Blue Riband
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The Blue Riband is an award held by the ship with the record for a transatlantic crossing. The first steam powered crossing of the Atlantic was in 1833. The Blue Riband was a creation of the transatlantic shipping companies in the 1860s, for the publicity opportunities of possessing the fastest ship. There were separate awards for the fastest eastbound and westbound crossings. It was represented by a blue pennant flown from the topmast of the ship, until 1935 when Sir Harold Keates Hales (1868-1942), a British politician and owner of Hales Brothers shipping company, initiated a trophy.
The Hales Trophy is awarded on the basis of average speed, since the distance of transatlantic routes varies. Theoretically the endpoints could be any port in the Canadian Maritimes or the Eastern Seaboard of the United States in the west, and any port in Ireland, Britain, or western Europe in the east, but traditionally routings considered for transatlantic records tend to involve service to or from New York City. The last "superliner" to hold the trophy was the SS United States, which set a time that was not beaten until 1990.
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[edit] Holders of the Blue Riband
Some of the ships that held the record for the fastest crossing, including those recorded before the Blue Riband was instituted, with the date first achieved:
[edit] Westbound
| Steamer | Date | Line | From | To | Nautical Miles | Days/Hours/Minutes | Knots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sirius | 1838 (4/4-22/4) | B&A | Cork | Sandy Hook | 3583 | 18/14/22 | 8.03 |
| Great Western | 1838 (8/4-23/4) | GW | Avonmouth | New York | 3220 | 15/12/0 | 8.66 |
| Great Western | 1839 (2/6-17/6) | GW | Avonmouth | New York | 3140 | 14/16/0 | 8.92 |
| Great Western | 1839 (18/5-31/5) | GW | Avonmouth | New York | 3086 | 13/12/0 | 9.52 |
| Columbia | 1841 (4/6-15/6) | Cunard | Liverpool | Halifax | (2534) | 10/19/0 | (9.78) |
| Great Western | 1843 (29/4-11/5) | GW | Liverpool | New York | 3068 | 12/18/0 | 10.03 |
| Cambria | 1845 (19/7-29/7) | Cunard | Liverpool | Halifax | (2534) | 9/20/30 | (10.71) |
| America | 1848 (3/6-12/6) | Cunard | Liverpool | Halifax | (2534) | 9/0/16 | (11.71) |
| Europa | 1848 (14/10-23/10) | Cunard | Liverpool | Halifax | (2534) | 8/23/0 | (11.79) |
| Asia | 1850 (18/5-27/5) | Cunard | Liverpool | Halifax | (2534) | 8/14/50 | (12.25) |
| Pacific | 1850 (11/9 21/9) | Collins | Liverpool | New York | (3050) | 10/4/45 | (12.46) |
| Baltic | 1851 (6/8-16/8) | Collins | Liverpool | New York | 3039 | 9/19/26 | 12.91 |
| Baltic | 1854 (28/6-7/7) | Collins | Liverpool | New York | 3037 | 9/16/52 | 13.04 |
| Persia | 1856 (19/4-29/4) | Cunard | Liverpool | Sandy Hook | (3045) | 9/16/16 | (13.11) |
| Scotia | 1863 (19/7-27/7) | Cunard | Queenstown | New York | (2820) | 8/3/0 | (14.46) |
| Adriatic | 1872 (17/5-25/5) | W.Star | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2778 | 7/23/17 | 14.53 |
| Germanic | 1875 (30/7-7/8) | W.Star | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2800 | 7/23/7 | 14.65 |
| City Of Berlin | 1875 (17/9-25/9) | Inman | Queenstown | Sandy Bank | 2829 | 7/18/2 | 15.21 |
| Britannic | 1876 (27/10-4/11) | W.Star | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2795 | 7/13/11 | 15.43 |
| Germanic | 1877 (6/4-13/4) | W.Star | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2830 | 7/11/37 | 15.76 |
| Alaska | 1882 (9/4-16/4) | Guion | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2802 | 7/6/20 | 16.07 |
| Alaska | 1882 (14/5-21/5) | Guion | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2871 | 7/4/12 | 16.67 |
| Alaska | 1882 (18/6-25/6) | Guion | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2836 | 7/1/58 | 16.98 |
| Alaska | 1883 (29/4-6/5) | Guion | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2844 | 6/23/48 | 17.05 |
