Editing Cunard Line (section)

{{Short description|British cruise line}}
{{Redirect|British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company|the different Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, later Royal Mail Lines|Royal Mail Steam Packet Company}}{{Redirect|Cunard}}
{{EngvarB|date=April 2022}}
{{Good article}}
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{{Infobox company
| name = Cunard Line
| logo = Cunard Line Logo.svg
| logo_size = 200px
| type = [[Subsidiary]]
| foundation = {{Start date and age|1840}} (as the British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company)
| location = Carnival House, [[Southampton]], United Kingdom
| key_people = {{Unbulleted list|Katie McAlister  (President)|David Dingle (Chairman)}}
| area_served = Transatlantic, Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Caribbean and World Cruises.
| industry = Shipping, transportation
| products = [[Transatlantic crossing]]s, world voyages, leisure cruises
| revenue = 
| operating_income = 
| net_income = 
| num_employees = 
| predecessor = 
| parent = [[Carnival Corporation & plc]]
| subsid = 
| homepage = {{URL|https://www.cunard.com/}}
| footnotes = 
[[File:House flag of the Cunard Line.svg|150px]]<br>House Flag
}}
[[File:Sir Samuel Cunard.jpg|thumb|upright|Sir Samuel Cunard, 1st [[Baronet|Bt]]]]

The '''Cunard Line''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|j|uː|n|ɑː|r|d}} {{respell|KEW|nard}}) is a British shipping and an international [[cruise line]] based at Carnival House at [[Southampton]], England, operated by [[Carnival Corporation & plc#Carnival UK|Carnival UK]] and owned by [[Carnival Corporation & plc]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/20/business/company-news-carnival-to-buy-remaining-stake-in-cunard-line.html|title=Company news; Carnival to buy remaining stake in Cunard Line|newspaper=The New York Times|date=20 October 1999}}</ref> Since 2011, Cunard and its four ships have been registered in [[Hamilton, Bermuda]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bernews.com/2017/12/cruise-line-awaiting-further-updates-on-law/|title=Cruise Line 'Awaiting Further Updates' On Law|date=13 December 2017|access-date=22 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122125600/http://bernews.com/2017/12/cruise-line-awaiting-further-updates-on-law/|archive-date=22 January 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=registry>{{cite web|author=Jonathan Bell |url=http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20111021/NEWS/710219930 |title=Luxury cruise ship line Cunard switches to Bermuda registry &#124; Bermuda News |publisher=Royalgazette.com |date=21 October 2011 |access-date=7 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120509210412/https://www.royalgazette.com/article/20111021/NEWS/710219930 |archive-date=9 May 2012}}</ref>

In 1839, [[Samuel Cunard]] was awarded the first British transatlantic [[steamship]] mail contract, and the next year<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cunard |url=https://atlantistravel.co.uk/cruise/cunard |access-date=2023-05-24 |website=Atlantis Travel |language=en-US}}</ref> formed the '''British and North American Royal Mail Steam-Packet Company''' in Glasgow with shipowner [[Sir George Burns]] together with [[Robert Napier (engineer)|Robert Napier]], the famous Scottish steamship engine designer and builder, to operate the line's four pioneer paddle steamers on the Liverpool–Halifax–Boston route. For most of the next 30 years, Cunard held the [[Blue Riband]] for the fastest Atlantic voyage. However, in the 1870s Cunard fell behind its rivals, the [[White Star Line]] and the [[Inman Line]]. To meet this competition, in 1879 the firm was reorganised as the '''Cunard Steamship Company Ltd''', to raise capital.<ref name=gibbs>{{cite book | last = Gibbs | first = Charles Robert Vernon | title = Passenger Liners of the Western Ocean: A Record of Atlantic Steam and Motor Passenger Vessels from 1838 to the Present Day | publisher = John De Graff | year = 1957 | pages = 52–92}}</ref>

In 1902, White Star joined the American-owned [[International Mercantile Marine Co.]] In response, the British Government provided Cunard with substantial loans and a subsidy to build two [[Superliner (passenger ship)|superliners]] needed to retain Britain's competitive position. [[RMS Mauretania (1906)|''Mauretania'']] held the Blue Riband from 1909 to 1929. Her sister ship, [[RMS Lusitania|''Lusitania'']], was torpedoed in 1915 during the [[First World War]].

In 1919, Cunard relocated its British homeport from Liverpool to Southampton,<ref name="Nautical Gazette">{{cite book|title=The Nautical Gazette|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2d5EAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA210|year=1919|page=210}}</ref> to better cater for travellers from London.<ref name="Nautical Gazette"/> In the late 1920s, Cunard faced new competition when the Germans, Italians and French built large prestige liners. Cunard was forced to suspend construction on its own new superliner because of the Great Depression. In 1934, the British Government offered Cunard loans to finish [[RMS Queen Mary|''Queen Mary'']] and to build a second ship, [[RMS Queen Elizabeth|''Queen Elizabeth'']], on the condition that Cunard merged with the then-ailing White Star Line to form '''Cunard-White Star Line'''. Cunard owned two-thirds of the new company. Cunard purchased White Star's share in 1947; the name reverted to the Cunard Line in 1950.<ref name=gibbs />

Upon the end of the Second World War, Cunard regained its position as the largest Atlantic passenger line. By the mid-1950s, it operated 12 ships to the United States and Canada. After 1958, transatlantic passenger ships became increasingly unprofitable because of the introduction of [[jet airliner]]s. Cunard undertook a brief foray into air travel via the "Cunard Eagle" and "BOAC Cunard" airlines, but withdrew from the airline market in 1966. Cunard withdrew from its year-round service in 1968 to concentrate on cruising and summer transatlantic voyages for holiday makers. The Queens were replaced by ''[[Queen Elizabeth 2]]'' (''QE2''), which was designed for the dual role.<ref name=graham>{{cite book | last = Maxtone-Graham | first = John | title = The Only Way To Cross | publisher = Collier | year = 1972 }}</ref>

In 1998, Cunard was acquired by the [[Carnival Corporation & plc|Carnival Corporation]], and accounted for 8.7% of that company's revenue in 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cruisemarketwatch.com/blog1/market-share/|title=2012 World Wide Market Share|date=20 November 2011 |publisher=Cruise Market Watch}}</ref> In 2004, ''QE2'' was replaced on the transatlantic runs by {{RMS|Queen Mary 2||2}} (''QM2''). The line also operates {{MS|Queen Victoria||2}} (''QV''), {{MS|Queen Elizabeth||2}} (''QE'') and {{MS|Queen Anne||2}} (QA). As of 2025, Cunard is the only shipping company to still operate a scheduled passenger service between Europe and North America.