The Pier Head is a riverside location in the city centre of Liverpool, England. It was part of the former Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was inscribed in 2004, but revoked in 2021. As well as a collection of landmark buildings, recreational open space, and a number of memorials, the Pier Head was the landing site for passenger ships travelling to and from the city.
The Port of Liverpool is the enclosed 7.5-mile (12.1 km) dock system that runs from Brunswick Dock in Liverpool to Seaforth Dock, Seaforth, on the east side of the River Mersey and the Birkenhead Docks between Birkenhead and Wallasey on the west side of the river.
RMS Mauretania was a British ocean liner that was launched on 28 July 1938 at the Cammell Laird yard in Birkenhead, England, and was completed in May 1939. She was one of the first ships built for the newly formed Cunard-White Star company following the merger in April 1934 of the Cunard and White Star Line. On the withdrawal of the first Mauretania in 1935, to prevent a rival company using the name and to keep it available for the new liner, arrangements were made for the Red Funnel paddle steamer Queen to be renamed Mauretania in the interim.
RMS Umbria was a British ocean liner of the Cunard Line. She and her sister ship RMS Etruria were the last two Cunard express ocean liners that were fitted with auxiliary sails. Umbria was also the last express steamship to be built for a North Atlantic route with a compound engine. By 1885, the triple expansion engine was the almost universal specification for newly built steamships. John Elder & Co. built Umbria in Govan, Glasgow, in 1884.
RMS Etruria was a transatlantic ocean liner built by John Elder & Co of Glasgow, Scotland in 1884 for Cunard Line. Etruria and her sister ship Umbria were the last two Cunarders that were fitted with auxiliary sails. Both ships were among the fastest and largest liners then in service. Etruria was completed on 10 March 1885, twelve weeks after Umbria, and entered service on the Liverpool – New York route.
RMS Franconia was an ocean liner operated by the Cunard Line from 1922 to 1956. The liner was second of three liners named Franconia which served the Cunard Line, the others being RMS Franconia built in 1910 and the third Franconia in 1963.
The Liverpool Cruise Terminal is a 350-metre-long (1,150 ft) floating structure situated on the River Mersey enabling large cruise ships to visit without entering the enclosed dock system or berthing mid-river and tendering passengers ashore. The terminal was officially opened on 21 September 2007 by the Duke of Kent when the Queen Elizabeth 2 berthed at the terminal. The current terminal is composed mainly of a floating landing stage, with a small passenger terminal building, but a larger terminal is planned by the new operators Global Ports Holding.
The RMS Ascania was an ocean liner operated by the Cunard Line. She was launched on 20 December 1923 at the Armstrong Whitworth Shipbuilders Ltd yard in Newcastle-upon-Tyne; the fifth of Cunard's six "A" class liners. Due to unforeseen cost overruns, the vessel was not completed until May 1925. Following service in a number of military roles during the Second World War, she was refitted and returned to civilian use in 1950, finally retiring in 1956.
SS Pontic was a tender and baggage vessel of the White Star Line that was built in 1894 by Harland & Wolff, Belfast, United Kingdom. She was sold in 1919 and continued in that role. In 1925, she was sold and used as a collier. She was scrapped in 1930.
SS Magnetic was a passenger tender of the White Star Line built in 1891. She was laid down at the Harland and Wolff Shipyards in Belfast, Ireland. Magnetic was sold to a different company in 1932 and renamed Ryde, and scrapped in 1935.
SS Traffic was a baggage tender of the White Star Line, built in 1872 by Philip Speakman in Runcorn and made of English Oak.
SS (RMS) Douglas (III) – the third vessel in the line's history to bear the name – was a packet steamer which entered service with the London and South Western Railway in 1889 under the name Dora until she was purchased by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company in 1901 for £13,500.
Jack Humphreys was a Welsh international footballer who played as a defender for Everton. He was part of the Wales national football team, playing 1 match on 16 April 1947 against Ireland.
Drumchapel RFC was an early twentieth-century East Dunbartonshire-based rugby union club; the town – after being annexed in 1938 – now resides in Glasgow.
MS Queen Anne (QA) is a Pinnacle class cruise ship operated by Cunard Line, named after Anne, the first monarch of the Kingdom of Great Britain. She is currently the second largest ship in Cunard's fleet, after RMS Queen Mary 2. She sailed from her homeport of Southampton on 3 May 2024 for her maiden voyage, calling at A Coruña and Lisbon. She can carry up to 2,996 passengers.
Lady Jean Alice Elaine Cochrane was a British aristocrat. She was the daughter of Winifred, Countess of Dundonald and Douglas Cochrane, 12th Earl of Dundonald.
Royal Mail Steam Ship Arabia was an ocean liner operated by Cunard. It was the last wooden-hulled ship built for the Cunard Line, built in 1852 in Greenock, Scotland. On January 1, 1853, it departed on its maiden voyage with 60 passengers and 1,200 tons of coal. RMS Arabia was a luxurious ship during its time, with the saloon having a stained glass dome and crimson velvet sofas, and steam heating throughout. She was reported to be the first ocean liner with a separate children's nursery and playroom.
The third RMS St. Patrick was a steam packet ferry ordered by the St George Steam Packet Company after the loss of the second one and was registered B129 by her builders in Liverpool. Not much is known about her service life, but her sinking is a dramatic one. She was sold to Waterford Steam Packet Company in 1836. Research is currently being done from newspaper archives to compile the full sinking article with as much accuracy as is possible.
Lady Grizel Winifred Louise Hamilton was a Welsh and Scottish aristocrat.
SS Satellite was the first tender owned by Cunard Line, operated on the river Mersey between 1848 and 1902.
United Kingdom