1835
-
- In Edinburgh, Scotland, a company advertises seeking tourists to cruise to the Faroe Islands and Iceland. There is insufficient interest, so this potentially first ship leisure cruise is not taken. [260.106]
1840
- February 6
- The ship Britannia is launched by the shipbuilder at Greenock, Scotland. The ship is named by Isabella Napier, relative of the contractor. [274.7]
- July 4
- Cunard Line 700-ton wooden paddlewheeler Britannia first sets out from Liverpool, England, bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia on the first transatlantic crossing with a scheduled end. [5] [89.35] [150.35] [274.7]
1857
-
- British P&O Company ship Ceylon makes the first sightseeing cruise, to the Mediterranean. [260.106]
1860
- September 7
- Excursion steamer Lady Elgin drowns 340 in Lake Michigan. [1]
1869
- September 6
- The White Star Line is founded, with 400,000 pounds sterling capital. [274.11]
1870
- August 28
- England's White Star Line launches the Oceanic ship; 420 feet long, 3807 tons. [274.11]
1871
- March 2
- White Star Line's Oceanic ship makes its maiden voyage. [274.11]
1872
- May
- White Star Line's Adriatic sets a westward Atlantic record crossing of 7 days, 23 hours, 17 minutes. [274.11]
- October 15
- The Netherlands-America Steamship Company's first ocean liner, the Rotterdam cargo and passenger ship sails on its maiden voyage from the Netherlands to New York City. (The one-way voyage took 15 days.) [76]
1873
- January
- White Star Line's Baltic sets an eastward Atlantic record crossing of 7 days, 20 hours, 9 minutes. [274.11]
- April 1
- British White Star passenger steamship Atlantic sinks in a storm off Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; 585 die. [1] [71.28]
- April 18
- In Rotterdam, Netherlands, the Netherlands-America Steamship Company (Nederlandsch-Amerikaansche Stoomvaart Maatschappij) begins operations. (later renamed Holland America Line) [76]
1876
- February
- Inman Line's Germanic sets an eastward Atlantic record crossing of 7 days, 15 hours, 17 minutes. [274.11]
- June
- White Star Line's Britannic sets a westward Atlantic record crossing of 7 days, 16 hours, 35 minutes. [274.11]
1881
- February 26
- SS Ceylon begins first round-the-world cruise from Liverpool. [1]
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1893
- February
- Hamburg-American's Furst Bismarck cruise ship (8,000 gross tons) departs New York City on a 10 week cruise to the Mediterranean and Orient. [1376.26]
1897
- May
- North German Lloyd's Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse launches as the first ocean liner. Capacity is 558 passengers in first class, 338 in second class, and 1074 in steerage. At 14,300 tons this is the world's largest ship, and the first with four funnels. [260.7,17]
1899
-
- Britain's White Star line launches the Oceanic passenger liner. At 17,200 tons, the two-funnel ship is the world's largest. [260.18]
1900
- June 30
- Four German liners burn at Hobokon Docks, New Jersey, USA; 326 die. [1]
- (month unknown)
- Germany's Hamburg America Line launches the Deutschland passenger liner (16,000 tons), with four stacks, and the longest ship to date. [260.19]
- Germany's Hamburg America Line builds the world's first cruise ship, the Prinzessin Victoria Luise (24400 tons, 407-foot length). It includes a royal suite and 119 other state rooms, accomodating a total of about 400 passengers. [260.107]
1901
-
- Germany's North German Lloyd launches the Kronprinz Wilhelm liner. [260.19]
- Britain's White Star line launches the Celtic liner (20,000 tons, 2 funnels). [260.24]
1903
-
- Germany's North German Lloyd launches the Kaiser Wilhelm II liner (19,000 tons). [260.20]
- Britain's White Star line launches the Cedric liner (20,000 tons, 2 funnels). [260.24]
1904
-
- Britain's White Star line launches the Adriatic passenger liner (23,800 tons, 2 funnels). [260.24]
- Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company launches the Vectis iron passenger steamer as its first cruise ship, for first class passengers only, with shore excursions handled by Thomas Cook. [915.46]
