The Rivals: SS Normandie vs. RMS Queen Mary

[@TheCarnivalguy]

“We want a tried and true design” said Cunard-White Star to John Brown & Co., so they looked backward and designed a big Aquitania. In France, they used their talent and looked to the future, and produced the most spectacular ocean liner in history, even considering her fate and government subsidies.

[@edbighi6786]

Normandie. It is simply the most beautiful ship ever built. I remember watching an ocean liner documentary over two decades ago where they would go through the progression. Titanic, Imperator, Mauritania, Vaterland, then the Rex shows up and i said, wow. But when the Normandie came up I had to sit up and say God Damn! That was my first time seeing that lady. The rest of the documentary was a let down from that point. Sure there was the Michelangelo & Raffaello, along with the France and Big U, but the Normandie was in a different league aesthetically. Every other year there is talk of a new Titanic. To me I think, yeah, sure, I'll go on it if it's there. But inside I say, but a new Normandie, now you got me. Where do I sign.

[@litamtondy]

There is no competition: the Normandie is simply on a superior level than the QM. Better interior design, better exterior design, comparable speed but much more efficient... Honestly, the only valid argument to choose the QM is if you're travelling tourist class and you're pissed the First Class passengers have accomodations ten times better than yours, so at least in the QM everybody got mediocre accomodations. The Normandie is a legendary, god-tier ocean liner, right up there with the Titanic, the Rex... They might not have had a long life, but their stories will long outlive every boring ship which might have had a successful career, but never managed to spark a fire of emotions in the hearts and push the limits of human evolution.

[@RustyTreeMan]

It would be the Normandie, not even a second thought. The first class dining room considered the greatest ever, every artisan in France crafting this living work of art. The famous horn, it’s style it would be like a dream, it’s whole short life was a dream.

[@scabbycatcat4202]

The Queen Mary proved to be far and away the more successful of the two ships. In those days speed was EVERYTHING and to have the fastest was a massive publicity boost . She really was the supersonic concord of her day. The Normandie seldom sailed at full capacity during her 400 plus crossing on the North Atlantic and required an operating subsidy to keep her in business. The usual complaint was the Normandie was actually OTT. In effect TOO POSH for the average transatlantic passenger. The Queen Mary was far more popular with the public

[@allalsimah6964]

Sans être chauvin le Normandie le plus beau le plus élégant avec une ligne d’avant garde d’un chic inouï Royal 👑 la nouvelle aire 👍👍👍

[@DEVASTATOR478]

normandie was amazing .

[@TheGrizzlyBear-1]

French ships, more specifically Normandie, Ile de France, Liberte, and France are the most beautiful ships I have ever seen.

[@danhamakua9757]

I admire both ships for different reasons but the Normandie was a superior ship.

[@guilhermesimoes9630]

And more elegant...

[@seitenwind7940]

I would take the Normandy! The Normandy has the better design, the much nicer silhouette. She had a lot of more effectual body form. The rooms were disigned in the kind of Deco Stil from the best artists of this time. The whole ship looks much more consistent. And she was slower wirth 30.31 knots to 30.63 knots (QE). Only 0.32 knots. (Both navigate with east course)

[@alanparker9608]

I would journey on the SS Normandie, just the most beautiful, fastest and powerful ocean liner that have ever sailed the seas

[@jas026able]

When all is said and done, it's a comparison between "comfort food" and the "Mona Lisa." The Queen was "comfortable" but the Normandie was floating through the Vatican Museums. No choice.

[@notthatcreative1530]

i would journey on the ss.normandie

[@tetragon2137]

First song used (for SS Normandie) is Atlantis by Two Steps from Hell. Second song (for RMS Queen Mary) is Sky Titans by Two Steps from Hell also.

[@Codydl14]

The normandie is more clean and sleek, but the queen mary has survived much more than her, hitler even set a bounty on the ship.

[@OlympicWS]

Thank you :)

[@trastis]

J'aime le SS Normandie. Le meilleur bateau de son temps avec la technologie la plus avancée et un art déco raffiné et spectaculaire. Les bateaux du cunard n'avaient rien de nouveau à offrir. le RMS Queen Mary un bateau confortable mais rien de comparable avec le spectaculaire SS Normandie

[@cicero2]

I sailed on the Queen Mary in 1939. My mother was 4 months pregnant with me. This should give me the edge in choosing the QM, but the Normandie, like the Ile de France, which I sailed on in 1946, had so much class and has my vote. Our thanks goes out to those two great workhorses, the Queens Mary and Elizabeth, who did so much for the war effort.

