Cunard
White Star Line – Cunard Line RMS Mauretania
1938 to 1966
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With
Reuben Goossens
Maritime Historian,
Cruise‘n’Ship Reviewer, Author & Maritime Lecturer
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Note: All ssMaritime and other related
maritime/cruise sites are 100% non-commercial and privately owned. Be assured
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travel/cruise agencies or any other organisations! Although the author has been
in the passenger shipping industry since 1960, although is now retired but
having completed over 700 Classic Liners and
Cargo-Passengers Ships features I trust these will continue to provide classic
ship enthusiasts the information the are seeking, but above all a great deal of
pleasure!
Reuben Goossens.
R.M.S. Mauretania II

Introduction:
After decades of prosperous transatlantic
business, all shipping companies were suddenly faced with great financial
troubles when the great crash occurred in 1929. In fact times became so bad for
Cunard, that the two former rivals Cunard Line and White Star Line decided to
merge in 1934, forming the “Cunard White Star Line.” Due to the
merger, they were granted with greatly needed government subsidies to complete
the ship, which Cunard had commenced to build back in December 1930. To date
the ship was only known as; “Hull
534” and this great ship would eventually become the legendary RMS Queen
Mary. Although the Queen Mary could now be finished with the merger, but it did
not mean that the hard times were over.
Cunard White Star did not have the money to
build more new ships and therefore they were forced to rely on their old
liners. It would not be until 1937 before the Company was able to order a new
ship to be constructed.
Building a Grand New Liner:
Due to economics recuperating, Cunard White
Star Line ordered their first new ship to be built by Cammell Laird & Co.
Ltd, Shipyards at Birkenhead. The first keel
section was laid on May 24, 1937 on Number 6 slipway, which was also birthplace
of the HMS Rodney, HMS Ark Royal and the RMS Samaria.
Work continued and it was on October 23, 1937 that Sir Percy Bates, the
Chairman of Cunard, announced that his wife Lady Bates would launch the ship on
July 28, 1938 and that it had been decided to name the new liner *Mauretania,
stating; “thus reviving a name which has been made famous the world
over by her distinguished 1906 predecessor.”

RMS
Mauretania 1 built in 1906
Very rapidly Cunard White
Star Line commenced to promote their new Trans-Atlantic liner, as she would be
the very largest ever all English built Liner due to commence sailing in 1939.

Cunard
White Star Line released this promotional postcard of the RMS Mauretania prior to her
launching
*In relation to her name, when the 1906 Mauretania 1 was sent to the
breakers’ yard at Rosyth in July
1935 her name removed from Lloyd’s Register, thus Cunard decided to
safeguard her famous name for their new forthcoming liner. For this reason
Cunard approached a local Southampton company “Red Funnel Steamers”
and requested their Directors if they would rename one of their excursion
paddle steamer’s “Mauretania” in order to keep the name
available for them. They were more than happy to oblige and the South Coast
excursion steamer “Queen” was renamed “Mauretania”
from April 1, 1936 until November 1937, when the new ship was officially
registered.

The South
Coast excursion
Steamer, which was renamed “Mauretania”
The Mauretania would be when completed the
largest ship to be constructed in England at a projected gross
tonnage of over 35,000 GRT (Gross Registered Tons). It is true that bigger
ships had been built before in the United Kingdom however these liners
had been built in either Scottish or Irish Shipyards.
Finally on July 28, 1938, the day had arrived
that the very first Cunard White Star vessel was ready to be launched and
workers and countless onlookers were at hand to see the great sight. As had
already been announced by Sir Percy Bates, the honour of christening of the new
liner was given to his wife, Lady Bates. At 12.15 pm Lady Bates officially
named her the “Mauretania” being a great name that naturally
brought to Mind of the legendary *RMS Mauretania of 1906 the famed Blue
Riband-holder, and she pressed the button that sent the new liner into the
water from No 6 slipway. Eight tugs awaited her and they towed her to her
fitting out berth.

