Cunard-White Star Line

Cunard-White Star Line, Ltd., was a British shipping line which existed between 1934 and 1949.[1]

Cunard-White Star Line Limited

Industry	Transportation
Predecessor	White Star Line Cunard Line
Successor	Cunard Line
Founded	1934
Defunct	1949
Headquarters	Liverpool, United Kingdom
Area served	Transatlantic
Key people	Percy Bates (Chairman)
Owner	Cunard Line (62%) and White Star Line (38%)

History

It was created as an operating company to control the joint shipping assets of the Cunard Line and the White Star Line after both companies experienced financial difficulties during the Great Depression. Cunard White Star controlled a total of twenty-five large ocean liners (with Cunard contributing fifteen ships and White Star ten). Both Cunard and White Star were in dire financial trouble, and were looking to complete enormous liners: White Star had Hull 844 – RMMV Oceanic – and Cunard had Hull 534, which would later become RMS Queen Mary. Cunard owned 62% of the new company, while White Star owned the remaining 38%.

Being in a better financial and operating state than White Star, Cunard Line began absorbing all White Star assets and as a result, most of the White Star Liners were quickly disposed of or sent to the shipbreakers. White Star's Australia and New Zealand service ships were transferred to the Shaw, Savill & Albion Line in 1934 with the RMS Olympic being retired and for scrapping the following year along with Cunard's RMS Mauretania. White Star's flagship RMS Majestic, that had been the largest ship in the world until 1935, was sold in 1936.

Cunard White Star "Queen Mary" baggage tag

In 1947, Cunard acquired the 38% of Cunard White Star it didn't already own and in 1949 bought out the entire company, operating individually as the Cunard Line. However, both the Cunard and White Star house flags were flown on the company's liners at the time of the merger and thereafter. However, the Cunard flag was flown with the White Star flag, on the last two White Star Liners, MV Georgic and MV Britannic. Georgic was scrapped in 1956. Britannic made the final Liverpool–New York crossing of any White Star Liner from New York on 25 November 1960 and returned to Liverpool for the final time under her own power to the ship breakers. She was the last White Star Liner in existence, this left the passenger tender SS Nomadic, which was also owned by the company until 1934 as the last White Star Line ship still afloat.

Despite this, all Cunard Line ships flew both the Cunard and White Star Line house flags on their masts until 4 November 1968. After this, all remnants of the company were dissolved and the White Star name was removed from Cunard. The Cunard Line from that point on operated as a separate entity until 2005, when it was absorbed as a subsidiary into Carnival Corporation.

Fleet

Ship	Built	In service for Cunard White Star Line	Tonnage
RMS Olympic	1911	1934–35	46,439 GRT
RMS Mauretania I	1907	1934–35	31,950 GRT
RMS Adriatic	1907	1934	24,541 GRT
SS Ceramic	1913	1934	18,400 GRT
RMS Berengaria	1913	1934–38	51,950 GRT
RMS Homeric	1913	1934–35	35,000 GRT
RMS Aquitania	1914	1934–49	45,650 GRT
RMS Majestic	1914	1934-36	56,551 GRT
RMS Scythia	1921	1934–49	19,700 GRT
RMS Samaria	1922	1934–49	19,700 GRT
RMS Laconia	1922	1934–42	19,700 GRT
RMS Antonia	1922	1934–42	13,900 GRT
Austonia	1922	1934–42	13,900 GRT
RMS Lancastria	1922	1934–40	16,250 GRT
Doric	1923	1934–35	16,484 GRT
Franconia	1923	1934–49	20,200 GRT
RMS Aurania	1924	1934–42	14,000 GRT
RMS Carinthia	1925	1934–40	20,200 GRT
Ascania	1925	1934–49	14,000 GRT
Alaunia	1925	1934–42	14,000 GRT
Calgaric	1927	Never entered service (owned 1934)	16,063 GRT
Laurentic	1927	1934-36	18,724 GRT
MV Britannic	1929	1934–49	26,943 GRT
MV Georgic	1932	1934–49	27,759 GRT
RMS Queen Mary	1936	1936–49	80,750 GRT
RMS Mauretania II	1938	1938–49	35,738 GRT
RMS Queen Elizabeth	1940	1940–49	83,650 GRT
RMS Media	1947	1947–49	13,350 GRT
RMS Parthia	1947	1947–49	13,350 GRT
RMS Caronia	1949	1949	34,200 GRT

References

1. McKenna, Robert (2003). The Dictionary of Nautical Literacy. McGraw-Hill Professional. ISBN 978-0-07-141950-5.

External links

• Cunard White Star History and Ephemera GG Archives