Before jet aircraft, the shipping lines had the North Atlantic to themselves and there were departures almost every day from Southampton to New York.

One of the Cunard ships in her prime at that time was the 45,600-ton Aquitania.

Sometimes this graceful four-funnel liner, was called the "Ship Beautiful'' and later "Old Irrepressible''.

The ship, which had a top speed of 24 knots, served as an armed merchant cruiser and a hospital ship in the First World War and a troop transport on the North Atlantic in both world wars.

After 1945, the Aquitania remained in government service, carrying sponsored

passengers from Southampton to Canada, and then commercial customers as a Cunarder for the last few years of her life.

This great ship steamed more than 3,000,000 miles and carried 1,200,000 passengers. Her furniture and fittings were sold by auction at Southampton Docks and she was broken up in Scotland in 1950.