RMS Queen Mary: 101 Questions and Answers About the Great Transatlantic Liner

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title RMS Queen Mary: 101 Questions and Answers About the Great Transatlantic Liner
Authors and Contributors      By (author) David Ellery
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:128
Dimensions(mm): Height 198,Width 129
Category/GenreShips and shipping
ISBN/Barcode 9781472993113
ClassificationsDewey:387.2432
Audience
General
Illustrations Black and white photos throughout; 8pp colour plate section

Publishing Details

Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint Adlard Coles Nautical
Publication Date 11 November 2021
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

For 1930s Britain, the Queen Mary was a symbol of hope. Cunard had abandoned construction on what they had planned to be the grandest liner of all time (then known simply as Job 534) in the depths of the Depression. Her half-finished hull sat on the Clyde for years, but when Cunard announced they were going to complete her, it was a sign, perhaps, that the darkest days were over, that the country was emerging from economic disaster and that Britannia would soon rule the waves once again. The Queen Mary would go on to be one of the most famous ships in the world for all the right reasons. The first British ship to be over 1,000 feet in length, launched by her namesake (and for which the Clyde had to be artificially widened to allow such a large ship to pass through), she won the Blue Riband (the record for fastest Atlantic crossing) not once by twice - and when she won it the second time in 1938 she held it until 1952. After wartime service carrying up to 16,000 US troops to Europe at a time, she finally retired to Long Beach, California, in 1967. There she remains, a perfectly preserved reminder of a bygone era, and a celebration of the golden age of the transatlantic liner. In this book David Ellery, maritime historian, TV presenter and documentary maker, answers all the questions you might have about this glorious ship - and ones you might never have thought to ask too. This unique, accessible approach gives a fantastic introduction to the ship to anyone curious about her, but is also very detailed and comprehensive, covering everything from the ship's design, construction, engineering and interior fittings to her naming, wartime service and more. He also addresses all the myths and rumours such a famous ship attracted over her decades in service. Packed with archival photographs and other original material, this is a fascinating and illuminating guide to the Queen Mary, looking beneath the sheen of her appointments to explore how her fame is well deserved.

Author Biography

David Ellery is an award-winning documentary maker, TV presenter, author and maritime historian. He won the first of several Royal Television Society Awards for his BBC documentary about the Queen Mary, entitled Regal & Retired. He is the author of several books about the Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth 2.