ANOTHER GENOA BASED  ITALIAN COMPANY ( SOC.ANON.LIGURE DI NAV A VAPORE ) WHO RE-NAMED HER 'ARTICO'. IN 1927 SHE WAS SOLD BACK TO DITTA L PITTALUGA OF GENOA ( THE ORIGINAL ITALIAN COMPANY ) , WHO RE-NAMED HER 'TRANSYLVANIA. SHE WAS SCRAPPED IN GENOA IN 1933.