Calgaric was one of two ships -- the other being
Albertic,
ex-Ohio -- that entered White Star's fleet after White Star was
acquired by the Royal Mail Group in 1926. She was built for Pacific
Steam Navigation Co., another Royal Mail company, by Harland & Wolff,
but never ran commercially for Pacific Steam. Originally named Orca,
she was launched in 1917, and was finished under the supervision of
the Shipping Controller as a transport and cargo carrier. Orca was
returned to Harland & Wolff for completion as a passenger liner in
1921, and made her maiden commercial voyage, Southampton-New York by
way of Hamburg, on 3 January 1923. By this time, though, she was owned
by Royal Mail Steam Packet Co., the core line of the Royal Mail group.
In December 1926, soon after Royal Mail acquired White Star, Orca made
Royal Mail's final Southampton-New York sailing. She was then sold to
White Star and renamed Calgaric. She was placed on White Star's
Liverpool-Canada service and made her first White Star sailing on 4 May
1927, moving in 1929 to the London-Canada service.
Used extensively for cruising, Calgaric was laid up in September 1930
and was used infrequently thereafter. She made she made only one more
Atlantic crossing, Liverpool-Montreal in June 1933, together with a
handful of cruises, before being transferred to Cunard White Star in
1934. She was scrapped in 1935, without ever having sailed for the
merged line.
Sources: Moss and Hume's Shipbuilders to the World; Haws' Merchant
Fleets; Bonsor's North Atlantic Seaway; Kludas' Great Passenger Ships of
the World.
