by William H. Miller
White Star, Cunard, the French and Italian liners have received a lot of admiration and attention; however two of the most active and distinguished maritime countries of the twentieth century were Germany and the Netherlands. Passenger shipping lines of these countries were especially hard hit by two wars, the Depression then faced massive competition from airlines in the 1960s and, in the 1970s, went through a metamorphosis. The cruising trade, in its infancy at mid-century, became the main business of the passenger liners by the century’s end.
This superbly illustrated volume documents the long line of great German and Dutch ships; grand floating palaces like Imperator (1913), Vaterland (1914), luxurious cruise ships such as Statendam (1957), Hamburg (1969), remodeled Bremen (1990) and the new Deutschland (1998). Impressive photographs of the German-built Bismarck renamed Majestic by the British for White Star after the First World War and Rotterdam (1959) that brought new standards of luxury and comfort to the Atlantic trade with 12 passenger decks, air-conditioning and shopping arcades.
Views of ships at sea, in port, glimpses of their elegant lounges, cocktail bars, staterooms and dining rooms, captions providing history, data on tonnage, size, speed, including a bibliography and index provide a comprehensive record. Maritime historians and ship lovers will find this pictorial archive of one hundred and seventy eight photographs immensely appealing as will anyone who is captivated by ships and sea travel.
Softcover. 128 pages 8.5 X 11.5.
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