RMS Queen Elizabeth: Cunard's Forgotten Queen

Running mate to the more famous Queen Mary, the RMS Queen Elizabeth, launched in 1938, was the largest passenger ship in the world until she met her fiery demise in Victoria Harbor in 1972. Her career as a passenger liner was delayed when World War 2 broke out and a top-secret plot hatched by Winston Churchill saved her from Luftwaffe bombs. She was instrumental in carrying troops and supplies from North America to the war in Europe. After the war, along with the Queen Mary, she was a favorite for crossing the Atlantic, carrying over 2 million passengers over the course of her long and iconic career.
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Sources:
The Only Way to Cross - John Maxtone-Graham: amzn.to/3lLVFjA
Picture History of the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth - William H. Jr. Miller: amzn.to/3vWLSf9
www.liverpoolships.org/the_cun...
www.queenmary.com/
Music:
LEMMiNO - Encounters
/ encounters
John Abbot - City Phases www.epidemicsound.com/track/5...
John Abbot - The Washing Ladies www.epidemicsound.com/track/w...
dreem - Glooming www.epidemicsound.com/track/C...
Gavin Luke - What Once Was www.epidemicsound.com/track/V...
Image Credit:
RMMV Oceanic III by AntonLogvynenko commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:56 Transatlantic Rivalries
4:37 A Second Queen
8:13 War
10:13 Queens of the Atlantic
11:58 An Uncertain Future
14:45 Disaster
17:28 Legacy

Пікірлер: 360

  • @BigOldBoats
    @BigOldBoats3 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for watching! I'm planning on releasing a new video at least once a month. Make sure to subscribe if you love ocean liner history!

  • @michaelwhite2823

    @michaelwhite2823

    2 жыл бұрын

    I love your videos so much. I do wish you hadn't showed the troops crammed into those bunks. It made me think there was a lot of situational homosexuality by non professionals. Leave it to those who know what they are doing.

  • @garygrant9612

    @garygrant9612

    2 жыл бұрын

    Need closed caption

  • @thomlinford

    @thomlinford

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@michaelwhite2823 ha! My thoughts exactly

  • @Thegamer-rr7gk

    @Thegamer-rr7gk

    2 жыл бұрын

    I love your channel

  • @michaelwhite2823

    @michaelwhite2823

    2 жыл бұрын

    I have a question. Is the Queen Elizabeth the huge two funnel ship shown at the beginning of How to Marry a Millionaire?

  • @1940limited
    @1940limited3 жыл бұрын

    There's nothing forgotten about this ship. But what's most painful is its ultimate fate. As bad or worse than Normandie.

  • @MrDaiseymay

    @MrDaiseymay

    2 жыл бұрын

    I remember the suggested main cause of the fires, was attributed to Communist Students who got aboard. Maybe a convenient cover for the Ship owner's ?

  • @monsieurcommissaire1628

    @monsieurcommissaire1628

    2 жыл бұрын

    Indeed. The two most magnificent express liners ever built, and both were destroyed by fires that were either: A. Intentionally set by human filth with way-less-than-honourable political or financial motives. Or B. Accidentally set by dangerously negligent, painfully idiotic fools. Either way, the tragic results are the same, and what we lost was staggering. But I agree that RMS Queen Elizabeth is not at all forgotten, and will always be loved by those with the exceptionally good taste to recognize her greatness.

  • @riversword2660

    @riversword2660

    2 жыл бұрын

    Such inspiring words...

  • @itzfaroff456

    @itzfaroff456

    2 жыл бұрын

    Less bad than the normandie cus atleast she had a good and long career while the poor normandie didn't

  • @Jcaeser187

    @Jcaeser187

    Жыл бұрын

    @@MrDaiseymay you can't put much past the reds

  • @___David__
    @___David__3 жыл бұрын

    "It's hard to beat a ship that's still floating...unless you're the Titanic". This made me laugh irrationally loud 🤣

  • @presidentkiller

    @presidentkiller

    Жыл бұрын

    To be honest, the Titanic is the reason many people, including myself, are interested in old liners today.

  • @brober
    @brober3 жыл бұрын

    Another wonderful video. I took a tour of the QE in 1968 when she was in Ft Lauderdale. I kept asking my dad "Is this ship as big as the Titanic ?" I was 7 years old. QE inspired me to have a career in the cruise industry. I was honored to be Dispatcher to both QE2 and QM2. Nothing like a Queen.

  • @Daniel_Huffman

    @Daniel_Huffman

    10 ай бұрын

    As it turns out, the _Queen Elizabeth_ wasn't as big as the _Titanic._ She was bigger.

  • @livethefuture2492

    @livethefuture2492

    8 ай бұрын

    Much bigger, like over 3X as big.

  • @kaltenstein7718
    @kaltenstein77182 жыл бұрын

    The photo of Normandie, QM and QE all together was absolutely stunning. What would I give just to bee there on that day.

  • @tenderheartbear1
    @tenderheartbear13 жыл бұрын

    I toured the queen many years ago. Absolutely huge. The main dinning room was enormous and beautiful with inlaid wood murals. It’s so sad that it’s gone. God bless the queens

  • @BigOldBoats

    @BigOldBoats

    3 жыл бұрын

    I can't wait to see her one day!

  • @MartinCHorowitz

    @MartinCHorowitz

    3 жыл бұрын

    I live in Long Beach, I used to have an apartment with a view of the Ship, very nice ship. We now Have a battleship nearby as well.