| Oregon | 1884 (13/4-19/4) | Guion | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2861 | 6/10/10 | 18.56 |
| Etruria | 1885 (16/8- 22/8) | Cunard | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2801 | 6/5/31 | 18.73 |
| RMS Umbria | 1887 (29/5-4/6) | Cunard | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2848 | 6/4/12 | 19.22 |
| Etruria | 1888 (27/5-2/6) | Cunard | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2854 | 6/1/55 | 19.56 |
| City of Paris | 1889 (2/5-8/5) | I&I | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2855 | 5/23/7 | 19.95 |
| City of Paris | 1889 (22/8-28/8) | I&I | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2788 | 5/19/18 | 20.01 |
| Majestic | 1891 (30/7-5/8) | W.Star | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2777 | 5/18/8 | 20.10 |
| Teutonic | 1891 (13/8-19/8) | W.Star | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2778 | 5/16/31 | 20.35 |
| City of Paris | 1892 (20/7-27/7) | I&I | Queenstown | Sandy Book | 2735 | 5/15/58 | 20.48 |
| City of Paris | 1892 (13/10-18/10) | I&I | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2782 | 5/14/24 | 20.70 |
| Campania | 1893 (18/6-23/6) | Cunard | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2864 | 5/15/37 | 21.12 |
| Campania | 1894 (12/8-17/8) | Cunard | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2776 | 5/9/29 | 21.44 |
| Lucania | 1894 (26/8-31/3) | Cunard | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2787 | 5/8/38 | 21.65 |
| Lucania | 1894 (23/9-28/9) | Cunard | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2782 | 5/7/48 | 21.75 |
| Lucania | 1894 (21/10-26/10) | Cunard | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2779 | 5/7/23 | 21.81 |
| Kaiser Wilhelm der Große | 1898 (30/3-3/4) | NDL | Needles | Sandy Hook | 3120 | 5/20/0 | 22.29 |
| Deutschland | 1900 (6/7-12/7) | Hapag | Eddystone | Sandy Hook | 3044 | 5/15/46 | 22.42 |
| Deutschland | 1900 (26/8-1/9) | Hapag | Cherbourg | Sandy Hook | 3050 | 5/12/29 | 23.02 |
| Deutschland | 1901 (26/7-1/8) | Hapag | Cherbourg | Sandy Hook | 3141 | 5/16/12 | 23.06 |
| Kronprinz Wilhelm | 1902 (10/9-16/9) | NDL | Cherbourg | Sandy Hook | 3047 | 5/11/57 | 23.09 |
| Deutschland | 1903 (2/9-8/9) | Hapag | Cherbourg | Sandy Hook | 3054 | 5/11/54 | 23.15 |
| Lusitania | 1907 (6/10-10/10) | Cunard | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2780 | 4/19/52 | 23.99 |
| Lusitania | 1908 (17/5-21/5) | Cunard | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2889 | 4/20/22 | 24.83 |
| Lusitania | 1908 (5/7-10/7) | Cunard | Queenstown | Sandy Hook | 2891 | 4/19/36 | 25.01 |
| Lusitania | 1909 (8/8-12/8) | Cunard | Queenstown | Ambrose | 2890 | 4/16/40 | 25.65 |
| Mauretania | 1909 (26/9-30/9) | Cunard | Queenstown | Ambrose | 2784 | 4/10/51 | 26.06 |
| Bremen | 1929 (17/7-22/7) | NDL | Cherbourg | Ambrose | 3164 | 4/17/42 | 27.83 |
| Europa | 1930 (20/3-25/3) | NDL | Cherbourg | Ambrose | 3157 | 4/17/6 | 27.91 |
| Europa | 1933 (27/6-2/7) | NDL | Cherbourg | Ambrose | 3149 | 4/16/48 | 27.92 |
| Rex | 1933 (11/8-16/8) | Italia | Gibraltar | Ambrose | 3181 | 4/13/58 | 28.92 |
| Normandie | 1935 (30/5-3/6) | CGT | Bishop Rock | Ambrose | 2971 | 4/3/2 | 29.98 |
| Queen Mary | 1936 (20/8-24/8) | C-WS | Bishop Rock | Ambrose | 2907 | 4/0/27 | 30.14 |
| Normandie | 1937 (29/7-1/8) | CGT | Bishop Rock | Ambrose | 2906 | 3/23/2 | 30.58 |
| Queen Mary | 1938 (4/8-8/8) | C-WS | Bishop Rock | Ambrose | 2907 | 3/21/48 | 30.99 |
| United States | 1952 (11/7-15/7) | USL | Bishop Rock | Ambrose | 2906 | 3/12/12 | 34.51 |
[edit] Eastbound
| Steamer | Date | Line | From | To | Nautical Miles | Days/Hours/Minutes | Knots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sirius | 1838 (1/5-19/5) | B&A | New York | Falmouth | (3159) | (18/0/0) | (7.31) |
| Great Western | 1838 (7/5-22/5) | GW | New York | Avonmouth | 3218 | 14/15/59 | 9.14 |
