One funnel, two masts, twin screw and a speed of 16 knots. There was accommodation for 230-1st, 430-2nd and 1,000-3rd class passengers. Originally laid down as the Albany for the Dominion Line, she was purchased on the stocks by White Star Line and launched as the Megantic.
She sailed from Liverpool on her maiden voyage to Quebec and Montreal on 17th June 1909.
On 6th April 1917 she came under the liner requisition scheme and was used for government wartime services.
Only a few months after the war had ended, the Megantic was returned to civilian service. On December 11, 1918 she made her first post war sailing between Liverpool and New York.
In 1919, the liner was refitted at Belfast and emerged with a slightly altered passenger accommodation capacity. First class was changed from 230 to 325, second from 430 to 260 and third from 1,000 to 550. After the refit, the Megantic was returned to the Canadian service.
In the off season, Megantic was sent cruising in the West Indies. In January 1920, the Megantic made one sailing for the White Star-Shaw, Savill & Albion joint service, and later that year she made a voyage in Government service with some of its staff to Sydney and Wellington.
In 1924, the ship was converted into a Cabin Class liner – the new passenger accommodation was 452 cabin class and the same as before in second and third classes. In 1927, Megantic was charted for a trooping voyage to Shanghai, and in late March the following year she was put on the London-Le Havre-Halifax-New York service until the St. Lawrence opened – then her destination became Québec and Montreal.
In 1930 and 1931, the ageing liner was used on economy cruises with Adriatic, Calgaric and the new Laurentic. In May 1931, she was returned to the liner service between Liverpool and Montreal.
In July she was laid up Rothesay Bay. With the poor financial situation in the world at the early Thirties, it became less and less likely for the Megantic to return to service. She was, after all, 22 years old. She remained laid up until February 1933, when she steamed out of Rothesay Bay under her own power, bound for Osaka, Japan where she would be broken up.
[North Atlantic Seaway by N.R.P.Bonsor, vol.2,p.764][Great Passenger Ships of the World by Arnold Kludas, vol.1]