  • @neilwiththedeal

    @neilwiththedeal

    2 жыл бұрын

    We are fortunate to have the best of the bunch still in existence!

  • @MrDaiseymay

    @MrDaiseymay

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@MartinCHorowitz WHAT --PROTECTING THE QUEEN ?

  • @schaffermatt

    @schaffermatt

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@BigOldBoats you won’t. The Queen Elizabeth no longer exists. The smaller Queen Mary is in Long Beach CA.

  • @ZonkerRoberts
    @ZonkerRoberts2 жыл бұрын

    In 1967, when I was 6 years old, my family emigrated to the United States from Britain and we did so on the Queen Elizabeth. Now *that* was an adventure! I recognized many scenes, including one of the dining rooms and definitely the (first class) children's play room (we were traveling "tourist class" but somehow got to use the first class play room once). Thanks for the memories. Funny to think that I represent the absolute last generation to emigrate by steam ship rather than airliner.

  • @hughrainbird43
    @hughrainbird433 жыл бұрын

    Never forgotten, "Big Old Boats" not by anyone who as a small boy stood on the end of the pier at Hythe on the far shore of Southampton Water, and viewed her as, surrounded by attendant tugs, she came astern from her Ocean Terminal berth, then presented her classic lines in a broadside view as she slowly and gracefully moved down towards the Solent, her siren raising the echoes along both shorelines. Her demise in Hong Kong harbour was a tragedy, and I understand that Long Beach are now struggling to fund her sister "Queen Mary". We weren't the class of person who travelled by Transatlantic liner, but I did get a close-up view of "Queen Mary" when we got a pass to visit the Ocean Terminal while she was on a turn round between crossings. Elegance and grace personified. You can keep your "floating block of flats" modern cruise liners, these were real ships.

  • @faithcastillo9597

    @faithcastillo9597

    Жыл бұрын

    You speak beautifully and eloquently. You painted such a lovely a picture, that I was able to see what you surely must have seen, and heard what you must have heard. Thank-you for sharing this treasured experience.

  • @orangebutblue
    @orangebutblue3 жыл бұрын

    This ship has the most beautiful exteriors in Cunard's line

  • @theautisticblackpiller7117
    @theautisticblackpiller71173 жыл бұрын

    Nice video Queen Elizabeth was one of the best and most beautiful liners ever she looked much better then her older sister she didn't deserve to end up like that

  • @marekkopton2546

    @marekkopton2546

    3 жыл бұрын

    Fully agree

  • @wilanton4571

    @wilanton4571

    3 жыл бұрын

    I think the Queen Mary was more beautiful

  • @davidbaldwin8390

    @davidbaldwin8390

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@wilanton4571 I will also agree to that reply.

  • @petersmith4455

    @petersmith4455

    3 жыл бұрын

    hi ,totally agree, it should have been kept as a floating hotel or museum, but due to clown activity by the owners they let her go,

  • @marekkopton2546

    @marekkopton2546

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@petersmith4455 👍👍 well said Peter - clown activity of her owners

  • @brandeezy83
    @brandeezy833 жыл бұрын

    She, in my opinion was the most beautiful of the Cunard Queens. It’s sad that she didn’t have as large a following as her running mate. I think Cunard should have built a third sister based on Queen Elizabeth’s design

  • @BigOldBoats

    @BigOldBoats

    3 жыл бұрын

    That would have been great!

  • @stuartmovieshow8352

    @stuartmovieshow8352

    3 жыл бұрын

    To have been named, The Queen Anderson.

  • @lordvastor98

    @lordvastor98

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@stuartmovieshow8352 or Queen Victoria

  • @stuartmovieshow8352

    @stuartmovieshow8352

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@lordvastor98 s

  • @randomuser9883

    @randomuser9883

    Жыл бұрын

    @@stuartmovieshow8352 L

  • @SeaTravelr123
    @SeaTravelr1233 жыл бұрын

    Well done. She’s a favorite of mine too. I know her interiors were more subdued than QM, but I know she was beautiful too. Such a sad end.

  • @BigOldBoats

    @BigOldBoats

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you! So glad you enjoyed!

  • @connorpusey5912
    @connorpusey59123 жыл бұрын

    The Queen Elizabeth wasn’t really forgotten though, at least I thought. Despite modern myth, she was actually very popular in her day and pretty iconic.

  • @thunderbird1921

    @thunderbird1921

    3 жыл бұрын

    My mother actually traveled on her when she was a little girl! She remembers it well partially because the day before they docked in Britain the ship's doctor cut her cast off with a saw. Pretty scary as a five year old, she said.

  • @TSR1989FF

    @TSR1989FF

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@thunderbird1921 Cast removal ala saw is still really unnerving as an adult XD. (perfectly safe; but while it's happening you have to keep telling yourself that)

  • @TheBigWWI
    @TheBigWWI2 жыл бұрын

    I grew up in Lauderdale and remember seeing her huge stacks visible from all over town. Many times I threw a cast net along her hull as mullet ate the grass that grew around her waterline. I was heartbroken when she was towed out of the port then crushed later to hear of her demise. She lives on in the memory of many...

  • @richatom71
    @richatom71 Жыл бұрын

    I have been told by many an ex Cunard crewman .That the second Mauritania was the happiest ship in the Cunard fleet to work on .Another great episode .Many thanks .

