The RMS Mauretania left Liverpool, England, 105 years ago today. Mauretania went on to become one of the most beloved ships in ocean liner history, a fate very much different from that of her tragic sister’s. As Mauretania was the larger ship, it doesn’t surprise me that Cunard picked her as the flagship over Lusitania.
However, what does bother me is that I get the feeling (perhaps unsubstantiated), that Mauretania takes a lot of the credit for innovations that appeared first on Lusitania, albeit only by 2 months. Lusitania also had luxurious interiors, was the first British four-stacker, and ran at speeds pushing the limits of early 20th-century technology. Yet, in the history books, Mauretania is fondly remembered for these same things (although she was the second British four-stacker), and Lusitania is a tragic footnote best brushed aside when talking about the splendor of ocean travel.
In a way, Lusitania‘s legacy seems to be the opposite of that of Titanic‘s. In death and legend, stories of Titanic‘s size and luxury have only grown, leading many people to erroneously believe that no ship since Titanic has ever been as large or luxurious. In reality, Titanic‘s elder twin sister, Olympic, was basically the same size and had many of the same luxuries as Titanic (except for the private promenades, which were exclusive to Titanic), but Titanic is the one remembered for her luxury even though Olympic had a long and happy career despite being nearly identical.
Strange, is it not?
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