RMS Lusitania

]] Cunard established a committee to decide upon the design for the new ships, of which James Bain, Cunard's Marine Superintendent was the chairman. Other members included Rear Admiral H. J. Oram, who had been involved in designs for steam turbine-powered ships for the Royal Navy, and Charles Parsons, whose company Parsons Marine was now producing turbine engines. Parsons maintained that he could design engines capable of maintaining a speed of 25 kn, which would require 68,000 shp. The largest turbine sets built so far had been of for the battleship , and for s, which meant the engines would be of a new, untested design. Turbines offered the advantages of generating less vibration than the…

German shipping lines were Cunard's main competitors for the custom of transatlantic passengers in the early 20th century, and Cunard responded by building two new 'ocean greyhounds': Lusitania and . Cunard used assistance from the British Admiralty to build both new ships, on the understanding that the ship would be available for military duty in time of war. During construction gun mounts for deck cannons were installed but no guns were ever fitted. Both Lusitania and Mauretania were powered by steam turbines which enabled them to maintain a service speed of 24 kn. They were equipped with lifts, wireless telegraph, and electric light, and provided 50 percent more passenger space than any…