  • @danielkennedy1524
    @danielkennedy15243 жыл бұрын

    Was gorgeous! Had the privilage to be on the last crossing of the two Queens in mid ocean the year the Mary was retired 1967

  • @markabbott3936
    @markabbott39363 жыл бұрын

    Nice collection of footage of this Queen through all her service. It takes me back to April 1969 when I toured her in Port Everglades -- a marvel of sophisticated interior decor and what seemed like miles of open deck. A voyage on her must have been an utter delight. Years later I visited the Queen Mary in California and had a similar impression, but Elizabeth will always be first with me!

  • @chrisjeffries2322
    @chrisjeffries23223 жыл бұрын

    In early February 1972 while severing aboard the USS Chicago CG 11 we came into Hong Kong harbor for R & R , there laying on her side we saw the burned out Elizabeth. A friend and I took a water taxi out to her along with our super 8 mm cameras. I now live in Huntington Beach California, about 10 miles south of Long Beach and have been aboard the Queen Mary a few times. Though I have seen both Queens and have been aboard one, I have never been to England.

  • @David-sv7by
    @David-sv7by2 жыл бұрын

    In Southampton we called her "The Lizzie" and I think you are right that the crew loved the "Mary" more. This was partly because the "Mary" had separate boilers for the "hotel" services which could be used in port and required fewer crew whereas the large boiler(s) on the "Lizzie" were needed for the hotel services in port - this was less convenient. As a small boy in about 1959 my grandmother took me to see "The Lizzie" at her berth, there was a strong wind and one of her securing ropes snapped, this could have been serious for anyone standing in the way of a whipping loose rope but all was sorted. A kindly dock policemen gave me a fat pencil with a transfer of QE on it which I still have........rather rubbed off now. My mother took us on a foggy damp morning at Weston Shore to see her off for the last time in November 1968 when she left Southampton for ever. She steeled away quietly without any sound from her horn due to an electrical fault...........very sad.

  • @the_music_curator
    @the_music_curator2 жыл бұрын

    When I first saw the 1974 Jamens Bond: The Man with the Golden Gun as a Jungster, i became immediatly fascinated with what where the sad remnants of the former Queen. I have to admit, that it is sometimes real hard to get Information, a model or at least a 3D drawing of her. I already have the Queen Mary Scalemodel, but I really want to have that Beautiful Ship too. Anyway, thank you so very much for your effort in making this nice Shipbiopic :)

  • @waysidetavern
    @waysidetavern3 жыл бұрын

    Big Old Boats: The highest compliments are due to you for this very informative & very interesting video. Well done chap! Nice to see a video on the history of "Our Lizzie" - the biggest liner in the world until 1996!! That's quite a Claim to Fame and she was built here in Britain at John Brown's shipyard in Clydebank Scotland - (all the best ships were!). Thanks again! You put together a great video.

  • @BigOldBoats

    @BigOldBoats

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much for the kind comments! I'm really glad you're enjoying these stories. I can't wait to create more!

  • @waysidetavern

    @waysidetavern

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@BigOldBoats If they're as enjoyable as this one - I'll be a happy Chappy!

  • @WitchKing-Of-Angmar

    @WitchKing-Of-Angmar

    2 жыл бұрын

    Actually I think it was still the biggest liner, the issue was they scrapped it in 1996... Heartless fools, they don't know history, only the future.

  • @johnnyhollis9977
    @johnnyhollis99773 жыл бұрын

    I can remember seeing this ship as if it was yesterday when I was about 6 as she left Southampton. I was on a chase launch but the queen soon outpaced us as she sped up! Great video! ;-)

  • @BigOldBoats

    @BigOldBoats

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you! So cool that got to see her in person!

  • @vespelian5769
    @vespelian57693 жыл бұрын

    Such a beautiful ship. I remember her end but thought it a few years earlier. A tragic end to fine ship.

  • @MJ-vq3ws
    @MJ-vq3ws3 жыл бұрын

    5:56 Although the Queen Elizabeth was eclipsed in size by Carnival Destiny, she's still the largest ocean liner ever built held together by rivets apparently.

  • @rantgant5234

    @rantgant5234

    3 жыл бұрын

    Apparently you and the uploader don't know jack shit about ships. You guys are forgetting the SS France of the 1960s which held the title of largest ship ever built for the guineas world records when she was built!

  • @MJ-vq3ws

    @MJ-vq3ws

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@rantgant5234 er no. You’re the one who’s mistaken. Queen Elizabeth was 1038 ft long and 83,500 grt, opposed to the SS France mere 66,000 grt and 1035 ft long. You ARE sort of correct however about the record, as she was the LONGEST passenger ever built until the QM2. There’s a fine difference between longest and largest. Next time don’t be so rude.

  • @rantgant5234

    @rantgant5234

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@MJ-vq3ws Well then...let me rephrase that: The good people of Guiness book of world records don't know jack shit about ships, as they clearly nominated the wrong ship as the world's largest. There you go. Everyone is happy.

  • @majorneptunejr

    @majorneptunejr

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@rantgant5234 SS France was slightly longer , But QE had a far greater gross tonnage. It is usually the gross tonnage that determines the size. But either way they were both among the greatest liners ever. Most of these new cruise ships could never cross the ocean safely because they are just too top heavy to take on the rough ocean crossing. And they are slower too .

  • @spazmonkey3815

    @spazmonkey3815

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@MJ-vq3ws According to your stats QE was 3 feet longer.

