Two small collections regarding the livery: Cunard funnels since 1840 were not red but looked more orange. When designing the first ships, Robert Napier noticed red paint would blister and come off due to the heat of the funnel. The problem was solved by adding a mixture of bright ochre and buttermilk, which caused the paint to stick to the metal. This resulted in a change from red to more of a orange color. Eventually they stopped using buttermilk of course but the funnels remained orange because of tradition. The funnel paint mixture was a combination of orange, white and red paints. You can see the orange funnels in color photos of Cunarders from the time period including the first Mauretania and Queen Mary. People also own paint chip’s from the funnels of these ships, and they were definitely more orange than anything. Starting in 1949, they gradually started adding more of the red than orange and white, which eventually gave us the iconic red we see today. Only Lusitania had the white forecastle. The reason it was painted white was because it was the choice of the shipbuilder. Cunard ultimately preferred to just having the hull all black was because it would look more in line with previous Cunarders like the Campania. The Mauretania was built by a different shipyard and they didn’t paint the forecastle white, and there’s no evidence it ever was white.
Thanks for the information - buttermilk remarkable isn’t it! You’re absolutely right about Mauretania of course my enthusiasm got the better of me when not pointing out she was delivered months after Lusitania in 1907 and never had the white bow paint that Lusitania did 🙏
It was actually what is called vermillion--mostly red with a potent dose of orange mixed in. Reds tend to fade rapidly and this color fades to reveal more orange before it finally becomes rather pink, as has been the case with the Queen Mary in Long Beach after some long delays in repainting. The current paint is incorrectly pure red.
@@scurly0792 Modern ships have better stabilisation and ballast systems nowadays and better engineering designs to make the upper decks lightweight. They also keep most of the heavy machinery very low down in the hull to lower the centre of gravity.
Thank you for this video. I always look for what you have posted. I too have sailed with Cunard several times, but on trips where you are not speaking in the Theatre.
WOW !! Wonderful Video. Lots of great information on the greatest cruise line in the world !! The Magnificent Cunard Line !! Thank You Chris for this treat !!
Forgot to mention the fact that some Cunard ships - later in their careers - had their hull's painted white for cruising at towards the end of their careers
Thanks, Chris, for the very interesting information. I remember going to Fremantle to see the Caronia when she visited years ago. I still have the photo that I took.
Very fascinating! My favorite is the grey but it’s understandable why it didn’t work. The green was kinda funky but it worked. Followed the big cruise podcast!
As I recall the hull colour of the QE2 was not black but known as 'Federal Grey' . The funnel colours as said was not red but a pretty close match to 'International orange'. M
The colour is officially known as “Cunard Red” but it is a red orange yes. QE2’s funnel colours were a bit different to the current Queens as you can see in the panning shot of the funnel - it had more of that orange hue.
They really tried to differentiate QE2 initially to show her as modern and moved on from her predecessors (I suspect they only used a queen name so as not to completely frighten off their existing although dwindling passengers) which by the time of their decommissioning were out of date but as time went by they realised that the heritage of being the last true transatlantic line was the big selling point so gradually she got more and more traditional internally and externally.
Two other Cunarders also had green hulls The Carmania (formerly Saxonia) and Franconia (formerly Ivernia) Both were refitted in the early 60s for cruising but were sold a few years later
It's fun that they mention the forecastle being painted white vs black. It's such a subtle difference and yet it immediately makes the Lusitania and Mauretania look more like speed boats. Titanic and Queen Mary look more like huge yachts.
@@Ozymandias1 She could actually, that's why she was about the only one still risking passenger transport in the first place. But it was foggy so the captain only had the ship go about half speed, while blasting the horn to invite all Germans and sticking to the coast where they were always waiting despite specific orders not to do that. He topped it off by going in a straight line instead of zig zag as ordered. Throwing any advantage they had out the window and then some. Like shooting fish in a barrel of tnt, which they probably carried as well. All very fishy as it gave the Americans the excuse to join the war (they still needed those apparently back then).
Ever since QE2 I've really wondered WHY A BLACK FRONT ON THE FUNNEL? It make's the added Cunard Red seem more like an "afterthought" or "only a slight nod to Cunard tradition". I love the "traditional" look on original Queen Mary (I love her, can see her from my own city pier, & was just on her last month for my birthday 😊)
Wish it had been on lines of QM2, not like cruise ships QE, QV. As QM2 is now 20 years old. As nod to past mustard Yellow funnel with back top in shape of QM2's.
