Cunard Line: Books - History and Ships (1/4)

The Cunard Story

Since 1840, Cunard ships have been transiting the North Atlantic with speed, grace and elegance. These great ships helped to populate nations, served during both world wars and have transported millions of passengers, amongst them celebrities, politicians and royalty. Through tales of ships such as Britannia, Lusitania, Mauretania, Aquitania and the immortal Queens, "The Cunard Story" gives readers an insight into the heritage of this historic line. Today the Cunard Line operates a fleet of modern ships, offering passengers exciting and varied itineraries to exotic locations across the globe.

Conquest of the Atlantic : Cunard Liners of the 1950s and 1960s

Cunard, the most famous name in shipping, turns 175 in 2015. The company began back in 1840, with paddlewheel steamers, but grew and progressed and created some of the largest, fastest and most luxurious liners afloat in their time. The final 'golden age' on the Atlantic run between Europe & America was the 1950s, when the Company slogan 'Getting There Was Half the Fun' seemed so apt.

Cunard had twelve liners running Atlantic crossings in 1958, for example, the same year the speedy passenger jet appeared and immediately stole trans-ocean travellers.
The Cunard 'cast' of the late '50s includes such celebrated ocean liners like the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth as well as others such as the Mauretania, Saxonia and smaller ships such as the Media and the Parthia.

This is the story of these great ships, all still well remembered, and of life onboard them. Cunard would, of course, face furious competition with jet aircraft and, by 1969, be reduced to one Atlantic liner, the legendary Queen Elizabeth 2.

Cunard Cruise Ships

The Cunard Line's Britannia was the first steamship to establish regular communication across the Atlantic. She sailed on her maiden voyage on 4 July 1840, setting in motion the first regular steamship line. Iron supplanted wood in hull construction and the screw propeller was gradually replacing the paddle wheel.

The line became a public company in 1878 and became the Cunard Steam Ship Company Ltd. The construction of many famous ships such as Mauretania, Lusitania, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth followed, and the company continued to trade in profit until the introduction of the jet aircraft in the 1960s and 1970s.
Following various restructuring and takeovers, the Cunard Line was acquired by the Carnival Corporation and now offers cruises on the Three Queens.

Utilising many rare and unpublished images, Ian Collard offers a superbly illustrated look at the cruise ships operated by Cunard. Included here are images of the ships in many guises and liveries, with comprehensive annotation of these iconic liners.

Shipwrecks of the Cunard Line

This fascinating book provides a unique record of the careers and final underwater resting places of ships of the Cunard Line, whose rich history spans over 300 ships and nearly two centuries.
Many books have been published on Cunard's heritage but the final fate of these ships is often little more than a footnote of history. Authors Sam Warwick and Mike Roussel have taken the shipwrecks as a starting point to create a vivid new history.

Featured vessels include the well-known Caronia, Lancastria, Campania, Lusitania, Malta, Oregon, Scotia and Carpathia, famous for rescuing the survivors from the Titanic, as well as many others.
Events surrounding the wrecking of each vessel are thoroughly explored and unique diver accounts are incorporated, along with never-before-seen underwater images of the wrecks. Finishing off with practical data for interested divers, this book offers a fresh analysis of Cunard's maritime history.