RMS Mauretania (1906): Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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{{short description|SisterRunning shipmate of Lusitania}}

{{About|the original Mauretania|the later ship named after it|RMS Mauretania (1938)}}

{{EngvarB|date=November 2013}}

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| Ship operator = [[File:House flag of the Cunard Line.svg|border|20px]] Cunard Line

| Ship registry = {{flagicon|United Kingdom|government}} Liverpool

| Ship route = [[Liverpool]]–[[Cobh|Queenstown]]–[[New York City|New York]] (1907-19191907–1919)

[[Southampton]]-–[[Cherbourg]]-–[[New York City|New York]] (1919-19341919–1934)

| Ship ordered = 1904

| Ship builder = [[Swan Hunter]], [[Northumberland]], England

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| Ship in service = 1907–1934

| Ship out of service = September 1934

| Ship identification = [[Maritime call sign|Wireless call sign]]: MGA (until 1934)

| Ship fate = [[Ship breaking|Scrapped]] in 1935 at [[Rosyth]], Scotland

}}

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| Ship speed = {{cvt|25|kn}} ‐ {{cvt|28|kn}} design service speed

| Ship capacity = * 2,165 passengers total:

** 563 Firstfirst Classclass

** 464 Secondsecond Classclass

** 1,138 Thirdthird Classclass

| Ship crew = 802

| Ship total = 2967

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'''RMS ''Mauretania''''' was ana [[United Kingdom|British]] ocean liner designed by [[Leonard Peskett]] and built by [[WighamSwan RichardsonHunter]] and [[SwanWigham HunterRichardson]] on the River Tyne, England for the British [[Cunard Line]], launched on the afternoon of 20 September 1906. She was the world's largest ship until the launch of {{RMS|Olympic}} in 1910. ''Mauretania'' captured the eastbound [[Blue Riband]] on the maiden return voyage in December 1907, then claimed the westbound Blue Riband for the fastest transatlantic crossing during her 1909 season. She held both speed records for 20 years.<ref name=cross41>Maxtone-Graham 1972, pp. 41–43.</ref>

The ship's name was taken from the ancient Roman province of [[Mauretania]] on the northwest African coast, not the modern [[Mauritania]] to the south.<ref name=maxtone24>Maxtone-Graham 1972, p. 24.</ref> Similar nomenclature was also employed by ''Mauretania''{{'}}s sisterrunning mate {{RMS|Lusitania||2}}, which was named after the Roman province directly north of Mauretania, across the [[Strait of Gibraltar]]<ref name=maxtone24/> in Portugal. ''Mauretania'' remained in service until September 1934, when [[Cunard-White Star Line|Cunard-White Star]] retired her; scrapping commenced in [[Rosyth]], in 1935.

==Overview==

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the [[White Star Line]].<ref name="cross11">Maxtone-Graham 1972, p. 11.</ref>

In the face of these threats the Cunard Line was determined to regain the prestige of dominance in ocean travel not only for the company, but also for the United Kingdom.<ref name="cross11" /><ref name="palaces">''Floating Palaces.'' (1996) A&E. TV documentary. Narrated by Fritz Weaver.</ref> By 1902, Cunard Line and the British government reached an agreement to build two superliners, ''Lusitania'' and ''Mauretania'',<ref name="cross11" /> with a guaranteed service speed of no less than {{convert|24|kn}}. The British government was to loan [[GBP|£]]2,600,000 (equivalent to £{{FormatpriceFormat price|{{Inflation|UK-GDP|2600000|1903|2015|r=-6}}}} in 2015{{Inflation/year|UK-GDP}}){{Inflation-fn|UK-GDP|df=y}} for the construction of the ships, at an interest rate of 2.75%, to be paid back over twenty years, with a stipulation that the ships could be converted to [[armed merchant cruiser]]s if needed.<ref name="layton3">Layton, J. Kent. (2007) Lusitania: An Illustrated Biography, Lulu Press, pp. 3, 39.</ref> Further funding was acquired when the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]] arranged for Cunard to be paid an additional sum per year to their mail subsidy.<ref name="layton3" /><ref>Vale, Vivian, ''The American Peril: Challenge to Britain on the North Atlantic, 1901–04'', pp. 143–183.</ref>

