SS Ceramic was a steam ocean liner built in Belfast for White Star Line in 1912–13 and operated on the Liverpool – Australia route. Ceramic was the largest ship serving the route until P&O introduced in 1923. In 1934 Shaw, Savill & Albion Line absorbed White Star's Australia service and acquired Ceramic. The liner served as a troopship in both World Wars. In 1942 a u-boat sank her, leaving only one survivor from the 656 people aboard. This was the first of two ships to be called Ceramic. The second was a Shaw, Savill & Albion refrigerated cargo steamship that was built in England in 1948 and scrapped in 1972. Building 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 screws, with a pair of four-cylinder triple expansion engines driving her port and starboard screws 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 gave her a speed of . Ceramics registered length was . Her beam was and her depth was . As built, she had three decks and her tonnages were and . Some of her holds were refrigerated. In later years her refrigerated cargo capacity was cited as in 1930 and in 1936. White Star Line registered Ceramic at Liverpool. Her UK official number was 135474 and her code letters were JCNK. She carried wireless telegraphy equipment, operated by the Marconi Company on the standard 300 and 600 metre wavelengths. Her original call sign was MCP. White Star service Ceramics maiden voyage began on 24 July 1913 when she left Liverpool for Australia. 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. She was armed with two stern-mounted QF 4.7 inch (120mm) naval guns.<ref Her navigation equipment included wireless direction finding by 1930 and echo