Ships of Destiny Episode 3: The Great Duel

The last programme in the series on the history of ocean-going liners. With passenger aeroplanes in the ascendant, liner companies responded to dwindling demand in the sixties by building larger and more extravagant ships. It was an audacious move but a highly successful one and major operators still compete to build the biggest and best liner. Today, cruisers are expanding into fully-fledged entertainment centres.
The Great Duel
The Great Duel picks up the story during the the great economic depression of the 1930's when all works on Cunard's new project, the Queen Mary, had ceased. However, following Germany's mighty Bremen winning the much coveted Blue Riband and the subsequent unveiling of France's Normandie, the biggest and most luxurious ship in the world, Britain's maritime reputation was now at stake and so work re-commenced of the Queen Mary. Indeed, a great duel had begun for dominance of the oceans between the world's two largest and fastest ships. This great rivalry between the pride of France and the new Cunard Queen saw new speed records set, and the eventual capturing of the Blue Riband by the Queen Mary. In fact the Queen Mary had set a record time for the crossing of the Atlantic that would stand for almost two decades. The Great Duel also includes the years that directly led up to World War Two, with the Nazis very own "strength through joy" cruises, the launching of the world famous Queen Elizabeth, and also how the liners played their part during the war effort.