An ocean liner is usually a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. A passenger ship is a Ship whose primary function is to carry passengers ||-||-|-||-||-||-||-||-||-|} A port is a facility for receiving Ships and transferring cargo Liners may also carry cargo, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (e. g. for pleasure cruises or as troopships). A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a Ship used to carry Soldiers either in peacetime or wartime Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as liners. The category does not include ferries or other vessels engaged in short-sea trading, nor dedicated cruise ships where the voyage itself, and not transportation, is the prime purpose of the trip. See also Merchant ship A ferry is a form of transport usually a Boat or Ship, used to carry (or ferry) passengers and A cruise ship or cruise liner is a Passenger ship used for pleasure voyages where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience Nor does it include tramp steamers even if equipped to handle limited numbers of passengers, nor other cargo vessels (although many shipping companies refer to themselves as "lines" and their container ships, which often operate over set routes according to established schedules, as "liners"). A Ship engaged in the tramp trade is one which does not have a fixed schedule or published ports of call Container ships are Cargo ships that carry all of their load in truck-size containers in a technique called Containerization. Ocean liners typically were strongly built with high freeboards to withstand sea states and adverse conditions encountered in the open ocean, and had large capacities for fuel, victuals, and other stores which would be consumed on voyages which took from several days to several weeks. Freeboard or FREEBOARD may refer to Sporting Goods. The six-wheeled skateboard which acts like a snowboard (on pavement A sea state includes the height, Period, and character of waves on the surface of a large body of water
Ocean liners were the primary mode of intercontinental travel for over a century, from the mid-19th century until they began to be supplanted by airliners in the 1960s. An airliner is a large Fixed-wing aircraft with the primary function of transporting paying passengers In addition to passengers, liners carried mail and cargo. Mail, or post, is a method for transmitting information and tangible objects wherein written Documents typically enclosed in Envelopes and also Ships contracted to carry British Royal Mail used the designation RMS. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Royal Mail is the national postal service of the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Ship (sometimes Steam-ship, Steamer) usually seen in its abbreviated form RMS, is the Ship prefix used for seagoing vessels that Liners were also the preferred way to move gold and other high value cargos. [1]
The busiest route for liners was on the North Atlantic with ships traveling between Europe and North America. It was on this route that the fastest, largest and most advanced liners travelled. But while in contemporary popular imagination the term "ocean liners" evokes these transatlantic superliners, most ocean liners historically were mid-sized vessels which served as the common carriers of passengers and freight between nations and among mother countries and their colonies and dependencies in the pre-jet age. The term transatlantic refers to something occurring all the way across the Atlantic Ocean. A superliner is an Ocean liner of over 10000 gross tons The term was coined in the late 19th century when ocean liners were rapidly increasing in size and speed Aviation history The De Havilland Comet was the first jet airliner to fly the first in service in 1952 and the first to offer a transatlantic jet service Such routes included Europe to African and Asian colonies, Europe to South America, and migrant traffic from Europe to North America in the nineteenth and first two decades of the twentieth centuries, and to Canada and Australia after the Second World War.
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Definition
Shipping lines are companies engaged in shipping passengers and cargo, often on established routes and schedules. Regular scheduled voyages on a set route are called "line voyages" and vessels (passenger or cargo) trading on these routes to a timetable are called liners. The alternative to liner trade is "tramping" whereby vessels are notified on an ad-hoc basis as to the availability of a cargo to be transported. (In older usage, liner also referred to ships of the line, that is, line-of-battle ships, but that usage is now rare. A ship-of-the-line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th century through the mid-19th century to take part in the the naval tactic known as the Line of battle ) The term "Ocean Liner" has come to be used interchangeably with "Passenger Liner", although it can refer to a cargo liner or cargo-passenger liner.
History
The 19th century
In 1818, the Black Ball Line, with a fleet of sailing ships, offered the first regular passenger service with emphasis on passenger comfort, from England to the United States. This article refers to the trans-Atlantic packet shipping company for other uses see Black Ball Line The Black Ball Line was a fleet of Sailing ship is now used to refer to any large Wind -powered Vessel. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The United States of America —commonly referred to as the From the early 1800s, steam engines began to appear in ships, but initially they were inefficient and offered little advantage over sailing ships. Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS (9 April 1806 &ndash 15 September 1859 (ˈɪzəmbɑrd ˈkɪŋdəm brʊˈnɛl was a British Engineer. Sailing ship is now used to refer to any large Wind -powered Vessel.
