Keel laid on December 4, 1936. Recently introduced legislation by the International Maritime Commission also influenced the board's decision. The crossing from New York to Cherbourg - 3,195 miles - was made in 4 days 13 hours and 6 minutes at an average speed of 29.29 knots. We'd like to use additional cookies to remember your settings and understand how you use our services. Colonel Bates declared that Cunard philosophy had always been that air and sea travel are complementary rather than competitive on the North Atlantic. THE CUNARD WHITE STAR LINER QUEEN ELIZABETH. Try search terms such as ship register or registrar general shipping and seamen. and the QUEEN ELIZABETH together at New York on 10th March 1940. Gregg William. The QUEEN ELIZABETH never enjoyed the same affection that the Cunard men held for the QUEEN MARY, being described as the 'colder' of the two ships. From the mid-18th century, masters or owners of most British-registered merchant ships were required to keep a record of their crew before the ship left port. He wrote in his private diary: Towards the end of June 1936, in reply to a question in the House of Commons, the Chancellor Neville Chamberlain said: Early in July 1936 Stephen Piggot (the managing director of John Brown) wrote to Sir Percy Bates saying that Yard No.535 had been reserved for the new ship. WebQueen Elizabeth docked at Southampton in 1967. And so, on 24th June 1945, the QUEEN ELIZABETH left Gourock with her first load of returning G.I.s. For instance, the QUEEN ELIZABETH was out of service from 21st July to 30th July 1952 and this included six days in the King George V dry dock. The summer overhauls were routine and no special work was done. Both Queen Elizabeth and Churchill sent messages of congratulation to Captain Townley. Evangelist Billy Graham offered 2.1 million for her to become a floating bible school, and the United States Institute of Technology wanted her to become a floating university. Sir John went on to say that he believed 1962 would show an improvement over 1961, but it was impossible to say how much at that stage. WebNew York State, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1917-1967 to 1962 for NYC (fee-based - at Ancestry) Includes passenger and crew arrival lists (and some departure lists) for vessels that were filed at various ports (such as Binghamton, Buffalo, NYC, Niagara Falls, Oswego, Rochester, Syracuse, and other ports) in the state of New York. The QUEEN ELIZABETH at anchor at the Tail of the Bank off Gourock. Just after midnight on 25th September 1967 the two 'Queens' passed each other in mid-Atlantic, the QUEEN MARY makingher final eastbound transatlantic crossing. During the first weekend of the war her newly erected forward funnel, resplendent in Cunard red and black, was hastily overpainted in grey. On 26th July 1933, King George V and Queen Mary sailed into the new dock in the royal yacht VICTORIA AND ALBERT to perform the opening ceremony. Search for crew lists and agreements from 1861 to 1938 at: The National Archives search in BT 99by seamans name or ships name for records from 1881, 1891 and 1915 andby ships number for all other years. WebHMS Queen Elizabeth is the largest and most powerful vessel ever constructed for the Royal Navy. There was no call at Cherbourg; the ship was fully booked from Southampton and much work still needed to be done to make the harbour at the French port safe again. The U.704, under the command of Kapitan Horst Kessler, was wallowing in a Force 8 gale off the west coast of Ireland before returning south to its base in France. In addition to the normal painting, scaling, underwater inspection, removal of propellers, drawing of tailshafts and so forth; 157 tourist-class cabins were given air-conditioning and provision was also made to carry more fuel. Click onBT 98to search by date and name of British port where the ship was registered. These were installed two, three and five to a tier in every available space and the QUEEN ELIZABETH left San Francisco in a small convoy bound for Sydney with eight thousand troops on board which were needed to bolster Australia's depleted forces until some of her own troops could be recalled from the Middle East. On 6th March 1946, when the QUEEN ELIZABETH arrived back in Southampton, the Ministry of War Transport announced that the ship would be the first ocean-going passenger steamer to be released from His Majesty's Government service. Kessler always maintained that the ship was the QUEEN ELIZABETH. We can either copy our records onto paper or deliver them to you digitally, Visit us in Kew