I frankly don't care for this ship...too many "Lego" additions to the upper decks...and especially the name. When this fourth ship was announced it seemed like everyone was scrambling for the name of an English queen to name her after and Anne seemed to be the easy favorite...emphasis on easy. However, for a company that says it places a great deal of emphasis on its history and traditions Cunard has NO history with this name! I am absolutely stunned and disappointed that Cunard chose not to use the name of a Queen that IS a part of its history: Berengaria. Seriously, Berengaria, wife of Richard the Lionheart, was the name given to the former SS Imperator as compensation for the loss of Lusitania and was the first Cunarder named for a Queen...Queen Mary was NOT the first to carry this honor AND it would have been a great nod to the tradition of Cunard ships ending in "ia". The powers that be just seem to have totally missed a tremendous double play opportunity here. RMS Berengaria was also the flagship of the line in the 20s and 30s. Heck, Cunard could have introduced the ship as "Queen Berengaria" for those who just can't be without the name Queen on Cunard ships. This naming decision, as well as the look of these ships, has the horrible smell of "Carnivalization" all over it and I think it stinks. BTW, for those who will pounce and say that Victoria has no history with Cunard that isn't totaly true. Whether you believe the story that Cunard sought permission from KGV to use the name of England's greatest queen and his response was "...my wife would be delighted", the story is essentially part of Cunard lore...appocryphal or not! So there you have it. Unfortunately, a big thumbs down from this Cunard historian/fan. :(
My understanding is P&O Cruise Line switch from the yellow funnel to the blue funnel when they got involved with Carnival Corporation and did not want to be confused with Carnival sister company Costa Cruise lines also has a yellow funnel. So as part of the carnival Corporation takeover it was agreed that they switched their funnel to Blue.
Interesting! P&O joined Carnival back in 2003 and didn’t switch funnel colours until 2014 so it could be that, but I suspect its driven by some other factor.
You’re right. Cunard Ambassador and Adventurer had white funnels, as did the The Sea Goddess I & II. Cunard Crown Monarch had orange rather than Cunard Red while Royal Viking Sun had a blue stripe. Sagafjord and Vistafjord had grey hulls. This is a great topic for a future video!
@@ChrisFrameOfficial you should do a video on the whole trafalgar house era of cunard It's so fascinating yet no one even knows about it It was cunards gray age
These Pinnacle Class ships do not have a promenade deck. It’s a very narrow walkway that encircles the ship. Barely enough room to walk. Why Cunard wouldn’t make a change to the design slightly is beyond me. Most loyal “Cunarders” are fans of the sea. Which basically means they love to relax and enjoy watching the ocean from a teak steamer deck chair like they did 90 years ago. Cunarders sail on Cunard because they want that connection to that past heritage. These are the little things that matter, which Cunard has disregarded. Sad
Yey the class is together now, Qeen elizibith, QM2, qeen fictoria, and now qeen annie !!!!!! At least what i think it is, maybe theres acually five of them but ikd if there are five im sorry if thye dont its ok :D
I`m a huge cruise ship fan, especially Cunard. Who can`t help be impressed by ships such as these, but has anyone ever asked the question "what impact does the weight of these ships have on the worlds sea levels"? We`re constantly bombarded by hypotheses regarding "climate change", the affects of melting icebergs and what pollution has on the weather regarding various countries "sinking", but how much tonnage can the worlds oceans sustain, when ship after ship is being launched? Cunard`s Queen Anne weighs in at an impressive 113,000 tons, so multiply this by THOUSANDS of vessels and potentially heavier and larger ships in coming years... and surely the repercussions are inevitable?!? These behemoths may utilize the best possible science regarding anti-pollution... but doesn`t anyone else see the elephant in the room?!? You don`t have to be Einstein to figure it out. 😶
@@ChrisFrameOfficial Didn't t think of that. So true! Do you think their 250th could be a proper liner Chris? Doesn't have to be QM2 size, maybe a smaller build, like 50,000 perhaps?
@@shingodzilla7855 maybe a smaller version (like 50,000 tonnes to access smaller ports etc), and maybe (just maybe) - built in Britain? Maybe they could call it the Sir Samuel?
@@cjsnowdon I don't really need it to be smaller - a semi sister where the changes are mostly updates to things like a more powerful diesel plant so they can drop the expensive gas turbines. As to shipyard, Harland and Wolff is big enough but may lack the technical expertise.
I'm tired of these tired hotel blocks on a hull. Cunard should be better than the typical tacky superstructure shape like all the cruise ships nowadays.
Okay, we have to establish something right now. With the exception of the QM2, these ships are nothing more than just Carnival floating hotels. They're not ocean liners, and they're not worthy of being represented as extensions of the same maritime history as the great Cunard liners. They're just cruise ships painted with black hulls instead of the traditional party white. They're built for cheap cruise packages and not ocean transportation. They're not historic vessels.
