In the early 20th century, Cunard Line faced fierce competition on the North Atlantic from
the German steamship Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse and its counterparts.
However, Cunard lacked the financial means to respond adequately.
In 1902, J.P. Morgan acquired White Star Line and aimed to add Cunard to his maritime empire.
Concerned about a major British shipping company falling into foreign hands, Prime Minister
Arthur Balfour intervened.
He proposed subsidizing the construction of two large liners that would compete for the
coveted Blue Riband and break the record for being the largest passenger vessels in the
world.
The conditions were that Cunard remained British and that the new liners would be built to
Admiralty standards to be used as armed merchant cruisers should war ever break out.
With government support secured, Cunard searched for shipyards capable of undertaking the monumental
task of construction.
Swan & Hunter Shipbuilders in Wallsend Upon Tyne, a relatively small company, convinced
Cunard to entrust them with constructing Mauretania.
John Brown in Clydebank, Scotland, was chosen to build the other liner, Lusitania.
This contract was incredibly ambitious for Swan & Hunter, considering how small their
shipbuilding yard was and the fact that a much larger slipway would need to be constructed
to accommodate the new liner.
At 790 feet in length, (240.7 meters) and an 88-foot beam (26.8 meters), Mauretania
would be almost a meter longer than her sister ship.
While Lusitania would be 31,550 gross register tons, her larger sister would beat that number
by almost 400 GRT.
In designing the new Cunarders, the challenge lay in the propulsion system.
Initially, plans for each ship called for three quadruple-expansion, five-cylinder engines,
but it became clear that reciprocating engines wouldn't achieve the desired higher speeds.
Charles Parsons had proposed his turbine engines to Cunard earlier, and after careful consideration,
they made the groundbreaking decision to equip both Lusitania and Mauretania with steam turbines.
A 1/16th scale model of Mauretania's hull was built by Swan & Hunter, allowing for adjustments
to the design.
Construction costs for Mauretania reached 1.301 million pounds.
Cunard made a significant request to John Brown in 1905, asking them to convert Carmania's
engines to turbines.
The results were impressive, with Carmania gaining an additional knot of speed while
requiring less fuel.
It’s important to note, however, that Lusi and Mauri were designed with turbines in mind,
long before Cunard decided to add them to Carmania.
Lusitania and Mauretania were named after the ancient Roman provinces, a decision reflecting
Cunard's tradition of using the suffix "-ia".
On September 20th, 1906, Mauretania was launched.
Over 150,000 spectators crowded the banks of the opposite side of the river.
Mauretania was the largest moving object at the time, she was longer than Lusitania by
3 feet, and wider abeam by 6 inches…not to mention her larger gross register tonnage
and displacement.
She slid down the slipway at 14 knots of speed, coming to a graceful stop 951 feet away with
the roar of cheers from the onlookers being quickly drowned out by the blast of whistles
and sirens.
A legendary ship was now in the water for the first time.
Financial challenges emerged following the launch, as Mauretania's construction costs
exceeded Lusitanias by a matter of a quarter million pounds sterling.
Cunard questioned the discrepancy and Swan & Hunter's escalating costs.
Labor and materials were more expensive in Newcastle than in Clydebank, and significant
upgrades were necessary at Swan & Hunter's shipyard.
Despite the financial hurdles work continued, driven by the determination to meet the looming
deadline.
Mauretania's design included four boiler rooms housing a total of 25 marine scotch boilers
with 192 furnaces, generating a steam pressure of 195 psi.
This head of steam, powered the ship's four sets of Parsons turbo-generators, producing
375 kW of energy, enough to power a city with a population of 100,000.
Charles Parsons provided six steam turbines for Mauretania, with high-pressure ahead turbines
at the forward end of the outboard shafts, and low-pressure ahead turbines on the inboard
shafts.
Two separate high-pressure astern turbines were attached to the inboard propeller shafts,
specifically for reversing the ship.
After the disappointing maiden voyage of RMS Lusitania, where she failed to reclaim the
coveted Blue Riband, attention turned to her sister ship, RMS Mauretania.