  • @JoeStudd96
    @JoeStudd96 Жыл бұрын

    5:52, ha the only cruise I've ever been on was on Carnival Destiny back in 2003. I was only 7 at the time and didn't realise she was such a significant ship then.

  • @majorneptunejr
    @majorneptunejr2 жыл бұрын

    I have 3 menus from her dining room from 1961. One is hand written in french. They have a picture of her outward bound from Southampton on the covers. My favorite Cunard ship.

  • @Brock_Landers
    @Brock_Landers3 жыл бұрын

    Very well done! The Queen Elizabeth was my second favorite ocean liner ever built (next to Normadie of course) and I will always believe that she was absolutely gorgeous with her proud twin funnels. She died as so many other famous ships had died, young in age, and at the hands of greedy men (or a man, C.Y. Tung's son, although this was never proven). So sad. She went down and wasn't fully scrapped for YEARS.

  • @Brock_Landers

    @Brock_Landers

    3 жыл бұрын

    Hey man, thank you for putting so much time and effort into your videos. I really appreciated it. It was yet another great tribute to a forgotten past time, but those of us who know and love that time, appreciate it.

  • @phillipmcgough6282
    @phillipmcgough62823 жыл бұрын

    Enjoyed this summary very much. Thank you

  • @BigOldBoats

    @BigOldBoats

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you! I'm really glad you enjoyed it!

  • @jjonathan5268
    @jjonathan52689 ай бұрын

    I traveled to England with my mother and brother on the QUEEN ELIZABETH in 1955 when I was 5 years old. Terrific memories. Great video! Thanks for making it

  • @mrgrizzlyrides
    @mrgrizzlyrides Жыл бұрын

    I remember her catching fire and sinking, I was teenager then and loved ships; I was greatly saddened at the loss of such a beautiful and iconic ship.

  • @theexmann
    @theexmann3 жыл бұрын

    Great video. I've been to the Queen Mary a few times and I'm always impressed with her. From the little I've seen of the Queen Elizabeth, I would say that the Queen Elizabeth looks better in many ways than the Queen Mary, but the Queen Mary's interiors are far superior. The Streamline Art Deco design of her time was just perfect for a passenger ship.

  • @johnny5805
    @johnny58053 жыл бұрын

    Interesting to hear that you consider her "in the shadow" of Queen Mary. As a Brit, I always thought of it as the other way around. Great video though, as are all your others.

  • @bradstokes3067

    @bradstokes3067

    3 жыл бұрын

    QE was always in the shadow of the QM. QM was the more popular ship amongst the travelling public.

  • @trainman584
    @trainman5842 жыл бұрын

    There's a photograph of her library on board with passengers browsing the selections in the 1950s....just mesmerizing for a ship of the time!

  • @allanwhitehead6720
    @allanwhitehead6720 Жыл бұрын

    Another legend lost to the sea

  • @sorosaltgaming
    @sorosaltgaming3 жыл бұрын

    It's so weird to see old footage of a ship what feels like 100 years ago and then see it in color in the modern day in youtube thumbnails

  • @bonniecanuck4278
    @bonniecanuck4278 Жыл бұрын

    One interesting legacy of Queen Elizabeth still exists in Hong Kong. The fireboat Alexander Grantham took part in the firefighting effort in 1972, and it was probably the most noteworthy event of a 50 year long career spanning from 1952 to 2002. It's now on permanent display ashore as a museum about the Hong Kong fire services and shipbuilding industry, and yes, there's an exhibit about the QE fire.

  • @donaldlampert331
    @donaldlampert331 Жыл бұрын

    I had the extreme privilege of boarding her in New York, probably about 1967. We lived in NJ, and saw my cousin Barb off on her first trip to Europe from South Dakota. I knew that she was great, but we would regularly see the great liners in dock along the Henry Hudson Pkwy, when we went into NYC, so little did I realize that an era was ending… I was just 16….. I am now so greatful!!❤

  • @noneed4me2n7
    @noneed4me2n73 жыл бұрын

    New subscriber, I grew up in Long Beach and had visited the Queen Mary when I was little. Sadly due to the world being as it is I know it’s not holding up so well and is in a sort of limbo in regards to upkeep and maintenance. Love the content and can’t wait to dig through the other videos on other ships history. My grandfather served in the pacific theater and sadly isn’t around to ask which ships he traveled on, neither my dad who just past from Covid as i know they travelled a lot on navy cruisers and such but never though to ask if they travelled any ocean liners.

  • @markrobertmurphysr

    @markrobertmurphysr

    2 жыл бұрын

    shes rotting frm the inside out mustbe scrapped

  • @Bruce-1956
    @Bruce-19563 жыл бұрын

    For some reason part 6 made me cry.

  • @stuartlee6622
    @stuartlee6622 Жыл бұрын

    However WE do have a non-forgotten queen! Miss Pette Buttiget, REAR Admiral, and Queenlette of Transportation 💄💋

  • @hecava9618
    @hecava9618 Жыл бұрын

    RMS Queen Elizabeth died way long before she reached H.K. After being auction off to another owner who's intentions was to converted for another purpose is what demised her. R. I. P.

  • @user-gu8qi4me8x
    @user-gu8qi4me8x2 ай бұрын

    This video is actually genuinely underated and damm.

  • @theliberatorszen2916
    @theliberatorszen29162 жыл бұрын

    Hardly forgotten, seen everytime The Man With The Golden Gun is on TV and there is a huge mural in the main atrium of her in the stairwell of the current Cunard Queen Elizabeth.