==Design and construction==

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In 1906, ''Mauretania'' was launched by the [[Anne Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe|Duchess of Roxburghe]].<ref>Maxtone-Graham 1972, p. 25.</ref> At the time of her launch, she was the largest moving structure ever built,<ref name=tynestart>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tyneandweararchives.org.uk/mauretania/story-construction.html|title=RMS Mauretania Construction|publisher=Tyne and Wear Archives Service|access-date=23 November 2008}}</ref> and slightly larger in gross tonnage than ''Lusitania''. The main visual differences between ''Mauretania'' and ''Lusitania'' were that ''Mauretania'' was five feet longer and had different vents.<ref>Layton 2007, p. 44.</ref> ''Mauretania'' also had two extra stages of turbine blades in her forward turbines, making her slightly faster than ''Lusitania''. ''Mauretania'' and ''Lusitania'' were the only ships with direct-drive [[steam turbine]]s to hold the Blue Riband; in later ships, reduction-geared turbines were mainly used.<ref>Williams, Trevor. (1982) A short history of twentieth-century technology. Oxford University Press, p. 174.</ref> ''Mauretania''{{'}}s usage of the steam turbine was the largest application yet of the then-new technology, developed by [[Charles Algernon Parsons]].<ref>Maxtone-Graham 1972, p. 15.</ref> During speed trials, these engines caused significant vibration at high speeds; in response, ''Mauretania'' received strengthening members aft and redesigned propellers before entering service, which reduced vibration.<ref>Maxtone-Graham 1972, pp. 38–39.</ref>

[[File:EB1911 Ship - Fig. 29 - Section of 'Mauretania'.png|thumb|Section of ''Mauretania'']]

''Mauretania'' was designed to suit [[Edwardian era|Edwardian]] tastes. The ship's interior was designed by the architect [[Harold Peto]], and her public rooms were fitted out by two notable London design houses – Ch. Mellier & Sons and Turner and Lord,<ref name=tynefit>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tyneandweararchives.org.uk/mauretania/story-fitting%20out.html|title=RMS Mauretania Fitting Out|publisher=Tyne and Wear Archives Service|access-date=25 November 2008}}</ref><ref>Maxtone-Graham 1972, p. 31.</ref> with twenty-eight different types of wood, along with marble, tapestries, and other furnishings such as the stunning octagon table in the smoking room.<ref name=tynefit/><ref name=maxtone33>Maxtone-Graham 1972, pp. 33–36.</ref> Wood panelling for her Firstfirst Classclass public rooms was supposedly carved by three hundred craftsmen from [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] but this seems unlikely, unnecessary and was probably executed by the yard or subcontracted, as were the majority of the second and Thirdthird Classclass areas.<ref>Maxtone-Graham 1972, p. 33.</ref> The multi-level First Classfirst-class Diningdining Saloonsaloon of straw oak was decorated in [[Francis I style]] and topped by a large dome [[skylight (window)|skylight]].<ref name=maxtone33/> A series of elevators, then a rare new feature for liners, with grilles composed of the relatively new lightweight aluminium, were installed next to ''Mauretania''{{'}}s walnut grand staircase.<ref name=maxtone33/> A new feature was the Verandah Café on the Boatboat Deckdeck, where passengers were served beverages in a weather-protected environment, although this was enclosed within a year as it proved unrealistic.<ref name=tynefit/>

==Comparison with the ''Olympic'' class==

{{multiple image

| width = 100px

| image1 = The Steam Turbine, 1911 - Fig 40 - Mauretania and Lusitania.png

| image2 = Olympic and Titanic Side Plan 1911.png

| footer = Diagrams comparing ''Mauretania''{{'}}s side plan (up) with {{RMS|Olympic|3=2}} and {{ship|2=Titanic|4=2}}{{'}}s side plan (down)

| direction = vertical

| total_width = 250px

| align = left

| alt1 = ''Mauretania''{{'}}s side plan, {{circa|1907}}

| alt2 = White Star Line's ''Olympic'' and ''Titanic''{{'}}s side plan, {{circa|1911}}

