Ah, Cunard. A name that conjures images of opulent voyages and the relentless march of progress across the unforgiving Atlantic. You want an article? Fine. Don't expect me to gush.
Cunard Line
The Cunard Line, a name that echoes with maritime history, is a venerable British shipping and international cruise line headquartered at Carnival House in Southampton, England. It operates under the umbrella of Carnival UK, a subsidiary of the colossal Carnival Corporation & plc. Since 2011, the company's fleet of four ships has been registered in Hamilton, Bermuda. It’s a curious choice, really, to register a quintessentially British entity in a tax haven. Practical, I suppose. But hardly romantic.
History
The story begins, as most grand tales do, with a contract and a visionary. In 1839, Samuel Cunard, a man clearly not content with mere shipping, secured the first British transatlantic steamship mail contract. The following year, he, along with shipowner Sir George Burns and the brilliant Scottish steamship engine designer and builder Robert Napier, established the British and North American Royal Mail Steam-Packet Company in Glasgow. Their mission: to ply the Liverpool–Halifax–Boston route with four pioneering paddle steamers. For a significant period, Cunard held the coveted Blue Riband, a testament to the fastest Atlantic crossing. However, complacency, or perhaps a lack of foresight, allowed rivals like the White Star Line and the Inman Line to gain ground by the 1870s. To counter this, the company reorganized in 1879 as the Cunard Steamship Company Ltd, a move designed to attract much-needed capital.
The turn of the century brought new challenges. In 1902, White Star aligned itself with the American-backed International Mercantile Marine Co.. This prompted a decisive response from the British government, which provided Cunard with substantial loans and a subsidy to construct two magnificent superliners. These vessels were deemed essential to maintaining Britain's competitive edge on the Atlantic. The resulting ships, Mauretania and Lusitania, were marvels of their time. Mauretania held the Blue Riband from 1909 to 1929, a remarkable feat. Her sister, Lusitania, met a tragic end, torpedoed in 1915 during the First World War. A stark reminder that even the grandest vessels are vulnerable.
In 1919, Cunard shifted its primary British homeport from Liverpool to Southampton, a strategic move to better serve travellers from London. The late 1920s saw Cunard facing a new wave of competition from large, prestigious liners built by German, Italian, and French companies. The Great Depression, however, forced Cunard to halt construction on its own new superliner. Then, in 1934, the British Government intervened again, offering Cunard loans to complete the magnificent Queen Mary and to build a second ship, Queen Elizabeth. The condition? Cunard had to merge with the struggling White Star Line, forming Cunard-White Star Line. Cunard held a two-thirds stake in this new entity, eventually purchasing White Star's share in 1947, and reverting to the Cunard Line name in 1950.
Following the devastation of the Second World War, Cunard reasserted its dominance as the largest Atlantic passenger line, operating twelve ships to the United States and Canada by the mid-1950s. But the advent of jet airliners in 1958 rendered the traditional ocean liner increasingly unprofitable. Cunard made a brief, and ultimately unsuccessful, foray into air travel with "Cunard Eagle" and "BOAC Cunard" airlines, withdrawing from that market in 1966. By 1968, the company had ceased its year-round transatlantic service, focusing instead on leisure cruising and seasonal transatlantic voyages. The legendary Queens were eventually succeeded by the Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2), a vessel designed for the dual role of liner and cruise ship.
The modern era saw Cunard acquired by Carnival Corporation in 1998, contributing a significant 8.7% to the parent company's revenue in 2012. In 2004, the venerable QE2 was retired from the transatlantic route, replaced by the purpose-built ocean liner Queen Mary 2 (QM2). The fleet expanded further with the introduction of Queen Victoria (QV) and Queen Elizabeth (QE). Most recently, Queen Anne (QA) joined the ranks, solidifying Cunard's position as the sole operator of a scheduled passenger service between Europe and North America. It’s a niche market, certainly, but one they seem determined to hold.
