RMS Mauretania (1906) . In September 1909, "Mauretania" captured the Blue Riband for the fastest westbound crossing — a record that was to stand for more than two decades. In December 1911, as in New York City in December 1910, "Mauretania" broke loose from her moorings while in the River Mersey and sustained damage that caused the cancellation of her special speedy Christmas voyage to New York. In a quick change of events Cunard rescheduled "Mauretania"s voyage for "Lusitania", which had just returned from New York, under the command of Captain James Charles. "Lusitania" completed Christmas crossings for "Mauretania", carrying revellers back to
First aerial crossing of the South Atlantic the American Charles Lindbergh, the Brazilian João Ribeiro de Barros and the Portuguese Sarmento de Beires, all of whom crossed the Atlantic in 1927. First aerial crossing of the South Atlantic The first aerial crossing of the South Atlantic was made by the Portuguese naval aviators Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral in 1922, to mark the centennial of Brazil's independence. Coutinho and Cabral flew in stages from Lisbon, Portugal, to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, using three different Fairey III biplanes, and covered a distance of between March 30 and June 17. Although the North Atlantic had already been traversed in