}}

The [[White Star Line]]'s {{sclass|Olympic|ocean liner|0}} vessels were almost {{convert|100|ft|m|abbr=on}} longer and slightly wider than ''Lusitania'' and ''Mauretania''. This made the White Star vessels about 15,000 [[gross register tonnage|gross register tons]] larger than the Cunard vessels. Both ''Lusitania'' and ''Mauretania'' were launched and had been in service for several years before {{RMS|Olympic|3=2}}, ''[[Titanic]]'' and {{ship|HMHS|Britannic||2}} were ready for the North Atlantic run. Although significantly faster than the ''Olympic'' class would be, the speed and port turnaround times of Cunard's vessels was not sufficient to allow the line to run a weekly two-ship transatlantic service from each side of the Atlantic. A third ship was needed for a weekly service, and in response to White Star's announced plan to build the three ''Olympic''-class ships, Cunard ordered a third ship: {{RMS|Aquitania|3=2}}. Cunard's third ship ''Aquitania'' had a slightly lower service speed, but was a larger and more luxurious vessel.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}

With their increased size the ''Olympic''-class liners could offer more amenities than ''Lusitania'' and ''Mauretania''. Both ''Olympic'' and ''Titanic'' offered swimming pools, [[Victorian Turkish bath|Turkish baths]], a gymnasium, a [[squash court]], large reception rooms, À la Carte restaurants separate from the dining saloons, and more staterooms with private bathroom facilities than their two Cunard rivals.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}

Heavy vibrations as a by-product of the four [[steam turbine]]s on ''Lusitania'' and ''Mauretania'' plagued both ships throughout their careers. When ''Lusitania'' sailed at top speed the vibrations were so severe that Second and Third Class sections of the ship could become uninhabitable.<ref>Archibald, Rick & Ballard, Robert.''The Lost Ships of Robert Ballard,'' Thunder Bay Press: 2005; p. 46.</ref> In contrast, the ''Olympic''-class liners chose economy over speed by installing two traditional [[reciprocating engine]]s and a turbine for the central propeller. With their greater tonnage and wider beam, the ''Olympic''-class liners were also more stable at sea and less prone to rolling. ''Lusitania'' and ''Mauretania'' both featured straight prows in contrast to the angled prows of the ''Olympic'' liners. Designed so that the ships could plunge through a wave rather than crest it, the [[unforeseen consequence]] was that the Cunard liners would pitch forward alarmingly, even in calm weather, allowing huge waves to splash the bow and forward part of the superstructure.<ref>Archibald, Rick & Ballard, Robert."The Lost Ships of Robert Ballard," Thunder Bay Press: 2005; pp. 51–52.</ref>

[[File:EB1911_Ship,_Cunard_Liner,_Mauretania,_with_Turbinia_alongside.jpg|thumb|''Mauretania'' alongside ''[[Turbinia]]'' in 1907.]]

The vessels of the ''Olympic'' class also differed from ''Lusitania'' and ''Mauretania'' in the way in which they were compartmented below the waterline. The White Star vessels were divided by transverse watertight [[bulkhead (partition)|bulkheads]]. While ''Lusitania'' also had transverse bulkheads, she also had longitudinal bulkheads running along the ship on each side, between the boiler and engine rooms and the coal bunkers on the outside of the vessel. The British commission that had investigated the [[Sinking of titanic|sinking of ''Titanic'']] in 1912 heard testimony on the flooding of coal bunkers lying outside longitudinal bulkheads. Being of considerable length, when flooded, these could increase the ship's list and "make the lowering of the boats on the other side impracticable",<ref>{{cite web |title=British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, Day 19, Testimony of Edward Wilding, recalled (20227) |url=https://www.titanicinquiry.org/BOTInq/BOTInq19Wilding01.php |website=Titanic Inquiry Project}}</ref> and this was what later happened with ''Lusitania''. Furthermore, the ship's [[ship stability|stability]] was insufficient for the bulkhead arrangement used: flooding of only three coal bunkers on one side could result in negative [[metacentric height]].{{sfn|Layton|2010|page=55}} On the other hand, ''Titanic'' was given ample stability and sank with only a few degrees list, the design being such that there was very little risk of unequal flooding and possible capsize.{{sfn|Hackett|Bedford|1996|page=171}}

