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Originally a White Star liner, the Mauretania was sister ship to the ill-fated Lusitania, but unlike the Lusitania, she enjoyed a long and successful life becoming one of the most popular ships on the Atlantic run.
Launched in 1906 from the yards of Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson at Newcastle, she was 790 foot long with a displacement of 31,958 tons, and she carried more than 2,000 passengers, with a crew of 850. In November 1907 she took the Atlantic Blue Riband for her sister ship with a speed of 23.69 knots; this was on the East bound run. In 1908 she took the Riband on the West bound run with a speed of 24.86 knots, and held the coveted trophy until 1929 when the German liner Bremen took the Riband.
During the First World war Mauretania served briefly as an armed cruiser. This was a secondary role that she and the Lusitania were originally designed to fulfil, but the Mauretania proved to be totally unsuitable for the task. For the remainder of the War, she served firstly as a hospital ship and then a troopship. Released from military service in 1919 she returned to the Atlantic run, but she was thirteen years old and a decision about her future became increasingly urgent.
In 1921 she suffered a serious fire at Southampton. In conjunction with repairs, it was decided to give her a major overhaul and convert her engines to oil burning. These changes gave her a new lease of life. She was better than new now, and continued to serve until 1935, when she was finally broken up. She held the Blue Riband for a record 22 years, a record that will now never be broken.
Signed
Watercolour & gouache
12.75 x 21.75 inches
32.5 x 55.25 cms.
Framed Size
25 x 33.5 inches; 63.5 x 85 cms.
SOLD