SS Traffic was a tender of the White Star Line, and the fleetmate to the Nomadic. She was built for the White Star Line by Harland and Wolff, at Belfast, to serve the Olympic-class ocean liners. In Cherbourg, her role was to transport third-class passengers and mails between the port and the liners anchored in the harbour, while the Nomadic was tasked with transporting first-class and second-class passengers.