Blue Riband
Encyclopedia
The Blue Riband ˌ is an unofficial accolade given to the passenger liner
crossing the Atlantic Ocean in regular service with the record highest speed. The term was borrowed from horse racing
and was not widely used until after 1910. Under the unwritten rules, the record is based on average speed
rather than passage time because ships follow different routes. Traditionally, a ship is considered a “record breaker” if it wins the eastbound speed record, but is not credited with the Blue Riband unless it wins the more difficult westbound record against the Gulf Stream
.
Of the 35 Atlantic liners to hold the Blue Riband, 25 were British, followed by five German, three American, as well as one each from Italy and France. 13 were Cunarders
(plus Queen Mary
of Cunard White Star), 5 by White Star
, with 4 owned by Norddeutscher Lloyd
, 2 by Collins
, 2 by Inman
and 2 by Guion
, and one each by British American
, Great Western
, Hamburg-America
, the Italian Line
, Compagnie Générale Transatlantique
and finally the United States Lines
. Many of these ships were built with substantial government subsidies and were designed with military considerations in mind. Winston Churchill
estimated that the two Cunard Queens helped shorten the Second World War by a year. The last Atlantic liner to hold the Blue Riband, the United States
was designed for her potential use as a troopship as well as her service as a commercial passenger liner.
There was no formal award until 1935 when Harold K. Hales
(1868–1942), a British politician and owner of Hales Brothers shipping company, donated the trophy. The rules for the Hales Trophy are different from the traditional rules for the Blue Riband. The Hales Trophy can be won by any type of surface commercial passenger vessel for a crossing in either direction. The first vessel other than a regular liner to receive the trophy was the passenger/car ferry Hoverspeed Great Britain when she established a new speed record for a commercial vessel on her eastbound delivery voyage without passengers in 1990. However, the United States remains as the holder of the Blue Riband because all subsequent record breakers were not in Atlantic passenger service and their voyages were eastbound.
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In 1832, Junius Smith, American lawyer turned London merchant, published the idea building a line of transatlantic steamships in the American Rail Road Journal. After receiving no support for several years, his plan gained credibility when Scottish shipbuilder, Macgregor Laird
became an investor. Smith, who is often considered the Father of the Atlantic Liner, formed the British and American Steam Navigation Company
to operate a London-New York service. About the same time, the question of Atlantic steamships was discussed at a 1835 director's meeting of the newly formed Great Western Railway when the line’s chief engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel
supposedly joked that the line could be made longer by building a steamship to run between Bristol and New York. The necessary investors were recruited by Brunel's friend, Thomas Guppy, a Bristol engineer and businessman. The next year, the Great Western Steamship Company
was established, even though the rail line was still years from completion.
By spring 1838, Brunel’s was ready for sea, but Smith’s first ship was still without engines. When Great Western scheduled its initial sailing, Laird suggested that British and American charter the Irish Sea steamer from the St. George Steam Packet Company for two voyages to beat Great Western. While the Sirius left Cork
, Ireland four days before Great Western departed Avonmouth
, Great Western still came within a day of overtaking Sirius to New York. To complete the voyage, Sirius was forced to burn spars when coal ran low. With her westbound crossing at 8.03 knots (15.7 km/h), Sirius is considered the first holder of the Blue Riband even though the term would not be used for several generations. Great Western herself became the prototype for all successful wooden paddlers and made a Blue Riband voyage at 10.03 knots (19.7 km/h) as late as 1843.
The Cunard Line
started its Liverpool-Halifax-Boston service in 1840 with the four ships that were slightly reduced versions of Great Western with about the same speed. Ultimately Cunard built nine additional wood paddlers. By 1846, Cunard was the only original steamship line that survived, largely because of its subsidy from the British Admiralty
to carry the mails and its emphasis on safety. Until 1850, the record passed between various Cunarders, finally reaching 12.25 knots (24 km/h) for a 8 day Liverpool-Halifax crossing by Asia. Record voyages during this period were often the result of using sails to gain extra speed from a following gale.
Cunard's first serious competition for the Blue Riband came from the American-owned Collins Line
. The American Government supplied Collins with a substantial subsidy to operate four wooden paddlers that were superior to Cunard's best. In its first year, 1850, the won the Blue Riband at 12.46 knots (24.4 km/h) on a 10 day run from Liverpool to New York. Unfortunately, Collins suffered a setback when its foundered with heavy loss of life. The next year, Cunard put further pressure on Collins by commissioning its first iron-hulled paddler, the Persia
, which won the Blue Riband with a 9 day, 16 hour Liverpool-New York voyage at 13.11 knots (25.7 km/h). During the Crimean War
, Cunard supplied eleven of its ships for war service and suspended all routes except the Liverpool-Halifax-Boston service. While the Collins' fortunes improved because of the lack of competition during the war, Collins collapsed in 1858 after the loss of two additional steamers. Cunard emerged as the leading carrier of first class passengers and in 1862 commissioned the Scotia
, the last paddle steamer to win the Blue Riband with a Queenstown-New York voyage at 14.46 knots (28.3 km/h). Scotia was the final significant paddler ordered for the Atlantic because under the terms of Cunard's mail contract with the Admiralty, it was still required to supply paddle steamers when needed for military service.
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In 1845, Brunel’s became the first iron-hulled screw liner on the Atlantic. Starting in 1850, the Inman Line
built numerous reduced versions for the steerage trade. In 1866, Inman started to commission single screw express liners that were the equal of Scotia. The Admiralty allowed Cunard to order its first screw express liner, the Russia. In 1871 both companies faced a new rival when the White Star Line
commissioned Oceanic
and her five sisters. The following year, White Star’s Adriatic finally surpassed Scotia with a voyage at 14.65 knots (28.7 km/h). The new White Star record breakers were especially economical because of their use of compound engines, but their high ratio of length to beam (10:1 compared to the previous norm of 8:1) increased vibration. To counter this, White Star placed the dining saloon midships and made their ships more luxurious. Inman rebuilt its express fleet to the new standard, but Cunard lagged behind both of its rivals. In 1875, Inman’s new City of Berlin
averaged 15.21 knots (29.8 km/h) on its Blue Riband voyage.
During the five-year shipping depression
that began in 1873, William Pearce, the controlling partner of the John Elder shipyard, became convinced that a crack steamer that carried only passengers and light freight could be profitable because she would attract more passengers and spend less time in port. He proposed a ship that crammed the most powerful machinery possible into the hull, sacrificing everything to speed. When Cunard rejected his proposal, Pearce offered his idea to the Guion Line
, a firm primarily engaged in the steerage trade. The first ship Pearce built for Guion, the Arizona
was described as a "souped up transatlantic hot rod" by one nautical historian. While she only won the eastbound record, two years later, Guion took delivery of the even faster Alaska that won the Blue Riband at 16.07 knots (31.5 km/h). To continue the program, Pearce offered Guion favourable terms on a third unit, the Oregon
, which raised the Blue Riband to 18.56 knots (36.4 km/h) in 1884. These ships were uncomfortable and their excessive coal consumption made them uneconomic. However, for a while they were popular with American clients because of their American ownership.
After being out of the contest for a decade, Cunard finally started to rebuild. In 1884, Cunard purchased the Oregon from the Guion line when that firm defaulted on payments to the shipyard. Later that year, Cunard commissioned the first steel-hulled Blue Riband winners, the Umbria
and Etruria
. Etruria, the faster of the pair, raised the Blue Riband standard to 19.56 knots (38.3 km/h) on a 6 day, 2 hour run from Queenstown to Sandy Hook in 1888. However, Etruria and her sister represented the limit of single screw technology.
The Inman line fell on hard times after their intended Blue Riband contender, the City of Rome failed to meet expectations and was returned to her builders in 1882. Inman directors agreed to voluntary liquidation so that the largest creditor, the Philadelphia-based International Navigation Company
could purchase Inman's assets. The new owners provided the capital to build two outstanding record breakers, the twin screw and the . Starting in 1889, the later ship won the Blue Riband on four occasions, including a voyage at 20.7 knots (40.6 km/h) in 1892. White Star, which had not built an express liner since the of 1875, commissioned the Blue Riband winners, of 1889 and of 1890 after receiving a subsidy from the Admiralty
to make the pair available as merchant cruisers in the event of hostilities. Cunard countered with two even faster Blue Riband winners, the Campania
and the Lucania
of 1893. The next year, Lucania recorded a voyage at 21.81 knots (42.7 km/h). Inman became the American Line
and ordered two additional express liners from American yards, but no attempt was made to best the new Cunarders. In 1894, Guion ceased sailing as its ships were now hopelessly outdated.
No sooner had Cunard reestablished its supremacy than new rivals emerged. Beginning in the late 1860s, several German firms commissioned liners that were almost as fast as the British mail steamers working from Liverpool. In 1889, the Hamburg-America Line
commissioned four double screw steamers capable of 18 knots (35.3 km/h). Its rival, Norddeutscher Lloyd
(NDL) lagged behind until 1895 when it ordered two ships intended to take the Blue Riband. In 1898, the raised the Blue Riband to 22.29 knots (43.7 km/h), while the other liner, the Kaiser Friedrich failed to achieve her contract speed and was returned to her builders. Hamburg America ordered the even more powerful that reached 23.06 knots (45.2 km/h) on one of her 1900 Blue Riband voyages. However, Hamburg America quickly learned that these high powered double screw liners had vibration problems. Deutschland had the unpleasant nickname, "cocktail shaker" and actually lost part of her stern in 1902 because of the constant vibration.
Rather than match the new German speedsters, White Star decided to drop out of the competition and commission the four large Celtic-class luxury liners of more moderate speed. White Star realised that passengers preferred comfort even if this means spending an extra day at sea. In 1902, White Star joined the well capitalised American combine, the International Mercantile Marine Co.
(IMM) that owned the American Line and others. IMM also had trade agreements with Hamburg America and Norddeutscher Lloyd. After its bad experience with the Deutschland, Hamburg America also dropped out of the race and commissioned large luxury liners based on the Celtic. However, NDL completed building a fleet of four additional express liners modelled on Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse.
After 1902, only the Cunard Line and the French Compagnie Générale Transatlantique
(CGT) were independent of the IMM combine. British prestige was at stake, and the Government provided Cunard with an annual subsidy of £150,000 plus a low interest loan of £2.5 million to pay for the construction of the two superliners, the Lusitania
and Mauretania
under the condition that they be available for conversion to armed cruisers when needed by the navy. Starting in 1907, both ships won the Blue Riband and Mauretania’s 1909 record of 26.06 knots (51.1 km/h) stood for 20 years. However, these ships paid a price for speed and lacked many of the amenities found in the new White Star and Hamburg American luxury liners. Both Cunard rivals ordered a trio of even bigger luxury liners, the White Star Olympic-class capable of 21.5 knots (42.1 km/h) and Hapag Imperator-class capable of 22.5 knots (44.1 km/h). Even Cunard chose this approach when it ordered its third superliner, the Aquitania
As a result of the war, Hamburg American and Norddeutscher Lloyd lost their premier units. In 1926, the U.S. Government awarded Norddeutscher Lloyd (NDL) $27 million in compensation for its confiscated liners. By this time, improvements in turbine technology and hull form along with the use of fuel oil instead of coal made it possible to build more civilised record breakers. Using these funds, NDL ordered two ships designed to cross the Atlantic in five days, the and . However, the American government netted the award against debts owed by the German Government and Berlin was forced to directly subside NDL to continue the project. Bremen recorded 27.83 knots (54.5 km/h) on her 1929 Blue Riband voyage and Europa increased the Blue Riband to 27.92 knots (54.7 km/h) in 1933.
