|
| |
| The Aquitania was the longest
serving Cunard liner built in the 20th century and survived service in both World Wars.
Originally the ship was planned to to operate on the North Atlantic service alongside the
Lusitania and Mauretania. The contract to build the ship went to John Brown & Co and
great publicity was given to the fact that it would be the largest liner in the world. The
Aquitania was launched on 21 April by the Countess of Derby in front of a crowd of over
100,000 people. Cunard made sure that lifeboat accommodation was provided for all those on
board, in the light of theTitanic disaster. It was announced in February 1914 that Captain
William Turner would be the first master of the ship. The Aquitania's passenger
accommodation was superior to anything seen on the North Atlantic before. The first class
drawing room was decorated in the Adam style, copied from certain features in Landsdowne
House in London. The walls were adorned with prints of English seaports and portraits of
Royalty and prominent people of the day. The smoking room was modelled on Greenwich
Hospital with oak panelling and beams, the restaurant was decorated in Louis XIV style and
the grill room was decorated in Jacobean style. With public rooms of this standard and
passenger cabins superior to those on previous Cunarders it was no surprise that the
Aquitania became one of the best-known Cunard liners. The Aquitania left Liverpool on its
maiden voyage on 30 May 1914, bound for New York. The tragic loss of the Empress of
Ireland, and 1,000 of those on board, the day before overshadowed this event. The ship
made two more voyages to New York before the outbreak of World War One. It was then
requisitioned by the Government to serve as an armed merchant cruiser and was converted
for this role in Liverpool. It was then commissioned into the Royal Navy on 7 August and
its first assignment was to patrol the Western Approaches, returning to the Mersey on 16
August. On its next voyage in this role it collided with the Leyland ship Canadian on 22
August, during thick fog, and had to return to Liverpool. The subsequent enquiry concluded
that the Aquitania was too large to be used as an armed merchant cruiser. Repair work on
the ship was finished by the end of 1914. On 18 June 1915 it was again requisitioned by
the Government, this time to serve as a troopship and assist in the Gallpoli campaign. On
25 June it left Liverpool with a full complement of over 5,000 troops on board. After
three voyages as a troop transport it was then converted into a hospital ship and served
this role during December 1915 and January 1916. On 10 April 1916 it was de-commissioned
from Government service and was reconditioned by Harland & Wolff in order to return to
Cunard service. When this was almost complete the Government was forced to requisition the
Aquitania once again to serve as a hospital ship in November 1916. The ship served in the
Mediterranean for the rest of the year and was then anchored in the Solent for the whole
of 1917. The entry of the USA into the war in December 1917 brought the ship back into
service to transport the American Expeditionary Force. After the war it was also used in
the repatriation of Canadian troops. From November 1919 until June 1920 the ship underwent
an extensive refit at Armstrong Whitworth & Co on the Tyne. Whilst this was being done
the opportunity was taken to convert the ship to oil burning, as opposed to coal. After
trials north of Scotland, it made its next voyage from Liverpool to New York on 17 July.
After returning from this the ship was to operate on the Southampton-Cherbourg-New York
route, along with the Mauretania andBerengaria. During annual winter refits in 1926 1927
and 1928 the passenger accommodation was extensively modernised. In 1930 it was even used
as an art gallery for one voyage. In 1932 the Aquitania was used as a cruise ship for the
first time. It left New York on 3 February and cruised around the Mediterranean. Further
cruises on this route and New York-Bermuda route were accomplished later in the year. In
November the ship underwent considerable internal reconstruction. First class
accommodation was reduced to 650, tourist class was enlarged but the passenger
accommodation reduced to 600 and third class was altered to cater for 950 passengers. All
public rooms were renovated and a theatre was added. For the rest of the period up until
the Second World War it continued a mixture of Atlantic crossings and cruises. The
Aquitania was then requisitioned as a troop transport on 21 November 1939. At first it was
used to transport Canadian troops. During 1940 it underwent a refit in America and was
defensively armed with six inch guns. From March onwards it was based in Sydney
transporting Australian and New Zealand troops, also making two passages between Pearl
Harbour and San Fransisco. For the remainder of the war it was employed on the Atlantic,
and after the war had ended in the repatriation on Canadian and American troops. Later it
was also used to to carry the wives and children of Canadian servicemen over to Canada. On
1 April 1948 it was released by the Ministry of Transport and returned to Cunard. It was
then chartered by the Canadian Government to carry Canadian emigrants between Southampton
and Halifax. This contract was renewed in 1949. By 1 December 1949 this role had been
fulfilled and later that month Cunard announced that the Aquitania would be withdrawn from
service. On 9 January 1950 Messrs Hampton & Sons Ltd were employed to auction the
vessels furnishings and equipment. Later that month the ship was sold to the British Iron
& Steel Corporation Ltd for £125,000. The ship then sailed from Southampton to
Faslane, in Scotland where it was broken up. . |
|
