Rhode Island Paquebot and Sea Post Mail - 1920 Southampton Paquebot on Mauretania Postcard Showing Ship at Sea

Rhode Island Paquebot and Sea Post Mail
May 29, 1920 Southampton Paquebot
Mauretania Postcard - Showing Ship at Sea
(Scroll Down for Background Information & History)

RMS Mauretania Above - Southampton Paquebot Cancel Below

The postcard above was posted aboard the Mauretania while at sea and canceled in Southampton, (the last stop before crossing the Atlantic for New York). The Card was sent to Mr. John T. Dalton.

The stamp is the 1 pence King George V, Scarlet issue of 1912-13, (Scott #160). The Southampton Paquebot cancel reads, "PAQUEBOT - POSTED AT SEA - RECEIVED 29 MY 20 SOUTHAMPTON" There is an additional Southampton Paquebot straight-line cancel to the far left.

The RMS Mauretania, (sister-ship to the Lusitania) was launched on September 29, 1906 and made her maiden voyage from Liverpool to New York on November 16, 1907. In April of 1929 the Mauretania set both the Westbound and Eastbound Atlantic crossing records, (Blue Riband). Mauretania held these records until July 1929. In 1911, thousands of tourists traveled on Mauretania for the coronation of King George V.
SEE: June 19, 1911 Souvenir Coronation Postcard

During 1915 Mauretania was requisitioned as a troop carrier by the British Government for the Gallipoli Campaign and later that year was fitted as a hospital ship. In 1916, the ship was used to carry Canadian Troops to France. Mauretania made her final troop carrying voyage on June 28, 1919 and was then refitted for commercial service. Mauritania's sister ship, Lusitania was torpedoed on May 7, 1915. In 1910 Captain William Turner took command of the Mauretania; he was the also the Captain on the Lusitania when she was torpedoed in 1915.
SEE: 1913 RMS Lusitania Registered Letter from Curry-Rival

The Mauretania broke her own Atlantic crossing speed record on July 25, 1922 with an average speed of 26 knots. The Norddeutscher Lines, steamship Bremen broke Mauritania's Atlantic Crossing record in 1929. Mauretania made her final voyage on June 30, 1934. The ship was sold for scrap in 1935.
SEE ALSO: Norddeutscher Lloyd Line - SEEPOST from SS Bremen showing Eddystone Lighthouse.

SEE: Paquebot Markings for further information concerning Paquebot Mail.