RMS QUEEN MARY: est 1934

Cunard, White Star Line & The Community of Clydebank

In 1931, towering over the brownstones of the town of Clydebank, Scotland, the skeleton of a great ocean vessel was taking form at the John Brown & Company shipyard. Known only as a number- 534, this ship, the local shipyard workers, and the entire world would soon battle the storm of the Great Depression. Nearly three years would pass while construction ceased, and the local community began facing poverty. Miraculously, funding became available to finish the rusting hull. Christened by Her Majesty, Queen Mary on September 26th, 1934, the ship was finally given a name… hers. To the citizens of Clydebank, the RMS Queen Mary became a symbol of pride & a remembrance of security, stability, & hope that her construction offered. 

The 1930s, Celebrities & Emigration

From 1936 to 1939, the RMS Queen Mary was the pride of Great Britain and the flagship of her owners, the Cunard White Star Line. Sailing her normal route between Southampton, & New York, she would eventually hold the title of “The Blue Riband,” representing the shortest time to cross the Atlantic of any passenger ship. The crème of Hollywood, royalty, political & social society chose ‘the Mary’ regularly to travel in style. It was also the Mary that carried thousands of immigrating families to North America, escaping racial & religious persecution that was steadily growing in Nazi Germany & Italy. For these families, the Mary would be their magic chariot, whisking them safely to the ‘New World’ in a level of comfort that most of them had never experienced before. She would forever remain a cherished part of their family’s legacies. 

WWII and the Greatest Generation

As war in Europe erupted in late 1939, the Queen Mary’s reputation for speed would take on a new meaning, as she was requisitioned by the British Admiralty and transformed into a troop transport vessel. Painted in battleship grey, often using the cover night & fog arriving or departing, she was cleverly nicknamed, ‘The Grey Ghost.’ Aiding in multiple campaigns in North Africa and Western Europe, she transported nearly 800,000 Australian, British, American, & Canadian troops to “challenge the fury of Hitlerism” between 1940 and 1945. In addition to her wartime career, she would also partake in ‘Operation Baby Carriage’ in which she transported thousands of British and European war-brides & infants to be reunited with their American and Canadian military husbands & fathers.

Postwar: The Middle-Class & Students

The RMS Queen Mary returned to regular passenger service in 1947. As her public popularity began to grow in the 1950’s, her passengers soon abandoned ocean travel in favor of the trans-Atlantic jet airliner. Travel across ‘the pond’ could now be done in less than 8 hours, compared to 4 days aboard the Queen Mary. Cunard attempted to attract the traveling public who could not afford the luxury of air travel. Expanded accommodations in lower classes & reduced fares attracted many middle-class families to experience a family vacation in Europe or the United States. By the 1960’s, the Queen Mary began deviating from her normal sailing route, offering cruises to Nassau, Gibraltar, and the Canary Islands. Young college students wishing to travel abroad, often chose sailing aboard the Mary, sharing their 4-person berth cabins with fellow students. 

Long Beach, The Queen Mary, and the Local Community

On December 9th, 1967, after sailing 39 days from Southampton, England, the RMS Queen Mary arrived in Long Beach, California. With the City of Long Beach becoming her new owner, she was soon transformed into a public tourist attraction, museum, and hotel. She would reopen her doors to tourists & the local community on May 8th, 1971. There are multiple generations of children that grew up in Long Beach & Southern California who had the opportunity to visit the Queen Mary during a class field trip. Thousands of local visitors have experienced a private event on board or attended a holiday celebration party, such as the 4th of July, Halloween, Christmas, or New Year’s Eve. Some would go on to write a new chapter in their life’s story, choosing the Mary as the venue for their wedding… an option that was not available during her seagoing career.
 
From her early days of construction in 1930, spanning over 90 years to today, the RMS Queen Mary has always been a part of the community, both locally and worldwide. This beautiful ship has offered so much to so many people for nearly a century—and we must ensure that she will be able to touch the hearts and minds of new generations into the next century.