How impressive! The ocean liners of the early and mid 20th century have always been a huge source of fascination to me. The Olympic class ships, as well as the "Roman Class" sisters, as I call them, were truly something to behold. I have always wanted to know what it would be like to sail on one of them. Such beautiful architecture and very well built machines!
A Beautiful passenger ship did duties for World War 1 and WW2 then returned to passenger service then did cruises in the 1930's even at risk of being sold to scrappers cause of the depression she managed to survive the 30's and during WW2 she ferried troops along side other ships like Queen Mary and the new Queen Elizabeth and after she did war bride voyages and briefly returned to passenger service then she was scrapped in 1950.
1. That Cunard now cheapen the White Star name now by using it as a promotional tool only in there restaurants.
2. That the Aquitania, as the last of the four stackers was able to survive two world wars and well into the late 50's. Only to be unceremoniously scrapped. It beggars belief.
1. We should feel fortunate that the White Star name is used at all. Remember that Cunard merged with White Star. Most competitors are not that generous as to use the name of a rival in their marketing.
2. Aquitania was removed from service and scrapped in 1950. Please get your facts straight.
@alatar144. My bad, it's been a few years since i've read the books (I used to be obsessed with old Ocean Liners when I was 12). Just because it's youtube no need to get lemon about it.
I wouldn't say White Star was still a 'rival' to Cunard as for that to happen they would still need to be in business. They would afford it much more dignity if they left it to history.
My Dad sailed on her as a child. He said they ate ice cream and jelly the whole trip which was a rare treat for he and my uncle at the time. Great footage, thanks so much for posting.
Aquitania is my favorite ship, it makes me mad so mad when ASSHOLES!!!! had to scrap her, why in the HELL didn't they park her, and made her into a hotel just like they did the Queen Mary? so people like us who didn't get to see her inside and cruise on her back in the day, can see her as a hotel NOW. I would pay to stay in her. I think she was much more beauitful than the Queen Mary inside, don't get me wrong Queen Mary is pretty, But how I would of LOVE to see her, parked for people to see.
@alaskanactressp30 I understand your feelings. The world did not think to preserve at least one four-stacker. It wasn't until late in the century that people realized we'd thrown the baby out with the bathwater, that too much "progress" was actually disintegration, destroying beauty in so many areas, from opera to movies to music to the art of conversation to human contact to shipbuilding. Thank God for Youtube and fellow shiplovers and lovers of beauty and quality from days gone by....
True. The older generations were very angry when they saw the modern world take over. You can see how they felt about this in my video called: Sailing Into The Unknown Future
@alaskanactressp30 Another poster has partially made the point about preserving the Aquitania, however she was very run down, inside and out, when she was scrapped; she was in no real condition to continue as you would have wished.
@DanielHami23 Aquitania's upper bridge was enlarged in late 1944 to allow the chart room to be up on the bridge. It had always been up on the upper bridge since it was added back in 1915. But the installation of a radar set in early 1943, took over the space that had been the chart room up to that time. For 1943-44, the chart room was moved down into the space that had been the ship's original bridge. Looking closely, you'll notice that the original bridge was also enlarged at this time.
@SuperTitanicfreak Its because she was getting to old plus she was deteriorating cause of her age.
i heard a piano came through the roof of one of the dining rooms which was very very dangerous so the board of trade decided not to renew her certificate so Cunard or Cunard White Star as it was called then were force to withdraw the Aquitania and the ship was sold for scrap.
The only true liners today with direct ancestral ties to these magnificent ships are those of the Cunard line. I guess actually the Cunard line is the only company still in existence from yesteryear. Not so much used for business travel nowadays, they still are the only liners designed specifically for the North Atlantic trade route. My fave is the Queen Mary II.
Fine, fine views of one of the grandest of all liners. She had perfect lines and proportions--how proud her builders must've been! Thanks for posting these priceless views!
Is it Just me or did the Aquitania had a small bridge fitted on after WW1 cause while i was on the internet i had a look at Aquitania's photos doing service during WW2 and after it looks like the bridge has been extended or something.
Nice to see the Cunard-White Star flags in colour for once, but why did they let them touch the deck when lowering them? I'd have thought it would be like on land, where a flag isn't supposed to touch the ground.
WOW! The real treat of this movie is the her blowing her mighty whistle! Too bad is was while she was sailing for the breakers yard. Hearing a liner's whitsle is like hearing them speak!
May I ask,But what is the name of the first song,I have been on the Aquitania when I was 12 in 1929,It was a grand ship of it's day.I road forst class with my mother,and the dining hall was great and fancy.The ship had a smoking lounge with stain glass windows and a salt water water pool at the bottom of her.She was called a second Titanic for some people.She was also a coal ship,the captain gave my mother,Father and Me a tour around the ship.
Aquitania could not get her 1950-51 operating certificate and was sold for scrap at that point. She was well-worn (worn out electrical, plumbing etc.) and beyond economic repair. The new RMS Queen Elizabeth was her replacement and she was originally scheduled to be retired in 1940 and would have been had she not been needed for war service.
Cunard's Aquitania was'nt the last 4-stacker. Union Castle Line built two 4-stackers in 1920-21 for their England-South Africa service. They were modernized and lost two of their funnels in the mid-1930s.
If we only could go back to this great time of ocean liners. Ir we only could walk on the decks of the Titanic, Queen Mary, Aquitania, Mauretania, Lusitania etc. Only one day would be enough, wouldn't it? Love your videos and your work!
I really wish ships were this beautiful nowadays. Now they look like they're built entirely for efficiency and stacking as many people as possible inside.
