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How long did it take to sail from England to America in the 1930s?

1929: 4 days 3 hours: bulbous bow-equipped steamship: SS Bremen (Cherbourg to Ambrose Light) 1936: 4 days: Yarrow boiler-equipped steamship: RMS Queen Mary (Bishop Rock to Ambrose Light)



In the 1930s, the "Golden Age" of ocean liners, a typical voyage from Southampton to New York took between 4.5 and 6 days. The fastest ships of the era, known as the "Superliners," competed for the Blue Riband—an unofficial award for the fastest Atlantic crossing. The RMS Queen Mary, which debuted in 1936, could make the crossing in just under 4 days at an average speed of 30 knots (34 mph). This was a massive "high-value" improvement over the 7–10 day journeys of the early 1900s. For the wealthy traveler in 1930, the crossing was a high-luxury social event filled with gala dinners and live orchestras. However, for those in "Third Class," it was still a utilitarian 6-day journey. By the late 1930s, the advent of the "Pan Am Clipper" flying boats began to offer 24-hour crossings, but for the vast majority of people, the week-long sea voyage remained the standard until the "Jet Age" of the 1950s completely revolutionized the speed of intercontinental travel, reducing days to just a few hours.

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By 1900, the average price of a steerage ticket was about $30. Many immigrants traveled on prepaid tickets sent by relatives already in America; others bought tickets from the small army of traveling salesmen employed by the steamship lines.

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Depending on the weather conditions, the voyage itself lasted typically 6–10 weeks.

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Surviving ships Of the many clipper ships built during the mid-19th century, only two are known to survive. The only intact survivor is Cutty Sark, which was preserved as a museum ship in 1954 at Greenwich for public display.

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Currently, only one ocean liner that still operates on trans-Atlantic voyages is the Queen Mary 2. Cruise ships, instead, are used more for tourism and recreational purposes and not so much for transportation.

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