Early Years (1840–1850)
The genesis of Cunard's empire can be traced back to a time when Britain was still grappling with the potential of steam power for maritime transport. While the British Government had been running mail brigs to New York since 1756, these were hardly the vessels of global commerce. The era of regular transatlantic service truly began with the Black Ball Line in 1818, using swift clipper ships. However, a Parliamentary Committee in 1836 recognized the need for steam to compete, shifting responsibility for mail contracts to private companies under the watchful eye of the Admiralty.
Admiral Sir William Edward Parry, a renowned Arctic explorer, took charge of steam machinery and packet services in 1837. Simultaneously, Joseph Howe, a leading Nova Scotian politician, championed the cause for steam service to Halifax. It was in London, in May 1838, that Howe encountered Samuel Cunard, a fellow Nova Scotian and established shipowner, who was also in the city. Cunard, indebted to Howe to some extent, saw the opportunity. He returned to Halifax to secure funding, while Howe continued his lobbying efforts in Britain. The ongoing Rebellions of 1837–1838 added a layer of strategic importance to the proposed Halifax service for military considerations.
In November 1838, Parry issued a tender for monthly steamship mail service to Halifax, requiring vessels of 300 horsepower. The Great Western Steamship Company, already operating a Bristol–New York route, bid £45,000 for a monthly service with three ships of 450 horsepower. Another contender, the St George Steam Packet Company, offered a Cork–Halifax service for £45,000, or a Cork–Halifax–New York service for £65,000. Both were rejected for failing to meet the required start date.
Cunard, back in Halifax, missed the tender deadline but, through his friendship with Admiral Parry, managed to negotiate directly. He proposed a fortnightly service starting in May 1840. Although Cunard didn't own a steamship at the time, he was an investor in the earlier steamship venture, Royal William, and possessed coal mines in Nova Scotia. His key financial backer was Robert Napier, a crucial supplier of steam engines to the Royal Navy. This venture also benefited from the support of Nova Scotian political leaders, eager to mend ties with London after the rebellion.
Despite protests from Great Western, Parry accepted Cunard's bid of £55,000 in May 1839 for a three-ship Liverpool–Halifax service, extending to Boston and a supplementary route to Montreal. The annual subsidy was later increased to £81,000 to accommodate a fourth ship, with departures from Liverpool becoming monthly in winter and fortnightly the rest of the year. Parliament, after investigating Great Western's complaints, upheld the Admiralty's decision. Napier and Cunard rallied other investors, including James Donaldson, Sir George Burns, and David MacIver. In May 1840, just before the first vessel was ready, they formed the British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company with an initial capital of £270,000, later rising to £300,000. Cunard himself contributed £55,000. Burns oversaw ship construction, MacIver managed day-to-day operations, and Cunard remained the guiding force. Upon MacIver's death in 1845, his brother Charles took over, serving for the next 35 years.
The company's inaugural voyage was made in May 1840 by the coastal paddle steamer Unicorn, bound for Halifax to initiate the Montreal service. Two months later, the first of the four ocean-going Britannia Class steamers departed Liverpool. Named Britannia, its maiden voyage on July 4th held a patriotic resonance on both sides of the Atlantic. In just 12 days and 10 hours, averaging 8.5 knots (15.7 km/h), Britannia reached Halifax, a stark contrast to the weeks-long journeys of sailing packets. This brisk pace quickly became the Cunard standard. By 1845, steamship lines, led by Cunard, had surpassed sailing packets in carrying saloon passengers. Three years later, the British Government increased the annual subsidy to £156,000, enabling Cunard to double its frequency. Four additional wooden paddlers were ordered, and alternate sailings were directed to New York, bypassing the Halifax–Boston route. The era of the sailing packet was effectively relegated to the immigrant trade.
The distinctive Cunard funnel, a stark black with two or three narrow red bands, is attributed to Robert Napier, who had employed a similar design on Thomas Assheton Smith II's private steam yacht Menai in 1830. The line also adopted a naming convention favoring words ending in "IA."