The shipbuilding company, Swan & Hunter, had been diligently working to address the vibration
issues that plagued the second-class spaces of the ship, a problem similar to what Lusitania
had experienced before her maiden voyage.
On a fateful Saturday, September 21, 1907, Swan & Hunter conducted unofficial test runs
for Mauretania just off the coast from the mouth of the River Tyne.
To their dismay, the ship experienced violent vibrations when the engines reached 160rpm,
the shaking was most prominent throughout the second-class areas.
Passengers would have found these spaces almost uninhabitable due to the severity of the shaking.
Swan & Hunter swiftly took action, spending the following two weeks reinforcing the aft
structure of the ship, mirroring the modifications made to Lusitania before her maiden voyage.
While the fix did not completely eliminate the issue, it did help dampen the shaking
to some extent.
On October 22, 1907, the day of Mauretania's departure from the Tyne to Liverpool for her
formal trials, an iconic meeting took place.
The world's first and fastest turbine vessel, Turbinia, was brought alongside Mauretania's
hull.
This symbolic encounter marked the introduction of the soon-to-be world's fastest ocean liner
to its turbine-powered predecessor.
As Mauretania set sail down the river, a quarter of a million spectators lined the shores,
bidding a fond farewell to this magnificent vessel.
During Mauretania's sea trials, it became apparent that the vibrations were not originating
from the turbine engines themselves but were rather felt along the propeller shaft alleys,
growing stronger toward the propellers.
This puzzling phenomenon initially led to suspicions that the propellers were out of
sync with one another.
However, future investigations would reveal a different cause for the shaking altogether.
As the final days of trials approached, on November 6, 1907, Mauretania achieved an average
speed of 26.75 knots, nearly two knots faster than her sister ship Lusitania.
It was an impressive feat for a vessel of such immense size.
Nevertheless, the high speeds resulted in rattling and shaking throughout the aft end
of the ship, necessitating the securement of furnishings and fixtures to withstand the
ship's tremendous velocity.
Following the successful trials, Mauretania was formally handed over to Cunard, and preparations
began for her maiden voyage, scheduled for November 16, 1907.
The construction costs for Mauretania totaled 1,855,848 pounds, making her the most expensive
ship ever built at the time, surpassing even the grandeur and expense of her older sister,
Lusi.
Cunard took great pride in their new vessels, eager to showcase their engineering prowess
and claim the title of the world's fastest ocean liner.
In the preceding month, Lusitania had reclaimed the Blue Riband from the German liners that
had held the title for nearly a decade.
The stage was set for Mauretania to surpass her sister's achievement and solidify Cunard's
dominance in transatlantic travel.
The maiden voyage of Mauretania commenced on a promising note, as the ship gracefully
glided into Queenstown, Ireland, to embark passengers and exchange mail.
However, the ship soon found itself battling treacherous weather conditions while traversing
the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean.
Violent swells caused the ship to pitch sharply, and the spare anchor broke loose, sliding
uncontrollably across the decks of the forecastle.
Captain Pritchard had no choice but to halt the ship and lead a team of sailors into the
tempestuous weather to secure the anchor.
Undeterred by the challenges, Mauretania pressed on through the rough seas, finally arriving
at Sandy Hook at 11:13 am on November 22, 1907.
The ship had completed the transatlantic journey in an impressive time of 5 days, 5 hours,
and 10 minutes, despite battling heavy weather conditions throughout the voyage.
Unfortunately, she failed to capture the Blue Riband from Lusitania, as she only averaged
a little over 22 knots on the crossing.
Mauretania sailed into New York that afternoon, greeted by an immense crowd, albeit not as
large as the one that had welcomed Lusitania on her maiden voyage.
Mauretania had yet to prove herself as the world's fastest ocean liner.
With the completion of Mauretania's maiden voyage, Cunard and Great Britain were eager
to see if this majestic vessel would rise to the challenge and fulfill the lofty expectations
placed upon her as a pioneering creation of the seas.
The Blue Riband, a symbol of pride and accomplishment, held great significance in the world of transatlantic
travel.
