Coptic

The steamship Coptic was built in 1881 at Belfast by Harland & Wolff for the White Star Line. The Coptic was Originally designed as a passenger and cargo vessel. It was primarily serving the Liverpool to New Zealand route via the Cape of Good Hope. In 1884, the Coptic was chartered to the Occidental and Oriental Steamship Company, operating between San Francisco and the Far East, contributing to trans-Pacific passenger and cargo services. She changed hands several times afterward, including service under the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. Later in her career, she was sold to Japanese interests, renamed Iyo Maru, and served under various names before being scrapped in 1926. This scan is from an old photograph taken during the Coptic's service with the White Star Line, when she proudly carried the Royal Mail. As a Royal Mail Ship (RMS), the Coptic was part of an elite group of vessels entrusted with transporting mail under contract with the British government.