Originally built as the ferry Birkenhead for the Corporation (local
goovernment authority) of the town of Birkenhead. The vessel was the last
paddle steamer purchased or put to work by her first owners. She was employed
on the Woodside - Liverpool service and later on the Rock Ferry - Liverpool
route. White Star bought her in March 1907 and she was renamed
Gallic.
When White Star began to use Southampton for its express trans-Atlantic
liners, Gallic was stationed at Cherbourg to act as a tender. White
Star ships leaving Southampton journeyed to New York via Cherbourg in France
and Queenstown (now Cobh) in Ireland in order to pick up/drop off passengers
at those ports and collect mail.
In 1911, White Star introduced its Olympic Class liners and Gallic
was replaced in service at Cherbourg by
Nomadic and
Traffic - two brand new and up to date
tenders which had been specially constructed by Harland & Wolff to serve
the needs of the giant liners at the french port. In the following year,
Gallic returned to Liverpool where she was used occasionally as a
baggage boat. In 1913, she was broken up at Garston (on the River Mersey). |
