The specifications for all three ships had been identical: three decks, three funnels, cruiser sterns and accommodation for 300 passengers.

Smaller than their immediate predecessors, they were designed specifically for winter work and were the first ships in the company to have cruiser sterns, although neither had bow rudders.

CRUISER STERN For maximum area aft you might opt for the cruiser stern.

It was soon discovered that vessels with cruiser sterns experienced less water resistance when under way than those with elliptical sterns, and between World War I and World War II most merchant ship designs soon followed suit.