Lucy Burkhill
Member
Hi Chase,
I've just looked at that picture, and yes, it is a terrible sight. To me, there is something quite indecent about such an image which depicts a great ship such as Mauretania rendered ugly and degraded in her death - corpse-like. It always strikes me just how brutal and ugly the demolition of a ship is, in comparison with the construction. However, cruel and brutal though it is, the scrapping process is a natural end for a ship. Ships are fascinating things - I have always thought it interesting to consider that, however magnificent or fast, or large, they are, or how many celebrities or millionaires they carry, once their day is done, they are stripped of their finery, their interiors reduced to a bare metal shell, and end up at the breakers the same as the most mundane of vessels. >>A shame these great liners were not preserved for posterity<< Yes, like you Chase, I echo that sentiment, but as Michael points out, a huge static liner takes a helluva lot to upkeep. In the case of Mauretania, she did lead a charmed and a successful life, and at her end, she had a good send-off, with a civic farewell from Southampton, and crowds of people going to see her pass as she steamed up the East Coast. At least she made her final trip under her own power, and did not suffer the indignity of being partially scrapped and then being ignominiously towed as a hulk to her final scrapping place, as was the case with the poor old Olympic! As for her being preserved, judging by what has happened to the Queen Mary since she tied up at Long Beach, I somehow don't think that "Maury" would have fared too well!!
Lucy
I've just looked at that picture, and yes, it is a terrible sight. To me, there is something quite indecent about such an image which depicts a great ship such as Mauretania rendered ugly and degraded in her death - corpse-like. It always strikes me just how brutal and ugly the demolition of a ship is, in comparison with the construction. However, cruel and brutal though it is, the scrapping process is a natural end for a ship. Ships are fascinating things - I have always thought it interesting to consider that, however magnificent or fast, or large, they are, or how many celebrities or millionaires they carry, once their day is done, they are stripped of their finery, their interiors reduced to a bare metal shell, and end up at the breakers the same as the most mundane of vessels. >>A shame these great liners were not preserved for posterity<< Yes, like you Chase, I echo that sentiment, but as Michael points out, a huge static liner takes a helluva lot to upkeep. In the case of Mauretania, she did lead a charmed and a successful life, and at her end, she had a good send-off, with a civic farewell from Southampton, and crowds of people going to see her pass as she steamed up the East Coast. At least she made her final trip under her own power, and did not suffer the indignity of being partially scrapped and then being ignominiously towed as a hulk to her final scrapping place, as was the case with the poor old Olympic! As for her being preserved, judging by what has happened to the Queen Mary since she tied up at Long Beach, I somehow don't think that "Maury" would have fared too well!!
Lucy
