The many lives of a much-loved liner
RMS Queen Mary, by David Ellery
Built in Clydebank in the 1930s, the RMS Queen Mary was the biggest superstar vessel since the Titanic – and had a much more successful career.
As this beautifully-illustrated new book explains, the transatlantic liner was named after the wife of the reigning monarch, George V. King George and Queen Mary took part in the launching ceremony in 1934, which was the first such event to be broadcast on the radio.
The vessel continued to be a favourite with royalty and celebrities, and no expense was spared in fitting out the cabins and staterooms to attract these First Class passengers. There were so many beautiful features in the design that the whole ship became something of a work of art.
The book's tales of the crew having to fawn over the wealthy elite become a little grating (there's one story of a passenger demanding a full change of furniture for her suite mid-voyage.) However, the vessel was generally popular with the seafarers who worked onboard, and good-quality food and facilities were offered to all passengers and crew.
During the Second World War, the Queen Mary was converted into a troop carrier, and this is a particularly interesting period to read about. Murals by distinguished artists remained in place to adorn ballrooms converted into canteens, giving the American GIs a rather surreal start to their tour of duty in Europe.
After resuming normal service in the 1950s, the liner gradually became surplus to requirements due to the rise of affordable air travel, but the fame and attractiveness of the vessel saved it from the breakers' yard. The Queen Mary remains in Long Beach, California to this day as a hotel and tourist destination, and 'the world's favourite liner' seems a reasonable description after nearly a century of excellent service.
RMS Queen Mary: the World's Favourite Liner
By David Ellery
Seaforth Publishing, £40
ISBN: 978 13390 53051
Buy this book in the Nautilus Bookshop
While you're there, why not browse the rest of the titles in our unique maritime bookshop, which sells all the books reviewed on these pages.
Buy nowMore Books
Salvage story told through a treasure trove of images
In the Wake of the Empress of Ireland, by David Saint-PierreThe sinking of the Empress of Ireland in 1914 remains the worst peacetime disaster in Canadian history. Of the 1,477 people onboard, 1,012 died as the ocean liner went down in just 14 minutes.
Fighting on after D-Day
Normandy: The Sailors’ Story, by Nick HewittTo tie in with the 80th anniversary of D-Day last year, Yale University Press published this detailed and readable book by veteran ship restorer and historian Nick Hewitt, which puts the efforts of the Allied navies in the Battle for France centre stage.
Scotland's WW2 supply crews
Never to Return, by Roderick G MacleanAs remembrance season approaches, we often look out for new titles on the Merchant Navy in wartime, and Never to Return fits the bill this year.
New northern take on the Titanic tragedy
Titanic: The Greater Manchester Connections, by James W BancroftFew maritime tragedies have held such a place in the public imagination as that of the Titanic. The tales and testimonies of passengers aboard that doomed voyage in 1912 have inspired countless books and several film adaptations, some more fictionalised than others.