[@louisaugustexvi4515]

are you still alive wow 1939

[@cicero2]

dula peep: Thanks for asking. Yes, I'm alive and kicking! No smoking is the key to a long life, and have interests and hobbies! I'm going for the 100!

[@jonnreid2978]

At 2:41 What a MACHINE!

[@tetragon2137]

Ironically the huge bow wave actually means the ship is moving through the water in a not-very-efficient manner

[@qe2836]

It's never efficient to run a big ship at 30 knots, not even if they are equipped with modern bulbous bows. If you increase a ship's speed from 21 to 30 knots the ship will need more than twice the power. It's different with small speed boats because a higher speed lifts them almost out off the water.

[@jonnreid2978]

Yes, the larger the bow wave the more water the ships moveing = more, fuel and wasted energy and less efficient. But still looks very impressive. The Queen Mary did not have a very efficient hull design compared to the Normadie, The Mary's incredible speed was mostly due to her massive power.

[@kawanbrownlee9724]

Jonn Reid but the ss United States was able to go faster 30 nots knocking the paint off of her

[@aspycruisenews5058]

i can't tell if thats sarcasm

[@litamtondy]

The Chad Normandie vs the virgin Queen Mary

[@Joseph-Dreams]

SS Normandie was the most high tech of its day. It also was more upper class and had a more modern and beutiful design.

[@zacharylegaspi7594]

It's always SS vs RMS RMS Queen Mary vs SS normandie RMS Queen Elizabeth vs SS United States RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 vs SS France/Norway

[@mr.juniii5523]

Cause SS stood for *steam ship* and RMS stood for *royal mail ship* and MV stood for *motor vessel*

[@encahsuharni4185]

Ya..Allah..lindungi..lah..Kapal..itu..semoga..dalam..perjalanan..nya..berkah..dan..selamat..amiiin....

[@emperorryanii]

Amazing how spacious the dinning saloon was.

[@konstantinstojanoski931]

I will choose Normandie

[@Inpri]

Definitely the Normandie. She was elegant; the Queen Mary was frumpy.

[@thehistoryconisseur1154]

Both ships are amazing! I would go on both.

[@johannesbols57]

Accd'g to a crewman, the Queen Mary could roll the milk out of a cup of tea.

[@Dallas_K]

Not enough flat bottom on that lady.

[@bobbyjekins9807]

Like both ships but I would choose the S.S. Normandie

[@adamshaw9974]

If i were a passenger in the time of the great liner's, i would have chosen the Cunard queen :) Although i would also like to take a trip on the Normandie :D These ships were a marvel and its such a shame that only one of them survives to this day :(

[@brookenunley4475]

adam shaw Which is the Queen Mary

[@RPBMB-he4zz]

Superb video-only wish I could have been around then to sail in one of them!

[@legothoron1]

i would go on the Queen Mary

[@tylerfrederick246]

OlympicWS, your videos makes me so sentimental.

[@mihailotejic3044]

I dont know i like both of them i will take Queen Mary to New York then back with Normandie to Le Havre

[@thehistoryconisseur1154]

Normandie but Queen Mary is awesome too

[@andrewbrendan1579]

Both liners were outstanding, remarkable ships. The Normandie was too much for me personally: I find the funnels too big and the interiors too big and too lavish. The Queen's more restrained exterior and interior better suit my own taste. I'd sail on the Queen Mary but I acknowledge that both of these liners were glorious achievements and their designers and builders did themselves proud.

[@OrnumCR]

Why be plebeian! Paquebot extraordinaire for me! If you're going to do it, do it in style! Normandie was grand, fast, sleek and gloriously impractical. But she was France and all that chic that goes with it. She also had it all over Hull 534 in terms of her technical innovation and design. She used less fuel and less power than the Queen Mary at the same speed due to her extraordinary 'Yourkevich' hull. She had flair in her exterior design whereas the Queen Mary was dowdy and staid by comparison. She was the piece de resistance of all liners in my humble opinion. She remains still the largest ever turbo-electric propelled liner ever built....and bits of her today, if you can get them!.....are worth a bomb!!!

