Troopship QUEEN MARY on Sydney Harbour

Date1941-1943

Object number00045046

NameGlass plate negative

MediumEmulsion on glass

DimensionsOverall: 82 x 107 x 1 mm, 29.26 g

ClassificationsPhotographs

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Mike Veness

Terms

DescriptionQUEEN MARY on Sydney Harbour during World War II. QUEEN MARY completed thirteen trips to and from Sydney in its capacity as a troop transport.HistoryDuring World War II the Cunard Ocean liners QUEEN MARY and QUEEN ELIZABETH were commissioned as troopships, painted grey and nicknamed 'The Grey Ghosts'. These ships could carry up to 16,000 troops at one time. The first occasion when the vessels visited Sydney at the same time was on 9 April 1941. Both being too large to be accommodated together they passed each other at Sydney Heads with thousands of onlookers watching from the shore. Between 1941 and 1942 the ships came to Sydney numerous times, the QUEEN MARY making a total of 13 trips. The construction of RMS QUEEN MARY was completed in May 1936 by John Brown & Co at Clydebank, Scotland and it conducted its maiden voyage from Southhampton to New York on 27 May 1936. Between 1936 and 1967 it acted as a passenger liner for the Cunard line and then served as a troop transport during World War II. After this service QUEEN MARY was sold and transferred to Long Beach, California where it currently resides as a tourist attraction, event centre and museum.