Onboard the Berengaria: the life of a ship at war

In the last two weeks, two From the archive stories have featured the Berengaria for different reasons - a bomb hoax in 1925, and Ramsay MacDonald's departure for America in 1929.

But it should not really come as a surprise that the same ship could be the setting for two different stories - the history of the Berengaria constantly coincided with the history of Britain between the wars.

The Berengaria started life as the Imperator, a German ship given to Britain as part of the reparations of the first world war. She was the first German ship to arrive in Britain sailing under a British flag.

She was bought and overhauled by the Cunard Line, becoming that company's flagship, and making record passages for speed. As well as the prime minister and royalty, many celebrities travelled on the ship between Southampton and New York, Charlie Chaplin among them.

In 1929, the Berengaria made history again as the first public demonstration of wireless telephoning to a ship at sea was given to journalists.

Yet the Berengaria was not without her troubles. In 1937, seaman Charles Ridgway stood trial accused of murder on board the ship, although he was later acquitted.

In the 1930s a series of fires broke out on the ship, leading to her being withdrawn from service in 1938. Again, the Berengaria collided with history - she was bought by Sir John Jarvis to be demolished at Jarrow, an attempt to create jobs there two years after the Jarrow march.

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