to see original documents or view online records for free, Consider paying for In January 1957 the Cunard Line announced that it had carried 275,500 passengers across the Atlantic in 1956, an increase of 16,500 over its 1955 carryings. WebThe eight ships which were passed into the ownership of the new concern were - ALPS, ANDES, BRITISH QUEEN, DAMASCUS, LEBANON, KARNAK, TENERIFFE and TAURUS. Since the Registry General of Shipping and seamen regulations covered only British seamen, details of engagement, such as length of engagement, could be different, allowing a lascar seaman to be contracted for a period longer than one voyage and sometimes for several years. "Public memory is notoriously short," said Dr Rebbeck, "It has apparently been forgotten that in 1927 we laid the keel of a 1,000 foot passenger liner for the White Star Line. The Verandah Grill on the QUEEN ELIZABETH -, exclusively for the use of first-class passengers. after a visit to the Liverpool Cruise Terminal. With the forward well deck omitted, a more refined hull shape was achieved, and a sharper, raked bow was added for a third bow-anchor point. GGA Image ID # 1d36e82385 Queen Elizabeth (1940) Cunard Line Built by John Brown & Co., Clydebank, Glasgow, Scotland. We hold just 10% of the surviving records for this period. These had been floated down the Clyde in order to reduce the liner's weight and thus reduce her draught during that short critical journey. 160,000 s.h.p. Though it was started it was never finished, due to the economic blizzard in the late 1920s. Maritime History Archive holds approximately 70% of the crew lists and agreements for 1951-1976, but the records have not yet been indexed so contact them directly for search advice. As an indication of the worsening European situation, the keel of the Royal Navy's newest battleship, HMS DUKE OF YORK, was laid on 5th May 1937 on the slipway adjoining the QUEEN ELIZABETH. As a result only twelve boilers were needed for the QUEEN ELIZABETH, rather than the twenty-four in the, Another obvious difference between the two ships was the lack of a forward well deck on the new QUEEN ELIZABETH. The ship was then secured so that no one could board her without prior permission, including port officials. During this time, and for a while after, she was under American control through a lend-lease agreement. To find a crew list and agreement from 1855 onwards, you will need to know the ships official number. Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1947, Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1965, Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1972, RMS Queen Elizabeth from Victory to Valhalla. On 22nd August 1939 it was announced that the maiden voyage of the QUEEN ELIZABETH was scheduled to leave Southampton on 24th April 1940. ", The promenade deck main square on the QUEEN ELIZABETH. Their welcome in New York was, to say the least, tumultous. As well as state-of-the-art weaponry and communications systems, HMS Queen Elizabeth boasts five gyms, a chapel and a medical centre. The QUEEN ELIZABETH had a heavily raked bow. ', The QUEEN ELIZABETH slips away from Southampton for the, last time in the early morning fog of 28th November 1968. WebThe RMS Queen Elizabeth was an ocean liner operated by Cunard Line. Use the search box in BT 99 to search by name of ship or official number. Cunard White Star Tourist Class, January 1949. In late 1968, Queen Elizabeth was sold to the Elizabeth Corporation, with 15% of the company controlled by a group of Philadelphia businessmen and 85% retained by Cunard. Early in July 1936 Stephen Piggot (the managing director of John Brown) wrote to Sir Percy Bates saying that Yard No.535 had been reserved for the new ship. ", The QUEEN ELIZABETH making almost 30 knots on her sea trials. To ensure that good progress was maintained during construction, the General and Shipyard Managers met all the departmental head foremen at the gangway every Friday. dry dock at Southampton for annual overhaul. Her brother, the Hon. After Esquimalt the QUEEN ELIZABETH sailed for San Francisco, and, on arrival, briefly ran aground near the Golden Gate Bridge. Cunard's finances were in a very strong state whilst those of White Star were very poor. The stability of the QUEEN MARY has proved ample at all times to make the ship as safe and comfortable as it is possible for any vessel to be when passing through an Atlantic storm.' For pre-1747 records, you need to look speculatively through material from other government departments or courts that may have had an interest in merchant navy affairs, such