Beatlesman--A few years back, there was talk of building a modern Titanic (a lookalike--with all modern construction). There's been talk over the years of restoring the United States or the Queen Mary. But like anything, the costs are prohibitive and they wouldn't be able to stack enough people inside them to make a profit. The United States is loaded with asbestos and Queen Mary's got a lot of issues as well.
@TV843 Mostly that's true. I think The Quuen Mary 2 is the esception to that rule. Cunard always took care in building their ships. They are still the gendest of them all.
@Sarasdad91 I hear you, but I still miss the near-vertical bow of the old ships, and the poop deck that hangs out over the ocean is just plain sexy... Though it only had two funnels, one of my favorite ships of the era was the Hamburg-America Line "Amerika," lauched by Harland and Wolf in 1905. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend checking out the Wikipedia article on it. It had a pretty amazing history as well.
@SatchmoSings Not to mention that Amerika actually sank at her mooring in New York harbor in 1918, was raised and repaired to gone to a long & amazing carrier (with several name changes along the way as seems to be the custom).
@brestingheedness I'd doubt that. Think of them like you would a hotel. Every so often, you'd remodel. Furniture would wear out & be replaced. I would think the most likely thing to remain would be the wood/metal work, which could be cleaned a refinished periodically. If you're interested, go on Wikipedia and read the article about RMS Olympic. Parts of her original interior were saved (these things were often auctioned off) and it are now in the White Swan Hotel in the UK & other locations.
Aquitania was the last and best of the four-stackers and was blessed with a long and happy career. It's sad to see her final moments here; it's too bad she wasn't preserved as a hotel like Queen Mary, but from what I read here that would have meant an expensive overhaul & rebuild.
Aquitania's long career w/Cunard Line lasted between 1914 to 1950. Her operating certificate was not re-newed and it was time to retire her after the 1948-49 season and was scrapped in 1950-51. There were issues w/rust (like any old ship) and the funnels were in poor shape (like the Queen Mary's in the late 1960s).
Yes in 1949 one of her pianos fell through her weak floors and into the grand dining room. And also there was another sister of Aquitania! Zusitania! I'll tell you that! scrapped in 1954. She was built in 1920 but she ran a ground in 1927 and was not seen until 1952 and then served another 2 years of passenger service! How amazing!
What happened in 1949 with the RMS Aquitania before she was scrapped? Some one said a piano fell thought a floor, and a funnel was falling possible thought the decks if they didn't fixed it. Has anybody more info?
White Star was awarded the German ss Bismark after the war and she was re-christened RMS Majestic. Her interiors were far more spacious and luxurious than what the 45,000 ton Olympic offered. The Olympic was far better looking but the 56,000 ton Majestic beat her hands down for impressive interiors. Her 1st class 2-deck swimming pool put Olympic's to shame.
@lasuvidaboy The Bismark had two sisters as well, the Imperator and Vaterland. The Imperator was given to Cunard line and became Berengaria and the Vaterland to the United States lines and renamed Leviathan.
If you've seen interior pictures of Aquitania, most would agree that she was a step-above the Olympic Class ships. Her 1st class lounge was a work of art as was her 1st class smoking room. The 1st class dining room was 2-decks high and very impressive. She was more in line w/the luxurious German Imperator Class of ships.
Actually, although Britannic was designed to be the most luxurious ship ever before she was taken over by the british government, Aquitania was larger.
Actually the Aquitania was considered even more luxurious that the earlier Olympic Class liners. Cunard ordered the Aquitania to compete and surpass the Olympic Class ships. The Mauretania and Lusitania were the express ships while the 23-knot Aquitania was their super-luxury ship.
A Titanic survivor said the Lusitania was more comfortable and luxurious than the Titanic. Perhaps the glamour of the Olympic class liners has been slightly exaggerated.
yea and i see the key of Cunard luxurious they put some glass dome on the small room so it make larger and look they always have a 2 story dining room in every Cunard's large liner it was different from Olympic class liner even they have large grand staircase but still they smaller the large room like Titanic's dining room it looks like small and not grand like Cunard but this is great their ocean liner are tie
@Aaron1912 The Olympic class ships were White Star Line's business move to compete with ships like the Lusitania, however, it is an exaggeration to say that everyone considered them "unsinkable" because of their watertight bulkheads, they weren't considered unsinkable by anyone who designed them, in fact watertight bulkheads were old news by then & were used on ships for many years before Olympic and Titanic were designed. Lusitania had watertight bulkheads too, and she was built before Olympic.
@Aaron1912 i believe you sir, are wrong, the Olympic Class liners were and probably still are the most Luxurious Ships ever to have sailed. Aquitania is basically a copy of the Olympic Class liners, and you can tell by alot of the Features. in fact the man who designed Aquitania took a voyage on the Olympic to get ideas for the new Cunard steamer. so basically Cunard are a bunch of posers off White Star, because they knew White Star ships were better, and more people would sail with them.
@lasuvidaboy Luxuriousness can be relative. What might be wonderful to one passenger might by downright gaudy to another. Those of us who have never sailed on any of these great ladies really have no ground to be arguing sumptuousness of one ship to another. It really takes first-hand experience to form that sort of opinion. Besides...I like to think that RMS Olympic (Old Reliable) and RMS Aquitania (The Ship Beautiful) run rather neck and neck in the annals of immigration history.
@BlueEyedCubTN. The Olympic was a fantastic looking ship but her single deck first class public rooms were surpassed not only in scale but in decorative arts by the Aquitania and the Imperator Class. The Olympic Class interiors were nothing special and in fact could be seen on many Harland and Wolff designed ships of the era. The interior design department at H&W recycled interiors from other ships from that time and re-worked them for the new White Star giants.