The clipper domination was challenged when SS Great Western, designed by railway engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, began its first Atlantic service in 1837. Origins Isambard Kingdom Brunel 's idea was that steam would replace sail power on the regularly-scheduled trans-Atlantic "packet boat" services which had Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS (9 April 1806 &ndash 15 September 1859 (ˈɪzəmbɑrd ˈkɪŋdəm brʊˈnɛl was a British Engineer. It took 15 days to cross the Atlantic, as compared with two months by sail-powered ships. Unlike the clippers, steamers offered a consistent speed and the ability to keep to a schedule. The early steamships still had sails as well, though, as engines at this time had very inefficient consumption of fuel. A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving a Propeller Having sails enabled vessels like the Great Western to take advantage of favourable weather conditions and minimise fuel consumption.
In 1840 Cunard Line’s Britannia began its first regular passenger and cargo service by a steamship, sailing from Liverpool to Boston. Cunard Line is a British shipping company operator of the Ocean liners RMS ''Queen Elizabeth 2'' ( QE2) RMS ''Queen Mary 2'' ( The RMS Britannia was an Ocean liner of the British Cunard Steamship Lines. A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving a Propeller Despite some advantages offered by the steamships, clippers remained dominant. In 1847 SS Great Britain became the first iron-hulled screw-driven ship to cross the Atlantic. History The SS Great Britain was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Thomas Guppy, Christopher Claxton and William Patterson More efficient propellers began to replace the paddle wheels used by earlier ocean liners. A propeller is essentially a type of fan which transmits power by converting Rotational motion into Thrust for propulsion of a vehicle such as an A paddle wheel (also called side wheel or stern wheel) is a large wheel fitted with Paddles which is used to propel a Boat.
In 1870, the White Star Line’s RMS Oceanic set a new standard for ocean travel by having its first-class cabins amidships, with the added amenity of large portholes, electricity and running water. The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British Shipping RMS Oceanic was the White Star Line 's first liner and an important turning point in passenger liner design The size of ocean liners increased from 1880 to meet the needs of immigration to the United States and Australia.
RMS Umbria and her sister ship RMS Etruria were the last two liners of the period to be fitted with auxiliary sails. Construction The “Umbria” had many distinguishing features that included two enormous Funnels which gave the outward impression of huge power Service on the Atlantic RMS Etruria was to start her regular service to New York from Liverpool, but the clouds of crises were looming and by the Umbria was built by John Elder & Co of Glasgow, Scotland in 1884. Umbria and Etruria by the standards of the time were record breakers. They were the largest liners then in service and they plied the Liverpool to New York Service.
The SS Ophir was a 6814-ton steamship owned by the Orient Steamship Co, fitted with refrigeration equipment, which plied the Suez Canal route from England to Australia during the 1890s and the years leading to World War I, when she was converted to an armed merchant cruiser.
The 20th century
The period between the end of the 19th century and World War II is considered the "golden age" of ocean liners. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Driven by strong demand created by European emigration to the United States and Canada, international competition between passenger lines and a new emphasis on comfort, shipping companies built ever larger and faster ships.
Canadian Pacific Railway became one of the largest transportation system in the world combining with ships and railways operating from Canada. The Canadian Pacific Railway ( Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page In 1891 CPR shipping division began its first Pacific operation. CP Ships was a large Canadian Container shipping company now part of Hapag Lloyd since late 2005 In 1903, CPR began its first Atlantic service because of rising migration of Europeans to western Canada as the result of free land offered by the Canadian government. Western Canada, commonly referred to as the West, is a region of Canada normally including all parts of Canada west of the province The Canadian Government, formally Her Majesty's Government in Canada, is the Federal government of Canada.
