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| Owners: | Cunard Line |
| Builders: | John Brown And Company yards in Clydebank , Scotland |
| Laid down: | December, 1910 |
| Launched: | April 21st , 1913 |
| Christened: | April 21st , 1913 |
| Maiden voyage: | May 29th , 1914 |
| Fate: | Served a long and successful career but, in 1950 , after 35 years of service, it was eventually scrapped like most of the other ships of that time.
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| General Characteristics |
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| Tonnage: | 45,647 |
| Length: | 901 feet (275.2 m) |
| Beam: | 97 feet (29.6 m) |
| Power: | Steam turbines powering four propellers. 59,000 shaft horsepower (44 MW), |
| Propulsion: | Four quadruple screw propellers |
| Speed: | 23 knots |
| Complement: | ''1914'' - 618 First, 614 Second, 1,998 Third
''1926'' - 610 First, 950 Second, 640 Tourist, 972 crew |
The '' was an
Ocean Liner built by
John Brown And Company ,
Clydebank ,
Scotland , for the
Cunard Line . She had four stacks - like the ''
Titanic '' and ''
Mauretania '' - but ''Aquitania'' was considered the most beautiful of all four-stackers, earning her the nickname "Ship Beautiful".
The origins of the ''Aquitania'' lie in the rivalry between the
White Star Line and
Cunard ,
Britain 's two leading shipping companies. With the launching of the ''
Olympic '' and the ''
Titanic '' (both of which outweighed the latest
Cunard ships ''
Mauretania '' and ''
Lusitania '' by 15,000 tons) the Cunard Line felt that it needed to have the largest and fastest, all in one ship. The ''
Mauretania '' had already given Cunard title of "fastest ship in the world" but sought "largest ship in the world" as well, and plans were set to design a new ship.
The designer of the ''
Mauretania '' was
Leonard Peskett who was again hired to design the new ship. Basically he would design a larger version of the famous ''Mauretania'' with touches of the Carmania/Caronia(both 1905) superstructure design thrown in.
The ''Aquitania'' was built at John Brown and Company yards in
Clydebank ,
Scotland , where most Cunard ships were built. During construction the ''
Titanic '' tragedy struck, so more lifeboats were added to the ''Aquitania''. Her designs were under strict Admiralty supervision, because even though World War I was still a number of years off, the idea that the Aquitania would be able to be converted for military use as an armed merchant cruiser had high marks with the admiralty.
She was launched on
April 21st ,
1913 and was immediately set out for a thirteen month fitting out. In May of
1914 she was tested in her sea trials and steamed at a full knot over the expected speed.
''Aquitania'' has often been called a "floating palace" due to her spectacular interior. Her
Palladian lounge rose through two decks and was reminiscent of the work of
Sir Christopher Wren . The dining room also rose through two decks and was just as luxurious, being designed in the
Louis XVI style. All first class public rooms showed rich and tasteful works of art, designs and decorations which gave ''Aquitania'' a great reputation among travellers. A popular spot was the Garden Lounge, a quaint cafe which gave the impression of an old garden. Glazed windows at the sides and at the after end afforded protection from the wind. The furniture consisted of wicker chairs, settees and tables. Indeed, her interiors were the definition of luxury.
Her exterior has been called "boxy" by some, but others argue that it had lean beauty.
May 29th ,
1914 saw the ''Aquitania'' set sail on her maiden voyage. The next month the
Archduke Franz Ferdinand Of Austria would be assassinated and the world would be plunged into
World War I , cutting short ''Aquitania'''s career. After only three round trips she was taken over for military use, serving both as a trooper and hospital ship, at one time carrying over 8,000 men. Consequently in the spring of 1915, she was converted into a trooper, and made voyages to the
Dardanelles , and then was converted into a hospital ship. However, in 1916, she was returned to the trooping front, and then in 1917, she was laid up. In 1918, she was back on the high seas in more military service, and then in June 1919, she ran a Cunard "austerity service" between
Southampton and
New York .
In December
1919 , the Aquitania docked at the
Armstrong Whitworth yards in
Newcastle in order to be refitted for post-war service. The major change was that she was converted from coal to oil-burning. Other than that, all her original fittings and art pieces were brought out of storage and reinstalled. Sadly, though, as she was being refitted, an engine room explosion killed one of her crew members.
During the
Twenties the ''Aquitania'' became one of the most popular liners, if not the most popular. She sailed with the ''Mauretania'' and ''
Berengaria '' in a trio that would be known as "The Big Three". As times grew better and better, the ''Aquitania'' grew into the role of being one of the most profitable ocean liners in all history. The
American restriction of immigrants in the early
Twenties ended the age of mass-emigration from
Europe , but as ocean travel was the only means of transportation between the continents, the ocean liners survived – and even surpassed old records. Some of the big money now came in from movie stars and royalty, other aristocracy and politicians. The ''Aquitania'' became their favorite, as the
1920s became one of the most profitable ages in ocean travel history.
However following the
Stock Market Crash of
1929 many ships were affected from the devastating consequences. The ''Aquitania'' found herself in a tough position. Only a few could afford expensive passage on her now, so Cunard set ''Aquitania'' to go on cheap cruises. These were successful, especially for
Americans who went on "booze cruises", tired of their country's
Prohibition .
As time went on the ''Aquitania'' got old and was scheduled to be replaced by the ''
Queen Elizabeth '' in
1940 . This plan was shattered with the coming of
World War II and ''Aquitania'' served excellently as a troop transport, just as she had in
World War I . In her eight years of further military work, she sailed more than 500,000 miles, and carried 300,000 soldiers, from and to such places as
New Zealand ,
Australia , the
South Pacific ,
Greece and the
Indian Ocean .
In
1949 she was handed back to
Cunard who scrapped her in
1950 in
Scotland , thus ending an illustrious career which included steaming 3 million miles in 450 voyages.
