Ivernia, launched in 1899, was built for Cunard by C.S. Swan & Hunter of
Newcastle, England. She made her maiden voyage, from Liverpool to New York,
on 14 April 1900. Two months later she was placed on the Liverpool-Boston
route for which she was intended, and remained on that route until December
1911. Ivernia was then placed on a Trieste-New York route and remained there
until World War I, except for the winter of 1912-13, when she returned
to the Boston-Liverpool route.
Taken over as a troopship in September 1914, Ivernia was torpedoed and sunk
on New Year's Day 1917 by UB-47 off Cape Matapan, Greece, with 2,400
Scottish soldiers on board. Eighty-five soldiers and 36 crew members were
killed.
At 106 feet (32.31 m) above the main deck, Ivernia's funnels (and those of
her sister, Saxonia)
were the tallest single funnels ever installed on an ocean liner.
Some of the cards on this page appear to show Ivernia's sister Saxonia.
Saxonia had a higher bridge, and forward of the bridge had two high
ventilators and different positioning of the lifeboat.
Sources: Haws' Merchant Fleets; Bonsor's North Atlantic Seaway.
