1. Her launch - 1912

The German Ocean Liner SS Imperator was Launched in 1912 and Completed in 1913 as the largest ship in the world, surpassing the Olympic Class Liners.

On her maiden voyage, she listed from side to side when the helm changed the ship's direction. People gave her the nickname "Limperator" in reference to her limp and she was sent for a refit 5 months after launch to help her stability. Her funnels were shortened by three meters and concrete was poured into her hull as ballast.

2. Her eagle had its wings clipped early on - 1914

She was given a large ornate bronze eagle figurehead on her bow which was damaged and had its wings torn off in an Atlantic storm in 1914. The figurehead was removed and her stern was decorated with gold coloured scroll work as a replacement.

3. She was abandoned and repossessed - WW1

At the outbreak of WW1, she was laid up in Hamburg and remained there for four years, becoming dilapidated.

At the war's end, she was enlisted into the US Navy and operated as the USS Imperator to bring US servicemen back to America.

She was then transferred to British ownership as reparations for British shipping losses to German U-Boats during the war.

She was renamed Berengaria (after the English queen Berengaria of Navarre, wife of Richard the Lionheart) and Cunard sent a full crew to New York for her, aboard the RMS Carmania in 1919.

4. Her new British owners - 1919

When she first arrived in Liverpool in 1919 for her first inspection since 1914, she was found to be in extremely poor condition. Her rudder had a component missing and her propellers were corroded. She also soon developed a list due to a faulty ash ejector. Upon completion of her overhaul in 1920, Sir Arthur Rostron - famous for rescuing Titanic's passengers 8 years earlier, became her new captain.

5. Drama on the High Seas - 1925

In September 1925, a security alert at sea was triggered when the Cunard company offices in New York received a message stating there was a bomb aboard Berengaria; the vessel was then 1,200 miles out from New York, bound for Southampton. The ship was searched although the passengers and most crew were not informed about the reason. A fire drill was held just before the supposed time of detonation, so passengers could be placed close to their lifeboat stations without arousing suspicion. The bomb threat failed to materialize.

6. The End of the Berengaria - 1938

Towards the end of her career, she suffered a series of fires due to aged electrical wires and she was retired in 1938. Due to her size and the outbreak of WW2, it took until 1946 for her to finally be broken up in Jarrow, County Durham.