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Cunard’s Mauretania was
launched three months after her near
identical sister ship Lusitania.
In an attempt to improve on
Lusitania’s top speed,
Cunard had Mauretania fitted with
larger propellers and turbines with more
rows of blades.
Mauretania’s maiden voyage
from Liverpool - New York began November
16th 1907. She took the eastbound record
from Lusitania three weeks later
by increasing the average speed from
23.61 to 23.69 knots.
Mauretania’s two inner
propellers were damaged beyond repair
after hitting a submerged object May 2nd
1908. Although the new four bladed
propellers fitted at that time gave
Mauretania a higher top speed, it
took until September 1909 for her to take
the Blue Riband from Lusitania on
the westbound route. She increased
the average speed in that direction from
25.65 to 26.06 knots. Mauretania
then held the record in both directions
until the North German Lloyd Line’s
Bremen entered service in
1929.
Mauretania was on route to
New York when Britain declared war on
Germany August 4th 1914. Cunard responded
to the outbreak of war by ordering her
captain to change course for
Halifax/Canada. Before reaching Canada,
the British Admiralty ordered Cunard to
have Mauretania returned to
Liverpool for conversion to a troopship.
In response to Turkey joining Germany in
an attack on Russian ports in the Black
Sea October 29th 1914, Britain and their
Allies deployed 480,000 troops to invade
Turkey. The invasion forces landed at
Gallipoli and a long and bloody battle
followed.
Mauretania as a hospital
ship
Mauretania’s first
deployments during the war were to
transport troops to the Island of Lemnos
(the Allies base for the Gallipoli
Campaign). Between October 21st 1915 and
January 25th 1916, Mauretania had
to make several voyages between Liverpool
and Gallipoli as a hospital ship to
evacuate the wounded. Her next deployment
in September 1916 was to make two runs
between Halifax and Liverpool, this being
to transport Canadian troops bound for
the war in France. The completion of that
task saw Mauretania laid up in the
Clyde over the following five months.
After being returned to the war effort in
March 1918, she successfully transported
over 30,000 US troops to Europe before
the war came to an end in November
1918.
Mauretania as a cruise
ship
Cunard had to wait until the
repatriation of American and Canadian
troops had been completed before having
Mauretania’s interiors
restored at Southampton. The completion
of that work allowed Cunard to operate
her on the Southampton - New York run
from September 21st 1921. The following
year, Mauretania’s
coal-fired boilers were converted to oil
burning, this contributing to her
increasing the eastbound Atlantic
crossing record to 26.25 knots August
25th 1924. With the depression continuing
into the 1930s, Cunard was forced to
operate Mauretania more as a
cruise ship to help keep her in service.
Her final cruise to the West Indies
arrived back at Southampton October 2nd
1934. After nine months docked at
Southampton, Mauretania set out on
her final voyage to the ship breakers at
Rosyth/Scotland July 1st 1935.
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