Before they were built, Cunard had a treaty with the British government to allow Lusitania and Mauritania to be used as auxillary cruisers in the event of war. The admiralty however overlooked Lusitania and instead chose her running mate, the newer Aquitania. On August 7, 1914, she made her first cruise. On her second cruise however, she was caught in a thick fog and collided with the Leyland liner Canadian. She was returned to the admiralty where is was decided that the two ships were far to big for cruisers. That and the fact that because of the speed they travelled at, Mauritania and Aquitania litterally drained the admiralty fuel bunker. There wasn't a scrap of coal in there.
Aquitania now was fitted out as a troop ship, but after only three voyages in this guise, she was transferred to a Hospital ship. Decked out in their striking livery of white with a long green band broken by three red crosses, there was no mistaking her for anything but a hospital ship. She worked with the Mauritania and White Star's Britannic on the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign. However, after only a month here, HMHS Aquitania was mothballed. On April 10th, 1916 she was decommisioned by the Admiralty and was transferred to Harland and Wolff where she would be converted back into a passenger liner to fill the void left by the tragic loss of the Lusitania. Almost when her fitting out was complete, in November 1916, she was recalled by the admiralty to once again become a hospital ship to take the place of White Star's Britannic which fell victim to a mine and sank in less time than her sister Titanic. Once again she was put into storage after a year, but when America entered the war, once again she was recalled by the Admiralty to serve as a troop ship, and at war's end, she brought countless Canadian troops home.
In November 1919, Aquitania was finally returned to Cunard, never to go back to war (atleast for a few decades). By June 1920, she was back in the traditional Cunard colors and now burning oil. She made her first post-war civillian voyage on July 17th, 1920. Now she dazzled everyone who boarded. |