[@tetragon2137]

You can tell how efficient Yourkevich's hull design is in how it's still used today, and also in how Normandie produced a small bow wave than the much less efficient Queen Mary

[@robertoalexandre4250]

I agree, but people are going to be biased based on their national preferences. The Normandie was the most extraordinary three-funnel ship and one of the most beautiful ever. Ill-starred, short-lived, certainly. Sure shes huge, but there´s a sensuality (French and Italian ships have it) that no English ship ever had (even though the Queen really looks like a big-boned, broad-shoulderd regal English woman - like that English actress who used to play alongside Grouch Marx). ´There´s a sleekness, a sense of proportion that I just don´t see in the QM or even in the QE (which I think is better looking). The Normandie was also as you said, more advanced in terms of engineering. I guess its a question of esthetics: what the English ships had was a long story. In this sense, she could be thought of as almost a precursor to the swerve in ship building standards (which had been pretty much a British monopoly) which the SS United States later incarnates. Having lost the speed record, the luxury record, the English ships remained with their size, and, of course, their history. But purely on esthetic grounds, it hard to make an argument for any British ship compared to the French (or the Italians - and I don´t even mention the German ships here, although I should mention the Dutch who had two lovely ships, especially the Rotterdam). Certainly the French esthetic reaches its apex with the France, whose beauty I think, next to the Italian twins (Michelangelo and Raffaello), unbeatable. The best-looking English ships (IMO) are the QE2, the Caronia and the Canberra (she has her sleekness, and an unusual design and there´s a certain streamlined beauty - I won´t even mention how, barring the magnificent bow, hideous and weird the Oriana is).

[@qe2836]

It was a miscalculation of the Italians to build pure ocean liners in the 1960's. Michelangelo and Raffaello were not suitable for cruising, they were only 10 years in service before they were sold to Iran and laid up, and later scrapped. SS France could have had the same fate, but fortunately the NCL bought her. It's sad that France wasn't interested in taking care of the SS France. Restored into her original shape she would have been a nice tourist attraction in Le Havre, just like the SS Rotterdam in Rotterdam. Talking about the SS Oriana, with her ugly stern and low placed lifeboats, she was most likely a predecessor of modern cruise ships. Compared to the SS Rotterdam of almost the same time, the Oriana looked hideous.

[@savathluk1291]

QE2 I see you in everyone video I watch

[@johnfalstaff2270]

@@qe2836 , you talk about 1959 Oriana. She was ugly, in compare with Canberra. Later in 1994 there was another Oriana, but this one is a cruise ship unlike any other Atlantic crossing old passenger liners.

[@USFanLovesMinHo]

Watching the QM at 3:28 cutting through the water like a blade gave me chills.

[@PRsweetness]

Not even close Normandy she has so much more class, and more intricate and detailed design

[@THECRISSCRUZZ]

Ss normandie😎 es mas moderno que el mary , la reina es un gran barco pero el normandie es mas elegante , a diferencia del mary que es mas conservadora

[@eemo1873]

Definitely the Queen Mary. Both are nice but the Queen Mary has the edge for me.

[@2tilebarn]

The SS Normandie, along with the SS France/Norway and the QE2, are the most beautiful and elegant ocean liners ever built. Today's modern liners aesthetically do not come anywhere near the beauty of those three. And I think the twin stacked Queen Elizabeth was a better looking vessel than the Queen Mary.

[@qe2836]

+Janet Cramp I agree. The design of the hull of the SS Normandie was far ahead of its time. It's hard to believe that she was built in the early 1930:s. The 28 years younger SS France looked almost the same. Even the almost new RMS Queen Mary 2 has nearly the same design of her foredeck. RMS Queen Mary's design was a product of its own time. In my opinion the stacks of the SS France were masterpieces compared to all the older liners.

[@enriquemalparidabermejo8332]

Somebody now the high of Aquitania?

[@mr.juniii5523]

I pick SS normandie to new york and RMS queen mary back to Southampton

[@Kheyoflights]

same

[@iainmorrison7302]

I would go with the Queen Mary. Normandie was impressive but those huge funnels made her look wrong and overly clumsy. The Queen Mary wins for me

[@laevateintechnology5634]

Great... well I guess ended up going aboard the SS Normandie to MI, and maybe aboard the RMS Queen Mary Ship back home

[@johnfalstaff2270]

If I had money to make only one trip, then one way across Atlantic with Normandie and back home with Queen Mary. Or opposite. Then I could say where my experience was more pleasant. However, I would like to work on Normandie as a crew member.