In 1929, two lines from Italy each ordered a ship based on the German pair. Just as these ships were being completed, the Italian government nationalised the shipping industry, creating the Italian Line
. While both superliners were successful, only the won the Blue Riband, with a 1933 voyage at 28.92 knots (56.7 km/h).
CGT also ordered a new superliner in 1929. The next year, Cunard started construction on a 80,000 ton liner that was to be the first of two record breakers fast enough to fit into a two ship weekly Southampton-New York service. Consequently CGT altered its plans to make its new liner even bigger. However, as the 1929 shipping depression intensified, construction on Cunard’s hull 534 was halted while work on the heavily subsidised French ship continued. By 1934, White Star was failing and the British Government was concerned about potential job losses. Therefore, the government offered Cunard a loan of £3 million to complete hull 534 as the and an additional £5 million to build a second ship, the if Cunard merged with White Star.
CGT's entered service in 1935 and won the Blue Riband at 29.98 knots (58.8 km/h). Queen Mary was commissioned the next year, and after a few break-in voyages, took the Blue Riband to 30.14 knots (59.1 km/h). The two liners were operated a pair and traded the Blue Riband again, with the Cunard White Star Liner ultimately posting 30.99 knots (60.7 km/h) in 1938. Queen Mary’s consort, the Queen Elizabeth, was commissioned after war was declared and was never allowed to attempt the record.
Of the ships of state, only Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth and Europa survived the war. Europa became CGT's Liberte and no attempt was made to retain her former speed when she was reconstructed. However, the United States government was impressed by the large numbers of troops carried by the Queens during the war, and ordered a superliner that was as much a troop carrier as an express liner. On her maiden voyage in 1952, the United States upped the Blue Riband to 34.51 knots (67.6 km/h). In 1958, the transatlantic airlines put jet transports into service and the days of the record breakers were numbered. Liberte retired 1961, Queen Mary in 1967, and the United States in 1969.
(1868–1942), a member of the UK Parliament and owner of a shipping company, commissioned a Sheffield goldsmith to produce a large trophy to be presented to the fastest ship crossing the Atlantic. The four feet tall nearly 100 pound Hales Trophy is made of solid silver and heavy gilt fashioned with a globe resting on two winged figures of Victory standing on a base of carved green onyx, with an enamelled blue ribbon encircling the middle, and decorated with models of galleons, modern ocean liners and statues of Neptune
and Amphitrite
, god and goddess of the sea. The trophy is surmounted by a figure depicting speed pushing a three-stacked liner against a figure symbolizing the forces of the Atlantic, which is represented in blue enamel with the traditional ocean liner route indicated by a red enamelled line.
The rules for the trophy did not correspond to the traditional rules for the Blue Riband in that the trophy could be awarded to any surface passenger ship achieving the fastest speed in either direction. Other rule changes further complicated the situation. For example, before the trophy was finished, Hales made arrangements to present the trophy to the Rex. In the meantime, Normandie took the record and Hales changed the rules so that any new claimant must wait three months to give the current holder a chance to beat the new record. In August, 1935, the trophy was presented to the Rex, and then transferred to the Normandie two months later. Cunard White Star's Queen Mary was the next winner, but Cunard White Star refused to accept the trophy. The Queen's captain explained that, "We don't believe in racing on the Atlantic, or in blue ribands, or trophies and the like." Hales again changed the rules so that the trophy could only be won by a "non-British ship".
Hales died in 1942 and the location of the trophy was unknown when the United States Lines (USL) started planning the maiden voyage of its new record breaker, the United States. The trophy was found at the Sheffield goldsmith where it had been originally made. In 1952, USL accepted the trophy at a ceremony attended by 400 guests. It was displayed in USL's New York City headquarters until after the United States was taken out of service in 1969. Ten years later, the trophy was transferred to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy's
museum as a relic.
In 1986, Richard Branson
was successful in setting a new eastbound transatlantic speed record in the powerboat Challenger II. He was not awarded the Hales trophy because his boat was not a commercial vessel. In 1990, the 242 feet (73.8 m) catamaran passenger/car ferry Hoverspeed Great Britain was scheduled to take a delivery voyage from her Australian builders to begin cross channel operations. Her owners confirmed with the Hales trophy trustees in the UK that their vessel would be eligible for the trophy if they beat the United States record, even though the ship would not actually carry passengers on the trip. The trustees ruled that the ship still met the criteria. After Hoverspeed Great Britain's successful voyage, the Maritime Museum considered challenging the decision on the grounds that Hales donated the award for ships providing Atlantic passenger service, but decided not to because of the cost of legal fees. The trophy case at the academy remained empty for the next eight years until Carnival Cruise Lines
loaned the museum a replica of the trophy. In 1992, the Italian powerboat Destriero
made a voyage at 53.09 knots (104 km/h), breaking Challenger II's record. The current holder of the Hales Trophy is the catamaran Cat-Link V (now Fjord Cat) for a 1998 delivery voyage (without passengers) at 41.3 knots (80.9 km/h). However, the United States is still considered the holder of the Blue Riband.
Over the years, the lists have not agreed. For example, Gibbs credits Inman's City of Paris with a 1866 Blue Riband voyage, and Cunard's Russia with an eastbound record the following year because he considered as dubious Scotia's Blue Riband claim of 14.46 knots (28.3 km/h), supposedly based on a very long track. Later writers have included the Scotia claim. Gibbs also includes the claimed Blue Riband voyage at 17.6 knots (34.5 km/h) of the National Line's America of 1884 that was not confirmed by later researchers.
Passenger ship
A passenger ship is a ship whose primary function is to carry passengers. The category does not include cargo vessels which have accommodations for limited numbers of passengers, such as the ubiquitous twelve-passenger freighters once common on the seas in which the transport of passengers is...
crossing the Atlantic Ocean in regular service with the record highest speed. The term was borrowed from horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
and was not widely used until after 1910. Under the unwritten rules, the record is based on average speed
Velocity
In physics, velocity is speed in a given direction. Speed describes only how fast an object is moving, whereas velocity gives both the speed and direction of the object's motion. To have a constant velocity, an object must have a constant speed and motion in a constant direction. Constant ...
rather than passage time because ships follow different routes. Traditionally, a ship is considered a “record breaker” if it wins the eastbound speed record, but is not credited with the Blue Riband unless it wins the more difficult westbound record against the Gulf Stream
Gulf Stream
The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension towards Europe, the North Atlantic Drift, is a powerful, warm, and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates at the tip of Florida, and follows the eastern coastlines of the United States and Newfoundland before crossing the Atlantic Ocean...
.
Of the 35 Atlantic liners to hold the Blue Riband, 25 were British, followed by five German, three American, as well as one each from Italy and France. 13 were Cunarders
Cunard Line
Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century...
(plus Queen Mary
RMS Queen Mary
RMS Queen Mary is a retired ocean liner that sailed primarily in the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967 for the Cunard Line...
of Cunard White Star), 5 by White Star
White Star Line
The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British shipping company, today most famous for its ill-fated vessel, the RMS Titanic, and the World War I loss of Titanics sister ship Britannic...
, with 4 owned by Norddeutscher Lloyd
Norddeutscher Lloyd
Norddeutsche Lloyd was a German shipping company. It was founded by Hermann Henrich Meier and Eduard Crüsemann in Bremen on February 20, 1857. It developed into one of the most important German shipping companies of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and was instrumental in the economic...
, 2 by Collins
Collins Line
The Collins Line is the common name for the American shipping company started by Israel Collins and then built up by his son Edward Knight Collins...
, 2 by Inman
Inman Line
The Inman Line which operated from 1850 until its 1893 absorption into American Line, was one of the three largest 19th century British passenger shipping companies on the North Atlantic, along with the White Star Line and Cunard Line...
and 2 by Guion
Guion Line
The Liverpool and Great Western Steamship Company, known commonly as the Guion Line, was a British passenger service that operated the Liverpool-Queenstown-New York route from 1866 to 1894. While incorporated in Great Britain, 52% of the company's capital was from the American firm, Williams and...
, and one each by British American
British and American Steam Navigation Company
The British and American Steam Navigation Company was a pre-Cunard steamship line that operated a regular transatlantic service from 1839 to 1841. Before its first purpose-built Atlantic liner, the British Queen was completed, British and American chartered the Sirius for two voyages in 1838 to...
, Great Western
Great Western Steamship Company
The Great Western Steam Ship Company operated the first regular transatlantic steamer service from 1838 until 1846. Related to the Great Western Railway, the company's directors expected their new enterprise to achieve the position that was ultimately secured by the Cunard Line...
, Hamburg-America
Hamburg America Line
The Hamburg Amerikanische Packetfahrt Actien Gesellschaft was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, Germany during...
, the Italian Line
Italian Line
The Italian Line or Italia Line, also known as the Italia di Navigazione S.p.A., was a passenger shipping line that operated regular transatlantic services between Italy and the United States, and Italy and South America...
, Compagnie Générale Transatlantique
Compagnie Générale Transatlantique
The Compagnie Générale Transatlantique , typically known overseas as the French Line, was a shipping company established during 1861 as an attempt to revive the French merchant marine, the poor state of which was indicated during the Crimean War of 1856...
and finally the United States Lines
United States Lines
United States Lines was a transatlantic shipping company that operated cargo services from 1921 to 1989, and ocean liners until 1969—most famously the SS United States.-1920s:...
. Many of these ships were built with substantial government subsidies and were designed with military considerations in mind. Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
estimated that the two Cunard Queens helped shorten the Second World War by a year. The last Atlantic liner to hold the Blue Riband, the United States
SS United States
SS United States is a luxury passenger liner built in 1952 for the United States Lines designed to capture the trans-Atlantic speed record....
was designed for her potential use as a troopship as well as her service as a commercial passenger liner.
There was no formal award until 1935 when Harold K. Hales
Harold Hales
Sir Harold Keates Hales MP was an eccentric British shipping magnate, politician and founder of the Hales Trophy for the Blue Riband award for the ship with the record for the fastest transatlantic crossing. He claimed to be the inspiration for the title character of Arnold Bennett's The Card...
(1868–1942), a British politician and owner of Hales Brothers shipping company, donated the trophy. The rules for the Hales Trophy are different from the traditional rules for the Blue Riband. The Hales Trophy can be won by any type of surface commercial passenger vessel for a crossing in either direction. The first vessel other than a regular liner to receive the trophy was the passenger/car ferry Hoverspeed Great Britain when she established a new speed record for a commercial vessel on her eastbound delivery voyage without passengers in 1990. However, the United States remains as the holder of the Blue Riband because all subsequent record breakers were not in Atlantic passenger service and their voyages were eastbound.