Cunard's unwavering commitment to safety was a crucial factor in its early success. Unlike its competitors, the British and American line, which collapsed after the loss of the President in a gale, and the Great Western Steamship Company, which foundered after the Great Britain ran aground due to navigational error, Cunard maintained an impeccable record. Cunard’s directive to his captains was clear: "Your ship is loaded, take her; speed is nothing, follow your own road, deliver her safe, bring her back safe – safety is all that is required." Charles MacIver's diligent inspections were instrumental in upholding this safety discipline.
New Competition (1850–1879)
The mid-19th century saw the North Atlantic shipping landscape intensify with the arrival of new competitors. In 1850, the American Collins Line and the British Inman Line launched their services. The Collins Line, bolstered by a substantial subsidy from the US government, deployed four wooden paddlers that outmatched Cunard's existing fleet. They proved their mettle by securing the Blue Riband for three voyages between 1850 and 1854. Meanwhile, the Inman Line demonstrated the viability of iron-hulled, screw-propelled steamers of moderate speed without government support, and notably, became the first to carry steerage passengers.
Both newcomers suffered significant setbacks in 1854. Cunard, in response, commissioned its first iron-hulled paddler, Persia, in 1856. This competitive pressure may have contributed to a second major disaster for the Collins Line, the disappearance of its steamer Pacific. It sailed from Liverpool just days before Persia's maiden voyage, leading to widespread speculation that its captain had pushed the ship too hard to outrun the new Cunarder, likely encountering icebergs during a particularly harsh winter. Persia further solidified Cunard's dominance by reclaiming the Blue Riband with a Liverpool–New York crossing in 9 days and 16 hours, averaging 13.11 knots (24.28 km/h).
During the Crimean War, Cunard contributed eleven ships to the war effort. While most North Atlantic routes were suspended until 1856, Cunard's Liverpool–Halifax–Boston service continued. The Collins Line, which had benefited from the wartime lack of competition, ultimately collapsed in 1858 after its transatlantic mail subsidy was reduced by the US Congress. Cunard emerged as the leading carrier of saloon passengers, and in 1862, launched Scotia, the last paddle steamer to win the Blue Riband. The Inman Line, however, continued to carry more passengers due to its success in the immigrant trade. To compete, Cunard initiated a secondary Liverpool–New York service in May 1863, employing iron-hulled screw steamers to cater to steerage passengers. Simultaneously, they began replacing their final three wooden paddlers on the New York mail service with iron screw steamers, focusing solely on saloon passengers.
Upon Cunard's death in 1865, Charles MacIver, a man of similar conservative disposition, assumed leadership. The company's ingrained reluctance to embrace change allowed competitors to gain an advantage by more readily adopting new technologies. In 1866, Inman began constructing screw-propelled express liners that rivaled Cunard's premier vessel, Scotia. Cunard's response came in the form of its first high-speed screw-propelled steamer, Russia, followed by two larger iterations. In 1871, both companies faced a formidable new rival: the White Star Line, which commissioned the Oceanic and its five sister ships. These White Star record-breakers were particularly economical due to their innovative compound engines. White Star also set new standards for passenger comfort, positioning the dining saloon amidships and doubling the size of cabins. While Inman modernized its express fleet to match these standards, Cunard lagged behind. Throughout the 1870s, Cunard's passage times consistently fell short of both White Star and Inman.
In 1867, mail contract responsibilities reverted to the Post Office and were opened to competitive bidding. Cunard, Inman, and the German Norddeutscher Lloyd each secured one of the three weekly New York mail services. The fortnightly Halifax route, previously held by Cunard, went to Inman. Cunard continued to receive an £80,000 subsidy, while NDL and Inman were paid based on sea postage. Two years later, the service was re-tendered, with Cunard awarded a seven-year contract for two weekly New York mail services at £70,000 per annum, and Inman securing the third weekly service for £35,000 per year.