Since the 1830s ships had unofficially been competing for the honor of making the fastest North Atlantic crossing. This honor came to be known as the Blue Riband; in 1897 Germany took the award with a series of new ocean liners, starting with the SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Große. For use of the related term "Blue Ribbon" see Blue ribbon (disambiguation. Career She was built by Vulcan shipyards in Stettin and launched on 4 May 1897 In 1905 British company Cunard fitted their liner Carmania with steam turbines and it outperformed its near identical sister Caronia, powered by triple expansion steam engines. History When launched the Carmania and her sister ship the Caronia, were the largest ships in the Cunard fleet and two of the fastest in the world since they At the time, these were the largest ships in the Cunard fleet, and the use of the different propulsion methods in otherwise similar ships allowed the company to evaluate the merits of both. The engines in Carmania were successful and consequently in 1907 the Cunard Line introduced the much larger Lusitania and Mauretania, both powered by steam turbines. Cunard Line is a British shipping company operator of the Ocean liners RMS ''Queen Elizabeth 2'' ( QE2) RMS ''Queen Mary 2'' ( Construction and trials Owned by the Cunard Steamship Company built by John Brown and Company Lusitania was named for the ancient Roman province of A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts Thermal energy from pressurized Steam, and converts it into useful mechanical work The Mauretania won the Blue Riband and held it for an astonishing 20 years.
Cunard's dominance of the Blue Riband did not keep other lines from competing in terms of size and luxury. In 1910 White Star launched the Olympic, the first of a trio of 45,000 plus gross ton liners with the Titanic and Britannic. History J Bruce Ismay, the chairman of White Star Line, and William Pirrie, the chairman of Harland and Wolff Shipyard Construction The Titanic was a White Star Line ocean liner built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland History Post- Titanic design changes Following the loss of the Titanic and the subsequent enquiries several design changes were made to the remaining These ships were almost 15,000 tonnes larger and 100 feet (30 m) longer than the Lusitania and Mauretania.
Hamburg-America Line also ordered three giant ships, Imperator, Vaterland and Bismarck, all over 51,500 gross tons. The Hamburg Amerikanische Packetfahrt Actien Gesellschaft ( HAPAG for short often referred to in English as Hamburg America Line, sometimes also Hamburg-Amerika History The first plates of her Keel were laid in 1910 at the Vulcan Shipyards in Hamburg, and she made her maiden voyage in 1913 Note "SS Leviathan" was also an early name for the 19th century ship launched as the SS Great Eastern. Construction and handover The Majestic was built by the Blohm & Voss shipbuilders in Hamburg, Germany and was launched on 20 June Imperator was launched in 1912. The largest, Bismarck, would be the largest ship in the world until 1935. These ships did little or no service with Hamburg-America before World War I; after the war they were seized as war reparations and given to British and American lines.
The surge in ocean liner size outpaced the shipping regulations. In 1912, Titanic, which had been claimed to be unsinkable, sank after hitting an iceberg, with over 1,500 fatalities. A factor contributing to the high loss of life was that there were not enough lifeboats for everyone. A lifeboat is a small craft carried on a ship to provide a means of emergency evacuation in the event of a disaster aboard the ship After the Titanic disaster the regulation was revised to require all ocean liners to carry enough lifeboats for all passengers and crew. In addition International Ice Patrol was established to monitor the busy north Atlantic shipping lanes for icebergs. Since 1914 the International Ice Patrol has been monitoring the presence of Icebergs in the northern Atlantic Ocean and reports their movements for safety purposes
Until the 1920s most shipping lines relied heavily on emigration for sales and they were hard hit when the US Congress introduced a bill to limit immigration into the United States. The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses The United States of America —commonly referred to as the As the result, many ships took on cruising and the least expensive cabins were reconfigured from third class to tourist class. This article is about yacht cruising For cruising on cruise liners see the article Cruise ship. To make matters worse, the great depression put many shipping lines into bankruptcy.
