SS ''Arabic'' was a

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

of the

White Star Line The White Star Line was a British shipping line. Founded out of the remains of a defunct Packet trade, packet company, it gradually grew to become one of the most prominent shipping companies in the world, providing passenger and cargo service ...

and its first steel-hulled vessel. Like her predecessors, she was built by shipbuilders

Harland & Wolff Harland & Wolff Holdings plc is a British shipbuilding and Metal fabrication, fabrication company headquartered in London with sites in Belfast, Arnish yard, Arnish, Appledore, Torridge, Appledore and Methil. It specialises in ship repair, ship ...

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

History

Originally intended to be named ''Asiatic'', she was the first steel-hulled vessel built for White Star. She was completed as the ''Arabic'' on 12 August 1881. Like her sister ''Coptic'', she was designed as a combination cargo/passenger freighter; while able to accommodate both steerage and second-class passengers, she was primarily designed to carry cargo and livestock. She made her maiden voyage from Liverpool to New York on 10 September 1881, at the end of the normal trans-Atlantic crossing season. She made two more round voyages on this route, colliding with the SS ''Plove'' while departing the

Mersey The River Mersey () is a major river in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it ...

for the last crossing. On 4 February 1882, she began her service under charter to the Occidental and Oriental Steamship Company for their San Francisco-Hong Kong route, departing Liverpool for Hong Kong via the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...

, after which she sailed to San Francisco to begin her trans-Pacific service. On 2 June 1884, she arrived in Hong Kong via Yokohama with a damaged propeller, which necessitated her being dry-docked before returning to San Francisco. She returned to the UK in 1886 and made one Australian voyage for Occidental & Oriental (London-Melbourne-Sydney, via Cape Town) on 26 October of that year. She completed her charter upon returning to London early in 1887, after which she sailed to Belfast to have 50 second-class ("intermediate-class") berths installed. She returned to White Star service on the London-Queenstown-New York route from 30 March 1887, resuming the Liverpool-New York run on 12 May and making her final voyage on this run after departing Liverpool on 19 April 1888. In May, she resumed her charter for Occidental & Oriental. In February 1890, ''Arabic'' was sold to the

Holland America Line Holland America Line N.V. (HAL) is an American cruise line operating as a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc. Founded in 1873 in Rotterdam, Netherlands as the Netherlands-America Steamship Company (NASM), the company operated regular trans ...

for £65,000 and renamed SS ''Spaarndam''. On 29 March, she made her first voyage under the Dutch flag from Rotterdam to New York. After 11 years of service, she made her final voyage on 7 February 1901. In August, she was sold to Thomas Ward ship breakers and broken up at Preston."SS Arabic," de Kerbrech, Richard (2009). ''Ships of the White Star Line''. Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Publishing. p. 33.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arabic Ships built in Belfast Steamships Ships of the White Star Line Merchant ships of the Netherlands Merchant ships of the United Kingdom Steamships of the United Kingdom 1881 ships Ships built by Harland and Wolff