Cunard-White Star Line

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Cunard-White Star Line Limited
IndustryTransportation
Predecessor White Star Line
Cunard Line
Founded10 May 1934;91 years ago (1934-05-10)
Defunct31 December 1949;75 years ago (1949-12-31)
Successor Cunard Line
Headquarters Liverpool, United Kingdom
Area served
Transatlantic
Key people
Percy Bates (Chairman)
OwnerCunard Line (62%) and White Star Line (38%)
Footnotes /references
Common house flag of the Cunard-White Star Line.svg
House Flag

Cunard-White Star Line Ltd, was a British shipping line which existed between 1934 and 1949. [1]

Contents

History

The company was created to control the joint shipping assets of the Cunard Line and the White Star Line after both companies experienced financial difficulties during the Great Depression. Cunard White Star controlled a total of twenty-five ocean liners (with Cunard contributing fifteen ships and White Star ten). Both Cunard and White Star were in dire financial trouble, and were looking to complete enormous liners: White Star had Hull 844 –Oceanic – and Cunard had Hull 534, which would later become RMS Queen Mary. In 1933, the British government agreed to provide assistance to the two competitors on the condition that they merge their North Atlantic operations. [2] The agreement was completed on 30 December 1933, and the merger officially took place on 10 May 1934, resulting in the formation of Cunard-White Star Limited. Under the terms of the merger, Cunard contributed fifteen ships and White Star ten, giving the new company a fleet of twenty-five ocean liners. Ownership of the new company reflected the respective financial positions of the two lines: Cunard shareholders held a 62% stake, while 38% was allocated to White Star’s creditors. In keeping with the heritage of both lines, White Star ships flew the White Star flag above the Cunard flag, while Cunard ships flew the Cunard flag above the White Star flag.

Being in a better financial and operating state than White Star, Cunard began absorbing White Star assets and as a result, most of the White Star vessels were quickly disposed of or sent to the shipbreakers. White Star's Australia and New Zealand service ships were transferred to the Shaw, Savill & Albion Line in 1934 and RMS Olympic was retired and sold for scrap the following year, along with Cunard's RMS Mauretania. White Star's flagship RMS Majestic, the largest ship in the world until the completion of SS Normandie in 1935, was sold in 1936.

Cunard White Star "Queen Mary" baggage tag RMS QUEEN MARY Cunard White Star 1949 Baggage Tag.jpg
Cunard White Star "Queen Mary" baggage tag

In 1947, Cunard acquired White Star’s 38% share in the company and on 31 December 1949 the company had dropped the White Star name and was renamed Cunard Line. [3] Both the Cunard and White Star house flags were flown on the company's liners at the time of the merger and thereafter. However, the Cunard flag was flown over the White Star flag on the last two White Star liners, MV Georgic and MV Britannic. Georgic was scrapped in 1956, while Britannic made the final Liverpool–New York crossing of any White Star vessel from New York on 25 November 1960, and returned to Liverpool for the final time before sailing under her own power to the ship breakers. She was the last White Star liner in existence, leaving the passenger tender SS Nomadic, which was also owned by the company until 1934, as the last White Star Line ship afloat.

Despite this, all Cunard Line ships flew both the Cunard and White Star Line house flags on their masts until late 1968. This was most likely because Nomadic remained in service with Cunard until 4 November 1968, and was sent to the breakers' yard, only to be bought for use as a floating restaurant. After this, the White Star flag was no longer flown, the White Star name was removed from Cunard operations and all remnants of both White Star Line and Cunard-White Star Line were retired. [4] [5] Cunard operated as a separate entity until 1972, when it was acquired by Trafalgar House, a British industrial and shipping conglomerate. After Trafalgar house was acquired by Kværner Cunard was put up for sale and by 1999 had been purchased by Carnival Corporation.

Fleet

ShipBuiltIn service for Cunard-White Star LineTonnageImage
Skirmisher 18841934–1945612 GRT The Skirmisher.jpg
Mauretania (1)19071934–3531,950 GRT Mauretania 1930s.JPG
Adriatic 19071934-3524,541 GRT RMS Adriatic (1907).jpg
Olympic 19111934–3546,439 GRT OLYMPIC - Sjohistoriska museet - Fo192178 (Cropped).jpg
Nomadic 191119341,273 GRT Nomadic.jpg
Traffic 19111934640 GRT Traffic 1911 01 - copia.jpg
Ceramic 19131934-4218,400 GRT SS Ceramic (1913).jpg
Berengaria 19131934–3851,950 GRT RMS Berengaria US Navy.jpg
Homeric 19131934–3535,000 GRT RMS Homeric old postcard.png
Aquitania 19141934–4945,650 GRT SS Aquitania.jpg
Majestic 19141934–3656,551 GRT RMS Majestic, F. G. O. Stuart (cropped).png
Scythia 19211934–4919,700 GRT The RMS Scythia.jpg
Samaria 19221934–4919,700 GRT RMS Samaria.jpg
Laconia 19221934–4219,700 GRT RMS Laconia.jpg
Antonia 19221934–4213,900 GRT RMS Antonia 1922.jpg
Ausonia 19221934–4213,900 GRT Passenger Liner AUSONIA.jpg
Lancastria 19221934–4016,250 GRT 11FB8E02000005DC-3128991-image-a-23 1434587352400.jpg
Franconia 19221934–4920,200 GRT RMS FRANCONIA at West Circular Quay in Sydney (8266248782) (cropped).jpg
Doric 19231934–3516,484 GRT RMS Doric 1923.jpg
Aurania 19241934–4214,000 GRT RMS Aurania (3).jpg
Carinthia 19251934–4020,200 GRT HMS Carinthia FL24371.jpg
Ascania 19251934–4914,000 GRT RMS Ascania 2.jpg
Alaunia 19251934–4214,000 GRT Alaunia.jpg
Calgaric 1927Never entered service (owned 1934)16,063 GRT SS Calgaric.jpg
Laurentic 19271934–3618,724 GRT SS Laurentic 1929.jpg
Britannic 19291934–4926,943 GRT MV Britannic On Maiden Voyage.jpg
Georgic 19321934–4927,759 GRT MV Georgic Australia, February 1949 (crop 2).jpg
Queen Mary 19361936–4980,750 GRT RMS Queen Mary at Long Beach.jpg
Mauretania (2)19381938–4935,738 GRT RMS Mauretania (colorized).JPG
Queen Elizabeth 19401940–4983,650 GRT Queen Elizabeth 1966.jpg
Valacia 19431946–19507,052 SS Yelkenci.webp
Vasconia19441946–19507,058
Media 19471947–4913,350 GRT
Asia19471947–19638,723
Brescia19451947–19663,834 MV Brescia (cropped).jpg
Parthia 19471947–4913,350 GRT RMS Parthia RMS Media 1947.jpg
Vardulia 19441947-19687,176
Caronia 1949194934,200 GRT RMS Caronia (ca. 1956) (colorized).jpg

References

  1. McKenna, Robert (2001). The Dictionary of Nautical Literacy. Camden, Me.: International Marine/McGraw-Hill. ISBN   0-07-136211-8. OCLC   46449032.
  2. Chirnside 2004 , p. 123
  3. Hyde, Francis Edwin (1975). Cunard and the North Atlantic, 1840-1973 : a history of shipping and financial management. London: Macmillan. ISBN   978-1-349-02390-5. OCLC   643663453.
  4. Anderson 1964 , p. 183
  5. de Kerbrech 2009 , p. 229

Works cited