Cunard Heritage

Cunard Firsts

Cunard Line has been the pioneering brand of ocean travel since 1840 when the Britannia began the scheduled transatlantic crossing between Southampton and New York. Ever since, this iconic brand has had numerous ‘firsts’, such as the first global circumnavigation on Laconia in 1922, up to more recent ‘firsts’ on Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria. Cunard introduced the following to ocean travel:

Cunard was the first company to take passengers on regularly scheduled transatlantic departures (Britannia, 1840).
The Children’s Playroom on the Arabia (1852) was the first room of its kind to go to sea.
Pianos first went to sea with Cunard in the Music Rooms of the early Cunarders.
Bathrooms made their first appearance at sea on the Abyssinia and Algeria in 1870.
The first passenger ship to be lit by electricity (Servia, 1881).
Rooms ‘en suite’ were first introduced in the Servia in 1881.
Ice boxes date back to 1856. Refrigeration came into use in the Campania and Lucania in 1893.
The Aurania (1893) was the first ship to have a Bridal Suite.
The Cunarder Lucania had the distinction of introducing wireless to the ocean. Marconi experimented with his new invention in June 1901.
The first steam turbine engines in a passenger liner (Carmania, 1905).
The Mauretania (1907) was the first ship to have a Regal Suite comprising two bedrooms, dining room, drawing room, pantry, bathroom and toilet.
Mauretania was the first ship to have a dark room for photographers.
The first gymnasium and health centre aboard a ship (Franconia, 1911).
The Bothnia also featured three ‘firsts’:
the first lounge for women
the first Library at sea
the first system of electric bells
The Laconia undertook the first World Cruise in 1922.
The Caronia was the first passenger ship to be painted green.
Queen Mary is the first merchant vessel to be launched by a member of the Royal family (Her Majesty Queen Mary).
Cunard held the record from 1940-1996 for the largest passenger ship ever built (Queen Elizabeth, 1940).
Cunard was the first cruise line ever to offer three different around-the-world cruises at the same time (QE2, Royal Viking Sun, Sagafjord, winter/spring 1996)
QE2 - The first ship (and still the only ship) to sail 5 million nautical miles
Queen Mary 2 – launched in 2004 had a multitude of ‘firsts’ including the first planetarium and Canyon Ranch SpaClub at sea as well as being the largest, widest and tallest ocean liner in the world.
Cunard is the only cruise company to sail regularly scheduled transatlantic service year-round (Queen Mary 2).
Queen Victoria hosts the first theatre with private boxes at sea.