Troopship QUEEN MARY in Sydney Harbour

Date1941-1943

Object number00045047

NameGlass plate negative

MediumEmulsion on glass

DimensionsOverall: 81.5 x 107 x 1 mm, 26.75 g

ClassificationsPhotographs

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Mike Veness

Terms

DescriptionQUEEN MARY in Sydney Harbour with its anchor raised. The QUEEN MARY was requisitioned from the Cunard Line as a troop carrier in 1940 during World War II and escorted many Australian military personnel to the conflict in Europe.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 these vessels visited Sydney at the same time was on 9 April 1941. Both were too large to be accommodated together so they passed each other at Sydney Heads with thousands of onlookers watching from the shore. Between 1941 and 1942 the ships came to Sydney a number of times, the QUEEN MARY making a total of 13 trips.