The Panic of 1873 triggered a five-year shipping depression that strained the finances of all Atlantic competitors. By 1876, the mail contracts expired, and the Post Office discontinued subsidies for both Cunard and Inman. New contracts were established on a weight-based system, at rates significantly higher than those paid by the United States Post Office. Cunard's weekly New York mail sailings were reduced to one, with White Star awarded the third mail sailing. This meant that every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, a liner from one of these three companies departed Liverpool carrying the mail for New York.
Cunard Steamship Company Ltd (1879–1934)
Seeking to bolster its financial standing, the privately held British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company underwent a significant transformation in 1879. It was reorganized as a public stock corporation, the Cunard Steamship Company, Ltd. Under the leadership of its new chairman, John Burns, son of one of the company's founders, Cunard commissioned four steel-hulled express liners. The first, Servia (1881), was notable for being the first passenger liner equipped with electric lighting throughout. In 1884, Cunard acquired the nearly new Blue Riband winner Oregon from the Guion Line after the latter defaulted on shipyard payments. In the same year, Cunard also commissioned the record-breakers Umbria and Etruria, capable of achieving 19.5 knots (36.1 km/h). Cunard's renewed supremacy on the North Atlantic, however, faced a challenge starting in 1887 when Inman and then White Star responded with their own twin-screw record-breakers. Cunard countered in 1893 with two even faster Blue Riband winners, Campania and Lucania, both capable of 21.8 knots (40.4 km/h).
Despite re-establishing its dominance, new rivals soon emerged. From the late 1860s, several German shipping companies began commissioning liners that rivaled the speed of British mail steamers. In 1897, the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse of Norddeutscher Lloyd captured the Blue Riband with a speed of 22.3 knots (41.3 km/h), followed by a succession of other German record-breakers. Rather than engaging in a direct speed race, White Star, a company that Cunard would eventually merge with, opted for a more pragmatic approach. They commissioned four highly profitable, albeit slower, Big Four ocean liners for their secondary Liverpool–New York service. In 1902, White Star joined the well-capitalized American conglomerate, the International Mercantile Marine Co. (IMM), which also controlled the American Line, including the former Inman Line, and had trade agreements with Hamburg America and Norddeutscher Lloyd. Negotiations to bring Cunard into IMM, which was being formed with the backing of financier J. P. Morgan, proved unsuccessful in late 1901 and early 1902.
Cunard resisted the takeover by commissioning its own fleet of smaller, more economical liners, focusing on the Liverpool–Boston route. These were the Ivernia-class ships: RMS Ivernia, RMS Saxonia, and the later, smaller RMS Carpathia. Known as 'intermediate' liners, they were designed for fuel efficiency rather than outright luxury or speed, a strategic choice to compete on the secondary routes without the immense cost of matching the fastest German vessels.
The stakes were raised with the British government's intervention, providing Cunard with an annual subsidy of £150,000 and a low-interest loan of £2.5 million to fund the construction of two superliners, Lusitania and Mauretania. These vessels were designed to achieve a remarkable 26.0 knots (48.2 km/h). In 1903, Cunard initiated a Fiume–New York service, including calls at Italian ports and Gibraltar. The following year, they commissioned two ships to directly compete with the Celtic-class liners on the secondary Liverpool–New York route. In 1911, Cunard expanded into the St. Lawrence trade by acquiring the Thompson Line, and absorbed the Royal Line five years later.
Meanwhile, White Star and Hamburg–America each ordered their own trio of superliners. The White Star Olympic-class liners, with a speed of 21.5 knots (39.8 km/h), and the Hapag Imperator-class liners, at 22.5 knots (41.7 km/h), were larger and more luxurious, but ultimately slower than Cunard's new flagships. Cunard commissioned a fourth ship, Aquitania, capable of 24.0 knots (44.4 km/h), to complete its express mail fleet. However, the anticipated rivalry between these grand fleets was dramatically curtailed by historical events. White Star's Titanic met its demise on its maiden voyage, both White Star's Britannic and Cunard's Lusitania were lost as wartime casualties, and the three Hapag super-liners were surrendered to the Allied powers as war reparations.
