RMS Queen Mary leaving New York, June 5, 1936
Though the RMS Queen Mary failed to take the Blue Riband, an accolade given to the fastest passenger liner with regular service across the Atlantic, from France’s SS Normandie on her maiden voyage, she did win it two months later. Among one of the most luxurious ocean liners ever built, with stunning Art Deco interiors, the Queen Mary was converted to a troopship during the Second World War. In July, 1943, she carried 16,683 soldiers and crew, a record that still stands for the largest number of passengers ever transported aboard a single vessel. After the Second World War, she was refitted for passenger service, which she continued until 1967. She is currently permanently moored at Long Beach, California.