Hail the Queen!

Facing fierce competition from the Art Deco German super liners Bremen (1929) and Europa (1930) and the stunningly decorated Ile de France (1926) British shipping began planning new, ultra modern ships to compete on the Atlantic ferry.  White Star Line was planning a ship of at least 60,000 tons and rival Canard developed plans for a huge 80,000 ton liner that they hoped would be the largest and fastest ship.  The onset of the Great Depression halted these plans.  Canard and White Star were forced to merge in order to stay afloat (pun intended) and with the merger came a combined fleet of splendid vessels, but ships losing money to diminished traffic.  The new company Canard-White Star, Ltd., faced new competition on the Atlantic by the mid-30s:  the elegant Rex (1932) sailing from Italy and the massive-- and faster-- Normandie (1935) from France.  When these ships entered service they were the fastest liners afloat and Normandie was the largest.  At 81,000 tons (later refitted to 83,000) she was by far the heaviest ship yet built.  

In Scotland, the British contender sat rusting on the stocks for two and a half years as depression halted construction.  In 1934, Cunard-White Star sold or scrapped much of the fleet to build capital and Parliament granted a large subsidy to the company to resume construction on the new ship.  Why the subsidy?  For one, national pride was at stake.  Britain always sough to be the best on the seas, the North Atlantic in particular.  Workers needed encouragement and jobs to show that the Depression would end.  Construction of the massive liner put many shipwrights, ironworkers, carpenters, etc back to work in Glasgow and in the other firms that supplied parts and machinery.  The ship, simply known as Hull 534 was a symbol of national recovery.  In addition to the ship’s civic and economic value, was the notion that a super liner may be needed for war duties as some in the British government sensed that another conflict with Germany may loom near.

As Hull 534 neared completion, Cunard decided to name the ship Victoria.  Legend has it that Canard executives went to see George V to inform him they decided to name the ship after “England’s greatest queen” to which the King replied, “my wife would be delighted.”  While the veracity of this story is questionable, with much fanfare  Their Majesties launched the newest liner, Queen Mary, in September 1934.

1:1200 model of Queen Mary by Triang-Minic resting on frontispiece for James Steele's Queen Mary.  Original Cunard luggage tag and photo postcard circa 1960s.

The new ship entered service in 1936 with a competitive tonnage of 81,237 and length of 1,018 feet and competed directly with the Normandie.  Depending on who you asked and what criteria they measured, either one was considered the world’s largest ship.  For nearly four years, they competed to be the largest and also the fastest.  The Queen Mary did not beat Normandie’s speed record on her maiden voyage, as was hoped.  A combination of rough weather and new machinery hindered her chances.  On her sixth voyage she captured the Blue Ribband, now formally the Hales’ Trophy (since 1933) with a run of 4 days 27 minutes at 30.14 knots.  Normandie subsequently made faster crossings in 1937, but the Queen won the record for good in 1938 with a crossing in under four days (3 days 21 hours and 48 minutes) at nearly 31 knots.  Queen Mary was the fastest liner in the world.

Much of the design of Queen Mary was modern, but some features such as the three funnels and the open well deck forward were classic features.  It is, perhaps, this blend of new and old that made her so popular.  It certainly gives her charm.  Revell of Germany 1:570 model kit built in 1999.  Original Cunard postcards.  The Black and White card was posted in 1936.

Queen Mary was one of the most successful liners of all time and, perhaps second to Titanic the most famous.  She was instantly popular and solidly booked throughout the first years of service despite the depression and fewer passengers making crossings.  No one has ever managed to fully understand why she was much more popular with passengers compared to Normandie, Rex, Conti di Savoia or other new vessels of the era that boasted much newer designs inside and out.  It is suggested that people shied away from Normandie because she was too elegant.  There was something comfortable about Queen Mary’s interiors.  Nothing was spared on the ship.  Hardwoods from across the empire, shiny metals, fine carpets, and artwork throughout.  Many cabins, even in tourist class had private bathrooms.  Tourist class passengers had more promenade and open deck space than before and they had a swimming pool (indoor) and children’s playroom as well.  The ship had a streamlined bridge front, gracefully rounded superstructure, and a modern cruiser stern. She also had new gravity davits that made lowering boats smoother and also hoisted them above the boat deck, allowing more room for passengers to walk.

Triang Minic model and general arrangement plans published in The Shipbuilder, 1936, 1987 reprint.

Queen Mary sailed for barely three years before the war clouds gathered and she found herself idling in the safety of New York harbor alongside Normandie and lIe de France.  In 1940 she was joined by her new companion ship, Queen Elizabeth- the undisputed largest ship in the world- to be readied for war.  In May 1940, Queen Mary began ferrying troops in the Indian Ocean and South Pacific.  These were her roughest days-- crammed with thousands of troops in the tropics-- she did so without air conditioning and inadequate ventilation for the warm climate.  In 1942 she returned to the Atlantic run ferrying Canadian and American troops to England and Scotland.  In July 1943 she set a record for carrying 16,683 people-- the largest number of soldier-passengers in a single crossing.  Special bunks, called standee bunks were installed in every possible location so that the maximum number of men could be carried.  They ate and slept in shifts.

Miraculously, Queen Mary made her wartime crossings without endangering her troops to submarine or air attack.  There were close calls however.  On one stormy crossing a massive wave nearly capsized the troop laden ship.  In 1942 she tragically collided with the destroyer HMS Curaco and cut the smaller vessel in two.  Full of troops, Queen Mary was under orders not to stop or slow down under any circumstances.  The few survivors had to wait for nearby naval vessels to rescue them.  

Queen Mary at sea. 1:1250 model by Mercator.  Rebuilt masts.

The contribution of the Atlantic liners as troopships and hospital ships cannot be underestimated or ignored.  Winston Churchill credited the Cunard Queens for shortening the war by at least a year.  In 1945-1946 Queen Mary brought the veterans and the millions of “war brides” home.  These men and women were eager to visit families, friends, and experience Europe and the world in a way the two decades of depression and war prevented.  Queen Mary returned to her peacetime role in 1947 and remained the most popular ship for years afterward.

The legendary profile of Queen Mary.  Her outline is unmistakable.

By the late 1950s, Queen Mary faced new competitors.  First, she was dethroned as the fastest liner by the American liner United States (1952), and by 1960 was losing passengers to transatlantic airliners.  All of the liners suffered declining passenger traffic during the 1960s and were once again losing money.  Smaller ships, such as the second Mauretania and Caronia were converted exclusively to cruising, a form of travel slowly gaining popularity.  By 1967 Cunard decided to retire Queen Mary from service. Fortunately, she was saved from scrappers by the city of Long Beach, California were she still serves the public as a museum, hotel, and convention center.  She made her 1,000 crossing from Southampton to New York and then to Long Beach.  The last voyage was sold out.  

R.M.S. Queen Mary (1936-1967).  Built for Canard-White Star, Ltd. by John Brown & Company, Ltd., Clydebank, Scotland.  As built: 1,018 feet long, 118 feet wide, 81,235 gross tons.  Steam turbines geared to quadruple screw.  Service speed 28.5 knots.  As built: 2,139 passengers (776, first class, 784 tourist class, 579 third class).