Cunard launched a second trio of intermediate liners in the 1920's, these were the Aurania, Alaunia and Ascania. As part of their post-war building programme Cunard built three 14,000 ton liners which were all oil fired and driven by double reduction geared turbines. The Aurania was built specifically for the New York service. It was the second of the three to be launched, on 6 February 1924. After trials off the north coast of Scotland the Aurania made its maiden voyage, from Liverpool to New York, on 13 September.

In April 1925 the ship switched to a new route, Liverpool to Quebec and Montreal. By June 1927 it was decided that the passenger accommodation should be more diverse and as a result the ship was refitted so that the it could cater for three classes of passenger, cabin, tourist and third class. In 1928 the Aurania began to sail from Southampton, still to Quebec and Montreal. It continued to serve this route until the outbreak of World War II. The ship arrived on the Thames on 29 August 1939 and was immediately requisitioned by the Admiralty.

The Aurania was converted into an armed merchant cruiser and commissioned into the Royal Navy on 15 October. For nine months it served as an escort ship on the Northern Patrol and then joined the Halifax Escort Force. During July 1941 it was escorting a convoy bound for Reykjavik when it ran into ice fields during thick fog. On 14 July it emerged from a fog bank to see a large iceberg ahead. Despite evasive action the Aurania struck the iceberg bows on. The rest of the convoy was forced to continue whilst the Aurania slowly made its way to Halifax. From here it moved to Newport News, in the USA, for repairs, which were completed on 12 September. By late September it had returned to Halifax.

On 13 October it left Halifax, bound for the Clyde, with another convoy. On 21 October the Aurania was struck by a torpedo and immediately listed to port. The captain righted the ship and increased speed. During the confusion some of the crew tried to abandon ship and were thrown out of the lifeboat, but were later picked up. Despite heavy damage it was decided that it would be able to reach the Clyde and it sailed, with the help of aircraft reconnaissance, to the Island of Bute, arriving on 23 October. It was not until February 1942 that the ship was fully repaired and by then there was an urgent need for heavy repair ships. As a result the Admiralty purchased the Aurania and moved it to Devonport to be converted for this role.

On 10 May 1944 the work was complete and it was recommissioned at Plymouth as the heavy repair ship HMS Artifex. After trials it sailed for Trincomalee and remained in the Far East for the rest of its active career. In May 1946 it left the Far East Fleet and returned to Cardiff where most of its crew were redeployed. In June it was sent to Gareloch to join the reserve fleet. It never entered active service again and was finally delivered to shipbreakers at La Spezia in January 1961.

Source: cunard.co.uk
[RFSS Jun 2006]