By Terry Miller
The legendary Royal Mail Ship Queen Mary celebrates a major milestone Friday May 27. For this is the 80th anniversary of the maiden voyage to New York in 1936.
Little did they know at the time what adventures would lay ahead for the fastest ocean liner of the day.
On Wednesday, there was a media preview of a new documentary about the illustrious history of the ‘grey ghost’ albeit with a special introduction of a rather well-known name, Randolph Churchill – the great grandson of Sir Winston Churchill.
A new documentary marks the 80th anniversary of the legendary ocean liner the RMS Queen Mary’s maiden voyage, in a co-production for BBC Scotland, BBC Four and Smithsonian Channel. Churchill is interviewed in the documentary and at one point quips that the Queen Mary was a “ damn sight better, really…” when asked if the ship was the equivalent of Air Force One at the time.
With exclusive access to the magnificent ocean liner and an extensive archive of film and photographs, the documentary explores the life of the Clyde-built ship that was an art-deco playground for America’s Hollywood elite, a troop carrier that brought an Army to Europe, and used by Churchill frequently during the Second World War as he travelled to meet with Allied forces. Viewers will learn that the liner played such a key role during the Second World War that Adolf Hitler offered a bonus of £250,000 and the Iron Cross to any U-boat captain who could sink the Queen Mary.
Built in Clydebank, the liner was an engineering marvel which, during her wartime service safely transported more than 800,000 Allied personnel to Europe, followed by thousands of war brides and families. Viewers will hear from some of the Queen Mary’s very first passengers, troops who travelled on the ship, and past crew members who tell about the glories of this wonder of the seas.
The documentary will also explore the ship’s darkest day when, on 2 October 1942, she accidentally collided with the HMS Curacoa, her escort vessel, slicing her in two. Ordered not to stop under any circumstances, the captain of the Queen Mary had no choice but to steam on leaving 338 men to drown.
After the war, the liner continued in service up until 1967 and is now a floating luxury hotel and museum docked in a custom made lagoon in Long Beach, California.
Michael McAvoy, Head of Documentaries at STV Productions, said: “The Queen Mary is not only an engineering marvel and one of the most beautiful liners to ever have been launched on the River Clyde, it’s also a ship that changed history and the lives of tens of thousands of people who sailed aboard her. We are very excited to be producing a documentary that will tell the amazing story of this legendary liner.”
Ewan Angus, Commissioning Editor, TV, BBC Scotland, said: “The Queen Mary is an icon of Clyde shipbuilding and I’m sure our audiences will enjoy this fascinating journey through its remarkable story.”