@BlueEyedCubTN Today all we have are interior images of the two ships. Aquitania had more impressive interiors than the Olympic Class. Aquitania's two-deck 1st class dining room, smoking room and lounge were considered far superior than the single deck spaces on Olympic. Immigration is'nt the issue as after the end of mass-migration in the 1920s. These ships had to compete on service and passenger comfort-even for 3rd class passengers.
@lasuvidaboy i believe you sir, are wrong, the Olympic Class liners were and probably still are the most Luxurious Ships ever to have sailed. Aquitania is basically a copy of the Olympic Class liners, and you can tell by alot of the Features. in fact the man who designed Aquitania took a voyage on the Olympic to get ideas for the new Cunard steamer. so basically Cunard are a bunch of posers off White Star, because they knew White Star ships were better, and more people would sail with them.
@generaltodd2 Olympic Class the most luxurious liners ever?? Most people don't know that except for their grand staircases, the interiors were very typical Harland & Wolff interiors of that period. Imperator had far more luxurious spaces. The exterior of Olympic was perfection (probably the finest looking 4 stack liner ever) but their interiors were very typical of any number of Harland and Wolff ships built between 1910 and 1920. As for THE most luxurious look no further than the Normandie.
@lasuvidaboy I agree with the exterior of the Olympic was indeed perfection, even today. Alot of people who sailed on the Olympic Class Liners said they were the most luxurious ships in the world.
@generaltodd2 The Olympic was one of the finest looking liners ever. The Olympic Class were the last of the so-called lean yacht like racers. For a 45,000 ton ship, she was sleek, elegant with perfect proportions. The Cunarders in comparison tended to be a little cluttered compared the the clean lines and top decks of Olympic.
@lasuvidaboy I agree, i never really got the Cunard designs, as compared to the designs of the Olympic Class Liners, which as you pointed out, were sleek, elegant, and spacious, as compared to Cunard Liners were cluttered, and not as spacious. As Well as the eterior of Cunard Liners were ugly, for lack of a better word.
Ship wear out and are not designed to last forever. The Aquitania was saved from scrapping because she was needed for World War II. If the war had not started, she was scheduled for scrapping in 1940 when the new Queen Elizabeth was set to enter service. The war gave Aquitania a 10-year life extension and she was literally falling apart by 1950.
That's exactly what I would say, these fools scrapped the Olympic as well. Pisses me off, such beautiful ships that didn't actually sink and they scrap them. You're right, they should make them into a hotel or something they would make money on that alot in fact
they were scrapped because that was the time of the Great Depression, nothing to do with them, and they cannot be sent to somewhere else to be a floating hotel, so they were scrapped
i love this video and this song. i also love the way the way how the music ended, like even though the aquitania was on her way to be scrapped she somehow had the last laugh.
I fully agree with the 'ship beautiful' description. Also I was amused by the dancers style in this film. And which Clyde Steamer is shown for a moment on her last journey to Faslane? Anybody know?
The 45,000 ton Aquitania was 15,000 tons larger than the smaller but far faster Mauretania and Aquitania. The Aquitania had an extra deck, was longer and of a slightly more modern design. She was more in line w/White Stars (45,000-48,000 ton) Olympic Class liners.
White Star ship were typical Harland & Wolff (their builders) design. To the educated eye Cunarders and White Star ships (and other lines ships) were unique and the difference often went beyond each lines livery. Ships of this era had similarities (common funnel shape, counter sterns, straight bows etc) but there were many other differences as well.
Aquitania was beautiful. You can tell apart White Star ships from Cunard ships: Cunards have a white line between the water line and the body paint. White Star doesn't. Cunards smoke stacks are also different. Theirs have rings around the funnels while White Star's do not. And if you were able to see below the water, you'd notice that the big White Stars have 3 screws, while the nig Cunards have 4 screws. Rudder assembly is also different on each brand of ship.
Cunard ships never had dummy or fake funnels. The Olympic Class had 4-funnels and the 4th one was used for ventilation and steam exhaust. All the 4-funnels on the Aquitania, Lusitania and Mauretania were working stacks.
Olympic class did have smoke vented through the fourth funnel from the galleys. It was a smaller, chimney-like uptake in the forward section of the funnel.
No, she's a Cunarder. Besides being able to tell by her funnels can also now by her name. Cunard liners traditionally have (had) an -IA suffix (ex: LusitanIA, MauretanIA, BerengarIA, CarpathIA). White Star Liners had buff colored funnels with a black band and had an -IC suffix (ex: AdriatIC, TitanIC, MajestIC). However, In the 1930s Cunard and White Star merged so that's why you're probably confused.
When I was 14 I was on the Glasgow to Belfast overnight steamer with my family and as we sailed down river between Dunoon and Wemyss Bay we saw the Aquitania being towed on the last few miles of its journey to the shipbreakers at Faslane. Old she may have been, hull may have been cracked but not for nothing was she called 'The ship beautiful' Against the background of the Scottish hills she was truly a majestic and beautiful site.
that horn is the same as titanic has
subzero5297 2 weeks ago
Aquitania was a beautiful Lady. I wish she could be saved.
SuperTitanicfreak 1 month ago
What a beautiful lady^^
MsjEsUsFrEaK73 2 months ago
How impressive! The ocean liners of the early and mid 20th century have always been a huge source of fascination to me. The Olympic class ships, as well as the "Roman Class" sisters, as I call them, were truly something to behold. I have always wanted to know what it would be like to sail on one of them. Such beautiful architecture and very well built machines!
