An ocean liner is a large passenger ship, most typically a motorized vessel that undertakes longer voyages on the open sea primarily for the purpose of transporting people from one place to another. Ocean liners were the primary mode of intercontinental travel for over a century, from the mid-19th century to the 1960s, when they were finally supplanted by airliners.
In the "Golden Age" of ocean liners in the early part of the 20th century, many offered extremely luxurious travel for a wealthy few; although even the finest ships carried large numbers of poorer passengers in cramped quarters on the lower decks. Older ships were often given over to carrying immigrants at low prices.
The best-known of the liners was Titanic, unfortunately famous for sinking on her maiden voyage. The Cunard Line's Mauretania of 1907 was widely considered the finest of all the liners of its generation, and in decades following many had a similar devotion to the SS Normandie.
After the 1960s collapse of the passenger ship business, many ocean liners continued in use as cruise ships; as of 2003, a small number are still in service. A few more, such as Queen Mary, are still afloat but permanently docked and used for other purposes.
Oceanliners typically were strongly built with high freeboards to withstand sea states and adverse conditions encountered in the open ocean, and had large capacities for fuel and other stores which would be consumed on their multi-day or mulit-week voyages.
Oceanliners were the primary mode of intercontinental travel for over a century, from the mid-19th century to the 1960s, when they were finally supplanted by airliners.
Notable transatlanticliners included the SS United States, which was the last oceanliner to hold the Blue Riband and the SS France, which held the record for the longest passenger ship from when she entered service in 1961 until the launch of RMS Queen Mary 2 in 2003.
Oceanliners typically were strongly built with high freeboards to withstand sea states and adverse conditions encountered in the open ocean, and had large capacities for fuel and other stores which would be consumed on their multi-day or mulit-week voyages.
Oceanliners were the primary mode of intercontinental travel for over a century, from the mid-19th century to the 1960s, when they were finally supplanted by airliners.
Notable transatlanticliners included the SS United States, which was the last oceanliner to hold the Blue Riband and the SS France, which held the record for the longest passenger ship from when she entered service in 1961 until the launch of RMS Queen Mary 2 in 2003.
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