Two small collections regarding the livery:
Cunard funnels since 1840 were not red but looked more orange. When designing the first ships, Robert Napier noticed red paint would blister and come off due to the heat of the funnel. The problem was solved by adding a mixture of bright ochre and buttermilk, which caused the paint to stick to the metal. This resulted in a change from red to more of a orange color. Eventually they stopped using buttermilk of course but the funnels remained orange because of tradition. The funnel paint mixture was a combination of orange, white and red paints. You can see the orange funnels in color photos of Cunarders from the time period including the first Mauretania and Queen Mary. People also own paint chip’s from the funnels of these ships, and they were definitely more orange than anything. Starting in 1949, they gradually started adding more of the red than orange and white, which eventually gave us the iconic red we see today.
Only Lusitania had the white forecastle. The reason it was painted white was because it was the choice of the shipbuilder. Cunard ultimately preferred to just having the hull all black was because it would look more in line with previous Cunarders like the Campania. The Mauretania was built by a different shipyard and they didn’t paint the forecastle white, and there’s no evidence it ever was white.
Thanks for the information - buttermilk remarkable isn’t it! You’re absolutely right about Mauretania of course my enthusiasm got the better of me when not pointing out she was delivered months after Lusitania in 1907 and never had the white bow paint that Lusitania did 🙏
It was actually what is called vermillion--mostly red with a potent dose of orange mixed in. Reds tend to fade rapidly and this color fades to reveal more orange before it finally becomes rather pink, as has been the case with the Queen Mary in Long Beach after some long delays in repainting. The current paint is incorrectly pure red.
The raised black hull paint makes sense given just how ridiculous that superstructure is. Gotta balance it out somehow, lol.
How is she not top-heavy with 10 decks ABOVE the black?!
@@scurly0792 Modern ships have better stabilisation and ballast systems nowadays and better engineering designs to make the upper decks lightweight. They also keep most of the heavy machinery very low down in the hull to lower the centre of gravity.
@@G1NZOU They still look stupidly tall and boxy
Cunard's ships are the closest we are going to get to a nice design
@PUPPY WING Looks > functionality
Agree with your comments on the new P&O livery. They need to change back.
Thank you for this video. I always look for what you have posted. I too have sailed with Cunard several times, but on trips where you are not speaking in the Theatre.
Oh my gosh! That's amazing about the clay. Who knew. Great information, thanks both.
I have a hudson!
WOW !! Wonderful Video. Lots of great information on the greatest cruise line in the world !! The Magnificent Cunard Line !! Thank You Chris for this treat !!
Forgot to mention the fact that some Cunard ships - later in their careers - had their hull's painted white for cruising at towards the end of their careers
You’ve failed to mention that the last Mauritania also had her hull painted green.
Thanks, Chris, for the very interesting information. I remember going to Fremantle to see the Caronia when she visited years ago. I still have the photo that I took.
I'll be cruising the QM2 (for the third time) come July!
Looks like any other Holland America Line design. Cunard joining the ranks of the modern ship design era (unfortunately). IMHO.
Some very interesting information @Chris Frame. You know a great deal about Cunard.
Fascinating as always Chris.
An information packed episode. So many changes in livery some capricious and others planned. Very interesting.
Very fascinating! My favorite is the grey but it’s understandable why it didn’t work. The green was kinda funky but it worked. Followed the big cruise podcast!
Very interesting, as always Chris. I honestly never knew that P&O had buff coloured funnels...
They had buff funnels for 100 years
That was very interesting and informative. That photo of the 4 ships together would make a great poster.
Always entertaining and informed. Thanks Chris.
Good stuff. So informative. Thanks!
As I recall the hull colour of the QE2 was not black but known as 'Federal Grey' . The funnel colours as said was not red but a pretty close match to 'International orange'.
M
The colour is officially known as “Cunard Red” but it is a red orange yes. QE2’s funnel colours were a bit different to the current Queens as you can see in the panning shot of the funnel - it had more of that orange hue.
Hulls are definately not black! And can look an very dark blue in some light.
Gents love the podcast - please tell me more about the funnel design of Coral Princess - jet engines??? Wow!
QM2 Ocean Liner. The other three Fun are ships are just typical cruise ships with Cunards famous painted livery
She was also The Staff Captain on P &O sailed with her twice on P&O very engaging lady
Modern day cruise ships are so luxurious, but their looks are not evolving well.
They really tried to differentiate QE2 initially to show her as modern and moved on from her predecessors (I suspect they only used a queen name so as not to completely frighten off their existing although dwindling passengers) which by the time of their decommissioning were out of date but as time went by they realised that the heritage of being the last true transatlantic line was the big selling point so gradually she got more and more traditional internally and externally.
