SS Nomadic

The Nomadic is a historic White Star Line tender that now serves as a museum ship in Belfast. Built in 1910 at the Harland & Wolff shipyard, she was designed to carry passengers, mail, and supplies from the French port of Cherbourg out to the great Olympic-class ocean liners, which were too large to enter the harbor basin. Her elegant interiors closely echoed those of the luxury liners and mainly served first- and second-class passengers. The Nomadic became famous on April 10, 1912, when she carried more than 270 passengers to the Titanic, including prominent guests such as John Jacob Astor IV and Molly Brown.

Her eventful history took the ship through both world wars. In World War I she served France as a minelayer and troop transport, while in World War II she took part in the evacuation of Cherbourg and was later used by the Royal Navy as an accommodation ship. After the war she returned to tender service until the arrival of jet aircraft in the late 1960s ended demand for such crossings. After years as a floating restaurant in Paris and a brush with the scrapyard, the ship was bought at auction by Northern Ireland in 2006 and brought back to Belfast.

Today you can visit the Nomadic in the historic Hamilton Dock on the former Harland & Wolff shipyard grounds. She is the last surviving White Star Line steamship and offers visitors an authentic glimpse into the era of the great ocean liners. The restoration has largely recovered the ship's original character, making her a unique witness to maritime history.