RMS Alaunia (1913)

RMS Alaunia was a Cunard ocean liner. She was built in 1913 at Greenock and measured. She was one of three sister ships Cunard ordered from Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company. Her sisters were RMS Andania (1913), and RMS Aurania (1916). Alaunia was the second of the trio. She and her sisters had only 2nd class and 3rd class accommodation. Alaunia was launched on 9 June 1913, and began her maiden voyage on 27 December 1913. When World War I began, she was requisitioned as a troopship. HMS Alaunia was the first Cunard ship to carry Canadian troops. She was sent in the Gallipoli campaign by the summer of 1915. Then she worked on carrying troops to Bombay later the same year. She returned to the North Atlantic and carried troops from Canada and the USA in 1916. During a voyage from London to New York, she struck a mine on 19 October 1916 in the English Channel off the Royal Sovereign Lightship of Eastbourne, East Sussex. laid earlier that day by SMU UC-16. After attempts to beach the ship and tow her to shore with tugs, her captain realized the ship was lost and finally gave the order to abandon ship. Two crew members were killed in her sinking. Alaunia's wreck lies on its port side in the English Channel at a depth of 36 m. Cunard revived the name in 1925 when it had a second RMS Alaunia (1925) built. She served until 1957.