One of my interests aside from computing is studying architecture and ocean liners from the early decades of the 20th century. I don’t know why, but I find Art Deco and Neo Gothic design fascinating, and the concept of the "ocean liner" which has literally all but dissapeared in the age of jet airliners and Star Trek inspired teleportation (uh, yeah!). More than you needed to know I’m sure!
Anyway from a break from programming somehow I got onto the Global Security Organisation website which has detailed listings of registard tonnage and ships of different countries, including a graphical comparison of Cunard’s latest flagship RMS Queen Mary 2 with the Titanic which everyone knows about. I knew this ship was big, but I had no idea she was that large!
It’s amazing that the waterline level is roughly even on each of them too. I wouldn’t have thought the use of stabalisers and being made of lighter and stronger materials would be enough too keep that huge thing upright!
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Trivia:
When I was about 12 years old, my family sailed on the Queen Elizabeth from Cherbourg, France to New York in the early/mid 60’s - I forget the exact year. In mid-atlantic we passed the Queen Mary going the other way on her return to Cherbourg.
I seem to recall being told that was the last time those two great sister ocean liners saw each other in “good health” on the high seas.
Oh wow! Thanks so much!
My dad managed to pick me up a giant copy of a Getty Images photo book of these ships, the internal designs of these ships were stunning. And they were all designed completely without computers, as a guy in 2008 this is perhaps the most incredible fact for me to comprehend!
The Normandie from that time period was also stunning. I’ve been reading so much about this time period and the designs of these ships. The QE and QM were the biggest troop ships in WW2 as well as the Normandie, the US created the SS United States because they thought they were so good.
It’s just sad that this whole mode of transport has practically ceased to exist.
Wait you probably know all this stuff, not many other people I know are interested in this stuff
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