| Author |
Message |
    
Gustavo Lattarulo
Member
Username: gl14
Post Number: 15
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, July 2, 2006 - 9:01 pm: | 
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The other day I was looking at the Mauretania's deck plans and I noticed that on her C-Deck promenade, she had a couple of fixed 6" guns. Seeing that, it hit me that I had read somewhere that the Lusitania also had some of these same type of guns. Am I correct or wrong? And why would the Lusitania and Mauretania have guns if they were built years before the war? Is there living proof (photographs) that these actually were onboard?
-Gustavo- |
Eric Longo
Member
Username: mauretania19061935
Post Number: 214
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, July 2, 2006 - 10:34 pm: |
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Hi Gustavo,
Mauretania had two gun mounts on her stern at least - guns were indeed fitted there as they are visible in many photographs. One book/catalog in which you can see them is Dazzle and Drab by John Maxtone Graham. I have in my collection a unique photograph of her in dazzle and a photocard too - both show the stern guns. My dazzle photograph is in the Dazzle book - page 17 I think - but you'd need the original to make out the guns. There are about 3 or 4 other images in the book that show the guns mounted on Mauretania's stern plainly.
Hope this helps,
Eric Longo
Mauretania photographs&postcards buy/sell - telexcollectibles@msn.com eBayID:telexcollectibles
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Gustavo Lattarulo
Member
Username: gl14
Post Number: 16
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, July 2, 2006 - 10:43 pm: |
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But did Lusitania also have them? |
Jesse D O'Neill
Member
Username: j_d_oneill
Post Number: 487
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Monday, July 3, 2006 - 2:46 am: |
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Lusitania in her career was never fitted w/ guns, she was however fitted w/ gunrings or gun mounts if you prefer that, pictures of these can be seen in Eric Sauder's and Patrick O'Sullivan's books.
Jesse D. O'Neill
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Eric Longo
Member
Username: mauretania19061935
Post Number: 215
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Monday, July 3, 2006 - 3:34 am: |
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Gustavo,
The answer to your question about why gun mounts were on these ships before the war lies in the stipulations of the 1902/03 loan agreement made between Cunard and the Admiralty/British Government. I believe this is covered in several of the Lusitania threads here at ET.
EL
Mauretania photographs&postcards buy/sell - telexcollectibles@msn.com eBayID:telexcollectibles
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Michael H. Standart
Moderator
Username: mstandart
Post Number: 10424
Registered: 12-2000
| | Posted on Monday, July 3, 2006 - 3:42 am: |
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>>And why would the Lusitania and Mauretania have guns if they were built years before the war?<<
The short version is that they were designed that way so they could fulfill their intended role as armed auxilary cruisers/commerce raiders in the event of war. It was a role that ultimately neither ship ever served in. Actual combat experience with such liners that were converted showed that they weren't all that effective, had poor resistance to battle damage, and were too bloody expensive to operate to boot.
However, several liners gave sterling service as transports (Both Olympic and Maurtania) and, as in the case of Britannic, as hospital ships.
Cordially,
Michael H. Standart
Equal Opportunity Curmudgeon
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Gustavo Lattarulo
Member
Username: gl14
Post Number: 18
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Monday, July 3, 2006 - 9:56 pm: |
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So, the Lusitania had gun mounts, with the intention of bringing guns onboard the ship, but this was never actually done? Is that what you're saying? And where the gun mounts placed later in her career or when she was built? |
Michael H. Standart
Moderator
Username: mstandart
Post Number: 10432
Registered: 12-2000
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 4, 2006 - 2:37 am: |
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>>So, the Lusitania had gun mounts,<<
She had the mounting rings, yes. That was as far as it went. There is no evidence that any guns were actually fitted aboard for any reason during her career.
Cordially,
Michael H. Standart
Equal Opportunity Curmudgeon
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Gustavo Lattarulo
Member
Username: gl14
Post Number: 20
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 4, 2006 - 10:52 pm: |
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Oh ok...and what do these gun rings look like? And where were they located onboard the Lusitania? Can anybody post a picture of the ones aboard the Lusitania or even the Mauretania. |
Eric Longo
Member
Username: mauretania19061935
Post Number: 223
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Monday, July 10, 2006 - 2:29 pm: |
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Dear Gustavo,
Here is a link to a photograph in my collection of Mauretania in her dazzle scheme that shows the guns mounted on the stern of Mauretania - she was originally designed to carry 12 in all. Early in 1918 Mauretania was renamed “H.M.S. Tuberose” (“Tuber Rose" according to Sir A. H. Rostron) and brought troops to war as an armed transport. After the Armistice in late 1918 she carried both American and Canadian troops home and was released from service in May of 1919. I believe these dazzle schemes and colors from a certain distance optically blended to create an ocean color that helped obscure these vessels.
Link:
http://www.geocities.com/magikbilly/mauretaniaarmedC.EKL2006.jpg
Best,
Eric Longo
Mauretania photographs&postcards buy/sell - telexcollectibles@msn.com eBayID:telexcollectibles
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Gustavo Lattarulo
Member
Username: gl14
Post Number: 29
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Monday, July 10, 2006 - 11:44 pm: |
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Hey thanks! Where the gun mounts regular bases? I mean, what shape did they have?
Thank you again,
-Gustavo- |
