RMS Scythia

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The RMS Scythia heading into port
History
United Kingdom
Name	RMS Scythia
Owner	1920–34: Cunard Line 1934–49: Cunard-White Star Line 1949–58: Cunard Line
Port of registry	United Kingdom
Route	New York – Mediterranean London – Quebec Liverpool – Cobh – Halifax – New York
Ordered	1919
Builder	Vickers Ltd, Barrow
Yard number	493[1]
Launched	23 March 1920
Completed	December 1920
Maiden voyage	20 August 1921
Fate	Scrapped on 23 January 1958
Notes	Longest-serving passenger liner of the 20th century.
General characteristics
Type	Ocean liner
Tonnage	19,761 GRT 11,927 NRT
Length	600.7 ft (183.1 m)
Beam	73.8 ft (22.5 m)
Draught	32 ft 8 in (10.0 m)
Depth	40.7 ft (12.4 m)
Installed power	2,528 NHP
Propulsion	steam turbines, double-reduction gears, twin propellers
Speed	16 kn (30 km/h)
Capacity	Passenger berths: 350 1st class 350 2nd class 1,500 3rd class

RMS Scythia was a Cunard ocean liner. She sailed on her maiden voyage in 1921, and became a troop and supply ship during the Second World War. Scythia was the longest serving Cunard liner until 4 September 2005, when her record was surpassed by Queen Elizabeth 2.^[2]

History

After heavy losses during the

Scythia was requisitioned at the end of 1939,^[3] left Liverpool on 24 September 1940 with 48 children bound for Boston, sponsored by readers of the Boston Evening Transcript newspaper,^[4] part of a wider British evacuation programme under the Children's Overseas Reception Board.

She became a troop ship on 1 November 1940, and sailed from Liverpool to the

Scythia was salvaged and taken to New York for repair in January 1943, and afterwards ferried American troops to Europe. At the end of the war she took many US troops back from Europe, many of them accompanied by their new brides, before sailing to India to bring home UK troops from the war in the East. She was also a war bride ship taking Canadian war brides and their children from Liverpool to Pier 21 in Halifax in the early part of 1946.^[5] One of her last missions as a troop ship was to bring the 1st King's Dragoon Guards home to Liverpool, on 11 March 1948.

Later in 1948, Scythia was handed to the

Her final route was around the North Sea. In 1958, after 37 years of service, Scythia was delivered to ship breakers Thos. W. Ward at Inverkeithing by her final Master, Geoffrey Thrippleton Marr.

References

External links

• Cunard.com Cunard Heritage Scythia II 1921–1958