The ships
great bow towered above the official party and the massive crowd watching her
slowly slip into the water
From her construction yard the eight tugs
towed the Mauretania to the Cammell Laird
Fit-Out berth for further work to be completed, including her upper works and
her interiors, as well as her masts and funnels being fitted. However, she was
located next to the HMS Ark Royal, the aircraft Carrier, which had preceded her
by 15 months.
On May 14, 1939, after the ship had been
placed in a wet basin, the Mauretania was
taken out of Cammell Laird’s wet basin, and with the aid of six tugs she
was escorted through the Gladstone River Entrance and into the Gladstone
Graving Dock, being no mean navigational feat. It was here where her 50-ton
rudder was fitted.

The Mauretania is seen leaving the Cammell Laird wet basin
with the aid of six tugs
Some 17 days later, on May 31, the Mauretania
departed Liverpool for her acceptance trials on the Clyde,
with Captain A.T. Brown, RD, RNR, being in command. Her trials were run over
the ‘Arran Mile’ and the Mauretania
recorded a run of 25.34 knots at 47,800 SHP. Her trials were completed to
the satisfaction of the builders and the Cunard-White Star and her owners. The
Mauretania (2) returned to Liverpool where she
was formally handed over to Cunard-White Star. A very happy Sir Percy Bates,
commented; “There has never been a Cunard ship that has gone through her
trials with less trouble, with less fuss with almost an air of casual ease,
than this ship has done.” Statistically, the RMS Mauretania 2 was
the twelfth largest and sixth fastest liner in the world in 1939.
Passengers & Interiors:
As time would pass in the future, the RMS
Mauretania would always be considered as a somewhat smaller version of the RMS
Queen Elizabeth as her overall design and profile was so very similar, as can
be seen below.

This
illustration of the Mauretania reveals the
Queen Elizabeth similarity, having that same beautiful hull and
a traditional cruiser
stern, two tall masts and funnels as well as a similar lifeboat and deck
arrangement
The Mauretania’s
interiors were superbly designed and her interiors featured what was known as
the “Late Art Deco-style,” which could be seen throughout each of
the three classes, although in a lesser degree in Third Class.
It had been decided no to commence with a
First Class, but instead the highest grade being Cabin Class, which had 440
passengers, Tourist Class had 450 passengers, and Third Class had 470. Looking
after them were a good 780 to 803 officers and crew. However, it need to be
said that both Cabin and Tourist Classes were equal to First and Second Class
on the larger major Trans-Atlantic liners!

A
stylish Cabins Class Entrance Hall and a finely crafted Staircase

Above
& below: The Cabin Class Grand Hall was two
decks high in the middle
and was in fact far more grandiose that
these photographs reveal


Here we
see a most comfortable and an elegant Cabin Class Dining Saloon, and which does
look so very British!

One of the
delightful Tourist Class Lounges with a bar placed along a sidewall

The
Tourist Class Dining Saloon

Considering
this is a Outside Third Class 2 or 3 berth cabin, it
certainly is of a high standard for the 1930!
Maiden Voyage & Early
Voyages:
On Saturday June 17, 1939 with a complement of
a good 1,000 passengers aboard, the new RMS Mauretania (2) departed Liverpool
for her maiden voyage under the command of Captain A. T.
Brown, who had delivered the 1906 Mauretania
(1) to the ship breakers in July 1935. The RMS Mauretania 2 sailed via
Cobh Ireland and after a
very short stay to take on board some immigrants; she headed across the
Atlantic Ocean for New York.
She arrived at New York early in the morning
of Saturday June 24, and as she steamed up the Hudson
where she received that famous traditional New York harbour welcome.