Paddlers (1838–72)
Macgregor Laird
Macgregor Laird was a Scottish merchant pioneer of British trade on the River Niger.Laird was born at Greenock, the younger son of William Laird, founder of the Birkenhead firm of shipbuilders of that name...
became an investor. Smith, who is often considered the Father of the Atlantic Liner, formed the British and American Steam Navigation Company
British and American Steam Navigation Company
The British and American Steam Navigation Company was a pre-Cunard steamship line that operated a regular transatlantic service from 1839 to 1841. Before its first purpose-built Atlantic liner, the British Queen was completed, British and American chartered the Sirius for two voyages in 1838 to...
to operate a London-New York service. About the same time, the question of Atlantic steamships was discussed at a 1835 director's meeting of the newly formed Great Western Railway when the line’s chief engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
supposedly joked that the line could be made longer by building a steamship to run between Bristol and New York. The necessary investors were recruited by Brunel's friend, Thomas Guppy, a Bristol engineer and businessman. The next year, the Great Western Steamship Company
Great Western Steamship Company
The Great Western Steam Ship Company operated the first regular transatlantic steamer service from 1838 until 1846. Related to the Great Western Railway, the company's directors expected their new enterprise to achieve the position that was ultimately secured by the Cunard Line...
was established, even though the rail line was still years from completion.
By spring 1838, Brunel’s was ready for sea, but Smith’s first ship was still without engines. When Great Western scheduled its initial sailing, Laird suggested that British and American charter the Irish Sea steamer from the St. George Steam Packet Company for two voyages to beat Great Western. While the Sirius left Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
, Ireland four days before Great Western departed Avonmouth
Avonmouth
Avonmouth is a port and suburb of Bristol, England, located on the Severn Estuary, at the mouth of the River Avon.The council ward of Avonmouth also includes Shirehampton and the western end of Lawrence Weston.- Geography :...
, Great Western still came within a day of overtaking Sirius to New York. To complete the voyage, Sirius was forced to burn spars when coal ran low. With her westbound crossing at 8.03 knots (15.7 km/h), Sirius is considered the first holder of the Blue Riband even though the term would not be used for several generations. Great Western herself became the prototype for all successful wooden paddlers and made a Blue Riband voyage at 10.03 knots (19.7 km/h) as late as 1843.
The Cunard Line
Cunard Line
Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century...
started its Liverpool-Halifax-Boston service in 1840 with the four ships that were slightly reduced versions of Great Western with about the same speed. Ultimately Cunard built nine additional wood paddlers. By 1846, Cunard was the only original steamship line that survived, largely because of its subsidy from the British Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
to carry the mails and its emphasis on safety. Until 1850, the record passed between various Cunarders, finally reaching 12.25 knots (24 km/h) for a 8 day Liverpool-Halifax crossing by Asia. Record voyages during this period were often the result of using sails to gain extra speed from a following gale.
Cunard's first serious competition for the Blue Riband came from the American-owned Collins Line
Collins Line
The Collins Line is the common name for the American shipping company started by Israel Collins and then built up by his son Edward Knight Collins...
. The American Government supplied Collins with a substantial subsidy to operate four wooden paddlers that were superior to Cunard's best. In its first year, 1850, the won the Blue Riband at 12.46 knots (24.4 km/h) on a 10 day run from Liverpool to New York. Unfortunately, Collins suffered a setback when its foundered with heavy loss of life. The next year, Cunard put further pressure on Collins by commissioning its first iron-hulled paddler, the Persia
RMS Persia
Persia was a British passenger liner operated by the Cunard Line that won the Blue Riband in 1856 for the fastest westbound transatlantic voyage. She was the first Atlantic record breaker constructed of iron and was the largest ship in the world at the time of her launch...
, which won the Blue Riband with a 9 day, 16 hour Liverpool-New York voyage at 13.11 knots (25.7 km/h). During the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
, Cunard supplied eleven of its ships for war service and suspended all routes except the Liverpool-Halifax-Boston service. While the Collins' fortunes improved because of the lack of competition during the war, Collins collapsed in 1858 after the loss of two additional steamers. Cunard emerged as the leading carrier of first class passengers and in 1862 commissioned the Scotia
RMS Scotia
Scotia was a British passenger liner operated by the Cunard Line that won the Blue Riband in 1863 for the fastest westbound transatlantic voyage. She was the last ocean going paddle steamer and as late as 1874 she made Cunard's second fastest voyage. Laid up in 1876, Scotia was converted to a...
, the last paddle steamer to win the Blue Riband with a Queenstown-New York voyage at 14.46 knots (28.3 km/h). Scotia was the final significant paddler ordered for the Atlantic because under the terms of Cunard's mail contract with the Admiralty, it was still required to supply paddle steamers when needed for military service.
Single screw steamers (1872–89)
Inman Line
The Inman Line which operated from 1850 until its 1893 absorption into American Line, was one of the three largest 19th century British passenger shipping companies on the North Atlantic, along with the White Star Line and Cunard Line...
built numerous reduced versions for the steerage trade. In 1866, Inman started to commission single screw express liners that were the equal of Scotia. The Admiralty allowed Cunard to order its first screw express liner, the Russia. In 1871 both companies faced a new rival when the White Star Line
White Star Line
The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British shipping company, today most famous for its ill-fated vessel, the RMS Titanic, and the World War I loss of Titanics sister ship Britannic...
commissioned Oceanic
RMS Oceanic (1870)
RMS Oceanic was the White Star Line's first liner and an important turning point in passenger liner design.-Design and construction:Oceanic was built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast, and was launched on 27 August 1870, arriving in Liverpool for her maiden voyage on 26 February 1871...
and her five sisters. The following year, White Star’s Adriatic finally surpassed Scotia with a voyage at 14.65 knots (28.7 km/h). The new White Star record breakers were especially economical because of their use of compound engines, but their high ratio of length to beam (10:1 compared to the previous norm of 8:1) increased vibration. To counter this, White Star placed the dining saloon midships and made their ships more luxurious. Inman rebuilt its express fleet to the new standard, but Cunard lagged behind both of its rivals. In 1875, Inman’s new City of Berlin
SS City of Berlin
City of Berlin was a British passenger liner that won the Blue Riband for the Inman Line in 1875 as the fastest liner on the Atlantic. She was also the largest passenger ship for six years except for the inactive Great Eastern Built by Caird & Company in Scotland, City of Berlin was the Inman...
averaged 15.21 knots (29.8 km/h) on its Blue Riband voyage.
During the five-year shipping depression
Panic of 1873
The Panic of 1873 triggered a severe international economic depression in both Europe and the United States that lasted until 1879, and even longer in some countries. The depression was known as the Great Depression until the 1930s, but is now known as the Long Depression...
that began in 1873, William Pearce, the controlling partner of the John Elder shipyard, became convinced that a crack steamer that carried only passengers and light freight could be profitable because she would attract more passengers and spend less time in port. He proposed a ship that crammed the most powerful machinery possible into the hull, sacrificing everything to speed. When Cunard rejected his proposal, Pearce offered his idea to the Guion Line
Guion Line
The Liverpool and Great Western Steamship Company, known commonly as the Guion Line, was a British passenger service that operated the Liverpool-Queenstown-New York route from 1866 to 1894. While incorporated in Great Britain, 52% of the company's capital was from the American firm, Williams and...
, a firm primarily engaged in the steerage trade. The first ship Pearce built for Guion, the Arizona
SS Arizona
The Arizona was a record breaking British passenger liner that was the first of the Guion Line's Atlantic Greyhounds on the Liverpool-Queenstown-New York route...
was described as a "souped up transatlantic hot rod" by one nautical historian. While she only won the eastbound record, two years later, Guion took delivery of the even faster Alaska that won the Blue Riband at 16.07 knots (31.5 km/h). To continue the program, Pearce offered Guion favourable terms on a third unit, the Oregon
SS Oregon (1883)
The Oregon was a record breaking British passenger liner that won the Blue Riband for the Guion Line as the fastest liner on the Atlantic in 1884. She was sold to the Cunard Line after a few voyages and continued to improve her passage times for her new owner...
, which raised the Blue Riband to 18.56 knots (36.4 km/h) in 1884. These ships were uncomfortable and their excessive coal consumption made them uneconomic. However, for a while they were popular with American clients because of their American ownership.
After being out of the contest for a decade, Cunard finally started to rebuild. In 1884, Cunard purchased the Oregon from the Guion line when that firm defaulted on payments to the shipyard. Later that year, Cunard commissioned the first steel-hulled Blue Riband winners, the Umbria
RMS Umbria
RMS Umbria and her sister ship RMS Etruria were the last two Cunarders that were fitted with auxiliary sails. RMS Umbria was built by John Elder & Co at Glasgow, Scotland in 1884. The “Umbria” and her sister “Etruria” were record breakers. They were the largest liners then in service and they plied...
and Etruria
RMS Etruria
RMS Etruria and her sister ship RMS Umbria were the last two Cunarders that were fitted with auxiliary sails. RMS Etruria was built by John Elder & Co of Glasgow, Scotland in 1884. The Etruria and her sister Umbria, by the standards of the time, were record breakers. They were the largest liners...
. Etruria, the faster of the pair, raised the Blue Riband standard to 19.56 knots (38.3 km/h) on a 6 day, 2 hour run from Queenstown to Sandy Hook in 1888. However, Etruria and her sister represented the limit of single screw technology.
Double screw steamers (1889–1907)
International Navigation Company
The International Navigation Company was a Philadelphia based holding company owning 26 ships totaling 181,000 tons and carried more passengers than either Cunard or White Star, when the company was reorganized as International Mercantile Marine in 1902...
could purchase Inman's assets. The new owners provided the capital to build two outstanding record breakers, the twin screw and the . Starting in 1889, the later ship won the Blue Riband on four occasions, including a voyage at 20.7 knots (40.6 km/h) in 1892. White Star, which had not built an express liner since the of 1875, commissioned the Blue Riband winners, of 1889 and of 1890 after receiving a subsidy from the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
to make the pair available as merchant cruisers in the event of hostilities. Cunard countered with two even faster Blue Riband winners, the Campania
RMS Campania
RMS Campania was a British ocean liner owned by the Cunard Steamship Line Shipping Company, built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company of Govan, Scotland, and launched on Thursday, 8 September 1891....
and the Lucania
RMS Lucania
RMS Lucania was a British ocean liner owned by the Cunard Steamship Line Shipping Company, built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company of Govan, Scotland, and launched on Thursday, 2 February 1893....
of 1893. The next year, Lucania recorded a voyage at 21.81 knots (42.7 km/h). Inman became the American Line
American Line
The American Line was a shipping company based in Philadelphia that was founded in 1871. It began as part of the Pennsylvania Railroad, although the railroad got out of the shipping business soon after founding the company...
and ordered two additional express liners from American yards, but no attempt was made to best the new Cunarders. In 1894, Guion ceased sailing as its ships were now hopelessly outdated.
No sooner had Cunard reestablished its supremacy than new rivals emerged. Beginning in the late 1860s, several German firms commissioned liners that were almost as fast as the British mail steamers working from Liverpool. In 1889, the Hamburg-America Line
Hamburg America Line
The Hamburg Amerikanische Packetfahrt Actien Gesellschaft was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, Germany during...
commissioned four double screw steamers capable of 18 knots (35.3 km/h). Its rival, Norddeutscher Lloyd
Norddeutscher Lloyd
Norddeutsche Lloyd was a German shipping company. It was founded by Hermann Henrich Meier and Eduard Crüsemann in Bremen on February 20, 1857. It developed into one of the most important German shipping companies of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and was instrumental in the economic...