as: Use theadvanced search in Discovery, our catalogue, to search for records using the department codes above and relevant keywords such as ships, shipping, or manifest. The tender ROMSEY which had brought the officials out to the stricken ship made a solo attempt at pulling the liner off the mud, but the towline parted under the unequal strain. Shuttle'. This anticipated event never occurred and was considered very unlikely to occur, so the well space was plated in and used for additional accommodation. ", Neville Chamberlain, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, was convinced that faced with the growing competition from foreign liner companies there was not room for two big British companies acting in opposition to each other on the North Atlantic trade. One week later work resumed on '534'. Each fin had an outreach of 12 feet 6 inches and was 7 feet 3 inches wide. In 1972, whilst she was undergoing refurbishment in Hong Kong harbour, a fire broke out aboard under unexplained circumstances, and the ship was capsized by the water used to fight the fire. The keel, boilers and engines remained at the bottom of the harbour, and the area was marked as "Foul" on local sea charts, warning ships not to try to anchor there. Information on the holdings of The National Archives are decribed in The National Archives' Merchant Seamen: Agreements and Crew Lists after 1861. Looking astern over the cabin-class sports deck. The Company's liners carried 207,563 passengers or 23.95% of the combined total of passengers carried by all transatlantic shipping lines in 1960. At 3.50pm the Cumbraes were once again abeam and the QUEEN ELIZABETH anchored at the Tail of the Bank at 5.pm. The QUEEN ELIZABETH's bow, unlike that of the Mary, was heavily raked. Shuttle' the two Queens were never in the same port at the same time, and the schedules avoided either ship lying at anchor at Gourock during the period of full moon. In 1928 the Germans launched the BREMEN and the EUROPA. The liner did not now have enough power to manoeuvre, should the need arise, but she did have enough momentum - plus the aid of tugs - to carry her through the harbour entrance. It was not only the declining fortunes of Cunard's passenger business which threatened the fleet of which the QUEEN ELIZABETH was still the flagship. A model of the ocean liner Queen Elizabeth has sat serenely for the last 15 years, gliding along on its pedestal in a PEM gallery. On 5th April 1968 Cunard announced its decision. The QUEEN ELIZABETH dominates a cricket match during. With Queen Mary she provided weekly luxury liner service between Southampton in the United Kingdom and New York City in the United States, via Cherbourg in France. The NORMANDIE had one edge on the QUEEN MARY in being aesthetically more pleasing through her revolutionary streamlining and lack of visible deck 'clutter'. Perhaps the advent of the fully air-conditioned UNITED STATES prompted Cunard to take this measure. This was known as a 'degaussing' coil. A minimal crew of four hundred were assigned for the trip; most were transferred from Aquitania and told that this would be a short coastal voyage to Southampton. By the end of the year Queen Inc. was bankrupt with debts of $12 million. 83,673 Gross Tons -- 2,314 Passengers. The QUEEN ELIZABETH entering the harbour at. The GG Archives is the work and passion of two people, Paul Gjenvick, a professional archivist, and Evelyne Gjenvick, a curator. But the prime reason for the day's visit was for the Queen to unveil a portrait of herself. There are two main types of crew list for this period: Use the search box contained withinBT 98 to search by date and name of ships port of registry. [6] This proved to be problematic, for the ship's engines and boilers were in poor condition after several years of neglect. But first the ship had to be moved from Port Everglades to Hong Kong. The main record series for muster books isBT 98. Dimensions, 987' x 118' By six o'clock the next morning, thirteen tugs had arrived from Southampton, Portsmouth Dockyard and Poole. The King George V Dock at Southampton, specially built for the 'Queens' was unusable because it was within range of Nazi bombers; the use of the American dock at Bayonne, New Jersey, was denied because of U.S. neutrality; the Esquimault dock on the west coast of Canada was just too far away, and the French dock at St Nazaire (built for the NORMANDIE) was out of the question. Half-yearly crew lists for ships on home voyages (Schedule D) GGA Image ID # 1d36e82385. The following morning, 18th April 1947, she steamed into