RMS
Mauretania seen departing Liverpool for her Maiden Voyage to New York
The white vessel
forward of the liner is the Isle of Man ferry
Mona’s Queen
Her return voyage from New York was to Southampton and a call to Cherbourg. This time, she
had a full complement of passengers and the Mauretania arrived at Southampton on July 7. For interest, her times for her
maiden round-voyage were as follows:
Westbound: Mersey Bar Lightship to Ambrose Channel Light Vessel at New York: 5 days, 21 hours & 40 minutes; Average
speed 20.60 knots (including a stay at Cobh
of 4 hours and 24 minutes).
Eastbound:
Ambrose Channel Light Vessel to Cherbourg:
5 days, 22 hours, 22 minutes; average speed: 22 knots.
She again headed to New
York, and after a one-week turnaround in “The Big
Apple” the RMS Mauretania returned to Southampton.
Following her next westbound crossing, she called at Southampton, Le Havre and finally London on her return trip.
The Mauretania was the largest ship ever to navigate the Thames
and use the Royal Docks.
It was on August 6, 1939 that the Mauretania
arrived in London’s
King George V Dock. There were over 100,000 people watching the almost
three-hour passage from Tilbury, with the London Pilot Harry Stowers on the Bridge. The Mauretania
cleared the entrance lock with a mere 42 inches to spare on either side. The
new ship was the largest ever to enter the King George V Dock, and this was the
one and only occasion she would.

Mauretania
is seen entering London’s
King George V Dock on August 6, 1939
On August 12, 1939 the Mauretania departed London for Southampton, Le Havre
and headed for New York,
where she arrived on August 18, with 1,152 passengers. The next day she sailed
on a six-day cruise to Nova Scotia and Bermuda.

An
excellent starboard view of the RMS Mauretania
HMT Mauretania
the WW2 Troopship:
But sadly, after a mere two months of
Trans-Atlantic service, Hitler’s German Armies invaded Poland and
commenced what became one of the most hideous and murderous wars waged by man,
for Hitler and his madmen commenced to slaughter as many Jews, those with
Mental problems, Homosexuals, the disabled and Jehovah Witnesses and any he did
not like, but the Holocaust saw the slaughter of six million Jews and an equal
number of other poor souls, let alone soldiers who died because evil people
allow a mad man take control. This was World War Two.
As the situation in Europe was rapidly
deteriorating, after a seven-day turnaround in New York the HMT Mauretania departed on
August 26, with 740 passengers on board, for close to her departure there had
been 262 cancellations. Then, the news came that Germany
had invaded Poland on
September 1, 1939 was received in mid-Atlantic, and the Mauretania was ordered
to proceed directly to Southampton, and not call at Cobh.
She arrived at Southampton on the very day
that war was declared; September 3, 1939.
On her return she was requisitioned by the
Government. The Mauretania was armed with two 6-inch (150 mm) guns
and some smaller weapons, whilst she was painted in battle grey, and she was
despatched to America
by the end of December 1939.
For three months the Mauretania lay idle in New York, docked
alongside the Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary, and the French Line's
Normandie, until had been decided to use her as a troopship. On March 20, 1940
the HMT Mauretania departed from New York
bound for Sydney Australia, sailing via Panama. She had an exciting voyage
out to Australia via Bilbao, San Francisco
and Honolulu,
tracked for much of the way by the enemy and having to evade concentrations of
U-boats that were known to be lying in wait for her. In Sydney she would be converted for her new
trooping role. This conversion work was carried out in April and in May and
then she left Sydney
as part of one of the greatest convoy’s ever
mustered for the transport of troops. The convoy consisted of the Queen
Mary, Queen Elizabeth, and the Aquitania, with 2,000 troops on board
the HMT Mauretania bound for the River Clyde as she sailed via South Africa.
Other notable liners in this great convoy were Empress of
Britain, Empress of Canada, Empress of Asia, and the famous Dutch liner Nieuw
Amsterdam.

The HMT
Mauretania seen in Convoy and in great company!

Soldiers
slept in simple bunk bed style of accommodations, but beds in this photograph
happened to be in a Cabin Class
lounge as vertical mahogany panels can be seen on the walls
During the early stages of the war HMT
Mauretania transported Australian troops to Suez,
India as well as to Singapore but later she mostly served in the North Atlantic. Like Aquitania she amassed well over
50,000 sea miles during the course of her early war duties, first crossing of
the Indian Ocean, then working the Atlantic
with American and Canadian troops and finally serving in the Pacific.