Despite the harsh economic conditions, a number of companies continued to build larger and faster ships. In 1929 the German ships Bremen and Europa beat the crossing record set by the Mauretania 20 years earlier with an average speed of almost 28 knots (52 km/h). History Bremen and her sister were designed to have a cruising speed of 27 History Europa and her sister were designed to have a cruising speed of 27 The ships used bulbous bows and oil fired boilers to reach these high speeds while maintaining economical operating costs. The bulbous bow, a standard feature of most large modern Ships with displacement hulls, is a protruding bulb at the bow (or front below the Waterline In 1933 the Italian 51,100 ton ocean liner SS Rex, with a time of four days and thirteen hours, captured the westbound Blue Riband, which she held for two years. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest History Following North German Lloyd 's successful capture of the Blue Riband with its and duo of ocean liners the Rex was intended to be Italy's effort to In 1935 the French liner SS Normandie used a revolutionary new hull design and powerful turbo-electric propulsion to take the Blue Riband from the Rex. Origin The beginnings of Normandie can be traced to the Roaring Twenties when shipping companies started to look for new ships to replace the aging veterans turbo-electric transmission uses Electric generators to convert the mechanical energy of a Turbine ( steam or gas) into electric energy and Because of the poor economic conditions the British government forced Cunard Line and White Star Line to merge. The newly merged company countered with its liners RMS Queen Mary and RMS Queen Elizabeth; the Queen Mary was to hold the Blue Riband from 1936-37 and 1938-52. Naming and construction With Germany launching their and into service the British did not want to be left out in this ship building race Maiden voyage At the start of World War II the Queen Elizabeth had been launched and was still in the process of fitting out
The post World War II era was a brief but busy period. Notable transatlantic liners included SS United States, which was the last ocean liner to hold the Blue Riband and SS France, which held the record for the longest passenger ship from when she entered service in 1961 until the launch of RMS Queen Mary 2 in 2003. Construction Inspired by the exemplary service of the British liners and which transported hundreds of thousands of U Characteristics The SS France was the French Line Flagship from 1961 to 1974 combining regular Transatlantic crossings - six days and nights - with Characteristics The Queen Mary 2 is the current Cunard Flagship and makes regular Transatlantic crossings Australian Government sponsored immigration resulted in a busy trade between Europe and Australia, producing such notable ships as the SS Oriana and SS Canberra. History Oriana's maiden voyage was from Southampton to Sydney in December History P&O built the Canberra to operate the combined P&O- Orient Line service between the United Kingdom and Australia. These two, operating on the P&O-Orient Line service, were the last, largest and fastest liners built for the Australian route. The P&O Cruises brand is not owned by the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company "Orient Line" redirects here For the similarly named cruise line see Orient Lines.
The end
Prior to World War II, aircraft weren’t a huge threat to ocean liners. Bremerhaven (bʁeːmɐˈhaːfən is the seaport of the free city and federal state of Bremen, Germany. Most pre-war aircraft were noisy, cramped and vulnerable to bad weather, few had the range needed for transoceanic flights, and all were expensive and had a small passenger capacity. However, World War II accelerated the development of aircraft. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Four engine bombers such as the Avro Lancaster and Boeing B-29, with their long range and massive carrying capacity, were a natural prototype for a next generation airliner. "Lanc" redirects here Distinguish from Lank (adjective and from Amon Lanc (a place in Tolkien's fiction An airliner is a large Fixed-wing aircraft with the primary function of transporting paying passengers Jet aircraft technology also accelerated after the development of jet aircraft for military use in World War II. A jet aircraft is an Aircraft propelled by Jet engines Jet aircraft fly much faster than Propeller -powered aircraft and at higher altitudes -- as high as In 1953, the De Havilland Comet became the first commercial jet airliner; the Sud Aviation Caravelle, Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 followed later. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The T/S Michelangelo and T/S Raffaello, built in 1962 and 1963 for Italian Line, were two of the last ocean liners to be built primarily for liner service across the North Atlantic, as in the 1960s airlines gradually took over the business formerly done by ships. Design and construction The Italian Line had begun planning new ships in 1958. Design and Construction Italian Line had begun planning new ships already in 1958. The Italian Line or Italia Line, also known as the Società di navigazione Italia, was a passenger shipping line that operated regular transatlantic service between By the early 1970s passenger ships were used almost exclusively for cruising.
After the end of the large scale passenger liner business, many ships continued in use as cruise ships; as of 2003 a small number of former liners were still in service. A few more, such as RMS Queen Mary, are still afloat but permanently docked and used for other purposes; in the case of the Queen Mary, as a museum ship. For ships that are not original see Ship replica. For preserved incomplete ships see Ships preserved in museums. The only large liner still used on scheduled line voyages in 2006 is Cunard Line's RMS Queen Mary 2, which replaced the line's Queen Elizabeth 2 on the transatlantic route in 2004. Characteristics The Queen Mary 2 is the current Cunard Flagship and makes regular Transatlantic crossings Characteristics The ship has a and is 963 ft (294 m long She had a top speed of using her original steam turbine powerplant which was increased to when she was re-engined QE2 made her maiden voyage in 1969 and was the only major operational ocean liner for several decades, but now is given over to cruising.