1905
-
- Hamburg-American Line introduces the Amerika liner. [73.31]
1906
-
- Germany's North German Lloyd launches the Kronprinzessin Cecilie passenger liner (19,000 tons). [260.20]
- The German passenger liner Kaiserin Auguste Victoria (24,500 tons) is launched. [260.24]
- Britain's White Star line launches the Baltic passenger liner (23,800 tons, 2 funnels). [260.24]
- Germany's Hamburg America Line's cruise ship Prinzessin Victoria Luise runs aground on a reef off Jamaica. [260.108]
1907
- February 11
- Passenger ship Larchmont sinks by Block Island, 322 die. [1]
- September 13
- Ocean liner La Provence completes sailing from Le Havre, France, to New York in 6 days 1 hour 12 minutes, record time. [1053.50]
1909
- January
- White Star liner Republic (15,000 tons) collides with Italian passenger ship Florida near New York. The Republic sends the first "SOS" radio distress call. All but four of the passengers and crew (of over 2000) are saved. The ship sinks the next day. [260.94]
- March 31
- In Belfast, Ireland, the keel of the Titanic is laid down at Harland and Wolff Shipyard. [117.39]
- April
- The keel is laid for a new French ocean liner, later named France. [260.35]
- September
- The Lusitania ocean liner crosses the Atlantic westbound in a record 4 days, 11 hours, 40 minutes. [274.13]
1910
- January
- Ship Cleveland begins a 110-day circumnavigation of the globe, at a cost of $650-6600 per passenger. [260.108]
- June
- The keel is laid for Hamburg America Line's ocean liner Imperator. [260.36]
- September
- The ocean liner France (23,600 tons) is launched. [260.35]
- October
- Britain's White Star line launches the Olympic ocean liner. [260.33]
1911
- May
- White Star's Olympic ocean liner enters service from Belfast, Ireland. The ship's capacity is 1054 first class, 510 second class, and 1020 third class. [260.33]
- May 31
- The Titanic passenger liner is launched in Belfast, Ireland, with no christening ceremony. It is the largest ship in the world: 825.5 feet, 92.5 feet across beam, 46382 tons displacement. [117.39] [720.80]
- (month unknown)
- Holland America Line's Deutschland ship emerges from conversion to cruise ship, now with 487 first class rooms (previously 2050 berths). New name is Victoria Luise. [260.108]
1912
- April 2
- RMS Titanic passenger liner undergoes sea trials under its own power. [1]
- April 4
- The Titanic arrives at Southampton after finishing sea trials. [117.39]
- April 10
- RMS Titanic passenger liner sets sail from Southampton, England for its first (and last) voyage, with 2207 passengers and crew. [1] [117.40] [260.92] [720.80]
- April 11
- The Titanic ship pauses off Cobh, Ireland, taking on 123 passengers. [1311.9]
- April 12
- The Titanic departs Queenstown, Ireland with final passengers and mail, now 1316 passengers, 885 crew, headed for New York. [117.40] (April 11 [720.80]) (2228 passengers and crew [720.80])
- April 14
- (11:40 PM) The RMS Titanic passenger liner, on route from Southampton to New York, strikes an iceberg 453 miles southeast of Newfoundland, 37 seconds after warning from the night watchman in the crow's nest. Six of 15 watertight compartments are breached by a 300-foot gash. [1] [117.41] [260.92] [720.83]
- April 15
- (00:05 AM) Captain Smith of the Titanic orders lifeboats to be uncovered, and for passengers to be assembled to abandon ship. [117.41]
- (00:15 AM) Telegraph operator aboard the Titanic sends a constant distress call "CQD" and Titanic's call letters "MGY"; then sends out "SOS". Carpathia answers the call. [117.41]
- (00:25 AM) Captain Smith of the Titanic orders women and children into lifeboats. [117.42]
- (00:45 AM) The first lifeboat from the Titanic is lowered to the sea, with 28 people, of a capacity of 65. [117.42]
- (2:27 AM) RMS Titanic sinks in North Atlantic. An estimated 1522 people die, 705 survive. [1] [260.92] [720.84]
- (4:00+ AM) Carpathia rescues 712 survivors from the Titanic. [117.43]