(NDL) lagged behind until 1895 when it ordered two ships intended to take the Blue Riband. In 1898, the raised the Blue Riband to 22.29 knots (43.7 km/h), while the other liner, the Kaiser Friedrich failed to achieve her contract speed and was returned to her builders. Hamburg America ordered the even more powerful that reached 23.06 knots (45.2 km/h) on one of her 1900 Blue Riband voyages. However, Hamburg America quickly learned that these high powered double screw liners had vibration problems. Deutschland had the unpleasant nickname, "cocktail shaker" and actually lost part of her stern in 1902 because of the constant vibration.
Rather than match the new German speedsters, White Star decided to drop out of the competition and commission the four large Celtic-class luxury liners of more moderate speed. White Star realised that passengers preferred comfort even if this means spending an extra day at sea. In 1902, White Star joined the well capitalised American combine, the International Mercantile Marine Co.
International Mercantile Marine Co.
The International Mercantile Marine Co., originally the International Navigation Co., was a trust formed in the early twentieth century as an attempt by J.P. Morgan to monopolize the shipping trade. The end result was heavy losses for Morgan....
(IMM) that owned the American Line and others. IMM also had trade agreements with Hamburg America and Norddeutscher Lloyd. After its bad experience with the Deutschland, Hamburg America also dropped out of the race and commissioned large luxury liners based on the Celtic. However, NDL completed building a fleet of four additional express liners modelled on Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse.
Ships of state (1907–69)
Compagnie Générale Transatlantique
The Compagnie Générale Transatlantique , typically known overseas as the French Line, was a shipping company established during 1861 as an attempt to revive the French merchant marine, the poor state of which was indicated during the Crimean War of 1856...
(CGT) were independent of the IMM combine. British prestige was at stake, and the Government provided Cunard with an annual subsidy of £150,000 plus a low interest loan of £2.5 million to pay for the construction of the two superliners, the Lusitania
RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland. The ship entered passenger service with the Cunard Line on 26 August 1907 and continued on the line's heavily-traveled passenger service between Liverpool, England and New...
and Mauretania
RMS Mauretania (1906)
RMS Mauretania was an ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson at Wallsend, Tyne and Wear for the British Cunard Line, and launched on 20 September 1906. At the time, she was the largest and fastest ship in the world. Mauretania became a favourite among...
under the condition that they be available for conversion to armed cruisers when needed by the navy. Starting in 1907, both ships won the Blue Riband and Mauretania’s 1909 record of 26.06 knots (51.1 km/h) stood for 20 years. However, these ships paid a price for speed and lacked many of the amenities found in the new White Star and Hamburg American luxury liners. Both Cunard rivals ordered a trio of even bigger luxury liners, the White Star Olympic-class capable of 21.5 knots (42.1 km/h) and Hapag Imperator-class capable of 22.5 knots (44.1 km/h). Even Cunard chose this approach when it ordered its third superliner, the Aquitania
RMS Aquitania
RMS Aquitania was a Cunard Line ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown & Company in Clydebank, Scotland. She was launched on 21 April 1913 and sailed on her maiden voyage to New York on 30 May 1914...
As a result of the war, Hamburg American and Norddeutscher Lloyd lost their premier units. In 1926, the U.S. Government awarded Norddeutscher Lloyd (NDL) $27 million in compensation for its confiscated liners. By this time, improvements in turbine technology and hull form along with the use of fuel oil instead of coal made it possible to build more civilised record breakers. Using these funds, NDL ordered two ships designed to cross the Atlantic in five days, the and . However, the American government netted the award against debts owed by the German Government and Berlin was forced to directly subside NDL to continue the project. Bremen recorded 27.83 knots (54.5 km/h) on her 1929 Blue Riband voyage and Europa increased the Blue Riband to 27.92 knots (54.7 km/h) in 1933.
In 1929, two lines from Italy each ordered a ship based on the German pair. Just as these ships were being completed, the Italian government nationalised the shipping industry, creating the Italian Line
Italian Line
The Italian Line or Italia Line, also known as the Italia di Navigazione S.p.A., was a passenger shipping line that operated regular transatlantic services between Italy and the United States, and Italy and South America...
. While both superliners were successful, only the won the Blue Riband, with a 1933 voyage at 28.92 knots (56.7 km/h).
CGT also ordered a new superliner in 1929. The next year, Cunard started construction on a 80,000 ton liner that was to be the first of two record breakers fast enough to fit into a two ship weekly Southampton-New York service. Consequently CGT altered its plans to make its new liner even bigger. However, as the 1929 shipping depression intensified, construction on Cunard’s hull 534 was halted while work on the heavily subsidised French ship continued. By 1934, White Star was failing and the British Government was concerned about potential job losses. Therefore, the government offered Cunard a loan of £3 million to complete hull 534 as the and an additional £5 million to build a second ship, the if Cunard merged with White Star.
CGT's entered service in 1935 and won the Blue Riband at 29.98 knots (58.8 km/h). Queen Mary was commissioned the next year, and after a few break-in voyages, took the Blue Riband to 30.14 knots (59.1 km/h). The two liners were operated a pair and traded the Blue Riband again, with the Cunard White Star Liner ultimately posting 30.99 knots (60.7 km/h) in 1938. Queen Mary’s consort, the Queen Elizabeth, was commissioned after war was declared and was never allowed to attempt the record.
Of the ships of state, only Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth and Europa survived the war. Europa became CGT's Liberte and no attempt was made to retain her former speed when she was reconstructed. However, the United States government was impressed by the large numbers of troops carried by the Queens during the war, and ordered a superliner that was as much a troop carrier as an express liner. On her maiden voyage in 1952, the United States upped the Blue Riband to 34.51 knots (67.6 km/h). In 1958, the transatlantic airlines put jet transports into service and the days of the record breakers were numbered. Liberte retired 1961, Queen Mary in 1967, and the United States in 1969.
Hales trophy
In 1935, Harold K. HalesHarold Hales
Sir Harold Keates Hales MP was an eccentric British shipping magnate, politician and founder of the Hales Trophy for the Blue Riband award for the ship with the record for the fastest transatlantic crossing. He claimed to be the inspiration for the title character of Arnold Bennett's The Card...
(1868–1942), a member of the UK Parliament and owner of a shipping company, commissioned a Sheffield goldsmith to produce a large trophy to be presented to the fastest ship crossing the Atlantic. The four feet tall nearly 100 pound Hales Trophy is made of solid silver and heavy gilt fashioned with a globe resting on two winged figures of Victory standing on a base of carved green onyx, with an enamelled blue ribbon encircling the middle, and decorated with models of galleons, modern ocean liners and statues of Neptune
Neptune
Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun in the Solar System. Named for the Roman god of the sea, it is the fourth-largest planet by diameter and the third largest by mass. Neptune is 17 times the mass of Earth and is slightly more massive than its near-twin Uranus, which is 15 times...
and Amphitrite
Amphitrite
In ancient Greek mythology, Amphitrite was a sea-goddess and wife of Poseidon. Under the influence of the Olympian pantheon, she became merely the consort of Poseidon, and was further diminished by poets to a symbolic representation of the sea...
, god and goddess of the sea. The trophy is surmounted by a figure depicting speed pushing a three-stacked liner against a figure symbolizing the forces of the Atlantic, which is represented in blue enamel with the traditional ocean liner route indicated by a red enamelled line.
The rules for the trophy did not correspond to the traditional rules for the Blue Riband in that the trophy could be awarded to any surface passenger ship achieving the fastest speed in either direction. Other rule changes further complicated the situation. For example, before the trophy was finished, Hales made arrangements to present the trophy to the Rex. In the meantime, Normandie took the record and Hales changed the rules so that any new claimant must wait three months to give the current holder a chance to beat the new record. In August, 1935, the trophy was presented to the Rex, and then transferred to the Normandie two months later. Cunard White Star's Queen Mary was the next winner, but Cunard White Star refused to accept the trophy. The Queen's captain explained that, "We don't believe in racing on the Atlantic, or in blue ribands, or trophies and the like." Hales again changed the rules so that the trophy could only be won by a "non-British ship".
Hales died in 1942 and the location of the trophy was unknown when the United States Lines (USL) started planning the maiden voyage of its new record breaker, the United States. The trophy was found at the Sheffield goldsmith where it had been originally made. In 1952, USL accepted the trophy at a ceremony attended by 400 guests. It was displayed in USL's New York City headquarters until after the United States was taken out of service in 1969. Ten years later, the trophy was transferred to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy's
United States Merchant Marine Academy
The United States Merchant Marine Academy is one of the five United States Service academies...
museum as a relic.
In 1986, Richard Branson
Richard Branson
Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is an English business magnate, best known for his Virgin Group of more than 400 companies....
was successful in setting a new eastbound transatlantic speed record in the powerboat Challenger II. He was not awarded the Hales trophy because his boat was not a commercial vessel. In 1990, the 242 feet (73.8 m) catamaran passenger/car ferry Hoverspeed Great Britain was scheduled to take a delivery voyage from her Australian builders to begin cross channel operations. Her owners confirmed with the Hales trophy trustees in the UK that their vessel would be eligible for the trophy if they beat the United States record, even though the ship would not actually carry passengers on the trip. The trustees ruled that the ship still met the criteria. After Hoverspeed Great Britain's successful voyage, the Maritime Museum considered challenging the decision on the grounds that Hales donated the award for ships providing Atlantic passenger service, but decided not to because of the cost of legal fees. The trophy case at the academy remained empty for the next eight years until Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Doral, Florida, a suburb of Miami in the United States. Originally an independent company founded in 1972 by Ted Arison, the company is now one of eleven cruise ship brands owned and operated by Carnival Corporation & plc...
loaned the museum a replica of the trophy. In 1992, the Italian powerboat Destriero
Destriero
Destriero is a long, wide, 400 ton displacement, yacht, rumoured to belong to the Aga Khan.The yacht was originally fitted with three GE LM1600 gas turbines, providing it with a maximum speed of 110 km/h and raced for the Blue Riband award in 1992, but was denied it, because Destriero was...
made a voyage at 53.09 knots (104 km/h), breaking Challenger II's record. The current holder of the Hales Trophy is the catamaran Cat-Link V (now Fjord Cat) for a 1998 delivery voyage (without passengers) at 41.3 knots (80.9 km/h). However, the United States is still considered the holder of the Blue Riband.
List of Record Breakers
The following is the latest consensus list of the research to date. Because there was no sanctioning body for the Blue Riband, researchers are limited to surviving shipping company archives and press reports to develop the list of Blue Riband winners. Early writers including Arthur Maginnus (1892), Henry Frey (1896), Charles Lee (1931) and C. R. Benstead (1936) were the standard sources until the 1950s. Since then, C. R. Vernon Gibbs (1952), and Noel Bonsor (1975) added to the body of knowledge, with additional detail about the German ships provided by Arnold Kludas.Over the years, the lists have not agreed. For example, Gibbs credits Inman's City of Paris with a 1866 Blue Riband voyage, and Cunard's Russia with an eastbound record the following year because he considered as dubious Scotia's Blue Riband claim of 14.46 knots (28.3 km/h), supposedly based on a very long track. Later writers have included the Scotia claim. Gibbs also includes the claimed Blue Riband voyage at 17.6 knots (34.5 km/h) of the National Line's America of 1884 that was not confirmed by later researchers.