In 1916, Cunard Line completed its European headquarters in Liverpool, a grand neo-classical edifice known as the Cunard Building, which stood as the third of Liverpool's Three Graces. This building served as Cunard's headquarters until the 1960s. During the First World War, Cunard's facilities were requisitioned by the War Office for the construction of aircraft for the expanding Royal Flying Corps, later the RAF.
Following the heavy losses incurred during the First World War, Cunard embarked on a post-war rebuilding program, which included eleven intermediate liners. They acquired the former Hapag Imperator, renaming her Berengaria, to serve as the running mate for Mauretania and Aquitania, replacing the lost Lusitania. Southampton was designated as the new British destination for the three-ship express service, supplanting Liverpool. By 1926, Cunard's fleet had surpassed its pre-war strength, while White Star, having been sold by IMM, was in a state of decline.
Despite the significant drop in North Atlantic passenger numbers caused by the shipping depression that began in 1929, German, Italian, and French lines commissioned new "ships of state," prestigious liners designed to embody national pride. The German Bremen captured the Blue Riband in 1933 with a speed of 27.8 knots (51.5 km/h), followed by the Italian Rex achieving 28.9 knots (53.5 km/h) on a westbound voyage that same year. The French Normandie then crossed the Atlantic in just under four days, averaging 30.58 knots (56.63 km/h) in 1937. In 1930, Cunard ordered an 80,000-ton liner, intended to be the first of two record-breakers fast enough to support a two-ship weekly Southampton–New York service. However, work on "Hull Number 534" was suspended in 1931 due to the prevailing economic conditions, a stark illustration of the era's financial instability.
Cunard-White Star Ltd (1934–1949)
The year 1934 marked a critical juncture for both the Cunard Line and the White Star Line, both grappling with severe financial difficulties. In the House of Commons, David Kirkwood, MP for Clydebank where the unfinished Hull Number 534 lay idle, delivered a powerful plea for government funding to complete the ship and revitalize the dormant British economy. The government responded with an offer of a £3 million loan to finish Hull Number 534 and an additional £5 million for a second vessel, contingent upon Cunard merging with White Star.
This pivotal merger occurred on May 10, 1934, giving birth to Cunard-White Star Limited. Cunard held approximately two-thirds of the new company's capital. The combined fleet, however, suffered from significant surplus tonnage, leading to the scrapping of several older liners, including the former Cunard vessel Mauretania and the ex-White Star liners Olympic and Homeric. In 1936, the ex-White Star liner Majestic was sold, making way for Hull Number 534, christened Queen Mary, to enter the express mail service. On her 1938 Blue Riband voyage, Queen Mary achieved a speed of 30.99 knots (57.39 km/h). Cunard-White Star also commenced construction on Queen Elizabeth, while a smaller vessel, the second Mauretania, joined the fleet, available for the Atlantic run when one of the Queens was undergoing maintenance. The ex-Cunard liner Berengaria was sold for scrap in 1938 following a series of fires.
During the Second World War, the two Queens served as troopships, transporting over two million servicemen and, according to Churchill himself, helped shorten the war by a year. Remarkably, all four of the large Cunard-White Star express liners – the two Queens, Aquitania, and Mauretania – survived the conflict. However, many of the secondary vessels were lost, including Lancastria and Laconia, both sunk with heavy loss of life.
In 1947, Cunard acquired White Star's remaining stake in the joint venture. By 1949, the company had officially dropped the White Star name, reverting to "Cunard Line." That same year, the company commissioned five freighters and two cargo liners. The Caronia, completed in 1949, was designed as a permanent cruise liner, while Aquitania was retired the following year.
Disruption by Airliners, Cunard Eagle and BOAC-Cunard (1950–1968)
The post-war decade saw a surge in North Atlantic travel, a boom Cunard was exceptionally well-positioned to capitalize on. The Queens became a significant source of US currency for Great Britain, and Cunard's slogan, "Getting there is half the fun," directly targeted the burgeoning tourist trade. Beginning in 1954, Cunard took delivery of four new 22,000-GRT intermediate liners destined for the Canadian and Liverpool–New York routes. The last White Star motor ship, Britannic (1930), remained in service until 1960.
