SS Athenic was a British passenger liner built by Harland & Wolff shipyards for the White Star Line in 1901.
History
The 12,234-ton steamship Athenic was built at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast and launched on 17 August 1901. Athenic was the first of three identical sister ships which were built for the profitable freight and passenger service from London to Wellington, New Zealand. The other two were SS Corinthic (1902) and SS Ionic (1903). They were the first orders of the White Star Line after its takeover by J. P. Morgan's IMM Co.
On 12 February 1902, she sailed from London on her maiden voyage to Wellington. After calling at Plymouth on 15 February before heading south, she had onboard 164 passengers; 29 First Class, 25 Second Class and 140 Third Class, a majority of them English immigrants. Following a route similar to that of White Star's Jubilee Class service to Australia, Athenic and her sisters provided service to South Africa and Tasmania as well via the Canary Islands, calling at Cape Town before crossing the Indian Ocean, after which she called at the Tasmanian capital of Hobart before making port at Wellington on 27 March.[1]