 | |
| Type | Subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1840, as the British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company |
| Headquarters | Southampton, United Kingdom, and Santa Clarita, California, United States |
| Area served | Transatlantic, Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Caribbean and World Cruises. |
| Key people |
Samuel Cunard (Founder) Peter Shanks (President) |
| Parent | Carnival Corporation & plc |
| Website | Cunard.com |
Samuel Cunard
The Cunard Line, formerly the Cunard White-Star Line, is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England, and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century.
The Cunard Line and White Star Line were the biggest rivals at the early years of the 1900's and the most important British shipping companies, who had the largest, fastest, most impressive and most comfortable passenger ships in that day and age. Cunard focused more on speed and unique design, while White Star Line on enormous space and new forms of entertainment.
Most notable ships of Cunard were the Lusitania and Mauretania, two fast 30.000 ton vessels and sisterships. One became famous for breaking all sorts of records on quickest England-New York crossings, the other one for being involved in one of the greatest war-time martime disasters and perhaps also war-crimes, RMS Lusitania.
She was torpedoed just 11 miles before she could arrive at the coast of Ireland, her destiny being Cobh. A German U-boat, U-20 had done it under command of Captain Walter Schwieger. It was a controversial incident and still is untill this very day. Rumors about deliberately stearing her into the path to make her an expendable loss to involve America in the war (because of the US citizens onboard) or the hidden ammunitions, weapons she carried. One torpedo caused an enormous explosion, and the whole in her hull was so huge a horse-carriage could come through. For a ship her size she went down incredibly fast, it took only 18 minutes for her to sink. More than 100 American passengers died, and 1000 others. It certainly put the German-American relationship on edge.
After the Titanic disaster, the Cunard Line had no choice but to also provide enough lifeboats for everyone aboard on at least a journey. So Lusitania and Mauretania were fitted out with at least 48 boats
They were forced to merge in the 1930s, and then later the Cunard Line killed White Star Line by getting all their stock, so they were Cunard Line once again.
Cunard Line has established itself as a magnificent corporation that always provided good service and customer-friendliness.