[2] Georgic's powerplant was identical to that of her sister, consisting of two 10 cylinder, four stroke, double acting diesel engines, designed by Burmeister & Wain.

[2] Although not the largest or fastest liners of their time, Georgic and Britannic proved popular, and were in the early-1930s the two most profitable ships in White Star Line's fleet, partly due to their lower running costs and more affordable ticket prices compared to the traditional steamships.

On the outbreak of war, Georgic was not immediately commandeered, but was instead transferred back to the Liverpool to New York route in September 1939, and made five round trips before being requisitioned for trooping duties on 11 March 1940.

[2] On 22 May 1941, Georgic left Glasgow under the command of Captain A.G. Greig with the 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division bound for Port Tewfik in the Gulf of Suez via the Cape.

She was part of a convoy which had to be left almost unprotected due to the hunt for the German battleship Bismarck, but arrived safely on 7 July and the troops on board were disembarked.

One week later on 14 July 1941, while she was anchored off Port Tewfik waiting to embark 800 Italian detainees, German aircraft, sweeping the waterway for targets, spotted her and proceeded to attack.

The Georgic slowly settled by the stern onto the shallow reef and was left to burn out over the next two days, by which time the ship was half submerged, the engine room flooded, and the superstructure, gutted by the fire, was a blackened, twisted shell.

In December, Georgic, now afloat and at an anchorage, had its temporary plugs replaced by more permanent cement boxes to make the vessel seaworthy.

As Georgic had no power, light or accommodation, she had to be towed as an abandoned hulk; as no tugs were available, two British cargo ships, Clan Campbell and City of Sydney were allocated to the task.

[2] On 5 March 1942, Georgic left Port Sudan under tow of the Harrison Line's liner Recorder and the tug St Sampson, which later proved to be too small for the task and had to slip after one day.

On the eighth day they were joined by another tug, Pauline Moller and the British steamer Haresfield, who together successfully brought Georgic into Karachi on 31 March.

Here it was decided that Georgic would undergo essential repairs which did not require dry docking: Taking eight months to complete with limited resources, her engines and generators were restored to working order, her stem was straightened, and some crew accommodation was rebuilt on board.

Georgic then left Bombay for the UK on 20 January 1943, arriving at Liverpool on 1 March, having completed the entire journey unescorted at an average speed of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).

[2] During the summer high seasons from 1950 to 1954, Cunard also chartered Georgic from the MoT for some journeys from Liverpool or Southampton to New York in concert with her sister Britannic to meet additional demand.

[2] The ship was finally laid up at Kames Bay, Isle of Bute, pending disposal, and then sold for scrap in January 1956.