''Lusitania'' did not carry enough lifeboats for all her passengers, officers and crew on board at the time of her maiden voyage (carrying four lifeboats fewer than ''Titanic'' would carry in 1912). This was a common practice for large passenger ships at the time, since the belief was that in busy shipping lanes help would always be nearby and the few boats available would be adequate to ferry all aboard to rescue ships before a sinking. After ''Titanic'' sank, ''Lusitania'' and ''Mauretania'' would be equipped with only six more [[clinker (boat building)|clinker-built]] wooden boats under [[davit]]s, making for a total of 22 boats rigged in davits. The rest of their lifeboat accommodations were supplemented with 26 collapsible lifeboats, 18 stored directly beneath the regular lifeboats and eight on the after deck. The collapsibles were built with hollow wooden bottoms and canvas sides, and needed assembly in the event they had to be used.{{sfn|Simpson|1972|page=159}}

== Early career (1906–1914) ==

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[[File:Mauretania with dazzle camouflage bringing troops home from Europe.jpg|thumb|left|HMT ''Mauretania'' with her second geometric [[dazzle camouflage]] scheme designed by [[Norman Wilkinson (artist)|Norman Wilkinson]]]]

''Mauretania'' was aboutplanned to fillreplace the void left by ''Lusitania'' on the Transatlantic run after the Lusitania was sunk, but she was ordered by the British government to serve as a [[troop ship]] to carry British soldiers during the [[Gallipoli campaign]].<ref name=tynewar/> She avoided becoming prey for German U-boats because of her high speed and the seamanship of her crew. As a troopship, she was painted in dark greys with black funnels, as were her contemporaries.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}

[[File:HMHS Mauretania, navire hôpital (Agence Rol, 1915).jpg|thumb|HMHS ''Mauretania'', ca. 1915]]

When combined forces from the British empire and France began to suffer heavy casualties, ''Mauretania'' was ordered to serve as a [[hospital ship]], along with the ''Aquitania'' and White Star's ''Britannic'', to treat the wounded until 25 January 1916. In medical service the vessel was painted white with buff funnels and large medical [[cross]] emblems<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-29629205|title=Luxury liner played vital war role|work=BBC News |date=13 November 2014}}</ref> surrounding the vessel and possibly illuminated signs starboard and port. Seven months later, ''Mauretania'' once again became a troop ship late in 1916 when requisitioned by the Canadian government to carry Canadian troops from Halifax to Liverpool.<ref name=tynewar/>

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''Mauretania'' arrived at Rosyth in Scotland at about 6 am on 4 July 1935 during a half-gale, passing under Forth Bridge. By 6:30 am she passed the entrance to the Metal Industries yards under the command of Pilot Captain Whince. A lone kilted piper was present at the quayside, playing a funeral lament for the popular vessel. It was reported to author and historian [[John Maxtone-Graham]] that upon the final shut-down of her great engines, she gave a dark "final shudder...". ''Mauretania'' had her last public inspection on 8 July, a Sunday with 20,000 in attendance, with the monies raised going to local charities. Scrapping began shortly after and with great rapidity. Unusually, she was cut up afloat in drydock, with a complex system of wooden battens and pencil marks to monitor her balance. In a month her funnels were gone. By 1936 she was little more than a hulk, and she was beached at the tidal basin at Metal Industries and her remaining structure was scrapped by 1937.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://edwardianliners.weebly.com/mauretania-75th-anniversary.html |title=Mauretania 75th Anniversary |last=Longo |first=Eric K. |date=8 July 2010 |website=Liners of the Edwardian Era |access-date=18 September 2018 }}{{self-published source|date=September 2021}}</ref>{{self-published source|date=September 2021}}