Westbound Record Breakers (Blue Riband Holders)
| Steamer | Year | Dates | Line | From | To | Distance | Days, hours, minutes | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1838 | 4 April–22 April | B&A British and American Steam Navigation Company The British and American Steam Navigation Company was a pre-Cunard steamship line that operated a regular transatlantic service from 1839 to 1841. Before its first purpose-built Atlantic liner, the British Queen was completed, British and American chartered the Sirius for two voyages in 1838 to... |
Cork Cork (city) Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban... |
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
3583 nautical miles (6,635.7 km) | 18 d, 14 h, 22 m | 8.03 knots (15.7 km/h) | |
| 1838 | 8 April–23 April | GW Great Western Steamship Company The Great Western Steam Ship Company operated the first regular transatlantic steamer service from 1838 until 1846. Related to the Great Western Railway, the company's directors expected their new enterprise to achieve the position that was ultimately secured by the Cunard Line... |
Avonmouth Avonmouth Avonmouth is a port and suburb of Bristol, England, located on the Severn Estuary, at the mouth of the River Avon.The council ward of Avonmouth also includes Shirehampton and the western end of Lawrence Weston.- Geography :... |
New York | 3220 nautical miles (5,963.4 km) | 15 d, 12 h, 0 m | 8.66 knots (17 km/h) | |
| 1838 | 2 June–17 June | GW Great Western Steamship Company The Great Western Steam Ship Company operated the first regular transatlantic steamer service from 1838 until 1846. Related to the Great Western Railway, the company's directors expected their new enterprise to achieve the position that was ultimately secured by the Cunard Line... |
Avonmouth Avonmouth Avonmouth is a port and suburb of Bristol, England, located on the Severn Estuary, at the mouth of the River Avon.The council ward of Avonmouth also includes Shirehampton and the western end of Lawrence Weston.- Geography :... |
New York | 3140 nautical miles (5,815.3 km) | 14 d, 16 h, 0 m | 8.92 knots (17.5 km/h) | |
| 1839 | 18 May–31 May | GW Great Western Steamship Company The Great Western Steam Ship Company operated the first regular transatlantic steamer service from 1838 until 1846. Related to the Great Western Railway, the company's directors expected their new enterprise to achieve the position that was ultimately secured by the Cunard Line... |
Avonmouth Avonmouth Avonmouth is a port and suburb of Bristol, England, located on the Severn Estuary, at the mouth of the River Avon.The council ward of Avonmouth also includes Shirehampton and the western end of Lawrence Weston.- Geography :... |
New York | 3086 nautical miles (5,715.3 km) | 13 d, 12 h, 0 m | 9.52 knots (18.7 km/h) | |
| Columbia | 1841 | 4 June–15 June | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Liverpool | Halifax City of Halifax Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996... |
2534 nautical miles (4,693 km) | 10 d, 19 h, 0 m | 9.78 knots (19.2 km/h) |
| 1843 | 29 April–11 May | GW Great Western Steamship Company The Great Western Steam Ship Company operated the first regular transatlantic steamer service from 1838 until 1846. Related to the Great Western Railway, the company's directors expected their new enterprise to achieve the position that was ultimately secured by the Cunard Line... |
Liverpool | New York | 3068 nautical miles (5,681.9 km) | 12 d, 18 h, 0 m | 10.03 knots (19.7 km/h) | |
| Cambria | 1845 | 19 July–29 July | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Liverpool | Halifax City of Halifax Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996... |
2534 nautical miles (4,693 km) | 9 d, 20 h, 30 m | 10.71 knots (21 km/h) |
| America RMS America Class The America class was the replacement for the Britannia class, the Cunard Line's initial fleet of wooden paddle steamers. Entering service starting in 1848, these six vessels permitted Cunard to double its schedule to weekly departures from Liverpool, with alternating sailings to New York. The... |
1848 | 3 June–12 June | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Liverpool | Halifax City of Halifax Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996... |
2534 nautical miles (4,693 km) | 9 d, 0 h, 16 m | 11.71 knots (22.9 km/h) |
| Europa RMS America Class The America class was the replacement for the Britannia class, the Cunard Line's initial fleet of wooden paddle steamers. Entering service starting in 1848, these six vessels permitted Cunard to double its schedule to weekly departures from Liverpool, with alternating sailings to New York. The... |
1848 | 14 October–23 October | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Liverpool | Halifax, Nova Scotia City of Halifax Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996... |
2534 nautical miles (4,693 km) | 8 d, 23 h, 0 m | 11.79 knots (23.1 km/h) |
| Asia RMS America Class The America class was the replacement for the Britannia class, the Cunard Line's initial fleet of wooden paddle steamers. Entering service starting in 1848, these six vessels permitted Cunard to double its schedule to weekly departures from Liverpool, with alternating sailings to New York. The... |
1850 | 18 May–27 May | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Liverpool | Halifax City of Halifax Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996... |
2534 nautical miles (4,693 km) | 8 d, 14 h, 50 m | 12.25 knots (24 km/h) |
| 1850 | 11 September–21 September | Collins Collins Line The Collins Line is the common name for the American shipping company started by Israel Collins and then built up by his son Edward Knight Collins... |
Liverpool | New York | 3050 nautical miles (5,648.6 km) | 10 d, 4 h, 45 m | 12.46 knots (24.4 km/h) | |
| 1851 | 6 August–16 August | Collins Collins Line The Collins Line is the common name for the American shipping company started by Israel Collins and then built up by his son Edward Knight Collins... |
Liverpool | New York | 3039 nautical miles (5,628.2 km) | 9 d, 19 h, 26 m | 12.91 knots (25.3 km/h) | |
| 1854 | 28 June–7 July | Collins Collins Line The Collins Line is the common name for the American shipping company started by Israel Collins and then built up by his son Edward Knight Collins... |
Liverpool | New York | 3037 nautical miles (5,624.5 km) | 9 d, 16 h, 52 m | 13.04 knots (25.6 km/h) | |
| Persia RMS Persia Persia was a British passenger liner operated by the Cunard Line that won the Blue Riband in 1856 for the fastest westbound transatlantic voyage. She was the first Atlantic record breaker constructed of iron and was the largest ship in the world at the time of her launch... |
1856 | 19 April–29 April | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Liverpool | Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
3045 nautical miles (5,639.3 km) | 9 d, 16 h, 16 m | 13.11 knots (25.7 km/h) |
| Scotia RMS Scotia Scotia was a British passenger liner operated by the Cunard Line that won the Blue Riband in 1863 for the fastest westbound transatlantic voyage. She was the last ocean going paddle steamer and as late as 1874 she made Cunard's second fastest voyage. Laid up in 1876, Scotia was converted to a... |
1863 | 19 July–27 July | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
New York | 2820 nautical miles (5,222.6 km) | 8 d, 3 h, 0 m | 14.46 knots (28.3 km/h) |
| 1872 | 17 May–25 May | W.Star White Star Line The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British shipping company, today most famous for its ill-fated vessel, the RMS Titanic, and the World War I loss of Titanics sister ship Britannic... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
2778 nautical miles (5,144.9 km) | 7 d, 23 h, 17 m | 14.53 knots (28.5 km/h) | |
| 1875 | 30 July–7 August | W.Star White Star Line The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British shipping company, today most famous for its ill-fated vessel, the RMS Titanic, and the World War I loss of Titanics sister ship Britannic... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
2800 nautical miles (5,185.6 km) | 7 d, 23 h, 7 m | 14.65 knots (28.7 km/h) | |
| City of Berlin SS City of Berlin City of Berlin was a British passenger liner that won the Blue Riband for the Inman Line in 1875 as the fastest liner on the Atlantic. She was also the largest passenger ship for six years except for the inactive Great Eastern Built by Caird & Company in Scotland, City of Berlin was the Inman... |
1875 | 17 September–25 September | Inman Inman Line The Inman Line which operated from 1850 until its 1893 absorption into American Line, was one of the three largest 19th century British passenger shipping companies on the North Atlantic, along with the White Star Line and Cunard Line... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Sandy Bank | 2829 nautical miles (5,239.3 km) | 7 d, 18 h, 2 m | 15.21 knots (29.8 km/h) |
| 1876 | 27 October–4 November | W.Star White Star Line The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British shipping company, today most famous for its ill-fated vessel, the RMS Titanic, and the World War I loss of Titanics sister ship Britannic... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
2795 nautical miles (5,176.3 km) | 7 d, 13 h, 11 m | 15.43 knots (30.2 km/h) | |
| 1877 | 6 April–13 April | W.Star White Star Line The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British shipping company, today most famous for its ill-fated vessel, the RMS Titanic, and the World War I loss of Titanics sister ship Britannic... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
2830 nautical miles (5,241.2 km) | 7 d, 11 h, 37 m | 15.76 knots (30.9 km/h) | |
| Alaska | 1882 | 9 April–16 April | Guion Guion Line The Liverpool and Great Western Steamship Company, known commonly as the Guion Line, was a British passenger service that operated the Liverpool-Queenstown-New York route from 1866 to 1894. While incorporated in Great Britain, 52% of the company's capital was from the American firm, Williams and... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
2802 nautical miles (5,189.3 km) | 7 d, 6 h, 20 m | 16.07 knots (31.5 km/h) |
| Alaska | 1882 | 14 May–21 May | Guion Guion Line The Liverpool and Great Western Steamship Company, known commonly as the Guion Line, was a British passenger service that operated the Liverpool-Queenstown-New York route from 1866 to 1894. While incorporated in Great Britain, 52% of the company's capital was from the American firm, Williams and... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
2871 nautical miles (5,317.1 km) | 7 d, 4 h, 12 m | 16.67 knots (32.7 km/h) |
| Alaska | 1882 | 18 June–25 June | Guion Guion Line The Liverpool and Great Western Steamship Company, known commonly as the Guion Line, was a British passenger service that operated the Liverpool-Queenstown-New York route from 1866 to 1894. While incorporated in Great Britain, 52% of the company's capital was from the American firm, Williams and... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
2886 nautical miles (5,344.9 km) | 7 d, 1 h, 58 m | 16.98 knots (33.3 km/h) |
| Alaska | 1883 | 29 April–6 May | Guion Guion Line The Liverpool and Great Western Steamship Company, known commonly as the Guion Line, was a British passenger service that operated the Liverpool-Queenstown-New York route from 1866 to 1894. While incorporated in Great Britain, 52% of the company's capital was from the American firm, Williams and... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
2844 nautical miles (5,267.1 km) | 6 d, 23 h, 48 m | 17.05 knots (33.4 km/h) |
| Oregon SS Oregon (1883) The Oregon was a record breaking British passenger liner that won the Blue Riband for the Guion Line as the fastest liner on the Atlantic in 1884. She was sold to the Cunard Line after a few voyages and continued to improve her passage times for her new owner... |
