Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:29:46-2:30:03

Why ocean liners could outrun their cruiser escorts

Fast liners could sustain maximum speed across the Atlantic, while cruisers risked machinery damage trying to match a duty their engines were not designed to maintain.

CruisersOcean LinersShip PropulsionTransatlantic CrossingsTroopships
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Question

Did fast troop-carrying ocean liners cross independently at maximum speed?

Short answer

Yes. Liners were designed to sustain that speed, while cruisers could wreck their machinery trying to keep pace for the whole crossing.

Notes

A ship's attainable maximum speed can exceed the speed its machinery can sustain for an entire crossing. Ocean liners used as fast troop carriers were designed to maintain very high speed over long distances and could often sail independently. Royal Navy cruisers trying to remain with them sometimes damaged their engines by running at maximum output for too long. The comparison explains why a warship with a similar headline speed was not necessarily an effective continuous escort for a fast liner.