  • @paulinecabbed1271
    @paulinecabbed1271 Жыл бұрын

    About six years ago, it was probably 150th anniversary of the Cunard Line, the three current big Cunard Liners appeared on the River Mersey together. That was pretty amazing and a big spectacle

  • @jetsons101
    @jetsons1013 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for posting. I have been on the Queen Mary many times over the years since her move to Long Beach. Until this video I never thought about the Queen Elizabeth much. I now have a new interest / respect for the Queen Elizabeth. Great video and narration, full of information. Thanks for your time and hard work........ Also I just subscribed

  • @BigOldBoats

    @BigOldBoats

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much! Glad I can share her story

  • @K1W1fly
    @K1W1fly2 жыл бұрын

    The wreck appeared in the James Bond Movie "The Man with the Golden Gun" as an MI6 Field headquarters

  • @russellcruickshank3168
    @russellcruickshank31683 жыл бұрын

    Well done: I enjoyed learning some new stuff and of course the footage was amazing. I did manage to sail on QE2 and stayed aboard Queen Mary Hotel in Long Beach. Different era indeed.

  • @BigOldBoats

    @BigOldBoats

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed the video!

  • @michaelwhite2823

    @michaelwhite2823

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@BigOldBoats You should write a fictional movie about a plot by Cunard to destroy the Normandie with the French getting revenge 30 years later by burning the Elizabeth.

  • @Iron_wolf234
    @Iron_wolf2344 ай бұрын

    this video still makes me cry 🥺

  • @michaelwhalen2469
    @michaelwhalen24692 жыл бұрын

    Great Video tribute to a great ocean liner!! Queen Elizabeth, along side the Normandie, are my two favorite ocean liners of all time . One day I think the Normandie is #1 , then the next day I think NO the Queen Elizabeth is tops !?! Yah, I’m fickled! I live near the Queen Mary in California and have visited probably 50 times since her 1972 opening to the public. She’s a BEAUTIFUL ship . Love the incredibly gorgeous wood paneling!! She comes in at #3 on my list. I’ve also stayed overnight in her hotel about 20 times. Each time in a different cabin. And guess what!! NO GHOSTS!!! She’s not haunted. She was a happy ship and I get nothing but happy vibes from her !!! Your video comment about “ Bogus Ghost Videos on KZread “ is right on!! You can thank Disney for that !! They concocted the ghost myths in the 1980’s and 1990’s to try to increase attendance! They said , hey let’s turn her into a nautical version of their Haunted Mansion at Disneyland! Backfired in their face , didn’t increase attendance, just took away from the great historical standing and glory of a wonderful ship!!!! Thank You for all the great work you put into the ocean liner community of ours!! You Rock ! BEST Ocean Liner blog on KZread by far !!!!

  • @BigOldBoats

    @BigOldBoats

    2 жыл бұрын

    I'm so jealous you've gotten the chance to visit the Queen Mary! It's number one on my list when she finally reopens. I think the ghost stuff is just another sign of the horrific mismanagement she's been subjected to over the past several years. The ghost stories are fun but she's been treated like a haunted house at a cheap amusement park. Totally disrespectful of her historical significance.

  • @pikachu6031
    @pikachu60312 жыл бұрын

    An extremely interesting and captivating look at the history, and stories behind some of the finest sea going Vessels ever built by man! A Beautifully presented and narrated documentary, I just had to keep watching, even though it’s 02.45 in the morning here in England. More please! I’ve liked and subscribed to your channel too!

  • @kylemore9142
    @kylemore91422 жыл бұрын

    Great Film, thanks. The Queen Elizabeth was indeed fortunate in escaping the attentions of the Luftwaffe, her birthplace the town of Clydebank was, however, less fortunate. A year after her departure the town of Clydebank was flattened over two nights of bombing, 1,200 were killed, out of 12,000 houses only eight were undamaged and 35,000 were made homeless. Ironically the shipyard which was the target escaped relatively unharmed and was soon back in production.

  • @andrewbrendan1579
    @andrewbrendan15793 жыл бұрын

    Both of the Queens had their advantages and strong points. The Queen Elizabeth was an improvement on the Queen Mary in terms of technology and design but I lean more to the Queen Mary's interiors when it comes to the asthetics of the two liners. Still the First Class Lounge of the Queen Elizabeth is even more beautiful than that of the Queen Mary and I find the Third Class dining room of the Queen Elizabeth to be exceptionally attractive.

  • @andrewbrendan1579
    @andrewbrendan15793 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for all the time and work that went into this production. I had a great time watching this. This may be open to debate but I've read that the Queen Mary was an updated version of the Berengaria with a deck plan similar to that of the Aquitania. Had the Elizabeth entered service as planned maybe she would have become the better-known of the almost-sister ships. I've read that thought the first Mauretania was very popular it was actually the Lusitania that had been more popular up to the time of her sinking in 1915. I knew a man, now deceased, who was on the Queen Mary when she was a transport. He thought that it would be a good idea to get the lowest bunk to the floor because there was less motion lower down and less chance of being seasick. The drawback was that when someone above him was throwing up....well, you know where it went. Yech. When they arrived in England those men must have been in a state of sleep deprivation and exhaustion. Just speculation but even though the Seawise University may have been in excellent shape with up-to-date safety features when ready for service, I question how successful she would have been: would enough people be interested in an educational cruise ship to make it profitable? Still many might have gone just for the cruise part. Then there's the cost of maintaining a very large liner that was already well along in years. Then there was the huge increase in fuel costs in the 1970's and increasingly high safety standards. Also how many ports could accommodate a liner nearly the size of the Empire State Building? I wonder if the Seawise University would have been in service for more than a few years.

