SS Trent was a British steamship that was built in 1899 as an ocean liner for the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company (RMSP) service between England and the Caribbean.

[8] The Marconi Company supplied and operated her wireless equipment, which had a range of about 160 nautical miles (300 kilometres).

[9] In October 1910 Trent rescued the six-man crew of the airship America, including its owner, Walter Wellman.

Changes in wind direction had slowed the airship's progress and blown it off-course, and technical problems had caused it to lose height.

Trent's Master, Captain CE Down, RNR, reported that "The wireless played a wonderful part in the rescue".

[14] Eventually Trent's crew succeeded in catching the line and making it fast to the steamship, but another gust broke it and America was blown away.

The airmen rowed toward Trent, whose crew lowered lines to bring them safely aboard the steamship.

She was assigned to support the river monitors HMS Humber, Mersey and Severn in the Gallipoli campaign.

Trent continued to support the monitors, accompanying Mersey and Severn to East Africa in July 1915, for their attack on SMS Königsberg on the Rufiji River.

[2] Trent later returned to home waters, and on 1 October 1917 became the depot ship for HMS Icarus, the Royal Naval Air Service base at Houton Bay, Scapa Flow.