Superliner (passenger ship)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Superliner" is a term sometimes used for an ocean liner of over 10,000 gross tons. The term was coined in the late 19th century, when ocean liners were rapidly increasing in size and speed. Superliners were the primary means of intercontinental travel in the first half of the twentieth century, as passengers favoured large, fast ships.
Some famous superliners include the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, RMS Titanic, RMS Mauretania, Ile de France, Normandie, SS France, RMS Queen Mary and SS United States.
Cunard recently commissioned the RMS Queen Mary 2 (QM2), and she is currently the only superliner in service. At 148,528 gross tons, she is almost fifteen times larger than the first superliners. Technically, she is also a cruise ship since she has all the attributes required for cruise ship operations, and engages in them in addition to the regular transatlantic crossings typical of the historical superliners.
The RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2), which was replaced by the QM2 was a superliner, and is currently operating as a cruise ship.
Although the QM2 is the only technical superliner, there are many cruise ship that would qualify as superliners if not for the fact that they do not regularly travel across oceans. Royal Caribbean International's Freedom of the Seas has replaced QM2 as the largest operating cruise ship in the world.