Troopship
HMT Mauretania is seen in her wartime grey livery in Sydney
One of her wartime voyages, of
28,662 nautical miles (53,082 km) duration, took her right around the
world, taking 82 days to complete. During this epic voyage she established a
speed record for the crossing time from Fremantle,
Australia to Durban, South Africa. The 4,000-mile (6,400 km)
distance was covered in 8 days and 19 hours at an average speed of
21.06 knots (39.00 km/h). Another wartime troop transport voyage
began in New York on May 10, 1943 and ended in Bombay on June 24, 1943, with
ports of call being, Trinidad, Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town and Diego Suarez.
However, on January 8, 1941 she was involved in a minor collision with the
American tanker SS Hat Creek in New York harbour.
Once the war had concluded, the HMT
Mauretania made several further voyages for the Government repatriating
troops. This mainly saw the ship heading to Canada
and Singapore.
In addition, the HMT Mauretania took the first dedicated sailing of
English War Brides and their children (400 wives and 354 babies)
being taken to Canada to join their husbands, she departed Liverpool on
February 5, 1946 and they landed at Pier 21 at Halifax. She returned
to Liverpool with 2,752 German Prisoners of
War on board.
The now highly regarded Trooper, the HMT
Mauretania made one last voyage to the Far East from Liverpool to Singapore on June 26, 1946 and it proved to be
yet another voyage for the record books: Mersey Bar Lightship to Sultan Shoal
in Singapore
a total of 8,426 miles, completed in 16 days, 20 hours and 31 minutes. However
her homeward voyage was even faster, being completed in 16 days, 1 hour and 30
minutes. Altogether she had sailed 16,863 miles at an average speed of 23.11 knots,
a great testament to her engineers, considering the ship had had no maintenance
over the past six-years!
The HMT Mauretania's very last voyage as a
troopship was from Liverpool once again to Halifax, Nova Scotia,
but this voyage was indeed very special, for who was on board? It was no other than Field Marshall Viscount
Montgomery.
Finally after six long years, she may have
been weather beaten, scarred, but a very proud ship lovingly known as the HMT
Mauretania and she finally arrived home
in Liverpool for the last time in that wartime grey livery, on September 2,
1946 where she disembarked 600 passengers.

