This sacrifice was viable because at that time, tramp steamers had taken over much of the freight across the Atlantic, while the demand for passenger transportation had increased.
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Launched on 1 March 1881, Servia was the first of Cunard's new breed of ocean liners.
Under Burns, Cunard was also quick to order a steel vessel, the first in their service being the SS Servia in 1881, which, apart from the Great Eastern, was the largest liner afloat at the time.