SS Dundalk (CTA)

SS Dundalk was a British ocean liner operated by the Azure Transatlantic Company. She was put into service in 1894. Built by the O'Neill shipyards in Dublin, she was the first of the two twin Dundalk-class ships, completely identical externally, with different interior furnishings. Dundalk was the cheaper option amongst the two, whilst Athy was more lavish.

The longest serving ship of the CTA until Sinann (1964) and later Andraste overtook it, Dundalk's scrapping in 1936 due to the Great Depression was controversial. An effort to have the ship preserved failed. She was scrapped at Jarrow, alongside Mauritania and Olympic.

History
Powered by turbines, Dundalk, unlike her predecessors, wasn't meant to be a test-run. It and Athy were to be identical, with a bigger focus on internal changes. Both ships were designed to be cheaper then their main rivals as a less expensive option, with Athy prioritizing comfort and Dundalk prioritizing speed. Slightly longer then the Cork-Class ships, their internal design was re-enforced to try and make the ships more immune to weather and to collisions. Largely based on Fingal, they had a greater height, and due to the more efficient engines, did away with some of the vents. In addition, the funnels were strengthened to make them more resilient to damage, and given a segmented black paint job to mimic Cunard. This paint design became the norm for 68 years, being retired by Sinann (1964), though it was brought back for the Druantia.

Sailing the transatlantic route from Southampton to Halifax and New York City, the ship was refitted with Marconi Wireless in 1904. During World War I, its small size meant it wasn't commissioned by the Admiralty, remaining as a passenger ship. On 13th February 1916, the ship was chased by SM U-9, though the ship was able to use evasive maneuvers, along with superior speed, to narrowly avoid a torpedo shot at them. The failure to catch a small passenger ship, despite having sunk warships, led to SM U-9 being retired to training exercises only. The crew's calmness and order led to all of them receiving commendations for their actions.

Postwar, Sinann and Dundalk were planned to be joined by Airmedia and Belfast, though both were delayed due to the Irish war. During the siege on Sinann, Dundalk offered, through wireless, to assist, but this was unneeded in the end. With two new ships in commission, plans to decommission Dundalk were already on the table in the 1920s, but it was decided to keep her in service by reducing her ticket cost, operating as an even cheaper way to get to the New World. After the stock market crash of 1929, Dundalk was once again up on the table for being scrapped, though eked out a few more years. With CTA having amassed a tidy amount of savings, Sirona and Coventina were quickly built, offering jobs to those unemployed, and helped kickstart the Tourism industry. Its duty done, the announcement of Arduinna saw the ship retire from service at the end of 1935, being scrapped the year after.