1884 | 13 April–19 April | Guion Guion Line The Liverpool and Great Western Steamship Company, known commonly as the Guion Line, was a British passenger service that operated the Liverpool-Queenstown-New York route from 1866 to 1894. While incorporated in Great Britain, 52% of the company's capital was from the American firm, Williams and... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
2861 nautical miles (5,298.6 km) | 6 d, 10 h, 10 m | 18.56 knots (36.4 km/h) |
| 1885 | 16 August–22 August | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
2801 nautical miles (5,187.5 km) | 6 d, 5 h, 31 m | 18.73 knots (36.7 km/h) | |
| 1887 | 29 May–4 June | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
2848 nautical miles (5,274.5 km) | 6 d, 4 h, 12 m | 19.22 knots (37.7 km/h) | |
| 1888 | 27 May–2 June | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
2854 nautical miles (5,285.6 km) | 6 d, 1 h, 55 m | 19.56 knots (38.3 km/h) | |
| 1889 | 2 May–8 May | Inman Inman Line The Inman Line which operated from 1850 until its 1893 absorption into American Line, was one of the three largest 19th century British passenger shipping companies on the North Atlantic, along with the White Star Line and Cunard Line... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
2855 nautical miles (5,287.5 km) | 5 d, 23 h, 7 m | 19.95 knots (39.1 km/h) | |
| 1889 | 22 August–28 August | Inman Inman Line The Inman Line which operated from 1850 until its 1893 absorption into American Line, was one of the three largest 19th century British passenger shipping companies on the North Atlantic, along with the White Star Line and Cunard Line... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
2788 nautical miles (5,163.4 km) | 5 d, 19 h, 18 m | 20.01 knots (39.2 km/h) | |
| 1891 | 30 July–5 August | W.Star White Star Line The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British shipping company, today most famous for its ill-fated vessel, the RMS Titanic, and the World War I loss of Titanics sister ship Britannic... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
2777 nautical miles (5,143 km) | 5 d, 18 h, 8 m | 20.1 knots (39.4 km/h) | |
| 1891 | 13 August–19 August | W.Star White Star Line The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British shipping company, today most famous for its ill-fated vessel, the RMS Titanic, and the World War I loss of Titanics sister ship Britannic... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
2778 nautical miles (5,144.9 km) | 5 d, 16 h, 31 m | 20.35 knots (39.9 km/h) | |
| 1892 | 20 July–27 July | Inman Inman Line The Inman Line which operated from 1850 until its 1893 absorption into American Line, was one of the three largest 19th century British passenger shipping companies on the North Atlantic, along with the White Star Line and Cunard Line... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
2785 nautical miles (5,157.8 km) | 5 d, 15 h, 58 m | 20.48 knots (40.1 km/h) | |
| 1892 | 13 October–18 October | Inman Inman Line The Inman Line which operated from 1850 until its 1893 absorption into American Line, was one of the three largest 19th century British passenger shipping companies on the North Atlantic, along with the White Star Line and Cunard Line... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
2782 nautical miles (5,152.3 km) | 5 d, 14 h, 24 m | 20.7 knots (40.6 km/h) | |
| 1893 | 18 June–23 June | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
2864 nautical miles (5,304.1 km) | 5 d, 15 h, 37 m | 21.12 knots (41.4 km/h) | |
| 1894 | 12 August–17 August | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
2776 nautical miles (5,141.2 km) | 5 d, 9 h, 29 m | 21.44 knots (42 km/h) | |
| 1894 | 26 August–31 August | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
2787 nautical miles (5,161.5 km) | 5 d, 8 h, 38 m | 21.65 knots (42.4 km/h) | |
| 1894 | 23 September–28 September | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
2782 nautical miles (5,152.3 km) | 5 d, 7 h, 48 m | 21.75 knots (42.6 km/h) | |
| 1894 | 21 October–26 October | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
2779 nautical miles (5,146.7 km) | 5 d, 7 h, 23 m | 21.81 knots (42.7 km/h) | |
| 1898 | 30 March–3 April | NDL Hapag-Lloyd Hapag-Lloyd is a German transportation company comprising a cargo container shipping line, Hapag-Lloyd AG, which in turn owns other subsidiaries such as Hapag-Lloyd Ships and a cruise line, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises which is now integrated into TUI AG, Hanover... |
The Needles The Needles The Needles is a row of three distinctive stacks of chalk that rise out of the sea off the western extremity of the Isle of Wight, England, close to Alum Bay. The Needles lighthouse stands at the end of the formation... |
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
3120 nautical miles (5,778.2 km) | 5 d, 20 h, 0 m | 22.29 knots (43.7 km/h) | |
| 1900 | 6 July–12 July | Hapag Hamburg America Line The Hamburg Amerikanische Packetfahrt Actien Gesellschaft was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, Germany during... |
Eddystone | Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
3044 nautical miles (5,637.5 km) | 5 d, 15 h, 46 m | 22.42 knots (43.9 km/h) | |
| 1900 | 26 August–1 September | Hapag Hamburg America Line The Hamburg Amerikanische Packetfahrt Actien Gesellschaft was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, Germany during... |
Cherbourg | Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
3050 nautical miles (5,648.6 km) | 5 d, 12 h, 29 m | 23.02 knots (45.1 km/h) | |
| 1901 | 26 July–1 August | Hapag Hamburg America Line The Hamburg Amerikanische Packetfahrt Actien Gesellschaft was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, Germany during... |
Cherbourg | Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
3141 nautical miles (5,817.1 km) | 5 d, 16 h, 12 m | 23.06 knots (45.2 km/h) | |
| Kronprinz Wilhelm | 1902 | 10 September–16 September | NDL Hapag-Lloyd Hapag-Lloyd is a German transportation company comprising a cargo container shipping line, Hapag-Lloyd AG, which in turn owns other subsidiaries such as Hapag-Lloyd Ships and a cruise line, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises which is now integrated into TUI AG, Hanover... |
Cherbourg | Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
3047 nautical miles (5,643 km) | 5 d, 11 h, 57 m | 23.09 knots (45.3 km/h) |
| 1903 | 2 September–8 September | Hapag Hamburg America Line The Hamburg Amerikanische Packetfahrt Actien Gesellschaft was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, Germany during... |
Cherbourg | Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
3054 nautical miles (5,656 km) | 5 d, 11 h, 54 m | 23.15 knots (45.4 km/h) | |
| 1907 | 6 October–10 October | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
2780 nautical miles (5,148.6 km) | 4 d, 19 h, 52 m | 23.99 knots (47 km/h) | |
| 1908 | 17 May–21 May | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
2889 nautical miles (5,350.4 km) | 4 d, 20 h, 22 m | 24.83 knots (48.7 km/h) | |
| 1908 | 5 July–10 July | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Sandy Hook Sandy Hook, New Jersey Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay... |
2891 nautical miles (5,354.1 km) | 4 d, 19 h, 36 m | 25.01 knots (49 km/h) | |
| 1909 | 8 August–12 August | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Ambrose Light Ambrose Light Ambrose Light, often called Ambrose Tower, was a light station at the convergence of several major shipping lanes in Lower New York Bay, including Ambrose Channel, the primary passage for ships entering and departing the Port of New York and New Jersey.... |
2890 nautical miles (5,352.3 km) | 4 d, 16 h, 40 m | 25.65 knots (50.3 km/h) | |
| 1909 | 26 September–30 September | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Queenstown Cobh Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island... |
Ambrose Light Ambrose Light Ambrose Light, often called Ambrose Tower, was a light station at the convergence of several major shipping lanes in Lower New York Bay, including Ambrose Channel, the primary passage for ships entering and departing the Port of New York and New Jersey.... |
2784 nautical miles (5,156 km) | 4 d, 10 h, 51 m | 26.06 knots (51.1 km/h) | |
| 1929 | 17 July–22 July | NDL Norddeutscher Lloyd Norddeutsche Lloyd was a German shipping company. It was founded by Hermann Henrich Meier and Eduard Crüsemann in Bremen on February 20, 1857. It developed into one of the most important German shipping companies of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and was instrumental in the economic... |
Cherbourg | Ambrose Light Ambrose Light Ambrose Light, often called Ambrose Tower, was a light station at the convergence of several major shipping lanes in Lower New York Bay, including Ambrose Channel, the primary passage for ships entering and departing the Port of New York and New Jersey.... |
3164 nautical miles (5,859.7 km) | 4 d, 17 h, 42 m | 27.83 knots (54.5 km/h) | |
| 1930 | 20 March–25 March | NDL Norddeutscher Lloyd Norddeutsche Lloyd was a German shipping company. It was founded by Hermann Henrich Meier and Eduard Crüsemann in Bremen on February 20, 1857. It developed into one of the most important German shipping companies of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and was instrumental in the economic... |
Cherbourg | Ambrose Light Ambrose Light Ambrose Light, often called Ambrose Tower, was a light station at the convergence of several major shipping lanes in Lower New York Bay, including Ambrose Channel, the primary passage for ships entering and departing the Port of New York and New Jersey.... |
3157 nautical miles (5,846.8 km) | 4 d, 17 h, 6 m | 27.91 knots (54.7 km/h) | |
| 1933 | 27 June–2 July | NDL Norddeutscher Lloyd Norddeutsche Lloyd was a German shipping company. It was founded by Hermann Henrich Meier and Eduard Crüsemann in Bremen on February 20, 1857. It developed into one of the most important German shipping companies of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and was instrumental in the economic... |
Cherbourg | Ambrose Light Ambrose Light Ambrose Light, often called Ambrose Tower, was a light station at the convergence of several major shipping lanes in Lower New York Bay, including Ambrose Channel, the primary passage for ships entering and departing the Port of New York and New Jersey.... |
3149 nautical miles (5,831.9 km) | 4 d, 16 h, 48 m | 27.92 knots (54.7 km/h) | |
| 1933 | 11 August–16 August | Italian Italian Line The Italian Line or Italia Line, also known as the Italia di Navigazione S.p.A., was a passenger shipping line that operated regular transatlantic services between Italy and the United States, and Italy and South America... |
Gibraltar Gibraltar Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region... |
Ambrose Light Ambrose Light Ambrose Light, often called Ambrose Tower, was a light station at the convergence of several major shipping lanes in Lower New York Bay, including Ambrose Channel, the primary passage for ships entering and departing the Port of New York and New Jersey.... |
3181 nautical miles (5,891.2 km) | 4 d, 13 h, 58 m | 28.92 knots (56.7 km/h) | |
| 1935 | 30 May–3 June | CGT Compagnie Générale Transatlantique The Compagnie Générale Transatlantique , typically known overseas as the French Line, was a shipping company established during 1861 as an attempt to revive the French merchant marine, the poor state of which was indicated during the Crimean War of 1856... |
Bishop Rock | Ambrose Light Ambrose Light Ambrose Light, often called Ambrose Tower, was a light station at the convergence of several major shipping lanes in Lower New York Bay, including Ambrose Channel, the primary passage for ships entering and departing the Port of New York and New Jersey.... |