At war
Ocean liners played a major role in World War I. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Large ocean liners, such as RMS Mauritania and RMS Olympic, were used as troopships and hospital ships while smaller ocean liners were converted to armed merchant cruisers. History J Bruce Ismay, the chairman of White Star Line, and William Pirrie, the chairman of Harland and Wolff Shipyard A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a Ship used to carry Soldiers either in peacetime or wartime A hospital ship is a Ship designated for primary function as a medical treatment facility or Hospital; most are operated by the Military The Britannic, sister to the RMS Titanic and RMS Olympic, never served on the liner trade for which she was built, instead entering war service as a hospital ship as soon as she was completed; she lasted a year before being sunk by a mine. History Post- Titanic design changes Following the loss of the Titanic and the subsequent enquiries several design changes were made to the remaining Construction The Titanic was a White Star Line ocean liner built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland History J Bruce Ismay, the chairman of White Star Line, and William Pirrie, the chairman of Harland and Wolff Shipyard Some other liners were converted to innocent-looking armed Q-ships to entrap submarines. Mystery Ship redirects here For the 1917 film serial see The Mystery Ship. A submarine is a Watercraft that can operate independently below water as distinct from a Submersible that has only limited underwater capability In 1915 RMS Lusitania, still in service as a civilian passenger vessel, was torpedoed by a German U-boat with many casualties. Construction and trials Owned by the Cunard Steamship Company built by John Brown and Company Lusitania was named for the ancient Roman province of U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word, itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot ( undersea boat) and refers
Ocean liners such as RMS Queen Mary and RMS Queen Elizabeth were used again in World War II, although not as merchant cruisers—they were mostly used as troopships and hospital ships. Naming and construction With Germany launching their and into service the British did not want to be left out in this ship building race Maiden voyage At the start of World War II the Queen Elizabeth had been launched and was still in the process of fitting out SS Normandie sailed to the United States in 1942 for conversion to a troopship, but never saw service in that role. Origin The beginnings of Normandie can be traced to the Roaring Twenties when shipping companies started to look for new ships to replace the aging veterans The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A fire during the conversion work caused her to capsize because of the water poured into her hull while docked in New York. The City of New York Salvage attempts failed and she was scrapped in 1946. The majority of the superliners of the '20s and '30s were victims of U-boats, mines or enemy aircraft. U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word, itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot ( undersea boat) and refers A naval mine is a self-contained Explosive device placed in water to destroy Ships or Submarines Unlike Depth charges mines are deposited The SS Empress of Britain II was attacked by German planes, then torpedoed by a U-boat when tugs tried to tow her to safety. History Work began on the Empress of Britain on November 28, 1928 when the first plates of her keel were laid at the John Brown & Co She was the largest British ocean liner to sink during World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Germany's speed queen SS Bremen fell victim to a disgruntled crew member in 1941—she was set on fire and became a total loss. History Bremen and her sister were designed to have a cruising speed of 27 Italy's giants, the Rex and the Conte di Savoia were destroyed by the British RAF and the retreating German forces, respectively. History In November 1932 she made her maiden voyage to New York. The United States lost the American President Lines' SS President Coolidge to, of all things, an Allied mine in the South Pacific. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the American President Lines Ltd (now simply referred to as APL) is the world's seventh-largest container transportation and Shipping company providing The SS President Coolidge was a luxury Ocean liner that measured 654 ft (198 metres in length and was originally built along with her sister ship the SS President Hoover No shipping line was untouched by World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including
More recently, during the Falklands War, three ships that were either active or former liners were requisitioned for war service by the British Government. The Falklands War (Guerra de las Malvinas/Guerra del Atlántico Sur also called the Falklands Conflict/Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the Her Majesty's Government, or when the monarch is male His Majesty's Government, is the title used by the Government of the United Kingdom, based at The Cunard liner QE2 and P&O cruise ship and former England to Australia liner Canberra served as troopships, carrying British Army personnel to Ascension Island and the Falkland Islands to recover the Falklands from the invading Argentine forces. Cunard may refer to Nancy Cunard (1896–1965 English writer editor and publisher Samuel Cunard (1787–1865 British shipping Characteristics The ship has a and is 963 ft (294 m long She had a top speed of using her original steam turbine powerplant which was increased to when she was re-engined The P&O Cruises brand is not owned by the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company A cruise ship or cruise liner is a Passenger ship used for pleasure voyages where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. History P&O built the Canberra to operate the combined P&O- Orient Line service between the United Kingdom and Australia. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. Ascension Island is an island in the South Atlantic Ocean, around from the coast of Africa For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. The P&O educational cruise ship and former British India Steam Navigation Company liner SS Uganda was requisitioned as a hospital ship and, after the war, served as a troopship until an airport was built at Port Stanley that could handle trooping flights. The P&O Cruises brand is not owned by the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company British India Steam Navigation Company was formed in 1856 as the Calcutta and Burmah Steam Navigation Company. SS Uganda was a Passenger liner, then Cruise ship, Hospital ship and Troop ship between 1952 and 1986. An airport is a location where Aircraft such as airplanes, Helicopters and blimps take off and land "Port Stanley" redirects here For the town in Canada see Port Stanley Ontario.