[@lasuvidaboy]

For exterior beauty and over the top interiors (first class) the Normandie. Queen Mary of course was the more popular of the two possibly due to the comfort of her passenger facilities. First class on both ships was excellent but cabin and tourist were far superior on the Queen Mary. CGT invested heavily in the grand first class spaces but not enough in tourist and 3rd classes. QM had enviable passenger numbers in the late 1930s while the French Line struggled to sell lower grade cabins on their grand flagship. Fares were not a issue as they were set by transatlantic regulatory board and not the shipping lines.

[@Joseph-Dreams]

The RMS Queen Mary was successful mainly because of the price of a ticket. SS NORMANDIE was better when it came to room, service,class, interior design, and Exterior design. SS NORMANDIE.

[@lasuvidaboy]

[phone] Actually the fares and classes of service offered were governed by a regulatory board for all transatlantic liners and one line could not undercut another w/reduced fares. From everything I have read about the two ships, first class was excellent on both ships but w/the public rooms being more imposing on the Normandie while QM's had a more intimate feel. Highly competitive Tourist (2nd class) was considered superior on the Queen Mary (even after needed tourist class improvements such as the new aft deck lounge were installed on Normandie) which attracted more far passengers than tourist class on Normandie. CGT struggled to fill Normandie (especially tourist) for most of the ship's 4-years of operation while QM continued operating w/far higher passenger numbers.

[@joemancini327]

Why did the titanic go slower then the queen Mary I know they both have a different number of funnels but No. 4 funnel of the titanic was a fake one so they both had 3 funnels but the titanic's speed was around 21-23 (I may be wrong) knots and with Queen Mary at 30 knots ,well did they have a different number of boilers inside the ships ? Or is it just something else with the engines or something?

[@curious5661]

Well the Queen mary was a more modern ship for starters. The titanic was launched in 1911 and the Queen mary in 1934. The titanic was allso never designed to be fast, she was designed to be large and luxurious. The queen mary was powered by 4 steam turbines while the titanic had two reciprocating steam engines for the wing propellers, and a low-pressure turbine for the centre propeller. Still the queen mary was quite traditional while the Normadie was very modern. The normandie used a turbo-electric propulsion system and had a modern slanting clipper-like bow and a bulbous forefoot beneath the waterline.

[@qe2836]

The fastest ship of the Titanic-era was the RMS Mauretania (1907-1935) which hold the Blue Riband speed record from 1909 to 1929. This was a "real" 4-funnel ship so I think WSL just wanted their ships to look like her. Mauretania had 4 steam turbines with a combined power of 68,000 shp (nom.) and 76,000 shp during her record run. Queen Mary had 160,000 hp and the SS United States (1952-), also with 4 turbines, more than 240,000 hp max.

[@joemancini327]

I knew they never intended it to be fast but it's quite interesting

[@scabbycatcat4202]

Despite the answers already given it is mostly down to economics !! The Lusitania and Mauritania used over 1000 TONS of coal PER DAY when operating at their maximum speeds .Harland and Wolf had less experience of these new fangled " turbines " and considered a more liesurely and more economical crossing of 7 days made more economic sense. White Star agreed and a service speed of no more than 21 knots was decided upon

[@Dallas_K]

​@@curious5661 Nevertheless, the Titanic WAS fast in terms of optimum waterline speed. She could make a fast clip of 21 knots without pushing the engines. Lusitania and Mauretania got reduced to 18 knots in 1913 because they burned too much fuel.

[@scabbycatcat4202]

How ill informed can you be? Queen Mary was clearly the faster ship gaining the blue ribband at 31.69 knots . They have Normandie s top speed 32.2knots .......I don't think so

[@declissonolivier9376]

Yes, 32,2... Recorded by Lloyds and Veritas during her first sea trial. And about our illness, you should check the websites giving average speeds in the blue riband "competition"... You will notice it was mainly a "game" beetween the two captains... "I take it, i take it back, i re-take it and i raise the level, i re-re take it... Until the war who stopped the competition.

