The Official Ocean Liner Thread.

Which is the best liner/class?

  • Olympic-class

    Votes: 62 38.0%

  • Imperator class

    Votes: 9 5.5%

  • Mauritania Class

    Votes: 10 6.1%

  • Aquitania

    Votes: 12 7.4%

  • Bremen class

    Votes: 5 3.1%

  • German 4 stackers

    Votes: 6 3.7%

  • Queen Mary

    Votes: 42 25.8%

  • Normandie

    Votes: 44 27.0%

  • Other.

    Votes: 23 14.1%
  • Total voters
    163
Ogrebear

Ogrebear

What if Brunel’s Great Eastern had been successful as a ship? Say she launches correctly, does not have a boiler explode, Brunel does not have a heart attack, and the trade to Australia holds up..?

Would there have been more big ships by other lines? Would Brunel have built more ‘monster ships’?
Is there an Australian GWR?
 
Ogrebear

Ogrebear

QM is looking good in that report. All shined and polished.

One hopes the below decks, non public areas are not in much of a mess.
 
Ogrebear

Ogrebear

gladiator8085 said:
Lusitania-After the monumental box office success of Titanic a decision was made to follow it up with the story of the Lusitania. There were diplomatic protests due to the scripts emphasis on the alleged evidence that it was carrying munitions which made it a legitimate target, but the movie was still made.
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Very cool idea for an movie from an Alt Universe - am surprised it has not happened OTL really.

Is it the faster sinking time compared to Titanic? Lusitania went down so fast there is hardly time for romantic moments on the boat deck or chases through the sunken dining room. Still lots of heroics though.

Who would star in a 1997/8 Lusitania movie though?
 

gladiator8085

Ogrebear said:
Very cool idea for an movie from an Alt Universe - am surprised it has not happened OTL really.

Is it the faster sinking time compared to Titanic? Lusitania went down so fast there is hardly time for romantic moments on the boat deck or chases through the sunken dining room. Still lots of heroics though.

Who would star in a 1997/8 Lusitania movie though?
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I was trying to think of some stars myself.

Maybe George Clooney doing it instead of Batman & Robin. Neve Campbell as lovers destined to die. Kind of Romeo and Juliet vibe. Pierce Brosnan as the captain of the U-boat.
 
Ogrebear

Ogrebear

gladiator8085 said:
I was trying to think of some stars myself.

Maybe George Clooney doing it instead of Batman & Robin. Neve Campbell as lovers destined to die. Kind of Romeo and Juliet vibe. Pierce Brosnan as the captain of the U-boat.
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Was there any famous/prominent passengers on Lusitania a movie could 'zoom' in on?

We would need a Captain and radio operators as well.

Also heroic roles for those who answered the liners distress calls.
 

ghappy1000

US Enters WWI in 1914 - Military Impact

OK, so I'm working on a scenario in which, through earlier diversions, the United States enters World War I at its outset, in 1914, on the side of the Entente/Allies. Now, I have a good idea how I'm going to have the later portions of the war progress, but I get kinda stuck on what a...
www.alternatehistory.com

en.wikipedia.org

HMS Audacious (1912) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

If the minefield that sank HMS Audacious sank RMS Olympic in addition or instead and that led to a US declaration of war in 1914, see the thread linked here with adjustments for a US declaration of war in 1914, but with an October or a November instead of August declaration. If Olympic avoids sinking (damaged or not), things go as in otl.
 

ghappy1000

en.wikipedia.org

SS Vaterland (1913) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

Considering that the SS Vaterland as SS Leviathan and SS Bismarck as RMS Majestic were fast enough to be considered as "the world's fastest ocean liners" despite being refuted by RMS Mauretania, it would have been possible for the Imperator-class liners (at least SS Vaterland and SS Bismarck) to be completed for both size and the Blue Riband. In this case, SS Vaterland would be completed and win the Blue Riband for the Hamburg-America Line for 1914-1929. Since SS Vaterland was barely completed just in time for commercial service, it receiving extra time to be built for the Blue Riband would likely result in the liner being incomplete for, preparing for or diverting during voyages and stuck in Germany during WW1's beginning and ceded to Britain (and White Star Line) as a post-WW1 reparation. Otherwise, if completed for commercial service and not stuck in Germany during WW1's beginning, the extra speed of the SS Vaterland with a Blue Riband record might encourage it to break the WW1 blockade of Germany with potential risks of being sunk or captured and taken by Britain as a war prize, troopship and a White Star (or Cunard depending on the SS Vaterland's availability as a completed Blue Riband winner) Liner post-war. SS Bismarck would likely become RMS Majestic as in otl. The United States, in the interwar period, might build a brand new superliner to replace SS Leviathan. With White Star (and possibly Hamburg-America Line) holding the Blue Riband for 1914-1929 (1913 instead of 1914 if including SS Imperator, but SS Imperator completed as SS Imperator for the Blue Riband might delay its completion and maiden voyage until 1914, risk its capture and troopship service by and commercial service for the United States and/ or risk its sinking during WW1 if completed in time for a maiden voyage to be done in time in 1914, before WW1 that year), Cunard might refit the RMS Mauretania for a recapture of the Blue Riband (at least after WW1 because there might not be enough time before WW1 and no incentive during WW1 for such a refit). Otherwise, any post-WW1 earning of the Blue Riband by SS Vaterland/ SS Imperator as SS Leviathan and SS Bismarck as RMS Majestic might result in Cunard refitting its Hamburg-America Line replacement for RMS Lusitania (if still sunk) by the name of RMS Berengaria (ex-SS Imperator/ SS Vaterland) or RMS Mauretania for Blue Riband accomplishment purposes.
 
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Ogrebear

Ogrebear

I wonder how the Cunard vs Hamburg-America Line rivalry for speed might have worked out in a world where WW1 is somehow avoided and the age of the liner continued for some time?

I could see Cunard building a replacement for Mauritania in the 1920's as she and her sister Lusitania where getting on a bit. Would not be a luxury build like Aquitania though as I think that ship was built more to compete with White Star's luxury market than the speed runs. No, the 20's ship would be a sleek 1,000ft monster with massive speed, possibly taking racing lines that OTL we would see on the Normandie - I could see two of them being built to make sure the Blue Riband remained British.

How Hamburg-American would respond would be interesting. I could see them considering new ships even though the Imperator class is not that old.
 

The Wooksta!

White Star would need to build their own competitor, as both Olympic and Britannic would be getting on a bit. Oceanic may actually get further than the keel being laid.
gladiator8085 said:
Lusitania-After the monumental box office success of Titanic a decision was made to follow it up with the story of the Lusitania. There were diplomatic protests due to the scripts emphasis on the alleged evidence that it was carrying munitions which made it a legitimate target, but the movie was still made.
Click to expand...
Erm, cashing in on the Titanic wave of 98, there was the straight to VHS release Britannic, which had a plucky nurse foiling an attempt by an Irish terrorist employed by the Germans to sink the ship as it was secretly carrying munitions despite the hospital markings, only for the ship to hit a mine or be torpedoed.

It's actually a lot better than it sounds, being enjoyable hokum in the same vein as The 39 Steps. The CGI for the ship is really good for the time.
 
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