White Star’s Celtic sailed from Liverpool for New York on 14th February 1917. She was under the command of Captain Hayes, who had been temporarily transferred from Olympic. On 15th February she hit a mine laid by the German submarine U-80, under Captain Alfred von Glasenapp, off the Isle of Man. Seventeen crew on board were killed in the explosion. Most of the survivors were taken off by the railway ferry Slieve Bawn and taken to Holyhead. Despite a 30-foot hole in her side, Celtic remained afloat and was soon towed back to Liverpool. After temporary repairs she was sent to Harland & Wolff in Belfast where she was thoroughly repaired. She was back in service by the end of April, just in time to be requisitioned under the governmnet’s Liner Requisition Scheme.
Celtic survived a number of incidents and collisions in her career, including a torpedo attack. She also encountered a number of severe storms, many causing damage. Her luck finally ran out on 10th December 1928 when, in poor visibility, she ran aground off Cobh harbour, and was later written off as a total loss.