The Athenic-class ocean liners were a three ship class of ocean liners built by the Harland & Wolff shipyard for the White Star Line in the early 20th century.
 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders | Harland and Wolff, Belfast, Ireland |
| Operators | White Star Line |
| Preceded by | "Big Four" |
| Succeeded by | Olympic class |
| Built | 1902–1903 |
| In service | 1902–1962 |
| Completed | 3 |
| Retired | 3 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Ocean liner |
| Tonnage | app. 12,352 ton |
| Length | 500.3 ft (152.5 m) |
| Beam | 63.3 ft (19.3 m) |
| Propulsion | Twin propellers (driven by Quadruple expansion engines) |
| Speed | 14 knots (26 km/h) |
| Capacity | 690 passengers: 120 First Class, 120 Second Class, 450 Third Class |
The first ship built was SS Athenic, followed by SS Corinthic. Both were launched in 1902. The Athenic was launched as a dual purpose cargo/passenger ship. The last ship, SS Ionic, was launched one year later. In the First World War, all three ships were used as troop transports. Their route was from Liverpool to New Zealand. In 1928, the Athenic was sold to a Norwegian firm and converted into a whaling ship. The SS Corinthic was scrapped in 1931. In the Second World War, the Athenic was torpedoed twice and sunk by U-69 but later she was raised and returned to her owner. She was scrapped in 1962. In 1934, the Ionic was sold to the Shaw, Savill & Albion Line and was scrapped two years later.