The fate of the Olympic

[Kevin]

There is an excellent book on the history of ship breaking and the UK (and the title escapes me at the moment). It was documented that Berengaria's hull kicked around till the middle 1940s. Like Olympic her lower hull was being moved to scrap elsewhere and the remainder cracked into roughly a 1/3 and a 2/3 section and sank. Each section was raised and later scrapped.

 

[Ellen G. Butland]

One shipbreaking book I have is Metal Industries. shipbreaking at Rosyth and Charlestown by Ian Buxton, published by the World Ship Society. It mentions Berengaria - she was sold to Jarrow Shipbreaking and Engineering Co at Southampton for L108,000, departed Southampton under own steam 6/12/38 and arrived Jarrow, Tyne on 8/12/38 with demolition commencing March 39. The hulk was subsequently sold to Shipbreaking Industries Ltd June 1941 for L43,500. Broke in two 12/41. Forward portion towed to Rosyth, arriving 24/7/46 and aft portion towed to Rosyth arriving 27/8/46. I guess Metal Industries lost on the deal since the sea sucked on the bones for about 4 1/2 years. (I contest Mauretania was worn out - outmoded certainly, but not worn out) Now I dodge torpedoes!

 

[Michael H. Standart]

>>I contest Mauretania was worn out - outmoded certainly, but not worn out<<

May and maybe not. The Olympic was certainly well kept up and Cunard was no slouch in caring from it's ships. The problem here is that the North Atlantic is brutal on even the most rugged hulls and the Mauritania had seen a lot of tough service.

If somebody has any information on any surveys done by the Board of Trade, it might help us sort this out.

 

[Ellen G. Butland]

I would love to see copies of Mauretania's surveys. Yes, she was showing signs of age and she had survived the 25 years that was reckoned to be a ship's lifetime - that is, she may have needed repair work somewhere to gain certificates of seaworthiness and also she was the oldest ship in Cunard's transatlantic fleet. I think she may have lasted longer, if not for the Depression.

 

[Michael H. Standart]

>>I think she may have lasted longer, if not for the Depression.<<

I would think long and hard before betting against that. Look at how long they managed to run the Aquatania, and the age difference between the two ships wasn't that great. Of course, that ship was in pretty desperate shape when she finally bowed out. Service through two world wars was not kind to the hull.

 

[Ellen G. Butland]

Dear Michael, I concede the Aquitania was well and truely worn out by 1950. Two things, her age and the fact she had been driven hard all through WW11 with bare minimum of maintenance. Both reasons very self-evident. Had the Mauretania served in WW11 and survived, she would have been in the same condition - well clapped out. Likewise Olympic. Maybe they would have ventured into N.Z. waters as Aquitania did. Well I can dream.

 

[Michael H. Standart]

>>Two things, her age and the fact she had been driven hard all through WW11 with bare minimum of maintenance. <<

Bingo! The Olympic and Mauritania both had pretty lavish care during their operational lifetimes and that made all the difference. I suspect that the Admiralty ended up regretting the demise of these two ships when the Second World War broke out as both would have been invaluable as troop ships or hospital ships.

Of course had they been run just as hard as the Aquatania was with constant deferrals in essential refits, they would have been in the same bad shape that the Aquatania was when she bowed out.

 

[Adam Went]

The Aquitania was a machine, a great example of Edwardian engineering to get as much out of herself as she did. Considering how much she'd been through and how reliable she had invariably been, I don't think there should be anything but praise for her - even if her floors were starting to fall through, etc.

Olympic was perhaps retired a bit early but WSL folded soon after that anyway.

 

[Ellen G. Butland]

Quite so, unfortunately ships don't last forever, and if not maintained for whatever reason, they deteriorate simply and obviously because they sit in salt water and corrosion and electrolysis wreak their work of dintergration in time.
To Michael. I have just received J Kent Layton's latest Lusitania book, o wow is All I can say. So good to get a book about her that is not just the last voyage. I await his Trio of Trios book and wish someone wuld come up to bat for Mauretania. She did so much more than just hold the Blue Riband for 20 years or so.

 

[Adam Went]

Ellen:

Yes that's very true, as we've seen with the docked Queen Mary in recent years.

The under-rated, quiet achiever is probably the best way to describe Aquitania. She didn't have the glamour of her sisters or WSL cousins but she outlasted them all and those who sailed on her, or especially worked on her for a living, loved her.

Cheers,
Adam.

 

[Ellen G. Butland]

Dear Adam, If you like Aquitania, I'll recommend Mark Chirnside's book AQUITANIA, the Ship Beautiful. A lot of people considered her to be the best-looking four-stacker. (Now I dodge this who like the Olympic-class ships better and say Beauty in the eye of the beholder) But The Ship Beautiful was one of the names people gave her at the time.

 

[Michael Kestner]

In my opinion, the Olympic and Aquitania were both equally beautiful ships. They both had clean, lines that made them appear graceful, even majestic. So as far as I'm concerned it's a silly thing to argue about =)

 

[Adam Went]

Hi Ellen and Michael,

Have you both seen that photo of Aquitania riding out the rough seas - taken in around the 30's I believe? Maybe it's just cause i'm a bloke but it's not all about the beauty, it's as much about the grunt and toughness and "ticker". And Aquitania had that in spades.

Cheers,
Adam.

 

[Michael H. Standart]

>>And Aquitania had that in spades.<<

In the North Atlantic, it was needed!!!

 

[Ellen G. Butland]

Yes I have seen pix of Aquitania in rough seas and Michael is so right - there is the Sea - indifferent to all ships and woe betide you if the ship was not well found. As to beauty, I think all these ships were equal but for different reasons, no I won't argue if someone prefers one to the other.