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Aquitania
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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.
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.
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 sold her for scrap to British Iron & Steel for ?125,000 in January 1950, thus ending an illustrious career which included steaming 3 million miles in 450 voyages.
Laid down: December, 1910
Launched: 21st April 1913
Christened: 21st April 1913
Maiden voyage: 29th May 1914
Owner: Cunard Line
Designer: Leonard Peskett
Displacement: 45647 tons
Dimensions: 275.2m x 29.6m
Propulsion: Steam turbines, 59000shp, 4 quadruple screw propellers
Speed: 23 knots
Complement in 1914:
- 618 First
- 614 Second
- 1998 Third
Complement in 1926:
- 610 First
- 950 Second
- 640 Tourist
- 972 crew
Shipyard: John Brown and Company, Clyde
9 files, last one added on Jun 22, 2006 Album viewed 14 times
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