Mauretania mania.
 

Mauretania madness sweeps Amble again. Families split, neighbour against neighbour. Uncertainty and doubt reign supreme. Are we actually the kindliest port and not the friendliest port we have believed all these years? Have we been lied to? How can this be? :D

Anyway, in Newcastle to pick up 'swag' yesterday and popped into the Discovery museum to have a look at what they have on Parsons the turbine builder for a little medal related project. Completely missed all their Parsons stuff , apart from the Turbinia of course, which you can't miss, but did find their model of the Mauretania. It is worth a look in just for that model, massive and impressive to say the least.

http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...ery-museum.jpg

Now there is a period photo of the Mauretania moored at Wallsend with the Turbinia along side. If you've seen the Turbinia in the flesh , you get the scale of the Mauretania from this one.


http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...t-wallsend.jpg

Interestingly, they have included a matching scale model of the Turbinia in the Mauretania case:


http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...mauretania.jpg

Forward anchor chains on model (image of the real chain to follow below)


http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...hain-model.jpg

http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...in-model-2.jpg

Bridge of the Mauretania, Famous Amble telegraph sent from behind one of those three doors?


http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...mauretania.jpg


http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...uretania-2.jpg

http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...stern-view.jpg


http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...ern-view-2.jpg

Ship's Telegraph has survived from the Mauretania, massive, size of a dustbin lid.


sorry about the reflections. That's not me in the reflection. Honest.


http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...mauretania.jpg

Fantastic set of pics. How did you stop the glare off the glass? Did you use a filter?

I did use a monopod, but no flash. I thought I'd picked up a lot of reflections! -thing is I do have a polarising filter as well but I cannot find it otherwise they would have been better.

These are three links of surviving Mauretania anchor chain (and my arm!) They have the date on them, '1906' (the chain, not my arm). Each link is 130 lbs / 76kg. At the time it was the largest chain ever made for an anchor chain. Length was 1,900 feet / 579 metres, total weight was 132 tonnes. Made at Brown, Lenox and Co. chainworks in Pontypridd.



http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...chor-chain.jpg


http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...or-chain-2.jpg

Very interesting pics Coquet, excellent model of the ship great detail.

Very interesting indeed, and a great set of photos; Wish my dad were still alive, he was a merchant seaman, served on the Athenia 1934/5. I`ve some memorabilia somewhere, postcards, photos, etc.

Yes, sorry to cause so much angst! To be honest, I thought the Friendliest Port would win the day, but it looks like Kindliest Port is nudging ahead on The Ambler's poll.
http://www.theambler.co.uk/wp-conten...-AlineWood.jpg

Very nice artifact. Thanks for sharing.

At least the Mauretania survived the great war unlike her sister ship the Lusitania. Mauretania did have plenty war service and was a dazzle ship as well.

After the Lusitania was sunk the Germans struck a chunky iron commemorative / propaganda medal . The British copied this as an anti-'German Kultur' propaganda medal and sold vast numbers.

Obverse shows 'Death' dishing out tickets at the Cunard New York office, reverse shows armaments slipping of the deck of the sinking Lusitania.

A common medal; always have one or two coming and going.


http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...medal-1916.jpg

I've got this in the junk box as well. The new Mauretania was built in Liverpool in 1939. A medal was struck to commemorate the launch of the new ship, made in copper from the old RMS Mauretania.
[A little bit of Mauretania still in Amble]


http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...ania-medal.jpg