Cunard, the most famous name in shipping, turns 175 years old in 2015. Cunard began back in 1840 with paddlewheel steamers, but grew and progressed and created some of the largest, fastest and most luxurious liners in their time.
The final 'golden age' on the Atlantic run between Europe and North America was in the 1950s when the company slogan 'Getting there was half the fun' seemed so apt. Cunard had twelve liners running Atlantic crossings in 1958 but the same year saw the introduction of the speedy and efficient passenger jet that immediately stole transatlantic travellers.
The Cunard 'cast' of the late 1950s includes such celebrated ocean liners such as Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth as well as others like Mauretania, Caronia, Britannic, Saxonia and small ships including the Media and Parthia. Conquest of the Atlantic: Cunard Liners of the 1950s and 1960s is the story of these great ships that are all still remembered with much fondness and of the life onboard them. Cunard would face furious competition with jet aircraft and by 1969 be reduced to one Atlantic liner, the legendary and iconic Queen Elizabeth 2.