Hazafan88 3 months ago
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A Beautiful passenger ship did duties for World War 1 and WW2 then returned to passenger service then did cruises in the 1930's even at risk of being sold to scrappers cause of the depression she managed to survive the 30's and during WW2 she ferried troops along side other ships like Queen Mary and the new Queen Elizabeth and after she did war bride voyages and briefly returned to passenger service then she was scrapped in 1950.
DanielHami23 4 months ago
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DanielHami23 4 months ago
@DanielHami23 She just started and did 3 voyages in 1914 as a passenger ship just before WW1
Wow this Beautiful ship did so well in her services being a passenger liner then doing duties for 2 wars that is amazing
1914-1950 wow that's quite a long time for a liner.
DanielHami23 4 months ago
There will never ever be anything like the old ocean liners.
SassyLoverBoy 5 months ago
Two things upset me about this video.
1. That Cunard now cheapen the White Star name now by using it as a promotional tool only in there restaurants.
2. That the Aquitania, as the last of the four stackers was able to survive two world wars and well into the late 50's. Only to be unceremoniously scrapped. It beggars belief.
nelsonr32 6 months ago
@nelsonr32
1. We should feel fortunate that the White Star name is used at all. Remember that Cunard merged with White Star. Most competitors are not that generous as to use the name of a rival in their marketing.
2. Aquitania was removed from service and scrapped in 1950. Please get your facts straight.
alatar144 4 months ago
@alatar144. My bad, it's been a few years since i've read the books (I used to be obsessed with old Ocean Liners when I was 12). Just because it's youtube no need to get lemon about it.
I wouldn't say White Star was still a 'rival' to Cunard as for that to happen they would still need to be in business. They would afford it much more dignity if they left it to history.
nelsonr32 4 months ago
My Dad sailed on her as a child. He said they ate ice cream and jelly the whole trip which was a rare treat for he and my uncle at the time. Great footage, thanks so much for posting.
freethoughtmusic 7 months ago
White Star Line's flag 0:36
MG42AA2 7 months ago
why did you put upbeat music on?it really does not suit
kingofcouture5 7 months ago
Most of the footage was shot in the 1920's. So it makes sense that the music should be 1920's as well.
Aaron1912 7 months ago 4
So titanic has a 4th sister?
mrtrainboy019 7 months ago
@mrtrainboy019 MAYBE ...
Masinfira1 7 months ago
No the Aquitania was a Cunard ship, its sisters were the Lusitania and the Mauretania :)
chrisdude8907 7 months ago
why does the Aquitania have two bridges
mrdesignit145 9 months ago
What's the music..?
MrAaron542 10 months ago
what is this song
mrdesignit145 10 months ago
Aquitania is my favorite ship, it makes me mad so mad when ASSHOLES!!!! had to scrap her, why in the HELL didn't they park her, and made her into a hotel just like they did the Queen Mary? so people like us who didn't get to see her inside and cruise on her back in the day, can see her as a hotel NOW. I would pay to stay in her. I think she was much more beauitful than the Queen Mary inside, don't get me wrong Queen Mary is pretty, But how I would of LOVE to see her, parked for people to see.
alaskanactressp30 10 months ago
@alaskanactressp30 I understand your feelings. The world did not think to preserve at least one four-stacker. It wasn't until late in the century that people realized we'd thrown the baby out with the bathwater, that too much "progress" was actually disintegration, destroying beauty in so many areas, from opera to movies to music to the art of conversation to human contact to shipbuilding. Thank God for Youtube and fellow shiplovers and lovers of beauty and quality from days gone by....
yes4albert 8 months ago
True. The older generations were very angry when they saw the modern world take over. You can see how they felt about this in my video called: Sailing Into The Unknown Future
Aaron1912 8 months ago
@alaskanactressp30 Another poster has partially made the point about preserving the Aquitania, however she was very run down, inside and out, when she was scrapped; she was in no real condition to continue as you would have wished.
SatchmoSings 8 months ago
Can somebody tell me please when and why the Aquitania's bridge suddenly became bigger during WW2
DanielHami23 11 months ago
@DanielHami23 Aquitania's upper bridge was enlarged in late 1944 to allow the chart room to be up on the bridge. It had always been up on the upper bridge since it was added back in 1915. But the installation of a radar set in early 1943, took over the space that had been the chart room up to that time. For 1943-44, the chart room was moved down into the space that had been the ship's original bridge. Looking closely, you'll notice that the original bridge was also enlarged at this time.
cunard61 10 months ago
So sad when a Ocean Liner gets scrapped.
SuperTitanicfreak 11 months ago
Why did Aquitania have to be scrapped? somebody could have save her.
SuperTitanicfreak 11 months ago
@SuperTitanicfreak Its because she was getting to old plus she was deteriorating cause of her age.
i heard a piano came through the roof of one of the dining rooms which was very very dangerous so the board of trade decided not to renew her certificate so Cunard or Cunard White Star as it was called then were force to withdraw the Aquitania and the ship was sold for scrap.
DanielHami23 10 months ago
How do they scrap really huge ships?
CRM09ify 11 months ago
How stupid are we to not truly preserve ships like this?
Scioneer 11 months ago
lovely tribute to a beautiful ship :)
mileyooxx 11 months ago
The only true liners today with direct ancestral ties to these magnificent ships are those of the Cunard line. I guess actually the Cunard line is the only company still in existence from yesteryear. Not so much used for business travel nowadays, they still are the only liners designed specifically for the North Atlantic trade route. My fave is the Queen Mary II.
txjohnny007 1 year ago
Fine, fine views of one of the grandest of all liners. She had perfect lines and proportions--how proud her builders must've been! Thanks for posting these priceless views!
kurtarmbruster 1 year ago
1:06-1:10 ! :)
sbd650 1 year ago
Splendid Video!!!
