Club Talk - Cunard at War

Join Eric Flounders for the talk 'Cunard at War'

Cunard, which entered service in 1840, has been engaged in every UK war since Crimea in 1854 up until the Gulf War.

At Crimea Cunard ships carried 100,000 soldiers as well as 7,500 horses - including those that charged with the Light Brigade, and ferried the wounded to Florence Nightingale's hospital at Scutari. Many soldiers and horses did not return, but all the ships did - because there were no U boats until 1901

Cunard lost its first ship to a torpedo in 1915 when Lusitania was sunk. In subsequent conflicts all Cunard ships were requisitioned and used as Armed Merchant Cruisers, troop and provisions transports, prisons and - in the case of Campania- as the world's first aircraft carrier.

Last updated 6:35pm on 11 September 2025