Marine painting of Cunard White Star cruise ship RMS Caronia in the Norwegian Fjords by  Artist Robert G. Lloyd

Caronia was conceived shortly after WWII with the aim of providing a running partner to Mauretania on the Southampton-New York run. Built at Cammell Laird’s yard, Birkenhead she entered service in 1949.

From the outset Caronia had been designed to swap between duties as a liner during the summer months and cruises between New York and the West Indies during the winter. This dual purpose saw her be the first ship in the Cunard fleet to be given the green and white colour scheme rather than more usual black and white of the liners or all-over white of previous cruise ships, resulting in her being known as the “Green Goddess”.

In 1951 she participated in her first world cruise, this being commonplace during her service and with the rise of air travel, Caronia’s cruising became all the more important. By the early 1960s she was visiting destinations all over the world but European and Mediterranean cruises were most common with the ship being popular through to the middle of the decade. By 1967 her fittings were not up to the standards of newer cruise ships and in that year she made a loss, resulting in her sale in 1968.

In the marine art print taken from an original painting by  Robert G. Lloyd, Caronia is seen in one of her most popular destinations of Norway, where the stunning scenery creates a mystical backdrop to a classic vessel.