Many liners vied for this prestigious title, but its ephemeral nature meant that few could
retain it for long.
While Lusitania briefly held the Blue Riband, it was clear that her speed was not significantly
faster than her competitors.
Cunard's hopes rested on Mauretania, with the aspiration that she would demonstrate
unprecedented speed, enabling them to retain the record for as long as possible.
On November 30, 1907, during her return journey to England, Mauretania encountered thick fog,
necessitating slow sailing.
However, as the fog lifted, the ship accelerated, passing Queenstown on December 4 with an average
speed of 23.69 knots.
This accomplishment marked the capture of the eastbound crossing record from her sister
ship, Lusitania.
Over the next two years, a spirited competition unfolded between the two sister ships, as
they playfully wrested the Blue Riband title from each other.
Unfortunately, Mauretania had yet to secure the record for the westbound crossing.
That changed on April 11, 1908, when she achieved an average speed of 24.08 knots, shaving a
minute off Lusitania's previous record.
An astonishing feat was witnessed on June 1st, as Mauretania once again claimed the
westbound record.
What made this achievement even more remarkable was that she accomplished it with one of her
high-pressure turbines out of commission.
A month prior, Mauretania had collided with a shipwreck, damaging her propeller and stern
bracket.
Although the propeller was replaced with a more hydrodynamic spare, the bracket awaited
repair.
Despite operating with three propellers instead of four, Mauretania achieved an average speed
of 24.86 knots, proving that her speed potential was far from reached.
This remarkable feat convinced the public of the vessel's untapped capabilities.
The vibration issues that plagued both Cunard liners were partly responsible for their restrained
speeds.
It was discovered that the turbines were not to blame; rather, the interaction between
the propellers and the water around them was the source of the problem.
When the ships moved at high speeds, the disturbed water immediately surrounding the hull would
follow its contour and get sucked into the propellers.
The outer screws, turning at full speed, would strike the calm, motionless water outside
this disturbed layer nine times per second, resulting in the jarring shudder that reverberated
throughout the ship.
To mitigate this, Mauretania received specialized propellers, which sliced through the calm
water more efficiently, reducing the impact and vibration.
Despite the vibration issues, both Cunard ships remained immensely popular.
But it was Mauretania that consistently boasted higher passenger numbers per crossing, solidifying
her favoritism among the public.
Equally luxurious and well-appointed, Mauretania had captured the hearts of passengers, becoming
the favored vessel.
On September 2, 1909, Lusitania briefly reclaimed the westbound speed record from Mauretania,
averaging 25.85 knots.
However, this victory was short-lived, as just a few days later, under the command of
Captain Daniel Dow, Mauretania snatched the Blue Riband for the westbound crossing for
the last time, achieving an average speed of 26.06 knots.
This incredible record would remain unbroken for a staggering 19 years, solidifying Mauretania's
mechanical prowess and etching her name in history.
In a resounding triumph of engineering and maritime prowess, Mauretania stood tall as
the epitome of excellence.
Not only was she the more costly of the two majestic liners, but she possessed an indomitable
spirit that battled ferocious ocean storms, refusing to yield to their mighty forces.
With each roaring wave that threatened to tear her anchor loose, she stood firm, a testament
to her unwavering strength.
And in her quest for speed, she soared beyond expectations, capturing the coveted Blue Riband
not once, but multiple times.
Her record-breaking voyages across the Atlantic spoke of her unparalleled might and unwavering
determination.
Through it all, Mauretania reigned supreme, holding onto the Blue Riband for an astonishing
19 years, defying the relentless introduction of rival liners designed to challenge her
throne.
This, however, was nowhere near the end of Mauretania's story, she would soon face the
loss of her older sister as the first Great War would commence.
The Mauri would have to serve her duty to the British Admiralty, and then afterward,
try to survive the ever-shifting transatlantic passenger market.
As the most esteemed symbol of maritime triumph, she left an indelible mark on history, forever
celebrated as the embodiment of boundless achievement and unwavering legacy.