Mauretania vs. Lusitania

Mauretania Vs. Lusitania:
Two Personalities of Two Sisters

Although the basic design of the Lusitania and Mauretania was the same, the two ships were vastly different in the interior. The two ships were built by different shipyards, and designed by two designers--James Millar on Lusitania and Harold Peto on Mauretania. Millar designed Lusitania as a lighter, delicate ship. For example, the 1st Class saloon on Lusitania was made mainly of white plaster and gold leaf. However, Peto designed Mauretania with a darker, heavier look--including mahogany and oak, both dark woods.

There were also external differences. One of the most noticable differences was the ventilators on the decks of the ships. Mauretania used the standard ventilator, a kind of "macaroni elbow" shape (called a cowl vent). Lusitania used a different and much less common design--hinge topped ventilators. These ventilators gave the deck a less cluttered look, but many of the hinges did not withstand sea crossings as well as the normal cowl vents. Another major difference, which gave the Mauretania a bit of an advantage in speed was the propellers. Lusitania had 3 blades on each propeller, while Mauretania had 4.

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