  • @BigOldBoats

    @BigOldBoats

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you! I wonder the same thing. I don't know much about the Semester at Sea program but it seems like they mainly use smaller, easier to maintain vessels. The Queen Elizabeth would have been very expensive to keep in operation, especially after the oil crisis in the 70's. Makes me wonder if her owner realized that and really did go for an insurance claim. But who knows! I certainly would have been interested in doing a semester on the Queen Elizabeth.

  • @geofffreeman6167
    @geofffreeman61672 жыл бұрын

    Your commentary in all your videos are spot on, you bring life and personality to the ships once again as they deserve. Well done !

  • @robertlaytham2241
    @robertlaytham2241 Жыл бұрын

    In 1965 or 1966, we went on a family holiday to Bournemouth in southern England - we went two consecutive years so I can't be sure which year it was. We went on a day trip to Southampton and took a small launch for a tour of the harbour. We came up alongside the Queen Elizabeth and I can remember the goosebumps when our tiny boat went alongside - the ship towered over us. Never forgot that experience and was so sad when she met her demise.

  • @ethan10sam
    @ethan10sam Жыл бұрын

    The Queen Lizzie is very special to me. She took my grandfather to the USA in the late 50s or early 60s I believe. Many years ago he gifted me a postcard of QE that he got on his voyage that listed all the ship's stats and whatnot on the back. I was shocked to learn she went out in such an undignified way.

  • @darcyjorgensen5808
    @darcyjorgensen58082 жыл бұрын

    I so appreciate your narration. Thank you.

  • @keithlillis7962
    @keithlillis79623 жыл бұрын

    I am loving these videos - many thanks

  • @MistressValkress
    @MistressValkress Жыл бұрын

    I say "Here here"! One of the greatest!

  • @darcyjorgensen5808
    @darcyjorgensen58082 жыл бұрын

    Amazing work. Tx.

  • @jonnysouthjersey
    @jonnysouthjersey3 жыл бұрын

    She was a grand ship. My second favorite liner after the S.S. United States which is slowly rotting in Philadelphia Harbor

  • @ivangenov6782

    @ivangenov6782

    3 жыл бұрын

    So is your 3rd favourite ocean liner the RMS Queen Mary or RMS Queen Mary 2

  • @jonnysouthjersey

    @jonnysouthjersey

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@ivangenov6782 Actually, my 3rd favorite is the SS France of blessed memory

  • @ivangenov6782

    @ivangenov6782

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@jonnysouthjersey oh, thanks for answering and sorry if i sounded a bit rude I don't speak that well english

  • @jonnysouthjersey

    @jonnysouthjersey

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@ivangenov6782 it is never rude to ask a question. My English is not always so good, and it is my first language. :-)

  • @ivangenov6782

    @ivangenov6782

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@jonnysouthjersey knowing myself your english is good so don't worry

  • @neilchisholm797
    @neilchisholm7973 жыл бұрын

    Love knowing more about these old liners. I do have a direct connection to the Cunarders as my paternal grandfather was Commander on the Mauritania and then the Aquitania. I’d love to see more info either or both ships. Unfortunately I never knew him he died before I was born but it still gives me a direct link to the ocean liners. They fascinate me and your channel is so well put together and interesting.

  • @steeltrap3800
    @steeltrap3800 Жыл бұрын

    Those career statistics are pretty astounding. They also speak volumes about just how clever and reliable the technology had become. Sad end, like Normandie (although the latter was sheer effing incompetence and bloodymindedness). A crooked deal done in Hong Kong; what a shock!

  • @cozmcwillie7897
    @cozmcwillie7897 Жыл бұрын

    Queen Elizabeth encountered 5 rogue waves in her lifetime. They swept over her bridge all the way aft. Luckily no one was hurt.

  • @sheikhyaboooty
    @sheikhyaboooty Жыл бұрын

    I was an over excited boy of five and a half when the boat train (steam) ended its journey at Southampton. It was a cold day in the last week of january nineteen sixty five and my family and myself were on their way to NYC on The Lizzie. I`ve always considered myself lucky to be on that amazing ship even though the weather in the Atlantic was awful, one would not think such a large ship would pitch about so much but it did. I`ve recently discovered from an old Cunard employee that I was very fortunate as when we left Southampton and headed up down the Solent the Queen Mary was coming in, this was unusual he said as they normally passed somewhere mid ocean.

  • @SpottoBotto
    @SpottoBotto2 жыл бұрын

    Big fan mate. Keep up the good work!

  • @alexvolynchuk3370
    @alexvolynchuk33703 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for a lovely travel back to the glorious days. Can't wait to see more!

  • @BigOldBoats

    @BigOldBoats

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you, glad you enjoyed!

  • @edb5956
    @edb59562 жыл бұрын

    I wish you had been my history teacher in when I was in high school with these types of presentations. You make all of your videos so interesting. Thank you much!!