However, the introduction of jet airliners in 1958 signaled a seismic shift for the ocean liner industry. In 1960, a government-appointed committee recommended the construction of a new, conventional 75,000 GRT liner to replace the Queen Mary, with the government offering to finance the majority of its cost. Yet, some Cunard stockholders questioned the viability of this plan in June 1961, citing the escalating popularity of transatlantic air travel. By 1963, the project evolved into a dual-purpose 55,000 GRT ship, designed for cruising during the off-season, known as Q4. This vessel ultimately entered service in 1969 as the 70,300 GRT Queen Elizabeth 2.
In an attempt to adapt to the challenge posed by jet airliners, Cunard diversified into air travel. In March 1960, the company acquired a 60% stake in British Eagle, an independent airline, renaming it Cunard Eagle Airways. This investment enabled Cunard Eagle to become the first British independent airline to operate pure jet airliners, placing an order for two new Boeing 707–420 passenger aircraft. The airline hoped to capture a significant share of the burgeoning transatlantic air travel market, which in 1960 saw more passengers choosing air over sea for the first time. In June 1961, Cunard Eagle received a license to operate a scheduled service on the lucrative Heathrow–New York JFK route, but this was revoked in November 1961 following an appeal by its main competitor, the state-owned BOAC. Nevertheless, the airline launched scheduled jet services from London Heathrow to Bermuda and Nassau in May 1962, later extending the service to Miami.
BOAC countered Cunard Eagle's ambitions by forming a new £30 million joint venture, BOAC-Cunard, in which BOAC held a 70% stake and contributed eight Boeing 707s. Cunard Eagle's long-haul scheduled operations were absorbed into this new entity. While this joint venture aimed to maximize combined fleet utilization, it proved unsuccessful for Cunard, dissolving in 1966 when BOAC bought out Cunard's share. Cunard also sold a majority stake in the remaining Cunard Eagle operations back to its founder in 1963.
Within a decade of the jet airliner's introduction, most conventional Atlantic liners had been retired. Mauretania was withdrawn in 1965, followed by Queen Mary and Caronia in 1967, and Queen Elizabeth in 1968. Two of the new intermediate liners were sold by 1970, with the remaining two converted into cruise ships. All Cunard ships flew both the Cunard and White Star Line house flags until November 4, 1968, when the last White Star vessel, Nomadic, was withdrawn from service, marking the final retirement of the White Star flag and any remnants of the Cunard-White Star Line.
Trafalgar House Years (1971–1998)
In 1971, the conglomerate Trafalgar House acquired Cunard, which at the time operated a diverse fleet encompassing cargo and passenger ships, hotels, and resorts. Its cargo fleet comprised 42 ships in service, with an additional 20 on order. The passenger flagship was the two-year-old Queen Elizabeth 2. Trafalgar House streamlined operations, acquiring two more cruise ships and disposing of the intermediate liners and most of the cargo fleet. During the Falklands War, the QE2 and Cunard Countess were chartered as troopships, while Cunard's container ship Atlantic Conveyor was tragically sunk by an Exocet missile.
Cunard expanded its portfolio in 1983 by acquiring the Norwegian America Line, inheriting two classic ocean liner/cruise ships. In the same year, Trafalgar House attempted a hostile takeover of P&O, a rival shipping line founded three years prior to Cunard. P&O resisted, taking the matter to the British Monopolies and Mergers Commission, where they criticized Trafalgar's management of Cunard and its failure to address the QE2's mechanical issues. While the Commission ruled in favor of the merger in 1984, Trafalgar ultimately decided against proceeding. In 1986, Cunard undertook its final transatlantic crossing under steam power before the QE2 was refitted with a new diesel power plant in Bremerhaven. In 1988, Cunard acquired Ellerman Lines and its cargo fleet, organizing it as Cunard-Ellerman. However, the company soon shifted focus solely to cruise operations, selling off its cargo fleet between 1989 and 1991. A marketing agreement was forged in 1993 with Crown Cruise Line for a ten-year period, bringing its three vessels under the Cunard Crown banner. In 1994, Cunard acquired the rights to the name of the Royal Viking Line and its flagship Royal Viking Sun.