[@litamtondy]

If the QM was faster, how could the Normandie beat her in crossing the Atlantic? You sound like a brainless hater.

[@scabbycatcat4202]

@@litamtondy The Queen Mary was obviously the faster ship.This has been well known and well documented for years. The Normandie had her propellors changed in an effort to gain a bit more speed and reduce vibration. It was said the Queen Mary did over 33 knots on her speed trials but those who know a bit about ships will also know that she would rarely reach that speed again with a full load and a " dirty bottom ". The Normandie could never capture the Blue Riband again.

[@scabbycatcat4202]

@@declissonolivier9376 You are obviously a " weekend " maritime historian and not fully aware of how ships operate and work. You should do some serious research before posting on you tube.

[@litamtondy]

@@scabbycatcat4202 Wrong. The Normandie did capture the Blue Riband again, and very possibly there would have been a continuous back-and-forth between the two ships. The QM, despite its huge power, had a bad hull design, while the Normandie, with her beautiful and modern design, easily matched the speed while using 25% less power. This is also why the Normandie inspired most of the big ships that came after. Idk, but you really sound like you're desperately trying to hold onto the only point where the QM could compete with the Normandie, a ship that was objectively superior in any other way.

[@Dallas_K]

I choose the Queen Mary. I prefer the sedate "old-school" style. She made Art Deco look like it had been around for a century. Dignity is the word for it. The Normandie was too flamboyant and glittery for my tastes.

[@tylerfrederick246]

Can I know what are the 2 pieces of music you pick for this video, please?

[@harryslife3402]

Normandie for a long trip and Mary for short.

[@cjsnowdon]

Normandie's perfection (truly a ship of state) should not condemn every other ship in history to the scrapheap! QM was a legend and deserves legendary status No ship in history will ever top Normandie in terms of design, elegance, sophistication, just about any superlative you wanna chuck in her direction tbh I would love to travel on both, but which one is better to spend a week on - I honestly dont know Everyone here is using Normandie's grandeur to determine which one is best to spend time on! These traits don't absolutely give it oneupmanship on enjoying the service, the food, the other guests, how much you enjoy yourself in general. Ironically, history suggests QM wins that!!

[@Максим14142]

I like both

[@joemancini327]

I will always pick the Queen Mary no one can doubt it

[@mr.juniii5523]

I will ride or normendie first to new york but the east bound i will use the queen mary to have a faster trip back home

[@aspycruisenews5058]

normandie doesn't flatter me i stick by my word cunard will never leave my side

[@kosovoisalbania2410]

SS Normandie L: 313,6M B: 36,4M H: 56,1M S: 32,2 KTS RMS Queen Mary L: 1,019.4 Ft /???M B: 36,0M H: 55,2M D: 11,9M S: 30 KTS

[@markoknez9567]

310,6m

[@Chris0252]

My vote is to the Normandie !!!. There was an lot blaming to the French when she was on fire that it was sabotage. But it was not !, it was ordinary failure of the workers that try convert her in an troop ship. All the ship experts in the World say yust like me, The Normandie was the most beautiful liner ever buld in the history of all liners. It is an huge shame that she ended so sat of the failure of an coople of stupid workers. Can make me still very anger after so many years !.

[@kosovoisalbania2410]

I like SS NORMANDIE & RMS QUEEN MARY Because she fastest ship in the world before SS UNITED STATES

[@Максим14142]

Indeed

[@suprac19]

The queen Mary was faster than the normandie

[@bismark7108]

Normandie

[@henrymorgan248]

normandie

[@aahkron]

Why don't tell in meter too length oo the Queen ? 308m.

[@flocz5655]

whats the title of the song played at normandie?

[@jeanmarcg123]

no doubt Normandie had a more beautiful design! Beautiful video thank you!

[@iloveclocks3988]

Queen Mary's top speed is over 32 knots. The average speed of the transatlantic record is almost 31 knots

[@aureliogarciajob]

Normandie.

[@jonnreid2978]

What is the music used with the Queen Mary?

[@tetragon2137]

A song called "Sky Titans" by Two Steps from Hell.

[@jonnreid2978]

Thank you!

[@seenivasan.a1023]

SS Normandie...

