One of Cunard's most successful liners, the RMS Mauretania provided transatlantic service for over 28 years, many of them holding the record for the fastest transatlantic crossing, the coveted Blue Riband.
Launched in 1906, the Mauretania, alongside sister ship Lusitania, were Cunard's answer to the successful German superliners of the day, the Kaiser Class ships. With White Star, the other British shipping line acquired by JP Morgan of the US, Cunard answered with two turbine powered superliners. The Mauretania and Lusitania were the largest and fastest ship of their day. Although other ships quickly surpassed the Mauretiania in size, her speed was legendary and remained the record holder until the SS Bremen overtook the Mauretania in 1929.
Unlike her older and smaller sister Lusitania, the Mauretania survived WWI and went on to sail the seas for another decade after the war, bringing pride to the UK.
A Powerful and Fast Ship
Capturing the Blue Riband several times throughout her career, the Mauretania was a powerful and fast ship. Utilizing steam turbines to power the the four propellers, the ship was fast. Although smaller than her later contemporaries, the ship could out-run anyone.
Although her speed was impressive, when full power was applied in the open ocean, the ship suffered from vibrations in the rear of the ship. Since third class was predominantly located in the rear of the ship, those passengers suffered as first class passengers enjoyed a quick journey between continents.
Unlike some pop culture depictions, security was tight on such high profile liners such as the Mauretania. Accessing the bridge or other restricted areas as a passenger was not typically allowed, however passengers were offered the opportunity to radio a telegram ahead of them.
RMS Mauretania During WWI
At the outbreak of WWI, the Mauretania sought refuge in Halifax with the other Cunard liner Aquitania. After a brief and expensive stint as an armed merchant cruiser, the Mauretania resumed civilian service, but due to limited passengers, the ship was recalled and returned to Liverpool and was laid up. After the sinking of the Lusitania, the Mauretania was about to re-enter civilian service when it was decided to become a troopship. Fitted with dazzle paint, the ship transported thousands of allied soldiers throughout the world to the front lines and back.
Service after World War I
After successfully fulfilling her wartime duties as a troopship, the Mauretania resumed service with the RMS Aquitania, and RMS Berengaria (formerly SS Imperator of Germany). After being refitted in 1920 and then again in 1922, the ship was converted to oil from coal, and many other improvements were made.
After a successful post war career, Cunard and White Star merged in the early 1930's and the Mauretania was showing her age and deemed superfluous and ended her career, first as a transatlantic liner, then as a cruise ship.
In may 1935, the ship made a final voyage past her shipyard, to the breakers in Rosyth. Many of the furnishings found on board can still be seen to this day.
RMS Mauretania Ship Facts
Tonnage:
Length:
31,938 GRT
790'
Beam:
88'
Draft:
33'
Number of Decks:
8
Cruising Speed:
24 Knots (28 mph or 44 km/hr)
Max Speed:
27+ Knots (31mph or 50km/h)
Line:
Shipyard:
Swan Hunter, Northumberland UK
Port of Registry:
Liverpool
Maiden Voyage:
November 16, 1907
Years in Service:
1907-1934
Current Status:
Scrapped in 1935
RMS Mauretania Ship Frequently Asked Questions
What was the RMS Mauretania?
RMS Mauretania was a Cunard ocean liner built by Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson on the Tyne. She sailed from 1907 to 1934, held the Blue Riband for 20 years, and was the sister ship of the Lusitania. She was scrapped at Rosyth, Scotland, in 1935 and 1936.
What happened to the Mauretania?
Cunard retired her in 1934. Her furnishings were auctioned in May 1935, and she left Southampton for the last time on 1 July 1935, arriving at Rosyth on 4 July for scrapping by Metal Industries. The work was completed by June 1936.
Did the Mauretania sink?
No. The RMS Mauretania never sank. She survived World War I and was scrapped in Scotland, so there is no wreck. People sometimes confuse her with the Lusitania, her sister ship, which a German U-boat sank in 1915.
Is there a wreck of the Mauretania?
No. She was broken up at Rosyth between 1935 and 1936. Pieces of her interiors were sold and survive in museums and private collections.
Is it Mauretania or Mauritania?
The ship is spelled Mauretania, with an “e”. Mauritania is the modern country in northwest Africa. The ship was named after the ancient Roman province of Mauretania, which covered parts of what are now Morocco and Algeria. A later Cunard liner, the RMS Mauretania (1938), carried the name after her.
Was the Mauretania a hospital ship or a troopship in World War I?
Both. She was considered as an armed merchant cruiser but found unsuitable, then served as a troopship in the Gallipoli campaign. She was repainted white as a hospital ship (HMHS Mauretania) until January 1916. Later she carried Canadian and American troops, and in 1917 she was painted in dazzle camouflage.
Did the Mauretania win the Blue Riband?
Yes. She took the eastbound Blue Riband on her first return trip in December 1907 and the westbound record from the Lusitania in September 1909. She kept both until the German liner Bremen took them in 1929, a reign of about 20 years.
How fast was the Mauretania?
Her design speed was 25 to 28 knots. Four Parsons steam turbines drove four propellers. Her power was 68,000 shaft horsepower at launch, 76,000 on her record run, and 90,000 after changes in 1928 and 1929.
How big was the Mauretania?
She was 790 ft (240.8 m) long and 88 ft (26.8 m) wide, with a gross tonnage of 31,938 and eight decks. She was the largest ship in the world until 1910, when the larger Olympic was launched.
What was the Mauretania’s sister ship?
The RMS Lusitania was her sister ship. The Mauretania was slightly bigger (about five feet longer, 31,938 gross tons to 31,550 on the Lusitania) and was launched in September 1906, after the Lusitania. A Cunard liner, the Aquitania, was a later running mate.
How did the Mauretania compare to the Titanic?
The Titanic (46,329 gross tons, 882 ft 9 in long) was much bigger, but the Mauretania was faster. Titanic’s service speed was about 21 knots, against the Mauretania’s 25 or more. The Mauretania burned more coal. The two ships never sailed together.
How many passengers did the Mauretania carry?
She could carry 2,165 passengers (563 first class, 464 second class and 1,138 third class) with a crew of about 800.
When was the Mauretania built and launched?
Her keel was laid on 18 August 1904, and she was launched on 20 September 1906 by the Duchess of Roxburghe. She left Liverpool on her maiden voyage to New York on 16 November 1907.
Why was the Mauretania converted to oil?
In 1921 she was taken out of service after a fire on E deck and converted from coal to oil firing. Her engine-room staff fell from 446 to 175, and she burned about 600 tons of oil a day rather than 1,000 tons of coal.
Where can you see parts of the Mauretania today?
Several pieces survive. Her ship’s bell is in the reception area at Lloyd’s Register in London. The mahogany panelling from her first-class lounge lines the Mauretania Bar on Park Street in Bristol, which is now called Illuminati Bristol, and most of her first-class reading and writing room is the boardroom at Pinewood Studios. Models of her are at the Smithsonian, the Discovery Museum in Newcastle, the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax and the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. A stained-glass window in Newcastle Cathedral also shows her.
Has the Mauretania appeared in films, books or music?
Yes, in a few places. She is mentioned in the film Titanic (1997) and appears in the TV series 1923. She is the setting of Clive Cussler’s novel The Thief and of Roger Harvey’s Maiden Voyage (2017), and Rudyard Kipling’s poem “The Secret of the Machines” mentions her. The folk song “The Fireman’s Lament” (also known as “Firing the Mauretania”) is about stoking her boilers. The Asylum & Other Tales, a 1983 Call of Cthulhu sourcebook, takes its title from the ship.
Last edited: October 2026