Overview Ocean liner

rms lusitania arriving in new york in 1907. primary means of trans-oceanic voyages on century, ocean liners essential transportation needs of national governments, business firms, , general public.

ocean liners primary mode of intercontinental travel on century, mid-19th century until began supplanted airliners in 1950s. in addition passengers, liners carried mail , cargo. ships contracted carry british royal mail used designation rms. liners preferred way move gold , other high-value cargoes.

cunard line poster of 1921, cutaway of liner rms aquitania.

the busiest route liners on north atlantic ships travelling between europe , north america. on route fastest, largest , advanced liners travelled. while in contemporary popular imagination term ocean liners evokes these transatlantic superliners, ocean liners historically mid-sized vessels served common carriers of passengers , freight between nations , among mother countries , colonies , dependencies in pre-jet age. such routes included europe african , asian colonies, europe south america, , migrant traffic europe north america in 19th , first 2 decades of 20th centuries, , canada , australia after second world war.

shipping lines companies engaged in shipping passengers , cargo, on established routes , schedules. regular scheduled voyages on set route called line voyages , vessels (passenger or cargo) trading on these routes timetable called liners. alternative liner trade tramping whereby vessels notified on ad-hoc basis availability of cargo transported. (in older usage, liner referred ships of line, is, line-of-battle ships, usage rare.) term ocean liner has come used interchangeably passenger liner , although can refer cargo liner or cargo-passenger liner.

beginning @ advent of jet age, transoceanic ship service declined, gradual transition passenger ships mean of transportation nowadays cruise ships started. in order ocean liners remain profitable, cruise lines have modified of them operate on cruise routes, such queen elizabeth 2 , ss france. characteristics of older ocean liners made them unsuitable cruising, such high fuel consumption, deep draught preventing them entering shallow ports, , cabins (often windowless) designed maximize passenger numbers rather comfort. italian line s ss michelangelo , ss raffaello, last ocean liners built crossing north atlantic, not converted economically , had short careers.