| Great Western | 1838 (25/6-8/7) | GW | New York | Avonmouth | 3099 | 12/16/34 | 10.17 |
| Britannia | 1840 (4/8-14/8) | Cunard | Halifax | Liverpool | (2610) | 9/21/44 | (10.98) |
| Great Western | 1842 (28/4-11/5) | GW | New York | Liverpool | 3248 | 12/7/30 | 10.99 |
| Columbia | 1843 (4/4-14/4) | Cunard | Halifax | Liverpool | (2534) | 9/12/0 | (11.11) |
| Hibernia | 1843 (18/5-27/5) | Cunard | Halifax | Liverpool | (2534) | 9/10/44 | (11.18) |
| Hibernia | 1843 (18/7-27/7) | Cunard | Halifax | Liverpool | (2534) | 8/22/44 | (11.80) |
| Canada | 1849 (19/7-28/7) | Cunard | Halifax | Liverpool | (2534) | 8/12/44 | (12.38) |
| Pacific | 1851 (10/5-20/5) | Collins | New York | Liverpool | (3078) | 9/20/14 | (13.03) |
| Arctic | 1852 (7/2-17/2) | Collins | New York | Liverpool | 3051 | 9/17/15 | 13.06 |
| Persia | 1856 (2/4-12/4) | Cunard | Sandy Hook | Liverpool | (3048) | 9/10/22 | (13.46) |
| Persia | 1856 (14/5-23/5) | Cunard | Sandy Hook | Liverpool | (3048) | 9/3/24 | (13.89) |
| Persia | 1856 (6/8-15/8) | Cunard | Sandy Hook | Liverpool | (3046) | 8/23/19 | (14.15) |
| Scotia | 1863 (16/12-24/12) | Cunard | New York | Queenstown | (2800) | 8/5/42 | (14.16) |
| City of Brussels | 1869 (4/12-12/12) | Inman | Sandy Hook | Queenstown | (2780) | 7/20/33 | (14.74) |
| Baltic | 1873 (11/1-19/1) | W.Star | Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2840 | 7/20/9 | 15.09 |
| City of Berlin | 1875 (2/10-10/10) | Inman | Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2820 | 7/15/28 | 15.37 |
| Germanic | 1876 (5/2-13/2) | W.Star | Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2894 | 7/15/17 | 15.79 |
| Britannic | 1876 (16/12-24/12) | W.Star | Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2892 | 7/12/41 | 15.94 |
| Arizona | 1879 (22/7-29/7) | Guion | Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2810 | 7/8/11 | 15.96 |
| Alaska | 1882 (30/5-6/6) | Guion | Sandy Hook | Queenstown | (2791) | 6/22/0 | (16.81) |
| Alaska | 1882 (12/9-19/9) | Guion | Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2781 | 6/18/37 | 17.10 |
| Oregon | 1884 (29/3-5/4) | Guion | Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2916 | 7/2/18 | 17.12 |
| Oregon | 1884 (26/4-3/5) | Guion | Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 291 | 6/16/57 | 18.09 |
| Oregon | 1884 (30/7-6/8) | Cunard | Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2853 | 6/12/54 | 18.18 |
| Oregon | 1884 (3/9-10/9) | Cunard | Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2853 | 6/11/9 | 18.39 |
| Etruria | 1885 (1/8-7/8) | Cunard | Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2822 | 6/9/0 | 18.44 |
| Etruria | 1888 (7/7-14/7) | Cunard | Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2981 | 6/4/50 | 19.36 |
| City of Paris | 1889 (15/5-22/5) | I&I | Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2894 | 6/0/29 | 20.03 |
| City of New York | 1892 (17/8-23/8) | I&I | Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2814 | 5/19/57 | 20.11 |
| Campania | 1893 (6/5-12/5) | Cunard | Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2928 | 5/17/27 | 21.30 |
| Lucania | 1894 (6/5-12/5) | Cunard | Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2911 | 3/13/28 | 21.81 |
| Lucania | 1894 (2/6-8/6) | Cunard | Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2911 | 5/12/59 | 21.90 |
| Lucania | 1895 (18/5-24/5) | Cunard | Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2897 | 5/11/40 | 22.00 |
| Kaiser Wilhelm der Große | 1897 (23/11-29/11) | NDL | Sandy Hook | Needles | 3065 | 5/17/23 | 22.33 |
| Deutschland | 1900 (18/7-24/7) | Hapag | Sandy Hook | Eddystone | 3085 | 5/15/5 | 22.84 |
| Deutschland | 1900 (4/9-10/9) | Hapag | Sandy Hook | Eddystone | 2981 | 5/7/38 | 23.36 |
| Deutschland | 1901 (13/6-19/6) | Hapag | Sandy Hook | Eddystone | 3083 | 5/11/51 | 23.38 |
