The RMS ''Franconia'' was an

ocean liner An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). Ca ...

operated by the

Cunard Line Cunard () is a British shipping and cruise line based at Carnival House at Southampton, England, operated by Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. Since 2011, Cunard and its three ships have been registered in Hamilton, Berm ...

. She was launched on 23 July 1910 at the Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Wallsend shipyard. ''Franconia'' was intended for the line's Boston service, being the largest ship of the time to enter Boston harbor, with winter service in the New York-Mediterranean cruising service. Her maiden voyage in February 1911, was between Liverpool and Boston, USA. She was nicknamed the "bathroom ship" as she had more bathrooms and showers on board than the ''

Mauretania Mauretania (; ) is the Latin name for a region in the ancient Maghreb. It stretched from central present-day Algeria westwards to the Atlantic, covering northern present-day Morocco, and southward to the Atlas Mountains. Its native inhabitants, ...

''. She was unusual, as she did not have

stateroom A state room in a large European mansion is usually one of a suite of very grand rooms which were designed for use when entertaining royalty. The term was most widely used in the 17th and 18th centuries. They were the most lavishly decorated in ...

s on the upper deck, instead she had a library, gymnasium and a lounge and smoking room. She completed her final crossing from Liverpool to Boston on 22 September 1914, by which time she had carried 52,695 passengers westbound to Boston. Her final crossing from Liverpool to New York was completed on 1 February 1915 at which point she had carried 18,505 passengers to New York (7,096 on her Liverpool service, 11,409 on her Mediterranean service) for a combined total of 71,200 westbound passengers. Additionally, between Cunard's New York and Boston services, ''Franconia'' also carried 26,328 passengers eastbound to Liverpool. After several years service primarily in the

North Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe and ...

, she was taken into service as a

troop transport A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable land troops directly on shore, typicall ...

in early 1915. On 4 October 1916, while heading for Salonika, she was torpedoed and sunk by the German U-boat ''UB-47'' 195 miles east of Malta. She was not carrying any troops but out of her 314 crew members, 12 died. The others were saved by the hospital ship ''Dover Castle''.

References

External links

Notes about Cunard liners

RMS Franconia 1910 Tyne and Ware Museum

Ships of the Cunard Line World War I merchant ships of the United Kingdom Maritime incidents in 1916 World War I shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea Ships sunk by German submarines in World War I 1910 ships Ships built by Swan Hunter {{Merchantship-stub