English: SS CERAMIC was built in 1912 and operated for the White Star Line on the Australian trade run. It only operated on this route for one year before becoming a troopship during World War I. After the war it once more traded on the passenger route between Liverpool and Australia. It was requisitioned once more during World War II for war services. In 1942, the ship was en route to Australia when it was torpedoed in the Atlantic Ocean by a German U-boat. Of the 657 people onboard, only one survived.

This photo is part of the Australian National Maritime Museum’s Samuel J. Hood Studio collection. Sam Hood (1872-1953) was a Sydney photographer with a passion for ships. His 60-year career spanned the romantic age of sail and two world wars. The photos in the collection were taken mainly in Sydney and Newcastle during the first half of the 20th century.
The ANMM undertakes research and accepts public comments that enhance the information we hold about images in our collection. This record has been updated accordingly.
Photographer: Samuel J. Hood Studio Collection

Object no. 00035571