| Deutschland | 1901 (10/7-17/7) | Hapag | Sandy Hook | Eddystone | 3082 | 5/11/5 | 23.51 |
| Kaiser Wilhelm II | 1904 (14/6-20/6) | NDL | Sandy Hook | Eddystone | 3112 | 5/11/58 | 23.58 |
| Lusitania | 1907 (19/10-24/10) | Cunard | Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2807 | 4/22/53 | 23.61 |
| Mauretania | 1907 (30/11-5/12) | Cunard | Beady Hook | Queenstown | 2807 | 4/22/33 | 23.69 |
| Mauretania | 1908 (25/1-30/1) | Cunard | Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2932 | 5/2/41 | 23.90 |
| Mauretania | 1908 (7/3-12/3) | Cunard | Sandy Hook | Queenstown | 2932 | 5/0/5 | 24.42 |
| Mauretania | 1909 (3/2-8/2) | Cunard | Ambrose | Queenstown, | 2930 | 4/20/27 | 25.16 |
| Mauretania | 1909 (17/3-22/3) | Cunard | Ambrose | Queenstown | 2934 | 4/18/35 | 25.61 |
| Mauretania | 1909 (5/5-10/5) | Cunard | Ambrose | Queenstown | 2934 | 4/18/11 | 25.70 |
| Mauretania | 1909 (16/6-21/6) | Cunard | Ambrose | Queenstown | 2933 | 4/17/21 | 25.88 |
| Mauretania | 1924 (20/8-25/8) | Cunard | Ambrose | Cherbourg | 3198 | 5/1/49 | 26.25 |
| Bremen | 1929 (27/7-1/8) | NDL | Ambrose | Eddystone | 3084 | 4/14/30 | 27.91 |
| Bremen | 1933 (10/6-15/6) | NDL | Ambrose | Cherbourg | 3199 | 4/16/15 | 28.51 |
| Normandie | 1935 (7/6-11/6) | CGT | Ambrose | Bishop Rock | 3015 | 4/3/25 | 30.31 |
| Queen Mary | 1936 (26/8-30/8) | C-WS | Ambrose | Bishop Rock | 2939 | 3/23/57 | 30.63 |
| Normandie | 1937 (18/3-22/3) | CGT | Ambrose | Bishop Rock | 2967 | 4/0/6 | 30.99 |
| Normandie | 1937 (4/8-8/8) | CGT | Ambrose | Bishop Rock | 2936 | 3/22/7 | 31.20 |
| Queen Mary | 1938 (10/8-14/8) | C-WS | Ambrose | Bishop Rock | 2938 | 3/20/42 | 31.69 |
| United States | 1952 (3/7-7/7) | USL | Ambrose | Bishop Rock | 2942 | 3/10/40 | 35.59 |
| Hoverspeed Great Britain | 1990 Jun 23 | 3/7/54 | 36.6 | ||||
| Catalonia | 1998 Jun 9 | 3/9/40 | 38.9 | ||||
| Cat-Link V or today Master Cat | 1998 Jul 20 | 2/20/9 | 41.3 |
[edit] References
- Arnd Stroeh, "From Superliners to Airliners", as of February 27, 2003; [1]
- The Blue Riband of the North Atlantic, westbound and eastbound holders, greatships.net; [2]
- which cites:
- North Atlantic Seaway, Vol. 5, N.R.P. Bonsor, 1980
- Danish ferry sets new Atlantic-crossing record!!, vulkanusa.com; [3]
- The Hales Trophy, seacontainers.com; [4]
- Kludas, Arnold. Record breakers of the North Atlantic - Blue Riband Liners 1838-1952, Chatham Publishing, London, 2000.
- Information about the Kronprinz Wilhelm's award-winning voyage
[edit] Other meanings
Blue Riband is also used to describe the most prestigious race in a particular sport. For example, in athletics (track and field) the blue riband distance is traditionally the men's 1500m (or mile) although the men's 100 m sprint is nowadays preferred by some. In cycling the blue riband is the Tour de France. In kayaking and canoeing championships the blue riband race is the men's K1 1000m. In the rowing world championships and at the Olympics, the blue riband event is the Men's Eights, raced over 2000m. At Henley Royal Regatta, the blue riband event is the Grand Challenge Cup, for Men's Eights, and is usually won by National Squad eights. The term is unofficial and often implies a certain glamour. For example the Monaco Grand Prix remains the blue riband race on the Formula One motor-racing calendar due to its glamorous location, with the course providing the most elegant back-drop of any event on the calendar.
The term has also gained a wider usage and is now increasingly used to mean "the most prestigious" in sporting contexts that are not races and beyond the sporting world.
In the USA the term has gradually been replaced by the term blue ribbon. Its British heritage is reflected in the "Blue Riband" chocolate biscuits made by Nestlé and sold in the UK and Ireland, and Blue Riband spirits made by McDowell & Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of UBL Group, and sold in India.