- April 20
- Maiden voyage of the France ocean liner from Le Havre, France, to New York. [260.36]
1913
- April 21
- German passenger ship Imperator runs aground. [1]
- June
- Maiden voyage of Hamburg America Line's Imperator from Hamburg, Germany, to New York. The 276m, 52,100-ton ship has a capacity for 1180 staff and 4594 passengers: 908 first class, 972 second class, 943 third class, and 1772 in steerage. The ship uses four propellers, and has 83 lifeboats. [260.37]
1914
- May
- Hamburg America Line's Vaterland ocean liner (54,000 tons) enters service. [260.38]
- Cunard Line takes delivery of the Aquitania ocean liner; 45,647 tons. [274.12]
- May 29
- A Norwegian freighter rams Canadian Pacific's liner RMS Empress of Ireland in Saint Lawrence River, Canada, in heavy fog; 1024 die as the ship sinks quickly. [1] [260.94]
- May 30
- Cunard ocean liner RMS Aquitania, largest at 45,647 tons, sails on her maiden voyage from Liverpool, England to New York City. [5] [67.21]
- June
- Germany's Hamburg America Line launches the Bismarck ocean liner (56,500 tons). [260.38]
- August
- North German Lloyd's Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse sinks off West Africa, as an armed merchant cruiser. [260.20]
1915
- May 7
- Cunard Line's RMS Lusitania passenger liner is sunk by German submarine southwest of Cobh, Ireland, in the Atlantic Ocean; 1198 lives lost including 128 Americans. One crewmember survives, who also survived the Empress of Ireland and Titanic. [1] [118.9] [260.96] [916.89] [1053.52] [1311.9]
- November 9
- Italian liner Ancona sinks by German torpedoes, killing 272. [1]
1916
- November 21
- White Star's Britannic ocean liner, serving as a hospital ship in the Aegean sea, hits a mine and sinks off the coast of Greece; 30 dead. [117.44] [260.34]
1917
- February 3
- US liner Housatonic is sunk by German submarine; diplomatic relations are severed. [1]
1918
- June 27
- German submarine U-84 torpedoes and sinks Union Castle Line's passenger liner Llandovery Castle en route from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, to Liverpool, England. The ship was serving as a hospital ship for Canadian forces. [152.18]
1920
- January 11
- French passenger ship Afrique sinks near La Rochelle, France; 553 die. [1]
- October
- Cunard Line's Caronia embarks from Tilbury, England, with a record number of passengers: 1500. [274.13]
1921
-
- The French Line launches the Paris ocean liner (34,500 tons). [260.36]
1922
-
- The first official around-the-world cruise is made, aboard the Cunard ship Laconia (18,000 tons), with all first-class accomodations. [260.110]
- May 16
- White Star Line Majestic ocean liner completes 5.5-day maiden voyage. [1]
1925
- July 4
- Union Castle Line of England launches passenger liner Llandovery Castle at Belfast, Northern Ireland. [152.19]
1926
- August 10
- Union Castle Line of England launches passenger liner Llandaff Castle at Belfast, Northern Ireland. [152.19]
1927
- January 6
- Maiden voyage of the Union Castle Line's Llandaff Castle from London, England. [152.19]
- June 2
- The Delta Queen paddlewheel cruiser makes its maiden voyage from San Francisco to Sacramento, California. [72.50] [75.24]
- June
- France's Ile de France ocean liner is first opened to the public, prior to its maiden voyage. [260.44]
- (month unknown)
- The Stella Polaris ship (5209 gross tons, 165 passengers) is built in Gothenburg for the Bergen Line. [73.42]
1928
- July
- Cosulich Line's Saturnia and Vulcania Italian liners are built, each 24,000 gross tons. They operate between Italy and New York. [67.21]
- August
- North German Lloyd launches the Europa ocean liner. [260.48]
- North German Lloyd launches the Bremen ocean liner. [260.48]
1929
- March
- North German Lloyd's Europa ocean liner is badly damaged in a fire. [260.48]
- July
- Maiden voyage of North German Lloyd's Bremen to New York completed in record time: 4 days, 16 hours, 42 minutes. [260.48] [274.13]
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