2971 nautical miles (5,502.3 km) | 4 d, 3 h, 2 m | 29.98 knots (58.8 km/h) | |
| 1936 | 20 August–24 August | C-WS Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Bishop Rock | Ambrose Light Ambrose Light Ambrose Light, often called Ambrose Tower, was a light station at the convergence of several major shipping lanes in Lower New York Bay, including Ambrose Channel, the primary passage for ships entering and departing the Port of New York and New Jersey.... |
2907 nautical miles (5,383.8 km) | 4 d, 0 h, 27 m | 30.14 knots (59.1 km/h) | |
| 1937 | 29 July–2 August | CGT Compagnie Générale Transatlantique The Compagnie Générale Transatlantique , typically known overseas as the French Line, was a shipping company established during 1861 as an attempt to revive the French merchant marine, the poor state of which was indicated during the Crimean War of 1856... |
Bishop Rock | Ambrose Light Ambrose Light Ambrose Light, often called Ambrose Tower, was a light station at the convergence of several major shipping lanes in Lower New York Bay, including Ambrose Channel, the primary passage for ships entering and departing the Port of New York and New Jersey.... |
2906 nautical miles (5,381.9 km) | 3 d, 23 h, 2 m | 30.58 knots (59.9 km/h) | |
| 1938 | 4 August–8 August | C-WS Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Bishop Rock | Ambrose Light Ambrose Light Ambrose Light, often called Ambrose Tower, was a light station at the convergence of several major shipping lanes in Lower New York Bay, including Ambrose Channel, the primary passage for ships entering and departing the Port of New York and New Jersey.... |
2907 nautical miles (5,383.8 km) | 3 d, 21 h, 48 m | 30.99 knots (60.7 km/h) | |
| 1952 | 11 July–15 July | USL United States Lines United States Lines was a transatlantic shipping company that operated cargo services from 1921 to 1989, and ocean liners until 1969—most famously the SS United States.-1920s:... |
Bishop Rock | Ambrose Light Ambrose Light Ambrose Light, often called Ambrose Tower, was a light station at the convergence of several major shipping lanes in Lower New York Bay, including Ambrose Channel, the primary passage for ships entering and departing the Port of New York and New Jersey.... |
2906 nautical miles (5,381.9 km) | 3 d, 12 h, 12 m | 34.51 knots (67.6 km/h) |
Eastbound Record Breakers
Not to be confused with Blue Riband holders| Steamer | Year | Dates | Line | From | To | Distance | Days, hours, minutes | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1838 | 1 May–19 May | B&A British and American Steam Navigation Company The British and American Steam Navigation Company was a pre-Cunard steamship line that operated a regular transatlantic service from 1839 to 1841. Before its first purpose-built Atlantic liner, the British Queen was completed, British and American chartered the Sirius for two voyages in 1838 to... |
New York | Falmouth | 3159 nautical miles (5,850.5 km) | 18/0/0 | 7.31 knots (14.3 km/h) | |
| 1838 | 7 May–22 May | GW Great Western Steamship Company The Great Western Steam Ship Company operated the first regular transatlantic steamer service from 1838 until 1846. Related to the Great Western Railway, the company's directors expected their new enterprise to achieve the position that was ultimately secured by the Cunard Line... |
New York | Avonmouth | 3218 nautical miles (5,959.7 km) | 14 d, 15 h, 59 m | 9.14 knots (17.9 km/h) | |
| 1838 | 25 June–8 July | GW Great Western Steamship Company The Great Western Steam Ship Company operated the first regular transatlantic steamer service from 1838 until 1846. Related to the Great Western Railway, the company's directors expected their new enterprise to achieve the position that was ultimately secured by the Cunard Line... |
New York | Avonmouth | 3099 nautical miles (5,739.3 km) | 12 d, 16 h, 34 m | 10.17 knots (19.9 km/h) | |
| Britannia | 1841 | 4 August–14 August | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Halifax | Liverpool | 2610 nautical miles (4,833.7 km) | 9 d, 21 h, 44 m | 10.98 knots (21.5 km/h) |
| 1842 | 28 April–11 May | GW Great Western Steamship Company The Great Western Steam Ship Company operated the first regular transatlantic steamer service from 1838 until 1846. Related to the Great Western Railway, the company's directors expected their new enterprise to achieve the position that was ultimately secured by the Cunard Line... |
New York | Liverpool | 3248 nautical miles (6,015.3 km) | 12 d, 7 h, 30 m | 10.99 knots (21.5 km/h) | |
| Columbia | 1843 | 4 April–14 April | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Halifax | Liverpool | 2534 nautical miles (4,693 km) | 9 d, 12 h, 0 m | 11.11 knots (21.8 km/h) |
| Hibernia | 1843 | 18 May–27 May | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Halifax | Liverpool | 2534 nautical miles (4,693 km) | 9 d, 10 h, 44 m | 11.18 knots (21.9 km/h) |
| Hibernia | 1843 | 18 July–27 July | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Halifax | Liverpool | 2534 nautical miles (4,693 km) | 8 d, 22 h, 44 m | 11.8 knots (23.1 km/h) |
| Canada RMS America Class The America class was the replacement for the Britannia class, the Cunard Line's initial fleet of wooden paddle steamers. Entering service starting in 1848, these six vessels permitted Cunard to double its schedule to weekly departures from Liverpool, with alternating sailings to New York. The... |
1849 | 19 July–28 July | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Halifax | Liverpool | 2534 nautical miles (4,693 km) | 8 d, 12 h, 44 m | 12.38 knots (24.3 km/h) |
| 1851 | 10 May–20 May | Collins Collins Line The Collins Line is the common name for the American shipping company started by Israel Collins and then built up by his son Edward Knight Collins... |
New York | Liverpool | 3078 nautical miles (5,700.5 km) | 9 d, 20 h, 14 m | 13.03 knots (25.5 km/h) | |
| 1852 | 7 February–17 February | Collins Collins Line The Collins Line is the common name for the American shipping company started by Israel Collins and then built up by his son Edward Knight Collins... |
New York | Liverpool | 3051 nautical miles (5,650.5 km) | 9 d, 17 h, 15 m | 13.06 knots (25.6 km/h) | |
| Persia RMS Persia Persia was a British passenger liner operated by the Cunard Line that won the Blue Riband in 1856 for the fastest westbound transatlantic voyage. She was the first Atlantic record breaker constructed of iron and was the largest ship in the world at the time of her launch... |
1856 | 2 April–12 April | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Sandy Hook | Liverpool | 3048 nautical miles (5,644.9 km) | 9 d, 10 h, 22 m | 13.46 knots (26.4 km/h) |
| Persia RMS Persia Persia was a British passenger liner operated by the Cunard Line that won the Blue Riband in 1856 for the fastest westbound transatlantic voyage. She was the first Atlantic record breaker constructed of iron and was the largest ship in the world at the time of her launch... |
1856 | 14 May–23 May | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Sandy Hook | Liverpool | 3048 nautical miles (5,644.9 km) | 9 d, 3 h, 24 m | 13.89 knots (27.2 km/h) |
| Persia RMS Persia Persia was a British passenger liner operated by the Cunard Line that won the Blue Riband in 1856 for the fastest westbound transatlantic voyage. She was the first Atlantic record breaker constructed of iron and was the largest ship in the world at the time of her launch... |
1856 | 6 August–15 August | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Sandy Hook | Liverpool | 3046 nautical miles (5,641.2 km) | 8 d, 23 h, 19 m | 14.15 knots (27.7 km/h) |
| Scotia RMS Scotia Scotia was a British passenger liner operated by the Cunard Line that won the Blue Riband in 1863 for the fastest westbound transatlantic voyage. She was the last ocean going paddle steamer and as late as 1874 she made Cunard's second fastest voyage. Laid up in 1876, Scotia was converted to a... |
1863 | 16 December–24 December | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
New York | Queenstown | 2800 nautical miles (5,185.6 km) | 8 d, 5 h, 42 m | 14.16 knots (27.8 km/h) |
| City of Brussels SS City of Brussels City of Brussels was a British passenger liner that set the record for the fastest Atlantic eastbound voyage in 1869, becoming the first record breaker driven by a screw... |
1869 | 4 December–12 December | Inman Inman Line The Inman Line which operated from 1850 until its 1893 absorption into American Line, was one of the three largest 19th century British passenger shipping companies on the North Atlantic, along with the White Star Line and Cunard Line... |
Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2780 nautical miles (5,148.6 km) | 7 d, 20 h, 33 m | 14.74 knots (28.9 km/h) |
| 1873 | 11 January–19 January | W.Star White Star Line The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British shipping company, today most famous for its ill-fated vessel, the RMS Titanic, and the World War I loss of Titanics sister ship Britannic... |
Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2840 nautical miles (5,259.7 km) | 7 d, 20 h, 9 m | 15.09 knots (29.6 km/h) | |
| City of Berlin SS City of Berlin City of Berlin was a British passenger liner that won the Blue Riband for the Inman Line in 1875 as the fastest liner on the Atlantic. She was also the largest passenger ship for six years except for the inactive Great Eastern Built by Caird & Company in Scotland, City of Berlin was the Inman... |
1875 | 2 October–10 October | Inman Inman Line The Inman Line which operated from 1850 until its 1893 absorption into American Line, was one of the three largest 19th century British passenger shipping companies on the North Atlantic, along with the White Star Line and Cunard Line... |
Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2820 nautical miles (5,222.6 km) | 7 d, 15 h, 28 m | 15.37 knots (30.1 km/h) |
| 1876 | 5 February–13 February | W.Star White Star Line The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British shipping company, today most famous for its ill-fated vessel, the RMS Titanic, and the World War I loss of Titanics sister ship Britannic... |
Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2894 nautical miles (5,359.7 km) | 7 d, 15 h, 17 m | 15.79 knots (30.9 km/h) | |
| 1876 | 16 December–24 December | W.Star White Star Line The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British shipping company, today most famous for its ill-fated vessel, the RMS Titanic, and the World War I loss of Titanics sister ship Britannic... |
Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2892 nautical miles (5,356 km) | 7 d, 12 h, 41 m | 15.94 knots (31.2 km/h) | |
| 1879 | 22 July–29 July | Guion Guion Line The Liverpool and Great Western Steamship Company, known commonly as the Guion Line, was a British passenger service that operated the Liverpool-Queenstown-New York route from 1866 to 1894. While incorporated in Great Britain, 52% of the company's capital was from the American firm, Williams and... |
Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2810 nautical miles (5,204.1 km) | 7 d, 8 h, 11 m | 15.96 knots (31.3 km/h) | |
| Alaska SS Alaska The Alaska was a record breaking British passenger liner that won the Blue Riband for the Guion Line as the fastest liner on the Atlantic in 1882. She was a slightly larger and faster edition of Guion's Arizona and in 1883 became the first liner to make the crossing to New York in under a week... |
1882 | 30 May–6 June | Guion Guion Line The Liverpool and Great Western Steamship Company, known commonly as the Guion Line, was a British passenger service that operated the Liverpool-Queenstown-New York route from 1866 to 1894. While incorporated in Great Britain, 52% of the company's capital was from the American firm, Williams and... |
Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2791 nautical miles (5,168.9 km) | 6 d, 22 h, 0 m | 16.81 knots (32.9 km/h) |
