Background

Beginning

Photograph of the QE2 docked in Southampton

In November 1838 the British Government invited tenders for private companies to operate a service carrying mail between Britain and the United States to replace the existing state-owned service. The tender was issued by the British Admiralty, which was responsible for managing mail contracts. On 4 May 1839 a £55,000 tender from Samuel Cunard was accepted. Cunard's tender promised a service starting on 1 May 1840, although the company possessed no ships at the time. Cunard had backing from Scottish engineer Robert Napier and by the time the first ship was ready in May 1840, Cunard had found additional backers. Together, they formed a company, the British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company.

Expansion

The company inaugurated its transatlantic service on 4 July 1840 with the paddle steamer Britannia entering service between Liverpool and Halifax. The Acadia entered service on 4 August, followed by the Caledonia on 19 September. In the following years the company grew, building more vessels funded with increased annual subsidies. Samuel Cunard died in London on 28 April 1865. The company faced increased competition, notably from 1871 onwards by vessels from the White Star Line. On 21 May 1878 the Cunard Steam Ship Company was incorporated as a British company, and the original four partners became shareholders in the new company. The company continued to expand, building larger, faster ships.

Record breakers

In the face of increased competition on the North Atlantic, there emerged an "arms" race between rival shipping lines to build larger and faster vessels. Cunard favoured speed to differentiate its vessels, the White Star Line went for comfort and luxury. In 1900 the Cunard Ivernia, 598ft long and weighing 14,000 gross tonnes, was a vessel twice as long and with a ten-fold increase in tonnage compared to the Britannia. Later vessels including the Lustania and Mauretania, built in 1907 and the Aquitania, built in 1914. However, Cunard lost 22 ships during the First World War. Later, in 1920 the German liner Imperator was ceded to Britain, becoming the Cunard flagship Berengaria, as running-mate to the Mauretania and Aquitania.

The Cunard Queens

In 1926 Cunard started to formulate plans to replace the Mauretania. The plans evolved for a two-vessel express transatlantic service. By 1930 Cunard announced plans for a ship of 1,000 ft, weighing 80,000 tonnes. Construction of the new ship was suspended as a worldwide depression deepened, threatening Britain's economy. Only a Government-enforced merger with the White Star Line and the provision of loans to the company ensured that the new liner, the Queen Mary, and her sister ship the Queen Elizabeth could be completed. However, before the Queen Elizabeth could join her sister in service the Second World War broke out. Both ships survived the war, but by the end of hostilities Cunard has lost 10 ships.

Changing fortunes

In 1946 the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, finally in service together, commenced Cunard's express service between Southampton and New York. For a time, the Queens reigned supreme. The Elizabeth was the world's largest liner, the Mary the fastest. However, transatlantic commercial jet air travel became more and more popular. Where the Queens took 4½ days to cross the North Atlantic, a jet airliner could cross in hours. By 1957 more transatlantic travel was by air than by sea. Cunard sent both Queens on cruises but this failed to help. The company was shedding ships and staff to try and stem a huge decline in the company's fortunes. A radical change was required: a new flasgship to replace the Queens.

Photographs

Southampton final afternoon

Cunard famous liners

Mauretania

RMS Mauretania (1907 - 1935)

The second of two express ocean liners built for the Cunard Line Mauretania was a sister ship to Lusitania of 1907. The quadruple screw Mauretania was built at Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson's yard on the Tyne. Launched on 20 September 1906 the liner was completed by October 1907. The liner sailed on her maiden voyage on 16 November 1907, joining the slightly smaller Lusitania on the North Atlantic run. On her return voyage she gained the eastbound Blue Riband. She quickly gained the Blue Riband for the westbound record in September 1909.

Mauretania was to hold the westbound record until 1929. She served with distinction and after the start of the Great War she served as a troop transport and a hospital ship. She was decommissioned in May 1919 and refitted in 1921-22. During the refit, as White Star had done with Olympic, Cunard converted her to burn oil. During the 1920s she was popular on the North Atlantic run, and Cunard first sent her cruising in 1923. She did the same from 1931 until her retirement. Mauretania sailed on her last voyage on 26 September 1934, the same day as the launching of Queen Mary. The Grand Old Lady of the Atlantic, as Mauretania was affectionately called, was moored at Southampton. Cunard sold Mauretania to Metal Industries Limited and on 2 April 1935 she sailed for Rosyth, Scotland where she was scrapped in the same year.

Queen Mary

RMS Queen Mary (1936 - 1967)

The construction of yard number '534' started at John Brown's yard in December 1930. She was planned as one of the largest and most luxurious ocean liners to compete against the German lines and the White Star Line, with their planned Oceanic of 60,000 grt. However 534's completion was delayed for two and a half years due to the depression. Government aid, on the condition of that a merger between Cunard and the White Star Line took place, was granted and work was able to restart. The new superliner was launched in September 1934; by her namesake H M Queen Mary. The Queen Mary sailed on her maiden voyage on 27 May 1936.

She soon captured the westbound and eastbound Blue Riband. When war broke out Queen Mary was converted to a troop ship in 1940. Her exemplary war service was marred when she collided with and sank the HMS Curacoa in 1942. 338 people aboard the escort cruiser lost their lives. After the war she returned to serve on the North Atlantic on 31 July 1947. The Queen Mary retired from Cunard service in October 1967 after carrying 2,114,000 passengers and steaming 3,790,000 miles. Her 1,001st crossing was her last, and was sold to the city of Long Beach, USA for $3,450,000. 0n 9 December 1967 Queen Mary arrived at Long Beach to be converted to a floating hotel, where she remains to this day.

Queen Elizabeth

RMS Queen Elizabeth (1940 - 1968)

A government-enforced merger of the Cunard and White Star Line provided a loan of £5 million for the construction of a sister ship to the Queen Mary. On 4 December 1936 the keel of no. 552 was laid at John Brown's shipyard. On 27 September 1938 the ship was launched by HM Queen Elizabeth. Her maiden voyage was scheduled for 24 April 1940 but the Second World War broke out, and she secretly left Britain arriving in New York on March 7 1940. Converted to a troop ship, with her fixtures and fittings de-stored, she served with distinction carrying 811,324 personnel and steaming half a million miles safely. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill stated that the Queens had "shortened the war by a year."

After she was decommissioned she was restored to her pre-war glory and sailed on her first commercial voyage to New York on 16 October 1946. During the next two decades the Queen Elizabeth served on the North Atlantic run with the Queen Mary. In the winter of 1955 she was fitted with stabilisers "to smooth your way across the Atlantic". Her commercial viability was being questioned by the late 1960s and on 29 November 1968 she began her final voyage. During her Cunard career she had steamed 3,470,000 miles and carried 2.3 million people. She should have had a happy retirement as the Seawise University; instead she was tragically destroyed by fire in Hong Kong Harbour on 9 January 1972.

Timeline

Comparison

Cunard Queens

Compare the Cunard Queens

Compare the Cunard Queens

Famous liners

Compare the QE2 to famous liners

Compare to famous liners

Cunard resources

The QE2 in Southampton Docks on 11th November 2008

In 2010 the Cunard Line celebrated its 170th anniversary and is the most famous cruise ship company in the world. Browse our list of online resources about the Cunard Line.

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