Heritage - Innovation and CUNARD?

CUNARD innovative?
by Earl of Cruise

In a CUNARD LINE promotion video for the renovation of QUEEN MARY 2, a lady from the PR department declared "Cunard was allways, since its beginning, ahead of time and innovative" ... I did remember `TRANSATLANTIC´, written by Stephen Fox, a freelance historian.

He wrote a lively, fair minded social and technological history of the transatlantic shipping, which that lady should have read ... if not more

CUNARD LINE, originaly the BRITISH & NORTH AMERICAN ROYAL MAIL STEAMPACKET COMPANY (1839), with its founding partners Samuel Cunard, Scot James Macqueen, James Donaldson, George Burns and David Mac Iver had to be strickt in following the regulations, set by the Admirality of Great Britain.

rms BRITANNIA - courtesy of JFK World

In those days the Admirality was responsible for the Royal Mail contracts, and required to follow their regulations for the contrated mail partners.

Such a mail contract was a subsidiary, neccessary for running steamship lines in those days. The passengers and the "normal" freight had been an add on. The contract required wodden hull paddle steamers. It was in the Admiralities mind that a wodden ship is the best for the motion in and on the seas. Later the Admirality changed "it´s mind" to iron hull, but did stick to the paddle wheels, while competitors used screw driven ships. PERSIA (1856) and SCOTIA (1861) are the best example for the conservative standing of the Admiralities requirements. Besides the CUNARD hulls have been wider than those of the competitors. And the steam engines of CUNARD have not been the latest in technology.

rms PERSIA - source: Wikipedia

Innovations in design, interior, for the hull or mashinery hadn´t been favored by CUNARD, or the Admirality.

They could claim for security, no loss of live at sea since the sinking of LUSITANIA and being on time, as for the contract was required.

rms MAURETANIA in her late years in cruise livery - © coloured by Daryl LeBlanc

Their first and for long the only innovation was the use of turbine power in CARONIA, LUSITANIA and MAURETANIA. But they have second, as the ALLAN LINE had their turbine steamers prior to CUNARD LINE. And the use of turbines has been sicated by the funds and the mail contract CUNARD signed to build the competitors to the German greyhounds.

The innovation of interior design was never a point in the phylosophy of CUNARD. Even the service was lacking. One point in the success of COMPAGNIE GÉNÉRALE TRANSATLANTIQUE - especially the food, NORDDEUTSCHER LLOYD, HAPAG, and WHITE STAR LINE. Food and service had been apropriate but not good. Only if competitors occured, as the COLLINS LINE and WHITE STAR LINE, CUNARD improved a bit, and went to "normal" when the competition was over (especially after COLLINS LINE bancrupcy).

The vessels interior was generally linited to the space the construction allowed. The limits have been the size, the position of mashinery and shots (water tight compartments). Public rooms and cabins had to follow these firsts.

When NORDDEUTSCHER LLOYD sent the KAISERWILHELM DER GROSSE to sea they offered a new luxury of public space, which wasn´t followed in any new constructed vessel in Great Britain. Dining rooms stayed one floor rooms since the AQUITANIA. The staircases became grand, yes, but had been a single in space.

ss KAISER WILHELM DER GROSSE, framed cutaway copy - own collection

Inbetween the 2nd and 3rd funnel the innovative location of the main dining room is visible

And with the divided funnel casings of VATERLAND - later LEVIATHAN and BISMARCK - later MAJESTIC, was another "new" in interior design at sea.

The general interior design on ships followed examples from ashore. The British vessels have been reflections of Edwardian, Georgian or Elizabethen interiors. The travelling public took it as given. CUNARD did stick to his British design, but used too international interior architects, as the international travellers did demand. Therefore international renowned architects and artisans have been contracted. Even those who worked for German lines. Only from Germany came the attempt for establishing the Jungendstil and Wiener Sezession. GEORGE WASHINGTON and KAISERIN AUGUSTE VICTORIA - later EMPRESS OF SCOTLAND, are bright and airy examples for. And from France the Art Nouveaux as in PARIS. Even when the Ocean Liner Design was hip in design CUNARD stayed conservative. Same with the exterior design as seen in EMPRESS OF BRITAIN (CANADIAN PACIFIC) and QUEEN MARY and imrpoved in QUEEN ELIZABETH. QUEEN MARY has been an advanced MAURETANIA or AQUITANIA.

rns QUEEN MARY - © coloured by Daryl LeBlanc

CUNARD has been beaten in design again by the German BREMEN and EUROPA, but the most by NORMANDIE and her all over design, interior and exterior. And in technology as well.

Compared to BREMEN, EUROPA and NORMANDIE CUNARD sailed with "celtic stone age" design and technology.

ts BREMEN in 1929 - own collection

ss NORMANDIE steaming through calm and sunny sea, aerial photography taken from a greeting plane on her inaugural sailing to New York in 1935
© coloured by Daryl LeBlanc

After WWII there was no longer a real competitor in the North Atlantic left. Again the international clientele lacked the German service, but had in ÎLE DE FRANCE and later LIBERTÉ the French "Savoir Vivre". FRENCH LINE advertized with the "Longest Gangplank to France".

CUNARD had over the time wonderful vessels. Sturdy and solid. But the ships stayed conservative in their all over design. And after WWII resting in pre war. So for the CARONIA (1948) - the millionaires ship or The Green Goddess, SAXONIA, IVERNIA, CARINTHIA and SYLVANIA (1956/57). Modern design as seen in KUNGSHOLM (1953) and GRIPSHOLM (1957), OSLOFJORD (1949) and BERGENSFJORD (1956) wasn´t on the helm. They gave Scandinavian design to the seafaring public.

It changed really dramatically with the inauguration of QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 in 1969 and shocked the British CUNARD clientle to the core. The futuristic 60ties and early 70ties design interior and the single funnel nearly aft was a new and a first for CUNARD to be "avant garde" ...

rns QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 in her first appearance - own collection

Claiming CUNARD as trendsetter in any way of design and technology is not correct. And a CUNARD PR lady or man should have made her/his homework, and should have read minmum TRANSATLANTIC of Stephen Fox, avoiding babbling the false only for publicity reasons ...
It is easier believing the fals facts than in the truth ... and repeatedly telling the false makes it into the truth ... ingraining it ... and truth is lost!

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