RMS QUEEN MARY - 1936
As She appeared at the time of her Maiden Voyage.
‘THE GREAT BRITISH LINER’
Following in the footsteps of great Cunarders before her, Queen Mary was constructed at John Brown and Co, Clydebank; an immense undertaking and one which was almost doomed due to the Depression. What Scottish hands built would go on to become a cherished icon of Britain as a whole, a symbol of maritime excellence. Beyond the engineering, she was stylish; her eclectic, timber-clad interiors initially drew criticism from contemporary commentators but proved popular with passengers. Crucially, she was fast; to overcome her traditional and inefficient hull she relied on brute power, a combined 160,000 shp, to propel her through the Atlantic and to secure the Blue Riband from rival Normandie. It was a clash of the ages, but one which Queen Mary would win.
Queen Mary’s three squat ‘Cunard Red’ funnels, her red-white-black-white hull, her mammoth vents, her elongated form - all form an icon of the Golden Age of transatlantic travel and her booming voice, provided by three Tyfon horns, provided a soundtrack that decreed adventure, excitement and new starts for countless thousands.
explore the drawing
With special thanks to Tom Lynskey and Victor Vila
THE details
Aft on Queen Mary's 'Capstan Deck' displaying an array of warping and mooring equipment crucial for docking the ship
Queen's Mary's quadruple propellers, each connected to an immensely powerful turbine, gave her a blistering top-speed
At the base of No 3 funnel and one can see a scattering of mushroom vents and the Liner’s massive 36’ lifeboats, each with capacity for 145 people.
A condition of subsidies given by the British government, crucial for Queen Mary's completion, was that long-term rivals Cunard and White Star Line merge. The ship flew lines' flags for her career, proudly displaying her fine pedigree.
Queen Mary’s towering hull was traditionally-constructed, with millions on millions of rivets being driven home by hand to hold her hull plates and skeletal frame together.
A crane sits at the base of No 2 Funnel while just below it can be seen the wire protective screen erected for passengers to enjoy deck games without fear of losing a tennis ball.
The Ship's curved bridge-front became an iconic sight in itself; elegant and the very epitome of art-deco design
The Ship’s iconic nameplate; bold and unmistakably Deco
