The Montfort was built in 1899 by Palmers Co Ltd, Jarrow-on-Tyne for Elder Dempster's Beaver Line. She was a 5,519 gross ton ship, length 445ft x beam 52.2ft, one funnel, four masts, twin screw and a speed of 13 knots. Built primarily as a cargo vessel, she had accommodation for only 12-1st class passengers. Launched on 13/2/1899, she sailed from the Tyne on her maiden voyage to Quebec and Montreal on 26/4/1899. In May 1899 she made her first of four Avonmouth - Montreal passages. She was transferred to trooping duties for the Boer War and commenced her first of three Liverpool - Capetown voyages on 11/11/1899. She also made one round voyage from each of Halifax, New Orleans and Fiume to Capetown. In 1900 she was refitted to carry 30-1st class and 1,200-3rd class passengers and her tonnage increased to 7,087 tons. Her first passenger voyage between Liverpool, Quebec and Montreal commenced on 17/7/1900 and she received several refits to various tonnages between 1901-1903. In 1903, the Montfort went to Canadian Pacific together with the rest of Beaver Line's Canadian fleet and her accommodation was altered to carry 30-2nd and 1,200-3rd class passengers. The following year the company switched it's service from Avonmouth to London/Antwerp to Canada and on the eastbound journey, the third class berths were frequently dismantled in Montreal and replaced with portable stalls to carry upwards of 1,200 head of cattle to London. In 1909, she was again rebuilt to 6,578 tons and on 6/12/1916 was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U.55, 170 miles from Bishops Rock, Scilly Islands, with the loss of 5 lives. The Ships List