JOYOUS WELCOME TO BIG LINER

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLII, Issue 20512, 2 September 1936, Page 7

JOYOUS WELCOME TO BIG LINER

SEA SUPREMACY OF BRITAIN QUEEN MARY’S ATLANTIC RECORD British Official Wireless (Received September 1, 6.30 p.m.) RUGBY, August 31 By breaking the Normandie's record, the Queen Mary regained the Blue Riband of the Atlantic for Britain after seven years. Up to that time it had been held by the Mauretania for twenty-one years. The final sprint was made in a slight fog, which robbed holiday-makers on the land of a view of the Queen Mary as she passed the Bishop Rock with a safe margin of 3 hours 31 minutes. The giant liner had a tumultuous welcome from vast crowds afloat and ashore when she reached Southampton at the end of her double record-break-ing voyage across the Atlantic and back. The liner, which had a crowded escort of pleasure steamers, private yachts and speed boats up Southampton Water, docked at 12.40 p.m. to the noise of hundreds of sirens breaking through the drone of many aeroplanes which were circling overhead. The reception recalled the enthusiasm last March when the mighty ship first came to her home port. WELCOME AT HOME PORT REASONS FOR FINAL SPRINT British Official Wireless RUGBY, August 31. The liner Queen Mary had a tumultuous welcome from vast crowds afloat and ashore when she reached Southampton at th, end of the double record-breaking voyage. The liner, which had a crowded escort of pleasure steamers, private yachts and speed boats up Southampton Water, was docked at 12.40, to the noise of hundreds of sirens, breaking through the drone of many aeroplanes circling overhead. The reception recalled the enthusiasm of last March when the mighty ship first came to the home port. The Cunard Company sent congratulatory telegrams to her commander, the chief engineer and builders. Referring to the recapture for Britain of the blue riband of the Atlantic, Sir Edgar Britten and the chief engineer, Mr Llewellyn Roberts, both stressed the reserves of power the ship still possessed. Value of Record. At a ceremony at Liverpool, Sir Percy Bates, chairman of the CunardWhite Star Line, explained that the fast run had been made at this stage in the liner’s career principally to obtain technical data for the design of the sister ship, 552, the keel of which would be laid in the Clydeside yard of the Queen Mary’s builders, Messrs John Brown, in a few months’ time. From this point of view, he said, the record breaking voyage yielded important and valuable information.