  • @aureliacornelia79adgracchu29
    @aureliacornelia79adgracchu29 Жыл бұрын

    None of the other ships starred in a James Bond movie! She's definitely not forgotten, if only for that iconic appearance

  • @sveps.fara.ma-ta3
    @sveps.fara.ma-ta3 Жыл бұрын

    Wow. Just tought about this. Since the goverment gave enough funds for a running mate for the queen mary and it was still the Cunard White Star Line imagine if they restored the plans for the Oceanic III instead of building a new ship like the QE. Imagine R.M.M.V Oceanic and R.M.S Queen Mary as running mates.

  • @SeaTravelr123
    @SeaTravelr123 Жыл бұрын

    Rewatch this often. Love it. Love the ship. Well done

  • @elliotdawson8355
    @elliotdawson83553 жыл бұрын

    Keep these videos up! Love this content!

  • @BigOldBoats

    @BigOldBoats

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you! Really glad you're liking it!

  • @davidbarnsley8486
    @davidbarnsley84862 жыл бұрын

    That really was a most informative video Cheers 👍👍👍

  • @fatovamingus
    @fatovamingus Жыл бұрын

    " cuz that's how stuff worked back then"...love it

  • @rjl110919581
    @rjl1109195812 жыл бұрын

    thank you share great detailed video

  • @murphybrown7445
    @murphybrown7445 Жыл бұрын

    Love these vids! I'm glad you upgraded your mic setup, this one sounds a little like you are in an overturned canoe! Lol! Again, thank you for these detailed and accessible snapshots!

  • @legoadmiralackbar4296
    @legoadmiralackbar42963 жыл бұрын

    You make really good content and you deserve more subscribers

  • @BigOldBoats

    @BigOldBoats

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @earllutz2663
    @earllutz26636 ай бұрын

    Thank you for making this video. I will subscribe & look forward to your next video.

  • @BillyAlabama
    @BillyAlabama3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you! I love these.

  • @BigOldBoats

    @BigOldBoats

    3 жыл бұрын

    So glad you like them!

  • @BillyAlabama

    @BillyAlabama

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@BigOldBoats They are great! I applaud you!

  • @paulhudson8321
    @paulhudson83213 жыл бұрын

    Always loved that photo of the Normandie, queen Mary and queen Elizabeth in New York. The largest ocean liners in the world. It was sad to see the queen Elizabeth burning in Hong Kong harbour. She got to be a secret HQ in a James Bond movie before she was scrapped. Hard to find deck plans for the queen Elizabeth as compared to the queen Mary.

  • @BigOldBoats

    @BigOldBoats

    3 жыл бұрын

    I love that picture too! It must have been really cool to see in person.

  • @caileanshields4545
    @caileanshields45452 жыл бұрын

    A newcomer to this channel/series: well put together and informative (being a ocean liner buff, I already knew most of the info being presented here lol). One point of personal contention though (more nitpicking tbh): I wouldn't call her forgetten per-se, just overshadowed by her elder half-sister/running mate. She certainly isn't forgotten here in the town of her birth (Clydebank). Fills me with pride (with a hint of bittersweetness given how it's all been swept away) that I live less than 4 miles north of where she was built.

  • @SeaTravelr123
    @SeaTravelr1232 жыл бұрын

    After all the hubbub about the Rex.... I felt like rewatching something from your chanel... Love this video.. Such great footage of this old beauty.. If you haven't seen it yet, get your hands on a copy of Clive Harvey's book Queen Elizabeth... its a beautiful, very detailed tome....

  • @IntrepidMilo
    @IntrepidMilo3 жыл бұрын

    Interesting video. I think that the Cunard Line should have completed the build of the Oceanic III as both ships were under construction when the depression hit. However as this never happened. The Queen Elizabeth was a beautiful liner and of the two I prefer the Queen Elizabeth, and there is a part of me that wishes she was docked in Long Beach instead of the Queen Mary.

  • @BigOldBoats

    @BigOldBoats

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you! The Oceanic III would have such been a game changer. I really wonder what would have happened if she was completed.

  • @IntrepidMilo

    @IntrepidMilo

    3 жыл бұрын

    It might be the White Star Line that survived and the Cunard Line was now gone. But we will never know.

  • @georgesmith8113
    @georgesmith8113 Жыл бұрын

    Great video! 👍👍👍👊😎

  • @Thegamer-rr7gk
    @Thegamer-rr7gk2 жыл бұрын

    I love your channel

  • @S.E.C-R
    @S.E.C-R Жыл бұрын

    I grew up with the Queen Mary in my backyard in Long Beach and have visited her many times. She is actually haunted!

  • @richarddeason1845
    @richarddeason18456 ай бұрын

    I think the ship was wonderful in her size and shape It’s sad the great ship gone

  • @frednoble842
    @frednoble8422 күн бұрын

    Sir Percy Bates: "I have good news and some bad news" -"Good news is that the ship will be named after the Queen." -"The Bad news is that it's not the Queen we wanted"

  • @simonf8902
    @simonf8902 Жыл бұрын

    The Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth were together in Sydney Harbour in 1940.

  • @judgedredd8657
    @judgedredd8657 Жыл бұрын

    9:08 Refitted at Esquimalt Shipyards. Still the largest dry dock on the west coast of North America

  • @user-qv2gl4te9o
    @user-qv2gl4te9o9 ай бұрын

    I loved all of your side comments which pretty much mirrored mine

  • @stuart8663
    @stuart86632 жыл бұрын

    These are truly some of the most fascinating documentaries I've watched. Is it possible though, for you to be closer to microphone when doing the voice-overs? Just that added bit of excellence! Thanks!

