THE only foreign-built liner in Cunard's "big three'' on the North Atlantic in the 1920s and 1930s was the 52,250-ton Berengaria, formerly the Hamburg Amerika liner Imperator.

Laid down in 1910 at the Vulkan Werke shipyard at Hamburg, Imperator was launched in May 1912, and made her maiden voyage to New York, via Southampton the following year.

She had two sister ships, Vaterland and Bismarck. The three liners were the biggest in the world and were intended to keep the German flag on the North Atlantic in a strong position, particularly against the merchant fleets of the United Kingdom and France.

Because of the First World War these hopes were dashed and all three were handed over to the Allies in 1919 under the Reparations Agreement. Cunard had one, Bismark became White Star Lines' Majestic and the Vaterland US Lines' Leviathan.

After being refitted and converted to burn oil fuel, Berengaria operated successfully between Southampton and New York.

At one time the ship was described as "principally a gleaming and bejewelled ferryboat for the rich and titled.''

The liner in her later years, made $50 cruises from New York. It was during the prohibition era and the trips became known as the first "booze cruises.''

When the 81,000 Queen Mary was ready for service Berengaria's days were numbered and in 1936 she was withdrawn from service and scrapped at Barrow.