What is the song played in the first part of the video?
I ABSOLUTELY love the color footage, and the whistle at the end, the voice of the Aqutiania!
MrUrfacetacos1 1 year ago
At 0:49
Is that the Queen herself?? O_O
leavenworthkd 1 year ago
my gram was on the Aquitania
captainofthetitanic 1 year ago
1914-1950 a great career for Aquitania, the last four-stacker. They sure don't build em' like they used to huh?
phillyslasher 1 year ago
no wonder they called it 'ship beautiful'
ketelaarproducties10 1 year ago
Its by far not the Prettiest ship haha!!
vivienleigh1097 1 year ago
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Is it Just me or did the Aquitania had a small bridge fitted on after WW1 cause while i was on the internet i had a look at Aquitania's photos doing service during WW2 and after it looks like the bridge has been extended or something.
DanielHami23 1 year ago
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DanielHami23 1 year ago
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What is the name of the song? I wanted to get it on itunes. Thank you.
Titanic19127 1 year ago
Wow! actual color footage of a liner like that. amazing.
pruzman 1 year ago 2
Oh god listen to that beautiful music. and what a wonderful ship the Aquitania was. The Ocean Liners of the past were the best.
Sarasdad91 1 year ago
What is the name of the song? I wanted to get it on itunes. Thank you.
Titanic19127 1 year ago
Wow. Wonderful footage. Thanks for posting
TheHiphopjoe 1 year ago
Why to they always scrap out such beutiful ships!!!!!!!
TheRabbid101 1 year ago
Aquitania was Cunard's not was not it?
I remember that was the Cunard.Ah is right then joined the White Star with Cunard.UAhuahauauh I forgot
Guilherme0496 1 year ago
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Guilherme0496 1 year ago
Nice to see the Cunard-White Star flags in colour for once, but why did they let them touch the deck when lowering them? I'd have thought it would be like on land, where a flag isn't supposed to touch the ground.
hank3rox 1 year ago
My Favorite! 1:05-1:10!!!
sbd403 1 year ago
1:05-1:10!
sbd403 1 year ago
Spectacular!
sbd403 1 year ago
Where ever is this film footage found? I want more!!! I call it ocean liner porn.
gdcat777 2 years ago 3
ha!
coreyteen13 1 year ago
WOW! The real treat of this movie is the her blowing her mighty whistle! Too bad is was while she was sailing for the breakers yard. Hearing a liner's whitsle is like hearing them speak!
walyern 2 years ago
May I ask,But what is the name of the first song,I have been on the Aquitania when I was 12 in 1929,It was a grand ship of it's day.I road forst class with my mother,and the dining hall was great and fancy.The ship had a smoking lounge with stain glass windows and a salt water water pool at the bottom of her.She was called a second Titanic for some people.She was also a coal ship,the captain gave my mother,Father and Me a tour around the ship.
Titanic19127 2 years ago
Aquitania could not get her 1950-51 operating certificate and was sold for scrap at that point. She was well-worn (worn out electrical, plumbing etc.) and beyond economic repair. The new RMS Queen Elizabeth was her replacement and she was originally scheduled to be retired in 1940 and would have been had she not been needed for war service.
lasuvidaboy 2 years ago
Why they didn't fixed the ship. The only problems were, weak funnels, some decks!!
Abricialio 2 years ago 2
I love it on the last trip how she looks like she is still strong. great ship and sadly missed.
CarBonkers 2 years ago 4
The horn sounds like a lower pitched Titanic horn.
Beatlesman99 2 years ago
Cunard's Aquitania was'nt the last 4-stacker. Union Castle Line built two 4-stackers in 1920-21 for their England-South Africa service. They were modernized and lost two of their funnels in the mid-1930s.
lasuvidaboy 2 years ago
@lasuvidaboy what where they called
Patsbug66 2 years ago
If we only could go back to this great time of ocean liners. Ir we only could walk on the decks of the Titanic, Queen Mary, Aquitania, Mauretania, Lusitania etc. Only one day would be enough, wouldn't it? Love your videos and your work!
TheRMSQueenMarySite 2 years ago
I really wish ships were this beautiful nowadays. Now they look like they're built entirely for efficiency and stacking as many people as possible inside.
TV843 2 years ago 24
@TV843 I totally agree, the modern day ships are so ugly. Old steam ships were really nice.
Beatlesman99 2 years ago 2
Beatlesman--A few years back, there was talk of building a modern Titanic (a lookalike--with all modern construction). There's been talk over the years of restoring the United States or the Queen Mary. But like anything, the costs are prohibitive and they wouldn't be able to stack enough people inside them to make a profit. The United States is loaded with asbestos and Queen Mary's got a lot of issues as well.
TV843 2 years ago
@TV843 Yes!I agree! I can understand having a bulbous bow and some flare but the ships today are way too pointy (angular) .
Thermionman1970 1 year ago
@TV843 Mostly that's true. I think The Quuen Mary 2 is the esception to that rule. Cunard always took care in building their ships. They are still the gendest of them all.
Sarasdad91 8 months ago in playlist Ocean Liners
@Sarasdad91 I hear you, but I still miss the near-vertical bow of the old ships, and the poop deck that hangs out over the ocean is just plain sexy... Though it only had two funnels, one of my favorite ships of the era was the Hamburg-America Line "Amerika," lauched by Harland and Wolf in 1905. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend checking out the Wikipedia article on it. It had a pretty amazing history as well.