Southampton - fifty hours late ! CPO. For records from 1915 you can also search from our dedicated1915 crew lists pagefor online transcriptions of the records from that year search results will include records held at the National Maritime Museum so check the held by information on the page to find out where you can view the original document. A large amount of tropical growth that was fouling the liner's bottom plates needed to be removed: it was estimated that the growth reduced her speed by two knots or more. WebThe Cunard - White Star Liner QUEEN ELIZABETH 1938 - 1972 LIVERPOOL SHIPS ACCRA OF 1947 ELDER DEMPSTER LINES AUREOL ELDER DEMPSTER LINES BRITANNIC and GEORGIC CUNARD WHITE STAR CARINTHIA CUNARD LINE EMPRESS OF BRITAIN CANADIAN PACIFIC EMPRESS OF CANADA LOSS BY FIRE You can, however, search for crew lists and agreements using the names of the seamen from 1881, 1891 and 1915 by ships number for all other years (see section 8.4 for more information). In May 1936 tenders were opened from John Brown, Cammell Laird, Vickers Armstrong and Swan Hunter. Because of the world depression, construction work had not gone very far before it was suspended.. With a design that improved upon that of Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth was a slightly larger ship, the largest passenger liner ever built at that time and for 56 years thereafter. Sir Percy Bates had wisely waited for anticipated developments in boiler design to occur. The left hand side of the E-1 certificate was a certificate of character on which the master rated the seamans ability and character of conduct (VG, G Fair, Poor). All these quickly spread, fanned carried by the ample supply of air coming into the ship through the open shell doors. Archive British Pathe film footage of the launch can be viewed by logging on to: < British Pathe The Queen launches the QUEEN ELIZABETH 1938 >, The QUEEN ELIZABETH enters the waters of the River Clyde, The crowds at John Brown's shipyard at the launch, The QUEEN ELIZABETH is towed round to the fitting-out basin at, John Brown's shipyard, following her successful launch. The two ships' real potential had yet to be appreciated. Although the 'Queens' could easily manage 27 or 28 knots, they were reduced to the convoy's common speed of around 20 knots. Oil was gradually seeping from her ruptured fuel tanks and an inflated boom was floated round the hulk to contain it. Wooden decks had to caulked and electric cables connected. She was back in New York on 19th August to begin her regular G.I. He arrived at seven in the morning on Saturday 2nd March 1940 with sealed orders which were only to be opened when the QUEEN ELIZABETH was out at sea. Many local archives hold the records relating to their local ports. On the return southbound voyages the ships carried Allied wounded, internees or enemy prisoners-of-war, stopping off at Ceylon. First Armored Infantry Division (15,125 troops, 863 crew). The now retired Commodore Marr and a former chief engineer of the ship were hired by Tung as advisors for the journey to Hong Kong. The first stop was at Trinidad where she rendezvoused with a tanker five miles off Port of Spain. These lists do not include passengers who joined ships en route. A barrier was then constructed around the hull to shut her off from the river and to prevent the Clyde-borne silt building up around and under the hull. The QUEEN ELIZABETH had also been fitted with four miles of rubber coated copper cable would around her enormous hull. It was not until 1926 that Cunard began thinking about the replacements for the express steamers. From the passengers' point of view it had the disadvantage of being 100 miles further away from Paris than Le Havre. Whilst in Singapore many of the crew frequented a pub called the, After leaving Singapore the QUEEN ELIZABETH headed for Sydney. Queen Elizabeth leaving New York during her last voyage, 1968. The QUEEN ELIZABETH alongside the Ocean Terminal at, Southampton as the QUEEN MARY passes her, outward. It was on 3rd February 1971 that the first engine trials were carried out and sailing day was set for Wedmesday 10th February. CPO. The keel of Yard No. (The QUEEN MARY had been ship number 534). The U.704, under the command of Kapitan Horst Kessler, was wallowing in a Force 8 gale off the west coast of Ireland before returning south to its base in France. In an lighter vein, it should not be forgotten that it was a G.I. This enabled a third anchor, the bower, to be carried allowing the anchr to fall well clear of the stem. While being constructed in the mid-1930s by John Brown and Company at