Very interesting! Had not heard of this before!
Two other Cunarders also had green hulls
The Carmania (formerly Saxonia) and Franconia (formerly Ivernia)
Both were refitted in the early 60s for cruising but were sold a few years later
Mauretania II also sported the green hull for a period.
Awhhh they should have totally gone with a Green livery!
Ooo, like the white stripe... but sure I'll get used to it. Ha ha.
It's fun that they mention the forecastle being painted white vs black.
It's such a subtle difference and yet it immediately makes the Lusitania and Mauretania look more like speed boats.
Titanic and Queen Mary look more like huge yachts.
Lusitania wasn't speedy enough to outrun that torpedo.
@@Ozymandias1 You couldn't outrun that torpedo because they are only visible on the surface when they are too close
@@Ozymandias1 She could actually, that's why she was about the only one still risking passenger transport in the first place. But it was foggy so the captain only had the ship go about half speed, while blasting the horn to invite all Germans and sticking to the coast where they were always waiting despite specific orders not to do that. He topped it off by going in a straight line instead of zig zag as ordered. Throwing any advantage they had out the window and then some. Like shooting fish in a barrel of tnt, which they probably carried as well.
All very fishy as it gave the Americans the excuse to join the war (they still needed those apparently back then).
Ever since QE2 I've really wondered WHY A BLACK FRONT ON THE FUNNEL? It make's the added Cunard Red seem more like an "afterthought" or "only a slight nod to Cunard tradition".
I love the "traditional" look on original Queen Mary (I love her, can see her from my own city pier, & was just on her last month for my birthday 😊)
Thank you Chris. The 'black' or dark blue hull colour you refer to is actually called Federal Grey. International Paints are the supplier.
🙌 I know I oversimplified a bit. Thanks for the feedback.
Shaw Saville in the 70s had the lime green hull sailed on the Southern (Suffering) Cross 1970
The thing is cunard is known for there livery if they changed it to much they would get alot of hate if they do it wong.
Thanks 👍
Thanks for history
Wish it had been on lines of QM2, not like cruise ships QE, QV. As QM2 is now 20 years old. As nod to past mustard Yellow funnel with back top in shape of QM2's.
I frankly don't care for this ship...too many "Lego" additions to the upper decks...and especially the name. When this fourth ship was announced it seemed like everyone was scrambling for the name of an English queen to name her after and Anne seemed to be the easy favorite...emphasis on easy. However, for a company that says it places a great deal of emphasis on its history and traditions Cunard has NO history with this name! I am absolutely stunned and disappointed that Cunard chose not to use the name of a Queen that IS a part of its history: Berengaria. Seriously, Berengaria, wife of Richard the Lionheart, was the name given to the former SS Imperator as compensation for the loss of Lusitania and was the first Cunarder named for a Queen...Queen Mary was NOT the first to carry this honor AND it would have been a great nod to the tradition of Cunard ships ending in "ia". The powers that be just seem to have totally missed a tremendous double play opportunity here.
RMS Berengaria was also the flagship of the line in the 20s and 30s. Heck, Cunard could have introduced the ship as "Queen Berengaria" for those who just can't be without the name Queen on Cunard ships. This naming decision, as well as the look of these ships, has the horrible smell of "Carnivalization" all over it and I think it stinks.
BTW, for those who will pounce and say that Victoria has no history with Cunard that isn't totaly true. Whether you believe the story that Cunard sought permission from KGV to use the name of England's greatest queen and his response was "...my wife would be delighted", the story is essentially part of Cunard lore...appocryphal or not! So there you have it. Unfortunately, a big thumbs down from this Cunard historian/fan. :(
Totally agree with Joe
However they will argue they ticked one of those boxes with the Queen VictorIA :(
Great video. However I do believe the hull colour of the current fleet is a dark grey, unless I am mistaken.
Federal Grey - you’re right. Almost black - I was a bit casual with my description.
@@ChrisFrameOfficial Hello Chris. Thank you for the reply. Always a pleasure to watch and read your material 😊
We may of course see the new livery sooner than later when QV emerges from her extended refit later this year...
It would seem that the black of the Cunarders hulls is rather very dark satin gray and not completely black. Light black if you prefer ;)
You’re right. It’s technically called “Federal Grey”.
My understanding is P&O Cruise Line switch from the yellow funnel to the blue funnel when they got involved with Carnival Corporation and did not want to be confused with Carnival sister company Costa Cruise lines also has a yellow funnel. So as part of the carnival Corporation takeover it was agreed that they switched their funnel to Blue.