TV843 8 months ago
@TV843 The Amerika, along with the Aquitania were the only two liners to serve in both World Wars, though I could be wrong.
SatchmoSings 8 months ago
@SatchmoSings Not to mention that Amerika actually sank at her mooring in New York harbor in 1918, was raised and repaired to gone to a long & amazing carrier (with several name changes along the way as seems to be the custom).
TV843 8 months ago
@TV843 Actually, there was another German WWI liner that served through both World Wars; I think it was The George Washington.
SatchmoSings 8 months ago
At the time of the scrapping, did it still had 1910's interiors?
brestingheedness 7 months ago
@brestingheedness I'd doubt that. Think of them like you would a hotel. Every so often, you'd remodel. Furniture would wear out & be replaced. I would think the most likely thing to remain would be the wood/metal work, which could be cleaned a refinished periodically. If you're interested, go on Wikipedia and read the article about RMS Olympic. Parts of her original interior were saved (these things were often auctioned off) and it are now in the White Swan Hotel in the UK & other locations.
TV843 7 months ago
I'd read that Aquitania had a very 'boxy' design but I hadn't quite realised how boxy she was until seeing this.
zephyruk 2 years ago
It is always nice to know that a big piece of steel can sail. It is also nice to know that we humans made it work.
82abnoff 2 years ago
as it did with the Titanic. lol
Maxobillion 2 years ago
Aquitania was the last and best of the four-stackers and was blessed with a long and happy career. It's sad to see her final moments here; it's too bad she wasn't preserved as a hotel like Queen Mary, but from what I read here that would have meant an expensive overhaul & rebuild.
galoon 2 years ago
Aquitania's long career w/Cunard Line lasted between 1914 to 1950. Her operating certificate was not re-newed and it was time to retire her after the 1948-49 season and was scrapped in 1950-51. There were issues w/rust (like any old ship) and the funnels were in poor shape (like the Queen Mary's in the late 1960s).
lasuvidaboy 2 years ago
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Yes in 1949 one of her pianos fell through her weak floors and into the grand dining room. And also there was another sister of Aquitania! Zusitania! I'll tell you that! scrapped in 1954. She was built in 1920 but she ran a ground in 1927 and was not seen until 1952 and then served another 2 years of passenger service! How amazing!
CarBonkers 2 years ago
Zusitania doesn't exists.
Peekarica 2 years ago 3
What happened in 1949 with the RMS Aquitania before she was scrapped? Some one said a piano fell thought a floor, and a funnel was falling possible thought the decks if they didn't fixed it. Has anybody more info?
Abricialio 2 years ago 2
White Star was awarded the German ss Bismark after the war and she was re-christened RMS Majestic. Her interiors were far more spacious and luxurious than what the 45,000 ton Olympic offered. The Olympic was far better looking but the 56,000 ton Majestic beat her hands down for impressive interiors. Her 1st class 2-deck swimming pool put Olympic's to shame.
lasuvidaboy 2 years ago 6
@lasuvidaboy The Bismark had two sisters as well, the Imperator and Vaterland. The Imperator was given to Cunard line and became Berengaria and the Vaterland to the United States lines and renamed Leviathan.
phillyslasher 1 year ago
If you've seen interior pictures of Aquitania, most would agree that she was a step-above the Olympic Class ships. Her 1st class lounge was a work of art as was her 1st class smoking room. The 1st class dining room was 2-decks high and very impressive. She was more in line w/the luxurious German Imperator Class of ships.
lasuvidaboy 2 years ago
Tbe dream of the White Star Line never came true.. their most luxerious ships Titanic and Britannic sank, and the Olympic was their only ship..
SamHeuschen 2 years ago 3
wich ship was bigger, aquitania or britannic?
GKG33 2 years ago
Britannic.
Abricialio 2 years ago 4
And the Britannic was designed to be more luxurious than the Aquitania
pascalocool 2 years ago 4
Actually, although Britannic was designed to be the most luxurious ship ever before she was taken over by the british government, Aquitania was larger.
TheBojangle123 2 years ago
for me titanic is the luxurious ship ever made but aquitania is very fortunate not to sink
titanicfan19 2 years ago 2
I prefer the Olympic & Titanic's cleaner lines.
footballgeorgiebest 2 years ago
Actually the Aquitania was considered even more luxurious that the earlier Olympic Class liners. Cunard ordered the Aquitania to compete and surpass the Olympic Class ships. The Mauretania and Lusitania were the express ships while the 23-knot Aquitania was their super-luxury ship.
lasuvidaboy 2 years ago
A Titanic survivor said the Lusitania was more comfortable and luxurious than the Titanic. Perhaps the glamour of the Olympic class liners has been slightly exaggerated.
Aaron1912 2 years ago
i honestly doubt it. i might have been like the nomandie where people thought it was too luxurious.
beserker1912 2 years ago
yea and i see the key of Cunard luxurious they put some glass dome on the small room so it make larger and look they always have a 2 story dining room in every Cunard's large liner it was different from Olympic class liner even they have large grand staircase but still they smaller the large room like Titanic's dining room it looks like small and not grand like Cunard but this is great their ocean liner are tie
Danieltitanic1912 2 years ago
@Aaron1912 The Olympic class ships were White Star Line's business move to compete with ships like the Lusitania, however, it is an exaggeration to say that everyone considered them "unsinkable" because of their watertight bulkheads, they weren't considered unsinkable by anyone who designed them, in fact watertight bulkheads were old news by then & were used on ships for many years before Olympic and Titanic were designed. Lusitania had watertight bulkheads too, and she was built before Olympic.
