SS Georgia (1890)

SS Georgia was a passenger ship in the North Atlantic from 1891 to 1917.

Built by Barclay, Curle & Co, Glasgow, she was a 3,143 gross ton ship, length 331ft x beam 41.1ft, with a straight stem, one funnel, two masts, a single screw and a speed of 11 knots. She had accommodation for 10 first-class and 620 third-class passengers.

She was originally built for the Hansa Line of Hamburg, and launched on 13 November 1890 as the SS Pickhuben. She sailed from Hamburg on her maiden voyage to Quebec and Montreal on 15 April 1891.

In March 1892 the Hamburg America Line took over the Hansa Line's ships and goodwill, and on 17 April 1892 Pickhuben sailed from Hamburg to New York, but after that she sailed mostly to Montreal.

In 1895 she was renamed Georgia and on 24 April 1895 she started her first voyage on the Stettin - Helsingborg - Gothenburg - Christiansand - New York route. On 2 April 1900 she was switched to the Genoa - Naples - New York route. On 7 May 1902 she transferred to the Odessa - Constantinople - Smyrna - Piraeus - New York route.

In 1914, with the outbreak of World War I, she took refuge in the US, but was seized by the authorities and became the Housatonic. Operated by the United States Shipping Board, she was torpedoed and sunk on 3 February 1917 by the German submarine U-53 in the Bay of Biscay. Prior to the torpedoing the entire crew was allowed to disembark and their two lifeboats were towed towards shore by the submarine, which left them near a British trawler.

References

• "The Ships List". http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/descriptions/ShipsP-Q.html. 
• Bonsor,, N.R.P.. North Atlantic Seaway. 1. pp. p.398. 
• Haws, Duncan. Merchant Fleets. 4.