HMT
Mauretania is seen here berthed at the Princes Landing Stage, disembarking the
last of her wartime passengers
As a troopship HMT Mauretania travelled a
grand total of 542,446 miles (870,000 km) and carried 350,178 troops.
Although the HMT Mauretania was not designed to be an exceptionally fast ship,
and during her war duty her engines had received little attention for her six
long years of service operating as a troopship. However, she achieved a turn of
speed in 1945 making the passage from Bombay to
the UK via the Cape at an average speed of 23.4 knots. On September
2, 1946 she returned to Liverpool and she was
officially released from Government service. and she
was sent to Gladstone Dock to be reconditioned by Cammell Laird & Co., to
be returned return to Cunard White Star service.
Return to Being a Luxury Liner:
Within a few hours of disembarking her 600
passengers at the Princes Landing Stage in Liverpool the Mauretania
was moved into the Cammell Laird Gladstone Dock to commence the huge process of
restoring the ship back to her designed role as a luxury Trans-Atlantic liner.
Cammell Laird had a workforce of some 1,500,
many of whom had helped build the ship, for her restoration was almost like
starting over again. The rusty grey wartime paint had to be sandblasted off, a
great deal of weathered decking had to be replanked
with new teak planks, worn machinery had to be renewed or completely replaced
as well as the gun emplacements having to be removed. In addition there was
furniture and fixtures that had been stored, be it close by or as far away as
Sydney Australia. All had to be obtained and carefully
restored. Also, the wartime ballast of 400 tons of pig iron and 700 tons of
sand had to be removed. In the meantime, the Mersey Docks & Harbour Board’s
floating crane Mammoth removed the 76-ton aft funnel on September 23, 1946 to
allow access to the engine room. In total the ship refit cost £1 million pounds
and Cunard White Star Line announced on March 2, 1947 that the RMS Mauretania
would return in all her glory to service on April 26, 1947.
The, the as good as new RMS Mauretania
departed Liverpool on April 18, 1947 on a special two-night “Shakedown
Cruise” to the Hebrides for 400 special
guests of the Company. However, it seemed that the British weather conspired to
make this one of the liner’s most challenging of voyages. Heeding gale
warnings, Captain R. G. B. Woollatt brought his ship
off the Mersey Bar on April 21, by then, however, the winds were so fierce that
the Mauretania was not able to proceed up the sea channels to Liverpool and she
was forced to seek shelter in “Moelfre Bay,”
off the north coast of Anglesey. Her anchors
were dragging, and therefore the Mauretania had to ride out the storm on the Irish Sea. It was not until April 24 that she was able to
return alongside Princes Landing Stage. Thus the Shakedown Cruise did not prove
to be a great success, except for those who did not mind a heavy sea! In Liverpool, her crew and shipyard
workers rapidly completed final work required, including storing within
forty-eight hours to keep the ship to schedule.
The heavily booked RMS Mauretania finally
departed on what was likened to being her second maiden Trans-Atlantic voyage
from Liverpool to New York,
departing on April 26, 1947. Although she had another rough and a somewhat slow
crossing and she arrived in New York
on May 2, several hours late.

The RMS
Mauretania was given a huge send-off on her first post-war commercial departure
from Liverpool
The Mauretania
was never in more demand, and during the balance of 1947 carried 23,997
passengers, or better than 90% passenger capacity. Even when the RMS Queen Mary
returned to service in August 1947, the RMS Mauretania continued to supplement
the ‘Queens’ with Southampton, Cherbourg,
Cobh to New
York sailings every seventeen days. But, she never
returned to London
and her previous cargo capacity was never fully utilised again.
Mauretania the Part Time Cruise Ship:
In January 1948 she commenced to operate the
first of five cruises from New York to the West Indies. Whilst cruising she would accommodate no more
than 750 passengers in a One Class configuration. In addition for her new role,
four of her lifeboats were replaced by motorised tenders, as at some Caribbean ports passengers required to be transferred
ashore and back to the ship per tender.

A fine
colour postcard of the RMS Mauretania
These so-called ‘dollar earning
cruises’ assisted the “shattered British economy.” But for
the rest of the year she continued on the Southampton to New
York service and during the Northern Hemisphere winter months she
operated cruises from New York.
When Mauretania was taken in for her annual overhaul at Liverpool in December 1957 the opportunity was taken to
fit air conditioning throughout the ship.

The
Mauretania is seen in one of the Locks, during one of her Panama
Canal cruises
The RMS Mauretania soon gained her own loyal
following and between 1947 and 1957 she made some 260 Atlantic crossings,
transporting a good 241,286 passengers, being an average passenger loading of
82.5%. She sailed without any faults or problem and she proved to be a far
steadier sea boat than the two much larger ‘Queens,’ and she
certainly had none of the newer RMS Caronia’s of 1948, engine problems
and handling difficulties.
In 1950 the Mauretania
was transferred to the sole ownership of Cunard Line
In October 1957, the now middle-aged liner
Mauretania returned to Liverpool where she
would be given a comprehensive £500,000, three-month refit. This would see the
ship receive the installation of air-conditioning throughout the ship.
Air-conditioning certainly made the popular Mauretania more competitive on the Caribbean cruise trade.