By the mid-1990s, Cunard was facing significant financial difficulties. The company experienced considerable embarrassment in late 1994 when the Queen Elizabeth 2 suffered numerous defects during a voyage due to unfinished renovation work, resulting in passenger claims costing the company US25 million loss in 1995, Trafalgar appointed a new CEO who identified critical management issues within the line.
In 1996, the Norwegian conglomerate Kværner acquired Trafalgar House and attempted to sell Cunard. When no buyers emerged, Kværner invested heavily in an effort to salvage the company's tarnished reputation.
Carnival (1998–Present)
The year 1998 marked a turning point when the cruise line conglomerate Carnival Corporation acquired a 62% stake in Cunard for US205 million. Carnival assumed control, suing Kværner for misrepresentation of the ships' condition and receiving a US$50 million refund. Carnival's strategy was to rebuild Cunard as a luxury brand, leveraging its rich British heritage under the slogan "Advancing Civilization Since 1840." Only Queen Elizabeth 2 and Caronia remained under the Cunard brand as the company initiated "Project Queen Mary" to build a new ocean liner for the transatlantic route.
Following Carnival's acquisition, Cunard Line introduced "White Star Service" to the Queen Elizabeth 2 and Caronia, a nod to the esteemed service standards of the former White Star Line. This commitment to service excellence continues on Cunard's current vessels, supported by the White Star Academy, an in-house training program for new crew members.
By 2001, Carnival had established itself as the largest cruise company, ahead of Royal Caribbean and P&O Princess Cruises. When Royal Caribbean and P&O Princess announced their intention to merge, Carnival countered with a hostile takeover bid for P&O Princess, refusing to sell Cunard to resolve antitrust concerns. Ultimately, European and US regulators approved the merger without requiring Cunard's divestment. Post-merger, Carnival relocated Cunard's headquarters to the Princess Cruises offices in Santa Clarita, California, facilitating the consolidation of administrative, financial, and technological services.
Carnival House, a modern facility in Southampton, opened in 2009. Executive control of Cunard Line transferred from Carnival Corporation in the United States to Carnival UK, the primary operating company of Carnival plc. This move placed all UK-based Carnival brands, including Cunard, under the purview of Carnival UK's headquarters.
In 2004, the 36-year-old QE2 was replaced on the North Atlantic route by the new ocean liner RMS Queen Mary 2. The Caronia was sold, and the QE2 continued cruising until her retirement in 2008. The fleet expanded further in 2007 with the addition of Queen Victoria, a cruise ship of the Vista class originally designed for Holland America Line. To uphold Cunard traditions, Queen Victoria features a small onboard museum. A second Vista class ship, Queen Elizabeth, joined the fleet in 2010.
Cunard appointed its first female commander, Captain Inger Klein Olsen, in 2010. In 2011, all three Cunard ships were re-registered in Hamilton, Bermuda, a significant departure from the company's 171-year history of registering ships in the United Kingdom. This change allowed captains to perform marriages at sea, a lucrative market.
On May 25, 2015, the three Cunard ships – Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth, and Queen Victoria – sailed up the Mersey into Liverpool to commemorate Cunard's 175th anniversary, a spectacular event that included maneuvers and a fly-past by the Red Arrows. Just over a year later, Queen Elizabeth returned to Liverpool under Captain Olsen to mark the centenary of the Cunard Building on June 2, 2016.
In September 2017, Cunard announced an order for a fourth ship, based on a modified hull platform of Holland America's Pinnacle class Koningsdam. Originally slated for delivery in 2022, its arrival was subsequently delayed by two years.