Famous and infamous
The "unsinkable" Titanic, which sank on her maiden voyage from Britain to the United States in 1912 with the loss of 1,523 lives; her name has entered the language as an archetypical catastrophe. Construction The Titanic was a White Star Line ocean liner built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland In 1914 the RMS Empress of Ireland sank in the Saint Lawrence River with 1,012 lives lost. Saint Lawrence River (in French: fleuve Saint-Laurent; Kahnawáˀkye in Tuscarora, Kaniatarowanenneh meaning big waterway The Lusitania was lost in 1915 to a German U-Boat during World War I while on passage from the United States to Britain. Construction and trials Owned by the Cunard Steamship Company built by John Brown and Company Lusitania was named for the ancient Roman province of U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word, itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot ( undersea boat) and refers The worst disasters were the loss of the Cunarder Lancastria in 1940 off Saint-Nazaire to German bombing while attempting to evacuate troops of the British Expeditionary Force from France, with the loss of over 3,000 lives; the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff with over 9,000 lives lost, and the sinking of the Cap Arcona with over 7,000 lives lost in the Baltic Sea in 1945. History Launched on the Clyde Scotland in 1920 as the Tyrrhenia for the Anchor Line a subsidiary of Cunard, the 16243 ton, 578 The British Expeditionary Force ( BEF) was the British army sent to the Western Front in France and Belgium on the outbreak of Ship history The Wilhelm Gustloff was the first purpose-built cruise liner for the Nazi Kraft durch Freude (KdF (" Strength Through Joy " History The 27561 gross ton Cap Arcona, named after Cape Arkona on the island of Rügen in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, was The Baltic Sea is a Brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N Latitude and from 20°E to 26°E Longitude. The Italian liner Andrea Doria sank after colliding with Stockholm in heavy fog in 1956, although equipped with radar. History Features Andrea Doria had a length of 212 m (697 feet) a beam of 27 m Service history At with a Gross tonnage of 12165 Stockholm was the smallest passenger ship operating on the North Atlantic route at the time Radar is a system that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range altitude direction or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as Aircraft, ships The Cunard Line's Mauretania and Aquitania were widely considered the finest liners of their generation and in the following decade many people had a similar affection for the Normandie. Beginning In 1897 the German liner became the largest and fastest ship in the world Origin The origins of Aquitania lay in the rivalry between the White Star Line and Cunard, Britain 's two leading shipping companies Origin The beginnings of Normandie can be traced to the Roaring Twenties when shipping companies started to look for new ships to replace the aging veterans
See also
References
- ^ Pickford, Nigel Lost Treasure Ships of the Twentieth Century, National Geographic Society, 1999 ISBN 0-7922-7472-5
External links
- Encyclopedia Titanica (includes Ocean liner and Titanic discussions)
- Gare Maritime : A Journey into the Golden Age of Travel
- 20th Century Ships
- Historic Ocean Liners
- The Great Ocean Liners
- Monsters of the Sea: The Great Ocean Liners of Time
- Martin Cox and Peter Knego's "Maritime Matters"
- The Last Ocean Liners 1950s-1960s
- Kevin Tam's "Ships of State:The Great Atlantic Liners"
Dictionary
ocean liner
-noun
- (nautical) a narrow-beam passenger ship designed for high speed trans-oceanic travel