tcb19881 1 year ago
@Aaron1912 i believe you sir, are wrong, the Olympic Class liners were and probably still are the most Luxurious Ships ever to have sailed. Aquitania is basically a copy of the Olympic Class liners, and you can tell by alot of the Features. in fact the man who designed Aquitania took a voyage on the Olympic to get ideas for the new Cunard steamer. so basically Cunard are a bunch of posers off White Star, because they knew White Star ships were better, and more people would sail with them.
generaltodd2 11 months ago
@lasuvidaboy Luxuriousness can be relative. What might be wonderful to one passenger might by downright gaudy to another. Those of us who have never sailed on any of these great ladies really have no ground to be arguing sumptuousness of one ship to another. It really takes first-hand experience to form that sort of opinion. Besides...I like to think that RMS Olympic (Old Reliable) and RMS Aquitania (The Ship Beautiful) run rather neck and neck in the annals of immigration history.
BlueEyedCubTN 1 year ago
@BlueEyedCubTN. The Olympic was a fantastic looking ship but her single deck first class public rooms were surpassed not only in scale but in decorative arts by the Aquitania and the Imperator Class. The Olympic Class interiors were nothing special and in fact could be seen on many Harland and Wolff designed ships of the era. The interior design department at H&W recycled interiors from other ships from that time and re-worked them for the new White Star giants.
lasuvidaboy 1 year ago
@BlueEyedCubTN Today all we have are interior images of the two ships. Aquitania had more impressive interiors than the Olympic Class. Aquitania's two-deck 1st class dining room, smoking room and lounge were considered far superior than the single deck spaces on Olympic. Immigration is'nt the issue as after the end of mass-migration in the 1920s. These ships had to compete on service and passenger comfort-even for 3rd class passengers.
lasuvidaboy 1 year ago
@lasuvidaboy i believe you sir, are wrong, the Olympic Class liners were and probably still are the most Luxurious Ships ever to have sailed. Aquitania is basically a copy of the Olympic Class liners, and you can tell by alot of the Features. in fact the man who designed Aquitania took a voyage on the Olympic to get ideas for the new Cunard steamer. so basically Cunard are a bunch of posers off White Star, because they knew White Star ships were better, and more people would sail with them.
generaltodd2 11 months ago
@generaltodd2 Olympic Class the most luxurious liners ever?? Most people don't know that except for their grand staircases, the interiors were very typical Harland & Wolff interiors of that period. Imperator had far more luxurious spaces. The exterior of Olympic was perfection (probably the finest looking 4 stack liner ever) but their interiors were very typical of any number of Harland and Wolff ships built between 1910 and 1920. As for THE most luxurious look no further than the Normandie.
lasuvidaboy 11 months ago
@lasuvidaboy I agree with the exterior of the Olympic was indeed perfection, even today. Alot of people who sailed on the Olympic Class Liners said they were the most luxurious ships in the world.
generaltodd2 11 months ago
@generaltodd2 The Olympic was one of the finest looking liners ever. The Olympic Class were the last of the so-called lean yacht like racers. For a 45,000 ton ship, she was sleek, elegant with perfect proportions. The Cunarders in comparison tended to be a little cluttered compared the the clean lines and top decks of Olympic.
lasuvidaboy 11 months ago
@lasuvidaboy I agree, i never really got the Cunard designs, as compared to the designs of the Olympic Class Liners, which as you pointed out, were sleek, elegant, and spacious, as compared to Cunard Liners were cluttered, and not as spacious. As Well as the eterior of Cunard Liners were ugly, for lack of a better word.
generaltodd2 11 months ago
British ships where so grand!
Titanic is the most beautiful, nothing beats her luxury.
renegadeexpress1983 2 years ago
Ship wear out and are not designed to last forever. The Aquitania was saved from scrapping because she was needed for World War II. If the war had not started, she was scheduled for scrapping in 1940 when the new Queen Elizabeth was set to enter service. The war gave Aquitania a 10-year life extension and she was literally falling apart by 1950.
lasuvidaboy 2 years ago
were did you get the footage??
villarock9 2 years ago
TITANIC, OLYMPIC and BRITANNIC is the best ships ever. no one can beat them
aslex15 2 years ago
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GKG33 2 years ago 2
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GKG33 2 years ago
as a matter of fact, the thing that made them decide to be scrapped was when a piano fell through the deck
beserker1912 2 years ago
LOL!
randomrazr 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
its true. go check it out.
beserker1912 2 years ago
Aquitania was faster and more luxury than Olympic, Titanic, and Britannic!
Wildfan00988 2 years ago 5
Are you guys Americans by any chance?
joelang1699 2 years ago
WHAT WOULD OF BEEN COOL!
is they could of sunk her and make it an underwater museum =D
Tacky8523 2 years ago
Why they Scraped it? Why they not do it like Queen Mary
Danieltitanic1912 2 years ago
That's exactly what I would say, these fools scrapped the Olympic as well. Pisses me off, such beautiful ships that didn't actually sink and they scrap them. You're right, they should make them into a hotel or something they would make money on that alot in fact
pilotette 2 years ago
they were scrapped because that was the time of the Great Depression, nothing to do with them, and they cannot be sent to somewhere else to be a floating hotel, so they were scrapped
GTAstuntman101 2 years ago
She was scrapped in the 50's
skot66 2 years ago
one of her officers said that by the late 1940s "she was rather tatty, you could poke your finger right through a bulkhead".
deepseadirt 2 years ago
Boy that officer made fun of RMS aquitania. I would kick his behind if i were on aquitania.
mrlego611 2 years ago
Such a shame and waste that she was scrapped... The Aquitania would have been better off as a floating museum like the Queen Mary.
emlodik 2 years ago
R.M.S. Aquitania
Lest We Forget
Ship Beautiful
Camodric123 3 years ago
She wasn't the last four funnel ship to be built but she was the last four funnel ship to be scrapped
DanielHami23 3 years ago
the last four stack ship in the world
R.I.P. four stacks
felipe929258 3 years ago 3
i love this video and this song. i also love the way the way how the music ended, like even though the aquitania was on her way to be scrapped she somehow had the last laugh.
ferryboatkid 3 years ago
Did you know if you download and install this ship onto virtual sailor and play it then press the horn button the sound from this clip turns on
DanielHami23 3 years ago
We will remember Aquitania.
