Unfortunatly, although Mauretaina was back to her pre-war interiors, her speed was much lower, on one voyage averaging a terrible 17 knots. Cunard decided to fully rebuild Mauretania's sadly worn turbines. In 1923, Cunard withdrew Mauretania rom service for a rebuild of her turbines, however, before this could be finished, the English workers went on strike. It was now up to Captain Arthur Rostron, captain of the Carpathia as she dodged icebergs to reach the scene of Titanic's sinking, to command Mauretania on her strangest voyage from England to Cherbourg, France, under tug power, where French workmen would finish her.
The voyage went well until around 2:00 when the wind blew in from the west and kicked up a moderate gale. Rostron had to keep Mauretania up right, because any serious list would wreck havoc on her disassembled turbines. Soon, the wind became to much for the six Durch tugs to handle and Mauretania was travelling towards the rocks at Cape Barfleur, but luckily for Mauretania and Rostron, the tide turned and she could continue to Cherbourg.
After the rebuild and change from coal to oil power, Mauretania was set to increase her speed from pedestrian to her pre war standards. In August 1924, Rostron guided her across the Atlantic from New York to Cherbourg at an average speed of 26.19 knots, smashing her pre war record and showing the world what she could do.
Unfortunatly, as ships grew bigger and faster, Mauretania had to compete harder to maintain her hold on the Blue Ribband. In 1929, the German ship Breman snatched the prize from the aging Mauretania. Despite tries to grab it back, each time Mauretania failed, usually by a tiny margin.
Now painted white for cruising with the lack of travellers due to the depression, Mauretania was beginning to show her age. One of her less grand duties was the 'Booze Cruises', giving thirstly Americans a break from prohibition.
In 1934, Mauretania was withdrawn from service, and for the long winter of '34-'35, she sat at Southampton's 'death row' with Olympic. Finally in 1935, she was sold to a Rosyth srapping firm. On her way to Rosyth, she stopped at the mouth of the Tyne River, the place she was constructed to say goodbye to the people who gave her life. Among those there was her former commander, Sir Arthur Rostron, K.B.E. He refused to board her one last time however, choosing to remember her 'the way she was'.
As she left the Tyne, the people there joined in in a charous of Auld Lang Syne. Flying proudly from her mast was a 20-foot Blue Ribbon reading '1907-1929'. As the song finished, tears were brought to they eyes of many as Mauretania sailed off to meet her fate.
The scrapping of Mauretania inspired much purple journalism, including the following:
"The final link with the world she has roved so long is broken and the Mauretania is sailing away to the port from which there is no return. From across the darkening Southampton waters the deep, sudden voices of big ships lament her. It is a final, irrevocable goodbye".
To her most famous commander, Rostron, he remembered Mauretania to be a difficult ship, an unpredictable ship, an uncomfortable ship, but from the first to the last, she wlways was 'a lady'.
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