RMS Queen Mary – The Maiden Voyage in 1936 – President John Kennedy

The floating palace for the rich and famous: Vintage photos reveal glamor on board the Queen Mary during her maiden voyage.

First Class Dining Room

• RMS Queen Mary left Southampton on M en route to New York, the first of many transatlantic crossings.

Elizabeth Taylor walking her dogs. 

• She hosted the wealthy and elite, including Winston Churchill, John F Kennedy, Elizabeth Taylor and Bob Hope

Today, the historic ship is permanently moored as a tourist attraction with a museum, hotel, cafes, and restaurants.

Joseph Kennedy and his son (future President) John F. Kennedy on board RMS Queen Mary.

• The RMS Queen Mary, a luxurious ocean liner that carried the world’s rich and famous before the dawn of the jet age, is celebrating the 80th anniversary of its maiden voyage.

English actress and singer Gertrude Lawrence (nearest to camera) and her dining companions on board the RMS Queen Mary in 1939

• One of the greatest passenger ships ever built, the 1,020ft Queen Mary left Southampton on May 27, 1936, en route to New York, the first of many transatlantic crossings that attracted the likes of Winston Churchill, John F Kennedy, TS Eliot, Elizabeth Taylor, Bob Hope and many other glamorous guests.

Passengers have boarded the Cunard-White Star Line ship Queen Mary at Southampton as she is ready to set sail on her maiden voyage to New York

• The Art Deco liner was the largest and fastest passenger ship in the world when it launched. The liner had three classes of cabins, an opulent first class dining room, ballroom, cocktail bars, a stage for music, two indoor swimming pools, a squash court, libraries, a telephone connection and a small hospital. It was the flagship of Liverpool-based Cunard-White Star Line when it left John Brown & Company’s shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland after six years of construction.

First Class passengers had a number of elegant dining options, including the veranda grill where they were entertained by a pianist

The historic Queen Mary transported Allied soldiers during World War Two and returned to passenger service until it was retired in 1967 as profits dropped and the jet age took off.

Today, the historic ship is permanently moored in Long Beach, California, where it has been preserved as a tourist attraction with a museum, hotel, restaurants and an exhibition containing some of Princess Diana’s belongings.