SS Traffic (1911)
SS Traffic was a tender of the White Star Line, and the fleetmate to the Nomadic. She was built for the White Star Line by Harland and Wolff, at Belfast, to serve the Olympic-class ocean liners. In Cherbourg, her role was to transport Third Class passengers and mails between the port and the liners anchored in the harbour, while the Nomadic was tasked with transporting First Class and Second Class passengers.
| History | |
|---|---|
| France | |
| Name |
|
| Owner |
|
| Operator |
|
| Port of registry | Cherbourg |
| Ordered | 19 July 1910 |
| Builder | Harland and Wolff, Belfast |
| Yard number | 423 |
| Way number | No1 |
| Laid down | 22 December 1910 |
| Launched | 27 April 1911 |
| Completed | 27 May 1911 |
| Maiden voyage | 31 May 1911 |
| In service | 27 May 1911 |
| Fate | Torpedoed and sunk on 17 January, 1941; wreck raised and scrapped later that year |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 640 GRT |
| Length | 186 ft (57 m) |
| Beam | 35 ft (11 m) |
| Height | 14 ft (4.3 m) keel to bulkwark |
| Draught | 8 ft 1 in (2.46 m) |
| Decks | 5 |
| Installed power | 1 13 ft × 11 ft (4.0 m × 3.4 m) S.E. boiler with 3 furnaces |
| Propulsion | Twin compound reciprocating powering two triple-bladed propellers. |
| Speed | 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) |
| Capacity | 1,200 passengers and mail |
| Crew | 23 |
In April 1912, she transported immigrants from port to the Titanic, and continued to serve White Star until 1927, without interruption. During World War I, she took part in the landing of soldiers from the United States. In 1927, she was sold to the Société Cherbourgeoise Transbordement, before joining the Société Cherbourgeoise de Remorquage et de Sauvetage in 1934, which renamed her Ingenieur Reibell.
In June 1940, the French Navy scuttled Ingenieur Reibell ahead of the German advance on the port of Cherbourg. Shortly after, the Germans refloated her to convert the vessel into an escort ship. In January 1941, she was torpedoed and sunk by the British. Her wreck was salvaged and scrapped.