Clydebank, Scotland, the build was During the turnround in New York on her second G.I. The maiden voyage had been arranged to depart from Southampton on 16th October 1946. The first was New Zealand and the second was Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas Group of islands. During two years of near neglect, deterioration had rapidly set in, especially in the fragile boiler tubes. L.Sea. The records contain details of UK merchant seamen who served on the ships. Four torpedoes were fired and the U-Boat followed their course. The Italians put the largest motor ship in the world, the AUGUSTUS, into service, and the White Star Line had laid down a new liner at Belfast. In all, 2,228 passengers had booked passage on the QUEEN ELIZABETH's maiden voyage. [15] The business was unsuccessful, and closed in August 1970. Many thanks to Ted Finch for his assistance in collecting this data. The QUEEN ELIZABETH was the culmination of Sir Percy Bates' own initiative; the fulfilment of a long-cherished dream held by many shipowners; that a weekly trans-Atlantic ferry service should be maintained by two ships rather than by three, or even four (sometimes mismatched) vessels that had previously - and expensively - been required. [16] As passenger numbers declined, the liners became uneconomic to operate in the face of rising fuel and labour costs. On 6th February 1940 he ordered that the liner should leave the Clyde at the earliest possible date and 'remain away from the British Isles for as long as this order remains in force'. The QUEEN ELIZABETH (centre) and the QUEEN MARY (left). It is therefore possible, for example, to find records of deaths of soldiers and prisoners of war returning on ships from the Boer War. [25] However, the strategy did not prove successful, owing to the ship's deep draught, which prevented her from entering various island ports, her width, which prevented her from using the Panama Canal, and also her high fuel costs. Steam was raised on all boilers on 1st March. It was eventually decided to send the QUEEN ELIZABETH to Canada for drydocking at Esquimalt. WebAll surviving agreements and crew lists with their logbooks are held by The National Archives, Ruskin Avenue, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU. On 25th November 1935 Sir Percy Bates wrote to Swan Hunter; Vickers Armstrong; John Brown and Cammell Laird advising them that, although his Board had not reached any final decision, they might decide to build a vessel to run alongside the QUEEN MARY. Questions were soon asked in Parliament as to what possible use the two Cunard leviathans could be in wartime. However another of the still operational boilers was badly damaged: she was now down to just three. Shuttle voyage from Southampton, Commodore James Bisset had the Elizabeth's wartime grey funnels repainted in Cunard's red and black. Cunard White Star Tourist Class, January 1949. Chesney Henry. WebThe National Records of Scotland holds agreements and crew lists under the reference BT 3, covering 1867-1913, for Scottish ships only. [37], The wreck was featured in the 1974 James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun, as a covert headquarters for MI6. On another occasion the Elizabeth had to go full astern because a yacht crossed her path, and as a result the liner's stern touched a mud bank. The American liner made 44 Atlantic crossings and carried 70,104 passengers in 1955. Queen Elizabeth's 'cherished wish' that she might someday sail in the liner was fulfilled in October 1954 when, by now Queen Mother, she embarked at the beginning of a tour to the United States and Canada. October 2 I joined the Cunard Line in March 1962 as an Assistant Purser and sailed on the QUEEN ELIZABETH throughout that year, before transferring to the Liverpool-based CARINTHIA in November, where I remained as Crew Purser for the next five years. Dimensions, 987' x 118' There was a great rumpus and the yacht owner was traced. Costing almost twice as much as the, Sir Percy Bates had wisely waited for anticipated developments in boiler design to occur. Over a two-hour period engine revolutions were increased from 100 (17 knots) to 154 (26 knots). On 27th May the Clydebank men were told they had the order. Another obvious difference between the two ships was the lack of a forward well deck on the new QUEEN ELIZABETH. You may find a ships Official Number from the following published sources available at The National Archives: See section 3 for more information on how to find a ships number. Cunard White Star Tourist Class, January 1949. It was certainly the last time that the two 'Queens' ever stopped at sea in war time. From 22nd October 1945 it was the QUEEN ELIZABETH's job to repatriate thousands of Canadian soldiers. The National Archives of Australia has a large number of record series concerning ships crews and the merchant navy. However, the launching ceremony, which was being broadcast to the nation by radio, did not go without incident. Years indicate year of entry into Cunard service. Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary were used as troop transports during the Second World War. This website uses cookies to improve functionality. Commenced her first sailing from the Clyde, bound for New York, February 27, 1940. In the entrance channel to the harbour at Port Everglades a second boiler blew and the SEAWISE UNIVERSITY now had just four boilers functioning out of a possible twelve. How much more dignified it would have been to have broken the ship up in 1968. [21] After her trials Queen Elizabeth finally entered passenger service, allowing Cunard White Star to launch the long-planned two-ship weekly service to New York. WebSearch and download () lists of passengers boarding at UK and Irish ports and travelling to places such as America, Canada, India, New Zealand and Australia between 1890 and 1960 (BT 27) on the findmypast.co.uk website and also on the Ancestry.co.uk website. The new centrally-placed companionway is in place in this photo and there's a repaint where the ladders once were. On the bridge there was the faint sensation of a slight, lurching jolt which some on board never even felt. "The voyage, while short, will be extremely difficult for all". WebLists can also include passengers who were family members of seamen. [19] After 1942, the two Queens were relocated to the North Atlantic for the transportation of American troops to Europe. Information on the holdings of The National Archives are decribed in The National Archives' Merchant Seamen: Agreements and Crew Lists after 1861. Winter cruises from New York to the West Indies were poorly patronised and one was cancelled and replaced with an unscheduled Atlantic crossing. At eleven o'clock that evening Captain Townley opened his sealed orders and the, Towards the end of 1940 additional seamen arrived on board the QUEEN ELIZABETH, having travelled from Halifax, N.S. Portions of the hull that were not salvaged were left at the bottom of the bay. The QUEEN ELIZABETH's final season on the Atlantic was uneventful other than for the enthusiasm expressed by her regular passengers who wanted to sail in her just one last time. Ships did not have an official number before 1855. In mid Atlantic on 6th June she steamed 700 miles at an average of 30.43 knots, her fastest day's run since entering passenger service after the war. The following morning a small coastal collier was seen in the Irish Sea wallowing along at 6 knots. There was great complacency in the Cunard boardroom: people would always prefer to cross the ocean by liner, and preferably by Cunard ! [9] Elizabeth, as she was now called, arrived in Port Everglades on 8 December 1968 and opened to tourists in February 1969, well before Queen Mary, which opened two years later, in 1971. shipyard, bound for the Tail of the Bank off Greenock. The Pacific was too dangerous for her with both German and Japanese submarines on the prowl. [38][39], The wreck also featured in a flashback sequence in an episode of American Dragon: Jake Long. Following her arrival at New York on 28th October 1968, the QUEEN ELIZABETH was feted and honoured with both private and official functions being held on board. TheNational Records of Scotlandholds agreements and crew lists under the reference BT 3, covering 1867-1913, for Scottish ships only. [27] The fact that C.Y. This would involve a great deal of dredging and the removal of rock outcrops that might hazard the ship's safe progress. Sometimes, however, other details may be found. Within each box the lists are randomly arranged. Four days later she arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia, with 12,517 passengers and 864 crew. her summer overhaul in the King George V dry dock. This would also free the fitting-out berth which was urgently needed for the DUKE OF YORK. There was still thick fog in Southampton Water and the QUEEN ELIZABETH returned to Cowes Roads to anchor overnight. Churchill, as First Lord of the Admiralty, expressed his fears for the safety of the QUEEN ELIZABETH and felt that she would fall victim to Nazi bombers in her exposed site at Clydebank.
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