It was intended to be the world's largest liner, with a length of 1000 foot and a gross tonnage of about 80,000 tons, named Ceric. Later, during construction, it was modified and renamed Belgic. She remained in her troopship guise until April 1921, when she was laid up at Liverpool. There were no berths available at any of the shipyards so that she could be rebuilt. Harland & Wolff finally had a free berth, and in March 1922 she was towed to Belfast, where work on her reconstruction began in earnest.