DanielHami23 3 years ago
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DanielHami23 3 years ago
The Last four stacker to cross the Atlantic. God she is beautiful.
phillyslasher 3 years ago
What is the name of this song?
evanescencefan3294 3 years ago
im named after aquitania
joy2daworld 3 years ago
Aquitania was one of a few liners to survive WW1 and WW2
DanielHami23 3 years ago
I fully agree with the 'ship beautiful' description. Also I was amused by the dancers style in this film. And which Clyde Steamer is shown for a moment on her last journey to Faslane? Anybody know?
scottishcdlover 3 years ago
The 45,000 ton Aquitania was 15,000 tons larger than the smaller but far faster Mauretania and Aquitania. The Aquitania had an extra deck, was longer and of a slightly more modern design. She was more in line w/White Stars (45,000-48,000 ton) Olympic Class liners.
lasuvidaboy 3 years ago
White Star ship were typical Harland & Wolff (their builders) design. To the educated eye Cunarders and White Star ships (and other lines ships) were unique and the difference often went beyond each lines livery. Ships of this era had similarities (common funnel shape, counter sterns, straight bows etc) but there were many other differences as well.
lasuvidaboy 3 years ago
it looks just like the lusitania
thwepz 3 years ago
Aquitania was beautiful. You can tell apart White Star ships from Cunard ships: Cunards have a white line between the water line and the body paint. White Star doesn't. Cunards smoke stacks are also different. Theirs have rings around the funnels while White Star's do not. And if you were able to see below the water, you'd notice that the big White Stars have 3 screws, while the nig Cunards have 4 screws. Rudder assembly is also different on each brand of ship.
Hazafan88 3 years ago 4
You fail to give the most obvious differences! haha -IA suffixes and 'Cunard' Red Funnels compared to -IC suffixes and buff colored funnels!
BCraven04 3 years ago 3
Ha! So I did! Didn't stop to think about that one, did I? :D LOL! Thanks!
Hazafan88 3 years ago 4
Cunard ships never had dummy or fake funnels. The Olympic Class had 4-funnels and the 4th one was used for ventilation and steam exhaust. All the 4-funnels on the Aquitania, Lusitania and Mauretania were working stacks.
lasuvidaboy 3 years ago 4
Olympic class did have smoke vented through the fourth funnel from the galleys. It was a smaller, chimney-like uptake in the forward section of the funnel.
dallaskeffer 3 years ago
Today the Queen Mary 2 has twin exhaust uptakes (galley exhaust) aft of the funnel. She might even be considered a three stacker by some.
lasuvidaboy 3 years ago
is her second and fourth smock stack a fake?
Ships4life 3 years ago
no, thats a common mistake with Lusitania, Mauritania, and Aquitania. They often did not have smoke coming out of all 4 funnels at once
Riku1135 3 years ago
ow ok
lewisajax 3 years ago
RMS Aquitania that's a white star line ship isunt it?
lewisajax 3 years ago
No, she's a Cunarder. Besides being able to tell by her funnels can also now by her name. Cunard liners traditionally have (had) an -IA suffix (ex: LusitanIA, MauretanIA, BerengarIA, CarpathIA). White Star Liners had buff colored funnels with a black band and had an -IC suffix (ex: AdriatIC, TitanIC, MajestIC). However, In the 1930s Cunard and White Star merged so that's why you're probably confused.
BCraven04 3 years ago 3
No she was a Cunard ship
britishoceanliners2 3 years ago
I feel that she was most beautiful of all the four stackers
Riku1135 3 years ago 6
i take it you think im dumb
lewisajax 3 years ago
no, y would u say that?
Riku1135 3 years ago
sorry its just the (you're probably confused.)bit made me fill upset. diden meen wot i sed in the last comment
lewisajax 3 years ago
none taken, really
Riku1135 3 years ago
They call her the "ship beautiful" but i think that the olympic class liner are more "beautiful" and well proportioned than the aquitania.
Paddy3443 3 years ago
Wonderful last look at the Aquitania
Unownshipper 3 years ago
When I was 14 I was on the Glasgow to Belfast overnight steamer with my family and as we sailed down river between Dunoon and Wemyss Bay we saw the Aquitania being towed on the last few miles of its journey to the shipbreakers at Faslane. Old she may have been, hull may have been cracked but not for nothing was she called 'The ship beautiful' Against the background of the Scottish hills she was truly a majestic and beautiful site.
Norfolkscot 3 years ago 6
how old are you now?
Riku1135 3 years ago
72 on monday :-)
Norfolkscot 3 years ago
I really wish i was aroun to see her as well, so I GREATLY envy you for that
never forget it
Riku1135 3 years ago
BTW:where'd you get thet song
Riku1135 3 years ago
Sadly I forget, I made the video over a year ago, and just scanned the net for anything jazzy.
Aaron1912 3 years ago
Great memory of a well loved ship
deepol06 3 years ago