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 led Cunard to curtail three world cruises, repatriating passengers. The White Star Line flag continues to be raised on all current Cunard ships and the Nomadic every April 15th in remembrance of the Titanic disaster.
On August 17, 2023, Cunard announced that its entire fleet had been equipped with the capability to utilize shore power, a significant environmental initiative. The new ship, Queen Anne, was delivered in April 2024, marking the first new vessel for the line in over 14 years. She arrived in Southampton on April 30, 2024, embarked on her maiden voyage to the Canary Islands on May 3, 2024, and was officially named in Liverpool on June 3, 2024.
In May 2025, Cunard introduced a paid menu for room service in Britannia grade accommodations, a decision that generated considerable negative feedback online and criticism in various cruise publications, sparking debate about product value and perceived decline.
Cunard Hotels
Following Trafalgar House's acquisition of Cunard in 1971, the company managed existing hotels under the Cunard-Trafalgar Hotels banner. By the 1980s, the chain was rebranded as Cunard Hotels & Resorts before its eventual dissolution in 1995. The portfolio included properties such as the London International Hotel, Hotel Bristol, Cunard Paradise Beach Hotel & Club in Barbados, Cobblers Cove Hotel, Montego Bay Hotel, Cunard Hotel La Toc & La Toc Suites in St. Lucia, Cunard International Hotel in London, Cambridgeshire Hotel, The Ritz Hotel in London, The Stafford, The Watergate Hotel, Dukes Hotel, Hotel Atop the Bellevue in Philadelphia, and Cunard's Plaza Club in New York City.
Fleet
Cunard currently operates a fleet of four prominent ships:
- Queen Mary 2 (Delivered 2003, In service 2004–present): A majestic ocean liner, built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique in France, with a gross tonnage of 149,215 GT.
- Queen Victoria (Delivered 2007, In service 2007–present): A cruise ship constructed by Fincantieri at their Marghera Shipyard in Italy, with a gross tonnage of 90,746 GT.
- Queen Elizabeth (Delivered 2010, In service 2010–present): Another cruise ship from Fincantieri's Monfalcone Shipyard in Italy, with a gross tonnage of 90,901 GT.
- Queen Anne (Delivered 2024, In service 2024–present): The newest addition, built by Fincantieri at their Marghera Shipyard in Italy, a cruise ship of 114,188 GT.
All current Cunard ships are registered in Bermuda.
The company's history is punctuated by a vast array of former vessels, from the early paddle steamers like Britannia and Scotia to the iconic liners Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, and Queen Elizabeth 2. The list is extensive, detailing ships that served Cunard from its inception in 1840 through to the late 1990s, encompassing express liners, intermediate liners, cargo ships, and specialized vessels. Each entry provides the year built, years in Cunard service, type, gross register tonnage, and notes on their fate or significance.
Notable former ships include:
- Britannia (1840): The first Cunard liner.
- Persia (1856): An iron-hulled paddler that recaptured the Blue Riband.
- Scotia (1862): Cunard's last paddle steamer to win the Blue Riband.
- Campania and Lucania (1893): Twin screw record-breakers.
- Lusitania (1907): Lost to a torpedo in WWI.
- Mauretania (1907): A long-serving Blue Riband holder, scrapped in 1935.
- Aquitania (1914): Served in both World Wars, longest-serving Cunard liner until Scythia in 1956.
- Queen Mary (1936): WWII troopship and Blue Riband winner, now a hotel ship in Dubai.
- Queen Elizabeth (1940): WWII troopship, later refitted as a floating university before being destroyed by fire.
- Queen Elizabeth 2 (1969): The last great ocean liner, served for nearly four decades before becoming a floating hotel in Dubai.
The company's archives also detail numerous cargo ships, tenders, and various other vessels that contributed to Cunard's operational history. The "For MoWT" section lists ships requisitioned or managed during wartime, such as SS Pasteur and MV Empire Audacity.
See Also
- Cunard-White Star Line
- White Star Line's Olympic, Homeric, Majestic, Doric, and Laurentic.