RMS Queen Elizabeth
The RMS Queen Elizabeth was an ocean liner operated by Cunard Line. With Queen Mary she provided weekly luxury liner service between Southampton in the United Kingdom and New York City in the United States, via Cherbourg in France. She first entered service in February 1940 as a troopship in the Second World War, and it was not until October 1946 that she served in her intended role as an ocean liner.
Useful links
Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Queen_Elizabeth
Photos
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© IWM (E 14706)
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© Flickr - No known copyright restrictions
RMS Queen Mary
Queen Mary sailed on her maiden voyage on 27 May 1936 and won the Blue Riband that August; she lost the title to SS Normandie in 1937 and recaptured it in 1938, holding it until 1952 when it was taken by the new SS United States. With the outbreak of the Second World War, she was converted into a troopship and ferried Allied soldiers during the conflict.
Useful links
Queen Mary - The War Years - https://www.queenmary.com/history/timeline/the-war-years/
Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Queen_Mary
Photos
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© IWM (A 25913)
Port bow view of the Queen Mary at anchor
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© IWM (A 25915)
Looking along the boat deck of the Queen Mary during lifeboat drill in harbour
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© IWM (A 25931)
The swimming pool is now a troops sector, with tiers of bunks for the men
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© IWM (A 25922)
On the promenade deck as sick and wounded men returning to the US were brought on board
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© IWM (A 25943)
US gunners manning a twin Bofors during gun drill
SS Nieuw (New) Amsterdam
Originally to be named Prinsendam, however during construction, Holland America Line decided to name their new flagship Nieuw Amsterdam, in honor of the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam, modern-day New York.
The Nieuw Amsterdam was the Netherlands' "ship of state", just as the Normandie was France's, the Queen Mary was Britain's and United States was the United States'
After only seventeen voyages, Nieuw Amsterdam was laid up at Hoboken, New Jersey in 1939 after the German invasion of Poland. She would be idle for only a year, however, and was requisitioned by the British Ministry of Transport after the Netherlands fell to Hitler’s armies. She would spend the remainder of the war years as a transport for troops and prisoners of war, despite the fact she had been constructed without the consideration of ever being used in a military capacity.
Nieuw Amsterdam, with a nominal troop capacity of 6,800 and speed of over 20 knots, was among the British-controlled "monsters" – high-capacity, high-speed troop ships capable of sailing unescorted due to their speed, and thus critical to the build up in Britain for the invasion of the Continent.
During the course of the conflict she transported over 350,000 troops and steamed around 530,452 nautical miles (982,397 km) before being returned to the Holland America Line in 1946. Directly after the war, she spent time repatriating Dutch citizens from the then-Dutch East Indies.
Iredell Hutton returned home from Liverpool on the Dutch ship 'New Amsterdam'
Useful links
WWII Veterans Recall Days On Board Old ‘New Amsterdam’ - https://www.hollandamerica.com/blog/topics/hal-history/wwii-veterans-recall-days-on-board-old-new-amsterdam/
Passenger Lists - https://www.gjenvick.com/Passengers/Ships/NieuwAmsterdam-PassengerLists.html
Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Nieuw_Amsterdam_(1937)
Photos
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Nieuw Amsterdam entering Fremantle Harbour on 18 February 1943, with RMS Queen Mary in the background during the two ships' involvement in Operation Pamphlet
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Nieuw Amsterdam leaving New York
