SS Nomadic

Nomadic was one of two vessels commissioned by the White Star Line in 1910 to tender for their new ocean liners and , which were too large to dock in Cherbourg Harbour. She and her running mate ferried passengers, their baggage, mail and ship's supplies to and from large ocean liners anchored offshore. The keel of Nomadic was laid down in the Harland and Wolff shipyards, Belfast in 1910 (yard number 422). She was built on slipway No. 1 alongside RMS Olympic and RMS Titanic, which were constructed on slipways 2 and 3, of the Arrol Gantry, respectively. She was launched on 25 April 1911 and delivered to the White Star Line on 27 May, following sea trials.

The ship is 220 ft long overall and 37 ft wide, with a gross registered tonnage of 1,273 tons. Propulsion was provided by two single-ended coal-fired boilers and two compound steam engines, each driving two triple-bladed propellers of 7 ft in diameter, which gave a service speed of 12 kn. Nomadic is of steel construction, with steel frames, beams, bulkheads and riveted hull plating. She had four working decks with various hold spaces beneath. She could carry up to 1,000 passengers when fully loaded. Passenger accommodation consisted of lower- and upper-deck passenger lounges and open deck areas on the bridge and flying bridge decks. The vessel was divided into first- and second-class…