Interesting! P&O joined Carnival back in 2003 and didn’t switch funnel colours until 2014 so it could be that, but I suspect its driven by some other factor.
I wish you mentioned cunards cruise ships in the 70s 80s and 90s
They were almost all painted in weird liverys
You’re right. Cunard Ambassador and Adventurer had white funnels, as did the The Sea Goddess I & II. Cunard Crown Monarch had orange rather than Cunard Red while Royal Viking Sun had a blue stripe. Sagafjord and Vistafjord had grey hulls. This is a great topic for a future video!
@@ChrisFrameOfficial you should do a video on the whole trafalgar house era of cunard
It's so fascinating yet no one even knows about it
It was cunards gray age
Looks more as the Holland America Line livery
The light sage green with white above would be lovely. Fresh but restrained.
These Pinnacle Class ships do not have a promenade deck. It’s a very narrow walkway that encircles the ship. Barely enough room to walk. Why Cunard wouldn’t make a change to the design slightly is beyond me. Most loyal “Cunarders” are fans of the sea. Which basically means they love to relax and enjoy watching the ocean from a teak steamer deck chair like they did 90 years ago. Cunarders sail on Cunard because they want that connection to that past heritage. These are the little things that matter, which Cunard has disregarded. Sad
I 100% agree. I do not like the Queen Anne much. Hopefully the QM2 gets an ocean liner replacement.
Captain Inger. 🤗.
But Why do they insist on male uniforms for female skippers?
Its 2022.🙄
You chump!
Sailed on the Carmania in 1969.Call me traditionalist but P&O ships should still have the buff funnel
Nice. Thanks.
Thank you too!
Rms Berengaria 2 Maybe
Yey the class is together now, Qeen elizibith, QM2, qeen fictoria, and now qeen annie !!!!!! At least what i think it is, maybe theres acually five of them but ikd if there are five im sorry if thye dont its ok :D
I`m a huge cruise ship fan, especially Cunard. Who can`t help be impressed by ships such as these, but has anyone ever asked the question "what impact does the weight of these ships have on the worlds sea levels"? We`re constantly bombarded by hypotheses regarding "climate change", the affects of melting icebergs and what pollution has on the weather regarding various countries "sinking", but how much tonnage can the worlds oceans sustain, when ship after ship is being launched? Cunard`s Queen Anne weighs in at an impressive 113,000 tons, so multiply this by THOUSANDS of vessels and potentially heavier and larger ships in coming years... and surely the repercussions are inevitable?!? These behemoths may utilize the best possible science regarding anti-pollution... but doesn`t anyone else see the elephant in the room?!? You don`t have to be Einstein to figure it out. 😶
clay - really?! who knew
I reckon their next ship (250th btw) will be the Britannia! Could it be a proper liner (hope so)
I think P&O’s Britannia probably excludes the name being used on future Cunard ships, sadly.
@@ChrisFrameOfficial Didn't t think of that. So true! Do you think their 250th could be a proper liner Chris? Doesn't have to be QM2 size, maybe a smaller build, like 50,000 perhaps?
I would hope the next ship is a semi-sister to QM2 and for naming......Mauretania!
@@shingodzilla7855 maybe a smaller version (like 50,000 tonnes to access smaller ports etc), and maybe (just maybe) - built in Britain?
Maybe they could call it the Sir Samuel?
@@cjsnowdon I don't really need it to be smaller - a semi sister where the changes are mostly updates to things like a more powerful diesel plant so they can drop the expensive gas turbines. As to shipyard, Harland and Wolff is big enough but may lack the technical expertise.
Not sure what they were thinking when the designed Anne. She is not a looker.
I like the white line on her predecessors. I don’t like the lettering as well, either.
It will take a bit of getting used to.
The paint clay had spoilt milk in as well.
I'm tired of these tired hotel blocks on a hull. Cunard should be better than the typical tacky superstructure shape like all the cruise ships nowadays.
She’s either unique or she’s not! ( Caronia )
She was unique for her time absolutely 👍
Looks like a block of Council flats .
Sorry.
The Queen Anne doesn’t even look like a cruise liner. Looks like ferry on steroids 😢!
This ship is really UGLY. They should rename it to Queen Camila in honor of the current Queen.
no thanks
Okay, we have to establish something right now. With the exception of the QM2, these ships are nothing more than just Carnival floating hotels. They're not ocean liners, and they're not worthy of being represented as extensions of the same maritime history as the great Cunard liners.
They're just cruise ships painted with black hulls instead of the traditional party white. They're built for cheap cruise packages and not ocean transportation.
They're not historic vessels.