This is
one of those amazing New York
Harbour port photographs. RMS Mauretania is seen berthed at the top Pier 92
Coming in
is RMS Queen Elizabeth heading for Pier
90, the smaller white ship is the Greek Line TSS
Olympia, next to her
is the United States Lines SS Unites States and the SS
America, finally the American Export Lines SS
Independence
However, as with all shipping on the Atlantic
and world-wide passengers were difficult to find for liner services, as air
travel was becoming more and more popular, for it was both faster and fares
were coming down rapidly! Thus, Mauretania’s
services on the Trans Atlantic run was becoming very much a surplus, with the
ship frequently carrying no more than just a third of her total capacity. Thus
In 1962 the HMT Mauretania made no profits for
her owners, and so it was decided that she would be used almost only for
cruising. She was painted in light green, like the Caronia, giving her a more
leisure look. Her passenger capacity was reduced a little to make her more
suitable as a cruise ship. The following year, on March 28th 1963,
she started her new Mediterranean service between New York,
Cannes, Genoa
and Naples. But
this was a new route for Cunard and the competition was hard. The Italian
Line's Leonardo da Vinci and Cristoforo Colombo stole
almost the whole clientele, and Cunard soon returned the HMT Mauretania to her
old service in the Caribbean. She made
periodic appearances on the transatlantic run, but spent the most of her time
cruising in warmer waters.
The Cruising Green Mauretania in 1962:
In October 1962 the Mauretania it was decided
to Drydock her at Southampton for a complete
transformation and a refit. Her accommodation was revised as follows’,
406 First Class, 364 Cabin Class, and 357 Tourist Class. In addition, she was
repainted in Caronia’s “Cruising Green.”

Cunard
released this postcard of the new look Mauretania
The all-new looking RMS Mauretania emerged
two-and-a-half months later, yet what was somehow that “Caronia’s
image” detracted from the beautiful classic lines of the Mauretania. That rather bilious green hull came to
symbolise Mauretania’s declining years.

The new
look Green Mauretania seen in New
York
Then, in August 1962 Cunard Line decided to
commence a new cruise operation from New York
to the Mediterranean, being a 41-day cruise.
She operated this cruise in February and March 1963, with the Mauretania
departing New York on March 28, with 676
passengers, calling at Gibraltar, Cannes, Genoa, and Naples.
She departed Naples on April 19, with a mere 123 passengers bound for New York,
However, there was a slight improvement, as her average load factor was sadly a
miserable 14% on this new Mediterranean cruise service. One of the big problems
was that Italy and the United States were protecting their subsidised services,
not granting permission for emigrants to travel on the Mauretania.

Mauretania
is seen in New York’s
Cunard Pier 90 in icy wintery conditions
She resumed her summer Trans-Atlantic services
but now she was sailing from Southampton to New York, but loadings proved to be
very poor, thus for the 1964 cruise season she was again employed on the
popular New York to the West Indies cruise again, which had generally good
loadings. However that was only for a short period of the year