To prevent a rival company using the name and to keep it available for a future Cunard White Star liner, arrangements were made for the [[Red Funnel]] Paddle Steamer ''Queen'' to be renamed ''Mauretania'' in the interim before the launch of the new [[{{RMS |Mauretania (|1938)|RMS ''Mauretania'']]6}} in 1938.<ref>Adams, R. B. [1986] ''Red Funnel and Before''. Kingfisher Publications.{{page needed|date=September 2021}}</ref>{{page needed|date=September 2021}}

The demise of the beloved ''Mauretania'' was protested by many of her loyal passengers, including President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], who wrote a private letter against the scrapping.<ref name=palaces/>

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[[File:Model of RMS Mauretania.jpg|thumb|right|Scale model of ''Mauretania'', located in the Discovery Museum in Newcastle. At the bow is [[Charles Algernon Parsons|Charles Parsons]] ''Turbinia'' of 1897, recreating the meeting of the two great vessels (then first and the largest turbine vessels in the world) on 22 October 1907 – ''Mauretania''{{'}}s departure from the Tyne for her delivery trip to Liverpool and formal trials.]]

An original model of ''Mauretania'' is displayed at the [[Smithsonian Institution]] in Washington, D.C. after a long stay on the retired ''[[{{RMS |Queen Mary|Queen Mary]]''|2}} in Long Beach, California. Originally with a black hull, it was repainted to show her white cruising paint scheme in the 1930s after it was gifted to the RMS ''Queen Mary'' by Franklin DelanoD. Roosevelt.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1342703 |title=Ship model, RMS Mauretania |website=National Museum of American History |language=en |access-date=18 September 2018 }}</ref>

Another scale model of ''Mauretania'' is displayed at the [[Discovery Museum]] in [[Newcastle upon Tyne]]. It is still in its original color scheme.

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And the monstrous nine-decked city goes to sea.</blockquote>

''Mauretania'' is mentioned at the beginning of [[James Cameron]]'s ''[[Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic]]'', when Rose DeWitt Bukater ([[Kate Winslet]]) says thatof ''Titanic'', does“I notdon’t appearsee largerwhat all the fuss is about. It doesn’t look any bigger than the ''Mauretania''”, her snobbish fiancé Caledon Hockley ([[Billy Zane]]) inaccurately explains to her that ''Titanic'' is much“over largera hundred feet longer” and that she is “far more luxuriousluxurious” than ''Mauretania''her older competitor.

The historical novel ''Maiden Voyage'' by British writer Roger Harvey set in Newcastle in the 1900s gives an accurate account of the building of ''Mauretania'' and features characters involved with her turbine engines. The climax of two love stories and a thriller comes as the ship approaches New York on her maiden voyage.

The ship that Spencer Dutton used to return the message from his aunt to return to the Yellowstone Ranch in "1923".<ref>Maiden Voyage by Roger Harvey, New Generation (2017), {{ISBN|978-1-78719-357-4}}</ref>

One of the episodes involving the ship takes place in the 1976 animated series ''[[Candy Candy]]''. According to the plot, the main character, Candy White, goes to study from New York to London on the ''Mauretania'', and after a while, presumably on the same ship, Candy's lover, Terrus Granchester, leaves for New York.

==See also==

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* [http://www.tyneandweararchives.org.uk/mauretania/index.htm Tyne & Wear Archives Service ''Mauretania'' website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070610050432/http://www.tyneandweararchives.org.uk/mauretania/index.htm |date=10 June 2007 }}

* [http://www.atlanticliners.com/mauretania_home.htm ''Mauretania'' Home at Atlantic Liners]

* {{Cite web |url=https://www.chriscunard.com/history-fleet/cunard-fleet/1900-1930/mauretania/ |title=Mauretania |work=Chris' Cunard Page |date=14 February 2015 }}

{{S-start}}

{{S-ach|rec}}

{{S-bef|rows=2|before=[[{{RMS Lusitania|''Lusitania'']]||2}}}}

{{S-ttl|title=Holder of the [[Blue Riband]] (westbound record)|years=1909–1929}}

{{S-aft|rows=2|after=[[{{SS |Bremen (|1928)|''Bremen'']]2}}}}

{{S-break}}

{{S-ttl|title=[[Blue Riband]] (eastbound record) |years=1907–1929}}