«Серамик» кемесінің тарихы және апаттары

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1920–36: ,
1936–42: ,
|Ship displacement=
|Ship length= 199.67 m
|Ship beam= 21.15 m
|Ship height=
|Ship draught= 14.33 m

Harland and Wolff built Ceramic as hull 432 on the Number One slipway of its Belfast yard, launching her on 11 December 1912 and completing her on 5 July 1913. Her total cost was £436,000. Ceramics engines were what was called "combination machinery". She had three propellers, with a pair of four cylinder triple expansion engines driving her port and starboard props and exhaust steam from their low pressure cylinders powering a single low pressure steam turbine that drove her middle screw. Harland and Wolff and White Star Line had successfully tested this arrangement in 1908 on and had since applied it to the three giant s. Between them Ceramics three engines were rated at and in 1936. White Star Line registered Ceramic at Liverpool. Her UK official number was 135474 and her code letters were JCNK. At the time she was the largest liner on the route between the two countries. In 1914 she was requisitioned for the First Australian Imperial Force as the troopship HMAT (His Majesty's Australian Transport) Ceramic, with the pennant number A40. Her navigation equipment included wireless direction finding by 1930

In 1916 Ceramic took the Territorial Army 25th (County of London) Cyclist Battalion to India, leaving Devonport on 3 February and reaching Bombay on 25 February. On 18 December 1930, Ceramic collided with the Pacific Steam Navigation Company's cargo motor ship Laguna in the River Thames near Gravesend. Both ships were slightly damaged. Ceramic resumed service on 15 August 1936. and returned unescorted until she reached Freetown, Sierra Leone, where she joined Convoy SL 13F, becoming the convoy vice commodore's ship. SL 13F left port on 19 December and reached Liverpool on 3 January 1940. In February 1940 Ceramic was commissioned as a troop ship. In the South Atlantic in the small hours of 11 August 1940 the Bank Line cargo ship sighted Ceramic about a mile and a half ahead. Under wartime navigation regulations both ships were sailing without navigation lights. Ceramics lookout failed to see Testbank until the two ships were about from each other. Both ships took avoiding action but were too late to avoid a collision. About 0200 hrs Testbank rammed Ceramics starboard bow. The combined speed of the collision was about It shortened the cargo ship's bow by about 20 feet (6 m) and opened a hole about 40 feet (12 m) wide in the liner's Number One Hold, but both ships stayed afloat. Testbanks cargo was 9,000 tons of iron ore, which would have sunk her very quickly if she had shipped enough water. In the event she was able to return to Cape Town under her own power. Ceramic reached Walvis Bay in South West Africa with the aid of a tug and escorted by a Royal Navy warship. She arrived on 16 August and stayed for emergency repairs until 24 September. She reached Cape Town on 27 September and stayed there for almost £50,000 worth of further repairs. She continued unescorted via South Africa as usual, reaching Sydney on 4 September, where she stayed until 1 October. She then visited Newcastle and Brisbane before leaving Sydney for home on 12 October. Instead of returning by her usual route Ceramic turned east across the Tasman Sea, called at Wellington, New Zealand 19–27 October and then crossed the Pacific. In November she passed through the Panama Canal and reached Halifax, Nova Scotia. In January 1942 Ceramic left Liverpool with Convoy ON 59 until it dispersed as scheduled in the North Atlantic. Because of the threat of enemy attack her Atlantic route from Liverpool to Cape Town was extended westwards. She steamed west unescorted across the North Atlantic to Halifax, arriving on 7 February. On 15 February she left Halifax and under naval escort to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, arriving on 5 March. She continued unescorted via South Africa to Australia, reaching Sydney on 29 April. where most of its ships including Ceramic joined Convoy KN 119. This left Key West the same day and reached Hampton Roads, Virginia on 17 July. Ceramic continued unescorted, calling at New York 24–27 July and continuing to Halifax where she joined Convoy HX 201.

On 3 November 1942 Ceramic left Liverpool for Australia via Saint Helena and South Africa. She was carrying 377 passengers, 264 crew, 14 DEMS gunners and 12,362 tons of cargo. One passenger was Rudolph Dolmetsch (190642), classical musician and composer, then serving as Regimental Bandmaster with the Royal Artillery. Ceramic sailed with Convoy ON 149 until it dispersed as scheduled in the North Atlantic. She then continued unescorted as planned.