The
Mauretania is seen here in the port of
Hamburg Germany in around 1964/1965
Photograph by
& Copyright © Helmut-Groening
The RMS Mauretania was sailing with the other
Cunard Passenger Liners and were doing so as Cunard was
losing a good £1 million in the first six months of 1965. Therefore, finally on
February 10 1965 Cunard sadly announced that due to “excessive costs to
keep the Liner up to Company standards,” the Mauretania
would be withdrawn in November.
RMS Mauretania departed New York for the final time on September 12
1965 for an epic last voyage, having some 307 passengers on board, who would
spend sixty-one days and 14,600 miles visiting some thirty-one ports. Although
it being an already melancholy cruise, it was made sadder with the announcement
on October 4, that the Mauretania would soon
be broken up. She would be the largest British liner to be scrapped since the
RMS Aquitania.
Thus, it was on September 15, 1965 that Cunard
announced that she was to be decommissioned and sold to the highest bidder. In
fact, even before RMS Mauretania returned to Southampton on November 10, a
highest bidder had already been accepted at 360,000 made by “Thomas W.
Ward” at Inverkeithing on the Firth of Forth, Scotland.
RMS Mauretania departed New York for the final time on September 12
1965 for an epic last voyage, having some 307 passengers on board, who would
spend sixty-one days and 14,600 miles visiting some thirty-one ports.
Although it being an already melancholy
cruise, it was made sadder with the announcement on October 4, that the Mauretania would soon be broken up. She would be the
largest British liner to be scrapped since the RMS Aquitania.
But as the RMS Mauretania returned home for
the very last time and sailed up Southampton Water on November 10, the weather
was suitably dismal as the Mauretania was flying her paying-off pennant from
her aft Mainmast!
Destoring commenced, and a few items were
removed whilst Mauretania was in Southampton
and she was then taken away. On November 23rd the HMT Mauretania
arrived at Ward's ship breaking yard in Inverkeithing,
Scotland. There she was cut
up during the years of 1965 and 1966.
The great RMS Mauretania, which
had served both; Cunard White Star Line and then Cunard Line, as well as her
country during WW2, and now she had finally come to the end of her days after
27 wonderful years of service.
This Great Lines and Cruise Ship departed
Southampton at 12 noon on November 20, 1965 under the commanded by Captain John
Treasure Jones (also was the captain of the RMS Queen Mary on her
final voyage), who navigated the mud straits of the Forth without tugs, and she
arrived alongside The Ward's wharf at Inverkeithing on November 23. Captain
Treasure Jones rang “Finished with Engines” on the telegraph and
the life then ebbed from the once great Liner!

The Mauretania is seen at the Thomas W. Ward Ship breakers
yard on November 23, 1965
R.M.S. Mauretania Specifications and
Details:….
Official Number:……………………166267.
Signal Letters:……………………….GTTM.
Operators:………………………………Cunard
White Star Line - 1938 to 1950.
……………………………………………….Cunard Line:1950 to 1965
Owned by::………………………….…Cunard
Steamship Co. Ltd.
Port of Registry:………………………Liverpool.
Builder:…………………………………..Cammell
Laird of Birkenhead, England.
Launched:……………………………….July 28, 1938.
Maiden Voyage:………………………June
17, 1939
Gross Tonnage:………………………35,738
GRT, 19,654 Net.
Length:……………………………………772ft
- 235m.
Beam:……………………………………..89.6ft
- 27m.
Draught:………………….………………30.10ft
- 9.39m.
Propulsion:………………………………6
Parson Single Reduction Steam Turbines.
Screws:…………………………………..Twin,
42,000 SHP.
Speed:…………………………………….23 knots, maximum of 25.34 knots.
Passengers:…………………………….440 Cabin Class, 450 Tourist Class, and 470 Third
Class - as built.
……………………………………………….406 First Class, 364 Cabin Class, and 357 Tourist Class - after 1962
refit.
Crew:………………………………………780
to 802.
Fate:……………………………………….Sold to be broken up November 1965.
Broken up at:………………………… Thomas W.
Ward shipbreaking Yard in Inverkeithing,
Fife in Scotland
in 1966.
Remembering the Grand Dame
Of the Atlantic
~ R.M.S Mauretania

Also Remembering her as the World War
Two Hero that Came Home!

An
excellent stern view of HMT Mauretania as she returns home having travelled a
grand total of 542,446 miles
(870,000 km) and carried 350,178 troops
“Blue Water Liners sailing to the distant shores.
I watched them come, I watched them go and I watched
them die.”
****************************
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funding or favours and never have and never will.
Photographs on ssmaritime
and associate pages are either by the author or from the author’s private
collection. In addition there are some images and photographs
that have been provided by Shipping Companies or private photographers
or collectors. Credit is given to all contributors, however, there are some
photographs provided to me without details regarding the photographer or owner
concerned. Therefore, I hereby invite if owners of these images would be so
kind to make them-selves known to me (my email address can be found at the
bottom of the page on www.ssmaritime.com), in order that due credit may be given.
ssMaritime is owned & © Copyright
by Reuben Goossens - All Rights Reserved