SS Doric (1883)

SS Doric was a British ocean liner operated by White Star Line. She was put into service in 1883. Built by the Harland and Wolff shipyards in Belfast, she was the sister ship of the Ionic which was put into service a few months earlier. Although the original purpose of the construction of the two ships was not known with certainty, both began their careers chartered by the New Zealand Shipping Company which operated them on the route from London to Wellington.

As early as 1885, the Doric, like her sister ship and the Coptic, was assigned to the same route, but this time for the joint service provided by the White Star Line and the Shaw, Savill & Albion Line. The ship carried out this mission without experiencing any major incident, until she was overhauled in 1895 in order to modernize it. Deemed unnecessary on the New Zealand route, the Doric was chartered by the Occidental and Oriental Steamship Company between Hong Kong and San Francisco.

It was in 1906 that the Doric made her last crossing under this contract, while the O&O gradually withdrew from the market. She was then sold to the Pacific Mail Steamship Company which employed her on the same route, this time under the name of Asia. It was within the framework of this service that the ship ran aground on rocks on 23 April 1911. Her passengers came out unharmed from the accident, but the ship was quickly looted and set on fire by local fishermen.