RMS Etruria RMS " Etruria " and RMS " Umbria " were the last two Cunarders that were fitted with auxiliary sails . RMS Etruria was built by John Elder & Co . of Glasgow , Scotland in 1884 . The " Etruria " and " Umbria " , by the standards of the time , were record breakers . They were the largest liners then in service , and they plied the Liverpool to New York Service . RMS " Etruria " was completed and launched in March 1885 , twelve weeks later than " Umbria " . The " Etruria " had many distinguishing features that included two enormous funnels which gave the outward impression of huge power . She also had three large steel masts which when fully rigged had an extensive spread of canvas . Another innovation on " Etruria " was that she was equipped with refrigeration machinery , but it was the single screw propulsion that would bring the most publicity later in her career . The ship epitomized the luxuries of Victorian style . The public rooms in First Class were full of ornately carved furniture and heavy velvet curtains hung in all the rooms , and they were cluttered with bric - a - brac that period fashion dictated . These rooms , and the First Class cabins , were situated on the Promenade , Upper , Saloon and Main Decks . There was also a Music Room , Smoke Room for gentlemen , and separate dining rooms for First and Second Class passengers . By the standard of the day , Second Class accommodation was moderate , but spacious and comfortable . RMS " Etruria ' s " accommodation consisted of 550 First Class , and 800 Second Class passengers . However late in 1892 this changed to 500 First Class , 160 Second Class , and 800 Third Class ( Steerage ) passengers . Service on the Atlantic . RMS " Etruria " was to start her regular service to New York from Liverpool , but the clouds of crises were looming , and by the New Year of 1885 a crises involving Russia ' s threat to invade Afghanistan was coming to a head . This was to bring " Etruria ' s " North Atlantic service to a halt temporarily , before she had even made her maiden voyage . On the 26 March , " Etruria " , and RMS " Umbria " , found themselves chartered to the Admiralty . With the dispute reaching a settlement , " Etruria " was released from Admiralty service within a few days , although her sister was retained for six months . On the 25 April 1885 , " Etruria " finally made her maiden voyage under the command of Captain McMicken . She made the Atlantic crossing calling at Queenstown ( Cobh ) . On her very next crossing , westbound ( Liverpool to New York ) , she won the prestigious Blue Riband ( see the table below ) and proudly flew the pennant for Cunard . Later in the year the " Etruria " was involved in a collision . On 20 September 1885 , she was outward bound from New York and in Lower New York Bay , at anchor due to dense fog . The 4 , 276 ton cargo ship " Canada " , owned by the National Steamship Company of Limerick collided with the " Etruria " , on her starboard side . The " Canada " scraped alongside " Etruria " , ripping away a portion of her rigging , but fortunately there were no casualties . Both ships continued on their voyages . Winston Churchill . In November 1895 , 20 - year - old Winston Churchill , a lieutenant in the 4th Hussars , snatched a few weeks ' leave from his regiment to visit Cuba , with the aim of observing the Cuban Revolutionary War against Spain . Getting there involved travelling by way of New York via Liverpool and Queenstown on the " Etruria " . Thus , on 9 November , Winston Churchill arrived in New York harbour aboard the " Etruria " , and first set foot in his mother ' s homeland and the city where she had been born and brought up . Three days later he travelled on to Cuba . Churchill returned to Britain early in 1896 travelling again on the " Etruria " . On 6 January 1900 , " Etruria " left Liverpool , and one week later she arrived in New York . On the 13th engineers were inspecting the ship , and on examination of the propeller shaft , they found cracks that were not there when the ship left Liverpool . Her running mate had suffered a failure of her propeller shaft at sea in 1893 , and to avoid the same fate the " Etruria " was confined to her pier until a replacement shaft was shipped over from Britain . After this was done , and the new shaft had been fitted in New York , she departed on 17 February for the homeward bound service . In 1900 the " Etruria " remained on the North Atlantic service whilst Umbria was requisitioned to carry troops to and from South Africa during the Boer War . By July 1900 both the sisters were back on the North Atlantic service . A year to forget . In 1901 the " Etruria " , along with her running mate , was fitted with a wireless , putting her right in the forefront of this new technology . On the 22 February 1902 , " Etruria " left New York and was due to arrive in Queenstown on 1 March . On the 26 February she radioed the " Umbria " to pass on messages to one of her passengers . However , that evening her propeller shaft fractured leaving her drifting helplessly . She tried with no success to radio the " Umbria " again to report her predicament . In the days before the " Titanic " disaster , radio operators did not man their sets 24 hours a day . Eventually she managed to attract the attention of the Leyland ship " William Cliff " , by firing distress rockets . The " William Cliff " stood alongside in an hour and stayed with her during the night whilst attempts were made to repair her . " Etruria " then made sail and the " William Cliff " took her in tow ; the ships headed for Horta , in the Azores , which were 500 miles to the south - east of her stricken position . She arrived in the Azores on Sunday , 9 March , and on the 15th her passengers and mail were transferred on to SS " Elbe " , which had been chartered for the task on the 10th . It was summer 1902 before the " Etruria " was repaired and back in service , but in October , after a particularly rough Atlantic crossing , her propeller shaft again showed serious cracks and she was taken out of service and waited in New York for yet another new shaft to be sent over and installed . It was 1 November before she set sail for home again ; 1902 had been a very bad year for the ship . More bad luck . 1903 did not start too well for the " Etruria " either . On the 28 February she was leaving New York and ran aground on sand and mud in the entrance to Gedney Channel . Fortunately , after she was refloated later the same day there was no damage found and she set off on her voyage to Liverpool . Later in the year , on the 10 October , the " Etruria " was only four hours out of New York when at 2 : 30pm the ship was struck by a rogue wave . The wave was reported to be at least 50 feet high , and struck the ship on the port side . The wave carried away part of the fore bridge and smashed the guardrail stanchions . A number of First Class passengers were sitting in deck chairs close to the bridge , and they caught the full force of the water . One passenger , a Canadian , was fatally injured , and several other passengers were hurt . January 1907 saw the death of two of " Etruria " s sailors as they tried to secure the lashings of the starboard anchor in very rough weather , during a westbound crossing . The end of " Etruria " s career . The two 23 - year - old vessels were now getting to the point where technical progress had well and truly overtaken them . The RMS " Lusitania " and " Mauretania " were off the drawing board , were slowly taking shape , and were due to enter service in late 1907 . On Wednesday the 26 August 1908 , RMS " Etruria " was moving astern from her pier in Liverpool to anchor opposite the Princes ' Landing Stage , where her passengers would embark . Unfortunately a hopper crossing the Mersey came too close to the " Etruria " and was violently rammed by her . " Etruria ' s " rudder and propeller were thrust deep into the hopper , almost severing it in two . However , being impaled on the " Etruria ' s " propeller prevented the hopper from sinking . Both vessels drifted helplessly in the Mersey , and the hopper was violently crushed against the landing stage . This not only spelt the end for the hopper , but finished the career of the " Etruria " as well . Her propeller , rudder and steering gear were seriously damaged , forcing the cancellation of her sailing to New York . " Etruria ' s " passengers were put up in hotels and then caught the " Umbria " later in the week . As for the " Etruria " , she was taken into dock , where temporary repairs were made . She would not cross the Atlantic again , and after spending time laid up at Birkenhead , she was finally sold for the sum of £16 , 750 in October 1909 . On the 10 October 1910 , the Mersey tug " Black Cock " took the " Etruria " in tow to her final destination of Preston , Lancashire , where she was broken up .