Expansion of Aquitania's wheelhouse in WW2

[Mark Chirnside]

Steven, all;

I apologise for my short response, but it's all I can do right now.

As for Boston, I am in full agreement because that matches the schedule I posted above for 1942.

In terms of the refit, it occured to me that I have some November 1939 papers which gave a rather detailed set of comments about Aquitania's condition and outfit. They might shed some light on it but they are filed away.

As an aside, if I remember rightly it was reported that new furnace fronts were fitted to all the boilers around 1943-44. I have the exact date somewhere.

Best wishes,

Mark.

 

[Steve Anderson]

I have dug a little further through the collection and found a few more interesting items relating to this topic.

Quoted from - Great Liners at War by Steven Harding - Motorbooks International Osceola, WI 1997 - Page 94-95

>>(Start Quote)"Once again Aquitania's elaborate furnishings and artwork were removed, her carpets and brass fittings were hauled away, and the paraphernalia of war was brought aboard gun mounts and rangefinders appeared along her upper decks and superstructure, and a coat of battleship gray masked her company colors. Sandbags and splinter shields replaced plush draperies and etched glass, and her passageways soon echoed to the sound of the same type of boots that ravaged her decks a quarter of a century earlier.

Aquitania's conversion was again completed in record time, and by November 1939 she was ready for sea. Her first task, begun that month was the transportation of Canadian troops from Halifax to Southampton. She remained on that service until March 1940, when she was shifted to Australia." <, (End quote)

At this point the Aquitania was on trooping duties to Australia and New Zealand for the next 22 months. In February 1942 she was in Honolulu, Hawaii and sailed to San Francisco, California arriving on March 1, she made two more trips to Hawaii in March and April. She then sailed from Honolulu to New York and then arrived in Liverpool on May 12, 1942 - On July 8th she was in Egypt and sailed through the Suez to Madagascar and Cape Town and then sailed back to the United States she arrived in Boston on August 14th. On October 31st she was back in Egypt via Cape Town and Aden.

So the next question would be if she were in Boston on August 14, 1942 how long could she have stayed there if she was in Egypt via Cape Town and Aden on October 31, 1942.

It would appear that the first conversion we were talking about was completed in New York by November 1939.

To back this up attached is a Postcard image of the Aquitania in Halifax N.S. at pier no. 2 in late, 1939.

Image from S. Anderson Postcard Collection
Original Publisher Novelty Mfg & Art Co., Limited, Montreal Circa 1939

And to show and image of the bridge in question

Image from S. Anderson Postcard Collection
Original Publisher — Photo-Precession Ltd. St. Albans circa 1946