at the same time, was withdrawn from service, before being reassigned to cruises to bring in some additional funds. Cruise service and fate The Doric was still in use after her withdrawal from the Canadian route in October 1932. In April 1933, after several months of waiting in Liverpool, she was assigned to cruises in the Mediterranean Sea. The liner proved to be very popular with a clientele of young people, in particular young couples, which earned it the nickname "Cupid's ship"; she was the scene of no less than nine engagement announcements during a cruise. In 1934, the White Star Line and its rival, the Cunard Line, merged. The Doric was one of the ships to be preserved, and her young age spared her the demolition of certain ships that have become supernumerary. She continued her cruises, departing from Southampton, with very reduced tourist prices: 12 pounds sterling for thirteen days of cruise. The cruise of 5 September 1935 sealed her fate. She was carrying 736 passengers and 350 crew members and has just made the last stop of her trip in Gibraltar, when she was in a heavy fog off Portugal. During the night, at around 3 AM, she collided with the French vessel Formigny, of the Chargeurs Reunis line, off Cape Finisterre. One of her watertight compartments was flooded, causing her to list to starboard. An SOS was immediately sent out. Women and children were put on lifeboats as a precautionary measure. Two lifeboats left the ship, but returned an hour later. The distress signals were picked up by two ships, the Orion, an Orient Line ship on her maiden voyage, and the P&O's Viceroy of India, which came to aid. Reassured, passengers were allowed to take personal effects in their cabins, and were served to breakfast in the liner's dining room while waiting for help to arrive. The passenger transfer then went off without a hitch, with part of the crew of the Doric remaining on board. The incident caused no casualty. Following this collision, Doric had emergency repairs at Vigo, Spain. However, once she returned to England, her damage was determined to be a constructive total loss. She was sold in October 1935 for scrap to John Cashmore Ltd. for £35,000 and subsequently scrapped in November 1935 at Cashmores shipbreaker's yard in Newport, Monmouthshire. References Bibliography Passenger ships of the United Kingdom Ships of the