| Alaska | 1882 | 12 September–19 September | Guion Guion Line The Liverpool and Great Western Steamship Company, known commonly as the Guion Line, was a British passenger service that operated the Liverpool-Queenstown-New York route from 1866 to 1894. While incorporated in Great Britain, 52% of the company's capital was from the American firm, Williams and... |
Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2781 nautical miles (5,150.4 km) | 6 d, 18 h, 37 m | 17.1 knots (33.5 km/h) |
| Oregon SS Oregon (1883) The Oregon was a record breaking British passenger liner that won the Blue Riband for the Guion Line as the fastest liner on the Atlantic in 1884. She was sold to the Cunard Line after a few voyages and continued to improve her passage times for her new owner... |
1884 | 29 March–5 April | Guion Guion Line The Liverpool and Great Western Steamship Company, known commonly as the Guion Line, was a British passenger service that operated the Liverpool-Queenstown-New York route from 1866 to 1894. While incorporated in Great Britain, 52% of the company's capital was from the American firm, Williams and... |
Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2916 nautical miles (5,400.4 km) | 7 d, 2 h, 18 m | 17.12 knots (33.6 km/h) |
| Oregon SS Oregon (1883) The Oregon was a record breaking British passenger liner that won the Blue Riband for the Guion Line as the fastest liner on the Atlantic in 1884. She was sold to the Cunard Line after a few voyages and continued to improve her passage times for her new owner... |
1884 | 26 April–3 May | Guion Guion Line The Liverpool and Great Western Steamship Company, known commonly as the Guion Line, was a British passenger service that operated the Liverpool-Queenstown-New York route from 1866 to 1894. While incorporated in Great Britain, 52% of the company's capital was from the American firm, Williams and... |
Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2916 nautical miles (5,400.4 km) | 6 d, 16 h, 57 m | 18.09 knots (35.5 km/h) |
| Oregon SS Oregon (1883) The Oregon was a record breaking British passenger liner that won the Blue Riband for the Guion Line as the fastest liner on the Atlantic in 1884. She was sold to the Cunard Line after a few voyages and continued to improve her passage times for her new owner... |
1884 | 30 July–6 August | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2853 nautical miles (5,283.8 km) | 6 d, 12 h, 54 m | 18.18 knots (35.6 km/h) |
| Oregon SS Oregon (1883) The Oregon was a record breaking British passenger liner that won the Blue Riband for the Guion Line as the fastest liner on the Atlantic in 1884. She was sold to the Cunard Line after a few voyages and continued to improve her passage times for her new owner... |
1884 | 3 September–10 September | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2853 nautical miles (5,283.8 km) | 6 d, 11 h, 9 m | 18.39 knots (36 km/h) |
| 1885 | 1 August–7 August | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2822 nautical miles (5,226.3 km) | 6 d, 9 h, 0 m | 18.44 knots (36.1 km/h) | |
| 1888 | 7 July–14 July | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2981 nautical miles (5,520.8 km) | 6 d, 4 h, 50 m | 19.36 knots (37.9 km/h) | |
| 1889 | 15 May–22 May | Inman Inman Line The Inman Line which operated from 1850 until its 1893 absorption into American Line, was one of the three largest 19th century British passenger shipping companies on the North Atlantic, along with the White Star Line and Cunard Line... |
Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2894 nautical miles (5,359.7 km) | 6 d, 0 h, 29 m | 20.03 knots (39.3 km/h) | |
| 1892 | 17 August–23 August | Inman Inman Line The Inman Line which operated from 1850 until its 1893 absorption into American Line, was one of the three largest 19th century British passenger shipping companies on the North Atlantic, along with the White Star Line and Cunard Line... |
Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2814 nautical miles (5,211.5 km) | 5 d, 19 h, 57 m | 20.11 knots (39.4 km/h) | |
| 1893 | 6 May–12 May | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2928 nautical miles (5,422.7 km) | 5 d, 17 h, 27 m | 21.3 knots (41.7 km/h) | |
| 1894 | 6 May–12 May | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2911 nautical miles (5,391.2 km) | 3 d, 13 h, 28 m | 21.81 knots (42.7 km/h) | |
| 1894 | 2 June–8 June | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2911 nautical miles (5,391.2 km) | 5 d, 12 h, 59 m | 21.9 knots (42.9 km/h) | |
| 1895 | 18 May–24 May | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2897 nautical miles (5,365.2 km) | 5 d, 11 h, 40 m | 22 knots (43.1 km/h) | |
| 1897 | 23 November–29 November | NDL Hapag-Lloyd Hapag-Lloyd is a German transportation company comprising a cargo container shipping line, Hapag-Lloyd AG, which in turn owns other subsidiaries such as Hapag-Lloyd Ships and a cruise line, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises which is now integrated into TUI AG, Hanover... |
Sandy Hook | Needles | 3065 nautical miles (5,676.4 km) | 5 d, 17 h, 23 m | 22.33 knots (43.8 km/h) | |
| 1900 | 18 July–24 July | Hapag Hamburg America Line The Hamburg Amerikanische Packetfahrt Actien Gesellschaft was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, Germany during... |
Sandy Hook | Eddystone | 3085 nautical miles (5,713.4 km) | 5 d, 15 h, 5 m | 22.84 knots (44.8 km/h) | |
| 1900 | 4 September–10 September | Hapag Hamburg America Line The Hamburg Amerikanische Packetfahrt Actien Gesellschaft was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, Germany during... |
Sandy Hook | Eddystone | 2981 nautical miles (5,520.8 km) | 5 d, 7 h, 38 m | 23.36 knots (45.8 km/h) | |
| 1901 | 13 June–19 June | Hapag Hamburg America Line The Hamburg Amerikanische Packetfahrt Actien Gesellschaft was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, Germany during... |
Sandy Hook | Eddystone | 3083 nautical miles (5,709.7 km) | 5 d, 11 h, 51 m | 23.38 knots (45.8 km/h) | |
| 1901 | 10 July–17 July | Hapag Hamburg America Line The Hamburg Amerikanische Packetfahrt Actien Gesellschaft was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, Germany during... |
Sandy Hook | Eddystone | 3082 nautical miles (5,707.9 km) | 5 d, 11 h, 5 m | 23.51 knots (46.1 km/h) | |
| 1904 | 14 June–20 June | NDL Hapag-Lloyd Hapag-Lloyd is a German transportation company comprising a cargo container shipping line, Hapag-Lloyd AG, which in turn owns other subsidiaries such as Hapag-Lloyd Ships and a cruise line, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises which is now integrated into TUI AG, Hanover... |
Sandy Hook | Eddystone | 3112 nautical miles (5,763.4 km) | 5 d, 11 h, 58 m | 23.58 knots (46.2 km/h) | |
| 1907 | 19 October–24 October | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2807 nautical miles (5,198.6 km) | 4 d, 22 h, 53 m | 23.61 knots (46.3 km/h) | |
| 1907 | 30 November–5 December | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Beady Hook | Queenstown | 2807 nautical miles (5,198.6 km) | 4 d, 22 h, 33 m | 23.69 knots (46.4 km/h) | |
| 1908 | 25 January–30 January | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2932 nautical miles (5,430.1 km) | 5 d, 2 h, 41 m | 23.9 knots (46.8 km/h) | |
| 1908 | 7 March–12 March | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2932 nautical miles (5,430.1 km) | 5 d, 0 h, 5 m | 24.42 knots (47.9 km/h) | |
| 1909 | 3 February–8 February | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Ambrose | Queenstown, | 2930 nautical miles (5,426.4 km) | 4 d, 20 h, 27 m | 25.16 knots (49.3 km/h) | |
| 1909 | 17 March–22 March | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Ambrose | Queenstown | 2934 nautical miles (5,433.8 km) | 4 d, 18 h, 35 m | 25.61 knots (50.2 km/h) | |
| 1909 | 5 May–10 May | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Ambrose | Queenstown | 2934 nautical miles (5,433.8 km) | 4 d, 18 h, 11 m | 25.7 knots (50.4 km/h) | |
| 1909 | 16 June–21 June | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Ambrose | Queenstown | 2933 nautical miles (5,431.9 km) | 4 d, 17 h, 21 m | 25.88 knots (50.7 km/h) | |
| 1924 | 20 August–25 August | Cunard Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Ambrose | Cherbourg | 3198 nautical miles (5,922.7 km) | 5 d, 1 h, 49 m | 26.25 knots (51.4 km/h) | |
| 1929 | 27 July–1 August | NDL Hapag-Lloyd Hapag-Lloyd is a German transportation company comprising a cargo container shipping line, Hapag-Lloyd AG, which in turn owns other subsidiaries such as Hapag-Lloyd Ships and a cruise line, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises which is now integrated into TUI AG, Hanover... |
Ambrose | Eddystone | 3084 nautical miles (5,711.6 km) | 4 d, 14 h, 30 m | 27.91 knots (54.7 km/h) | |
| 1933 | 10 June–15 June | NDL Hapag-Lloyd Hapag-Lloyd is a German transportation company comprising a cargo container shipping line, Hapag-Lloyd AG, which in turn owns other subsidiaries such as Hapag-Lloyd Ships and a cruise line, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises which is now integrated into TUI AG, Hanover... |
Ambrose | Cherbourg | 3199 nautical miles (5,924.5 km) | 4 d, 16 h, 15 m | 28.51 knots (55.9 km/h) | |
| 1935 | 7 June–11 June | CGT Compagnie Générale Transatlantique The Compagnie Générale Transatlantique , typically known overseas as the French Line, was a shipping company established during 1861 as an attempt to revive the French merchant marine, the poor state of which was indicated during the Crimean War of 1856... |
Ambrose | Bishop Rock | 3015 nautical miles (5,583.8 km) | 4 d, 3 h, 25 m | 30.31 knots (59.4 km/h) | |
| 1936 | 26 August–30 August | C-WS Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Ambrose | Bishop Rock | 2939 nautical miles (5,443 km) | 3 d, 23 h, 57 m | 30.63 knots (60 km/h) | |
| 1937 | 18 March–22 March | CGT Compagnie Générale Transatlantique The Compagnie Générale Transatlantique , typically known overseas as the French Line, was a shipping company established during 1861 as an attempt to revive the French merchant marine, the poor state of which was indicated during the Crimean War of 1856... |
Ambrose | Bishop Rock | 2967 nautical miles (5,494.9 km) | 4 d, 0 h, 6 m | 30.99 knots (60.7 km/h) | |
| 1937 | 4 August–8 August | CGT Compagnie Générale Transatlantique The Compagnie Générale Transatlantique , typically known overseas as the French Line, was a shipping company established during 1861 as an attempt to revive the French merchant marine, the poor state of which was indicated during the Crimean War of 1856... |
Ambrose | Bishop Rock | 2936 nautical miles (5,437.5 km) | 3 d, 22 h, 7 m | 31.2 knots (61.1 km/h) | |
| 1938 | 10 August–14 August | C-WS Cunard Line Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century... |
Ambrose | Bishop Rock | 2938 nautical miles (5,441.2 km) | 3 d, 20 h, 42 m | 31.69 knots (62.1 km/h) | |
| 1952 | 3 July–7 July | USL United States Lines United States Lines was a transatlantic shipping company that operated cargo services from 1921 to 1989, and ocean liners until 1969—most famously the SS United States.-1920s:... |
Ambrose | Bishop Rock | 2942 nautical miles (5,448.6 km) | 3 d, 10 h, 40 m | 35.59 knots (69.8 km/h) | |
Post 1969 Hales Trophy Winners
Not to be confused with Blue Riband holders| Steamer | Year | Dates | Line | From | To | Distance | Days, hours, minutes | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hoverspeed Great Britain | 1990 | 23 June | Aegean Speedlines | 3 d, 7 h, 54 m | 36.6 knots (71.7 km/h) | |||
| Catalonia | 1998 | 9 June | Buquebus | Manhattan Manhattan Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York... |
Tarifa, Spain | 3125 nautical miles (5,787.5 km) | 3 d, 9 h, 40 m | 38.9 knots (76.2 km/h) |
| Cat-Link V (or today Fjord Cat) | 1998 | 20 July | Fjord Line | 2 d, 20 h, 9 m | 41.3 knots (80.9 km/h) | |||
Further reading
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