The Unseen Aquitania The Ship in Rare Illustrations

The story of the elegant Aquitania ‘the ship beautiful’, told through rare and unusual imagery

RMS Aquitania was in service for decades, and was very much beloved. The third in Cunard Line’s ‘grand trio’ of express liners, running mate of the lost Lusitania and the legendary Mauretania (1907), Aquitania was the last surviving four-funneled ocean liner. Aquitania was pressed into service during both world wars and was one of the longest serving passenger liners of the twentieth century. She was also one of the most elegant, nicknamed the ‘ship beautiful’.

Maritime authors J. Kent Layton and Tad Fitch have collaborated to put together the most evocative and exciting collection of rare and unusual imagery relating to this historic vessel ever shown.

J. KENT LAYTON and TAD FITCH have been researching maritime history for over two decades each.

J. Kent Layton’s titles include The Edwardian Superliners: A Trio of Trios, Transatlantic Liners, The Unseen Mauretania, and the forthcoming Conspiracies at Sea: Titanic and Lusitania. Together with Tad Fitch and Bill Wormstedt, he co-authored the groundbreaking volume On A Sea of Glass, The Life & Loss of RMS Titanic (nominated for the 2012 Mountbatten Maritime Award).

Tad Fitch has written multiple research articles that have been published both online and in historical society journals and co-authored several books, including Report Into the Loss of SS Titanic, A Centennial Reappraisal and Into the Danger Zone: Sea Crossings of the First World War (nominated for the 2015 Mountbatten Maritime Award).