Name Calgaric (ex Orca) In service 1918 Launched 15 January 1918 Draft 13 m Builder Harland and Wolff | Out of service 1934 Length 168 m Beam 20 m | |
 | ||
Owner White Star LinePacific Steam Navigation Company (Orca) Identification Official Number 140579Code Letters JTLW | ||
SS Calgaric was an ocean liner built in 1918 by Harland and Wolff in Belfast for the Pacific Steam Navigation Company as Orca. In 1927, she was sold to the White Star Line and renamed Calgaric. She remained in service until 1934.
Contents
History
In 1927, White Star Line chartered the ship for service, but it was too small. In 1932, she retired and was sold scrap for in 1934.
Scout and Guide Cruise
Perhaps the ship's main claim to fame is that she was chartered for a Baltic Cruise of Scouters and Guiders, a cruise that lasted from Saturday, 12 August to Tuesday, 29 August 1933. On board were the Baden-Powell family, and about 100 Scouters, 475 Guides and 80 non-Scouts and Guides - presumably spouses of the participants. There were 85 men and 570 women - some of the Wolf Cub Akelas were women.
The itinerary was:- Southampton, Rotterdam (Netherlands), Kiel Canal, Gdynia (Poland), Klaipėda (Lithuania), Riga (Latvia), Tallinn (Estonia), Helsinki (Finland), Stockholm (Sweden), Oslo (Norway), Pentland Firth, Oban (Scotland) and ended at Liverpool (England).
Official number and code letters
Official numbers were a forerunner to IMO ship identification numbers.
Calgaric had the UK official number 140579 and used the code letters JTLW.