Passenger Liners Of The Western Ocean Second Edition Completely Revised

"This comprehensive work is unique in presenting in a voluem of convenient size a complete up-to-date record of every company and vessel of the North Atlantic passenger trade, from the introduction of the pioneer steamships in 1838 to the construction of the newest vessels of today. In the second edition of this books, the inclusion of new arrivals and of three little known mid-nineteenth century companies increases the number of detailed histories of shipping lines to over seventy, and there are now "biographies" of more than eight hundred ships. Valuable fresh information concerning the pre-1870 period is now incorporated, including the origin of the Cunard Line's emigrant services, and particulars of the early French trans-Atlantic steamships. New information bearing on modern vessels includes the loss of the record breaking "Bremen". There are new appendices devoted to sailing packets, and to early trans-Atlantic passenger fares. In addition to supplying a mine of general information about each ship, including precise technical data, the author also describes more picturesque aspects of his subject ... The number of illustrations has been increased by 50 percent in the new edition ... Ships of the Mediterranean and Scandinavian lines, which were not illustrated in the original edition, are now represented, together with the majority of ships built since the end of the Second World War ..." -- Inside front cover.

“A truly comprehensive publication, running the gamut from the first Atlantic sail-enhanced steamers to today’s remaining handful of combi-liners.” —Maritime Matters Before the advent of the jet age, ocean liners were the principal means of transport around the globe, and carried migrants and business people, soldiers and administrators, families, and lone travelers to every corner of the world. Though the ocean liner was born on the North Atlantic it soon spread to all the other oceans and in this new book the author addresses this huge global story. The account begins with Brunel’s Great Eastern and the early Cunarders, but with the rise in nationalism and the growth in empires in the latter part of the 19th century, and the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, the colonial powers of Spain, France, and Germany soon established shipping lines of their own, and transpacific routes were opened up by Japanese and American lines. The golden age between the two world wars witnessed huge growth in liner traffic to Africa, Australia and New Zealand, India, and the Far East, the French colonies, and the Dutch East and West Indies, but then, though there was a postwar revival, the breakup of empires and the arrival of mass air travel brought about the swan song of the liner. Employing more than 250 stunning photographs, the author describes not just the ships and routes, but interweaves the technical and design developments, covering engines, electric light, navigation and safety, and accommodation. A truly unique and evocative book for merchant ship enthusiasts and historians.

The 1960s were, it was believed, the end of the era of transatlantic liners. Grand, graceful but aging luxury ships such as the ‘Queen Mary’ and ‘Queen Elizabeth’ were surpassed and outmoded by the new age of jet aircraft. By 1963, airlines had secured over 95 percent of all transatlantic travellers. But looking to the future, the historic Cunard Line believed that there was room for one more, last Atlantic super ship. Thus, came the ship which became the most successful super liner of all time, the ‘Queen Elizabeth 2’. Fondly known as the ‘QE2’, she was launched and named by HM the Queen in 1967, entered service two years later and went on to sail for 39 years. She now resides in a museum & hotel like role out of Dubai. The ‘QE2’ is a lasting and fitting tribute to Cunard, to British shipping, to all ocean liners. This book has been created on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the ship’s maiden crossing (in May 1969) from Southampton to New York. A maritime icon, she well deserves yet another tribute!