Queen Elizabeth

The subsidy Canard-White Star received to construct and operated Queen Mary also provided capital to build a second ship.  Cunard envisioned a two ship express service on the Southampton-Cherbourg-New York run.  Early in the century, the express run was idealized with three ships to maintain weekly service, but size and speed made two ships more economical than three in the late 1930s. The running mate to Queen Mary was not intended to be a sister ship in the way of Bremen and Europa or Cunard’s Lusitania and Mauretania, but rather a vessel all her own in design, but similar in speed.  Running mate is a more appropriate word to describe the Queen Elizabeth. 

1:600 scale Queen Elizabeth model with 1950s promotional poster and luggage tag.
The model is an Airfix kit built in 2003.

The new Queen began her life under the clouds of war.  She was launched in 1938 on the eve of Hitler’s promise for peace.  However, war was declared early during the ship’s fitting out period that few of the furnishings were installed.  Engineers fitted the crucial operating machinery and under a veil of secrecy prepared her for service.  The public expected grand festivities to see the vessel off from Southampton.  While these were canceled, Cunard made no public statements about the maiden voyage.  As the new liner prepared to leave the Clyde, her captain received sealed orders from the Admiralty.  Queen Elizabeth would not call on Southampton but sail under cover of darkness for New York.  On the day of her expected arrival in the English Channel, German bombers circled above, ready to sink her.  Crates of supplies marked as ready for the Queen were left idling in warehouses as the liner zig zagged at full speed to still-neutral United States waters.

1:1200 model by Tri-ang Minic produced in the 1960s, repainted December 2013.  Model positioned amongTri-ang Minic dock accessories, mix of 1960s and new production line models.

Four days later an airliner spots a large ship in the fog in the approaches to New York harbor.  Newsreel cameras head aloft and film the conclusion to the most dramatic maiden voyage in history.  With speed and secrecy, Queen Elizabeth shocked a delighted public with such an unannounced arrival.  It was attended with relief on both sides of the Atlantic as well, for the largest ship in the world was going to be needed for the British war effort. 

For a brief interval in 1940 the world’s largest ships were docked together in New York:  Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary, Normandie, and Aquitaina (serving in a second conflict).  In 1941 Queen Elizabeth sailed for the Pacific and joined Queen Mary on trooping duties.  In 1942 she carried thousands of American and Canadian soldiers to war.  At war’s end, she brought the veterans home and helped immigrants and refugees move to new places to begin new lives.

Queen Elizabeth in His Majesty's service.  Photograph by Royal Navy official photographer [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

In June 1946 the Queen Elizabeth returned to Cunard for long-delayed fitting out as a luxury liner.  Her much anticipated maiden voyage was sold out and she quickly settled into service. In 1947 the Queens operated the first two-ship express service between Europe and America.  There was a sailing every Wednesday from New York and Thursday from Southampton (with calls at Cherbourg and sometimes Fishgaurd or Queenstown).  

Postcard depicting an arrival in New York.

The ships left a new art-deco facility at Ocean Dock, renamed Ocean Terminal.  The building was designed in the 1930s but construction halted during the long years of war.  It belatedly opened in 1950 and served the Queens for the next two decades.  The building was demolished in the 1980s to make way for a simpler structure and to accommodate newer cruise ships.

Queen Elizabeth at sea.

Alongside the superliners on the Atlantic were a quartet of the Scythia class single stackers from the 1920s, The second Mauretania (1939) was also part of the express service along with new tonnage built in the early 1950s for cruising.  The intended consort to Mauritania was Caronia (1948)* but sensing the future, outfitted the new ship solely for cruising.  Painted in shades of green, she was an all first class ship- a floating country club making trips to the tropics and Mediterranean.    

Stern view of Queen Elizabeth at Ocean Terminal.

The 1950s were the final years of the great Atlantic liners. More people than ever were crossing the Atlantic on holiday, business, and politics.  For those on vacation, Cunard boasted that “getting there was half the fun” and indeed it was.  The early 1960s were rough years for Cunard and the other lines.  Passengers chose jets over ships and the bookings rapidly declined.  By 1965 there were often more crew members than passengers on the Queens.  By then, most of the smaller ships were withdrawn from service.  Queen Mary was retired in 1967 and Queen Elizabeth in 1968.

Queen Elizabeth had very sleek and modern lines.  1:1250 model by Mercator/Skytrex.

Queen Elizabeth  left service as Cunard’s builder John Brown & Company, worked to complete the newest liner (QE2), a ship designed for both Atlantic crossings and cruising.  After her final crossing, she was sold to investors in Port Everglades, Florida to become a floating hotel.  The plans fell through and the ship was sold to a Taiwanese millionaire who refit her as a floating university and cruise ship.  Renamed Seawise University she caught fire in 1972 and capsized in Hong Kong harbor.  A sad ending to a splendid vessel.

R.M.S. Queen Elizabeth (1940-1968) Built for Cunard-White Star, Ltd. By John Brown & Company, Ltd., Clydebank, Scotland.  83,673 gross tons; 1,031 feet long, 118 feet wide, steam turbines geared to quadruple screw.  Service speed 28.5 knots.  As built, 2,238 passengers (823 first class, 662 cabin class, 798 tourist class).

*Steamship companies frequently reused names of famous and profitable ships.