[@johnpaulremonte8451]

I Know The Better Ship It Is The Normandie I Choose

[@navaspicado9714]

SS Normandie 👏❤🚢

[@liam9702]

Oh yeah, kinda mean how you mocked titanic showing how they got to New York and she didn't.

[@hugoff10k86]

SS NORMANDIE

[@thedecadentgent1178]

My choice is definitely the Normandie. I admire the Queen Mary but the Normandie was stunning. If the Mary was the Queen of the seas then Normandie was the Empress. Besides, apparently the Queen Mary rolled like hell!

[@scabbycatcat4202]

After 1 transatlantic crossing the Queen Mary was met by 47 ambulances on the quayside at Southampton to take the injured to hospital after a particularly rough crossing!! .

[@roystrickland3363]

No, Normandie was the roller. Still, no denying her beauty.

[@michellerogers2996]

@@roystrickland3363 No Queen Mary was the roller. It was said that she could “Roll the milk out of a cup of tea”.She even earned the nickname the rolling Mary

[@jeromesevy1112]

Queen Mary was faster than 30 knots my friend.

[@scabbycatcat4202]

Absolutely true. It was said that during the war she exeeded 33 knots with a following wind and following sea on one occasion.. .

[@whitestarline81]

Both

[@pablojimenez3532]

Both are nice but ill go with Queen Mary

[@skurr]

Queen Mary anyday.

[@matejjjjjjjjjjjjjjj]

Normandie if her crew speaks also english.

[@hayate142]

QM is more powerful I would sail on her any day

[@tylerfrederick246]

My 2 favorite Ocean Liners of the 1930s. Normandie & Queen Mary. I would take Normandie from New York to Le Havre, take the train to Cherbourg, & take the Queen Mary back to New York.

[@jlee4950]

Normandie should have been named France.

[@qe2836]

The first SS France (1912) was in service until 1935. Normandie was christened already in 1932.

[@Jendraazhar2k24]

What a horn

[@giuseppeborgese8010]

Two big ships the story.Normandie is Queen Mary

[@blu_e1910]

Giuseppe Borgese But normandie sank... I am looking at the QM in Long Beach.

[@vojtechkrejsa8916]

Nejspíš bych si vybral Normandii

[@Sugerloadedgirl789]

First, Queen Mary, then Noramandie. ;)

[@Qmfansite]

its not even a competition, Queen Mary is my choice

[@joemancini327]

I believe people over rate the Normandie when in the 30s the French line's Normandie couldn't even make a profit because most people preferred the Queen Mary and they quoted that they liked the Queen Mary's lavished interior and the Normandie was too big. Just like today's ocean liners.

[@commanderguest6669]

When u compare the queen Mary and the normandie I would go to QM as she is much faster and the Normandie funnels makes it looks weird but still awesome but if u want to compare the Queen Mary and the titanic the queen marys was more technologically advanced than the titanic so it would go faster

[@litamtondy]

Do you actually know what you're talking about? The QM faster than the Normandie? Really?? What did you smoke? The QM and the Normandie had comparable speed, first the Normandie got the Blue Riband, then QM, then Normandie, then QM and then the USA destroyed the Normandie. Without doubt the challenge would have continued, if not for the USA. Also, you are forgetting that while being as fast, the Normandie was much more efficient.

[@commanderguest6669]

@@litamtondy oh yeah ur right I just research about its history of its haunting not the engineering

[@litamtondy]

@@commanderguest6669 All good, man! I honestly think you did the right thing looking up the history of the speed contest between the two ships. It's so interesting and special!

[@TheTakada]

ブルーリボンホルダー、ノルマンディーとクイーンメリー 美しさは私はノルマンディー方が好きですが、 速力では、クイーンメリーが資料では高速を出している。

[@Dallas_K]

Blue Ribband, not ribbon.

[@brookenunley4475]

I would Choose Queen Mary

[@민씨-k1o]

QM

[@iloveclocks3988]

Some people underestimate the Queen Mary

[@Schatten1936]

RMS Queen Mary / Queen of the Seas

[@luisnoone6993]

I would take the Queen Mary. Both are breathtaking vessels but I choose the Queen Mary 🙂

[@CrazyBrosCael]

Why are you guys so toxic

[@mrdesignit145]

QM all the way!

[@somerandomperson7253]

Queen Mary all the way

[@olliey6868]

RMS Queen Mary