A campaign to bring a piece of seafaring history home to its native city has won the backing of a regional daily.

The Liverpool Echo is supporting the Merseyside Maritime Museum’s drive to buy a model of the RMS Mauretania, once the biggest and fastest ship in the world.

The 12 foot model, pictured below, was built to celebrate the ship’s launch in 1906, and is expected to fetch up to £50,000 at auction today.

National Museums Liverpool, the body which runs the museum, has been aiming to raise the funds to bid successfully for the model.

A piece in the Echo detailing the Mauretania’s history states it was the fastest ship travelling between Liverpool and New York for 22 years.

The ship accommodated more than 2,000 people and weighed more than 31,000 tons.

As part of its builder Cunard’s deal with the government, it was made available to the Armed Forces in times of national emergency.

This year marks 175 years since Cunard’s first transatlantic crossing.

Editor Alastair Machray said: “Liverpool is a maritime city and we must protect our heritage.

“There’s never been a better time to demonstrate our commitment to that than when the Cunard celebrations are about to begin.”