  • @ZackarySchejbalCODBO2RGM2
    @ZackarySchejbalCODBO2RGM22 жыл бұрын

    Got to tour the Queen Mary 2 via daylight ghost tour. Heard weird screaming noises of a little girl in the old indoor swimming pool area that was being renovated at the time. I asked the tour guide at the end if they had some speaker playing the screaming noise as like a Halloween tour thing that wasn't put away yet. Our tour was less than a full week after Christmas day. Funny thing is I interrupted for a moment during the tour and asked if anyone else was hearing the young girl scream and apparently only I was hearing it. Even the tour guide at the end said it was being renovated and I must've been hearing some music player of a restoration work crew. Haven't told this story since we toured the QM2 that day.

  • @falcon81701
    @falcon817013 жыл бұрын

    As much as i love the Cunard Queens, Normandie is still my favorite

  • @samueljaramillo4221
    @samueljaramillo42213 жыл бұрын

    This is when ships were beautiful. Not unlike the ugly ships being built now.

  • @louisaugustexvi4515

    @louisaugustexvi4515

    3 жыл бұрын

    I think comments like these are quite stupid. ships serve different purposes these days and that's okay? overall the efficiency of ships has greatly improved and newer ships are engineering marvels. The size and power of ships have greatly changed and whether "aesthetically" they are different ships have and always will evolve. if you don't think ignorant people in the turn of the century were looking at things like the Lusitania and Titanic and being like "I miss the good old days of sailing and wooden ships" you would be incorrect. growth happens over time. in 150 years ships might not even be on the water and maybe like airships or hovercraft. only time will tell. They serve their purpose as "Cruise liners" absurdly well, and the concept of leisure liners was created in the 30s for aging and crumbling ships to have a purpose, it's not a new concept to build cruise ships. they don't need the features to do transatlantic crossings and to be honest, that's okay. every video I see stuff like this and you come off as ignorant like- Ships have evolved and the need for transatlantic passenger liners has diminished. and even if they had carried on into the 21'st century like qm2 things like balconies and better passenger accommodations and technological advancements so ships didn't have fires every 10 years or have major collisions- is very nessacry to the survival of passenger naval vessels as a whole. Just be glad that passenger ships found a new purpose and the industry didn't completely disappear.

  • @trainbub7500

    @trainbub7500

    3 жыл бұрын

    Well said.

  • @samueljaramillo4221

    @samueljaramillo4221

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@louisaugustexvi4515 Get lost Louis August’s. I have no interest in what you have to say. You are full of hot air. Tell it to someone that cares.

  • @drizzle1465

    @drizzle1465

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@samueljaramillo4221 what do you expect from the 21th century designs blame the economy not the whole cruise ship and cruise line itself and if a cruise line spends money for an ocean liner to be build it would be useless how you ask? think about airlines

  • @paullewis2413

    @paullewis2413

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@louisaugustexvi4515 Of course ships evolve like anything else but evolution doesn´t have to mean cheap looking kitschy designs which most modern cruise ships have. Externally they could also look far more like ships, for example the current Queen Mary 2. Fortunately, very recently some of the smaller new cruise ships have better interiors looking less like Vegas on the ocean so maybe there´s a change happening right now. The greatest advantage of the modern designs is better cabin facilities but having sailed on ships many times in the past, long haul and cruises, I didn´t find the cabin limitations important as I spent little time there, much more interesting interacting with other passengers and enjoying the public rooms.

  • @jimtaylor2715
    @jimtaylor27152 жыл бұрын

    Very sad ending to my favourite ship.

  • @Kaidhicksii
    @Kaidhicksii3 жыл бұрын

    "Cunard's Atlantic dominance was challenged in 1952, when the S.S. United States entered the scene and shattered Queen Mary's speed record." Had to rewind that 8 times: t'was music to my ears. Get rekt Britain XD #America Back on topic, you did a fantastic job telling the story of one of the greatest liners in history. I mean you attracted the attention of OlympicWS, one of the best history travel channels on KZread and one of the OGs for crying out loud. It's a shame her life ended the way it did. At least she was buried, so in some way, she still went out in dignity. Really glad I found your channel as I love hearing about the stories of the great liners as well as other engineering marvels and moments of history from different perspectives. You've earned yourself a sub. Keep it up: I'm gonna binge your newest videos as soon as I have time. As the saying goes, Welcome to the Atlantic. :)

  • @OlympicWS
    @OlympicWS3 жыл бұрын

    Excelent documentary 🙏

  • @BigOldBoats

    @BigOldBoats

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you!!

  • @rmstitanic8404

    @rmstitanic8404

    3 жыл бұрын

    Im A Fan OlympicWS

  • @benwyatt7357
    @benwyatt73572 жыл бұрын

    ive got an old trunk with a sticker from this ship from 1955, pretty cool

  • @Kreachie
    @Kreachie3 жыл бұрын

    I wouldn’t say forgotten since the Queen Elizabeth 2, it’s Successor, is now a Museum in Dubai, But what would describe this ship as “Cunard’s LOST Queen”. after she was retired, she was sold to a Chinese company to become a Floating university, Unfortunately during her fitting out in that role, She suffered the same fate as her older Sister’s French competitor, the SS Normandie. She caught Fire in 1974 and partially sank from both the Fire Damage, and the Water that was used to put out the fire that already caused said damage, Scrappers dismantled the parts of the wreck that were above water, all that’s supposedly left is bits of her hull and keel.