Ocean Liner painting of the liner RMS Queen of Bermuda at Manhattan by Marine Artist Robert G. Lloyd

Considered by many to be one of the most graceful class of  passenger ships ever built, the Queen of Bermuda and her sister-ship Monarch of Bermuda served the Furness Line for over a quarter of a century and in doing so was one of the first ships to offer a luxury cruise, coming to be known as the Millionaire’s Ships

As well as being cruise ships, the Queen and Monarch needed to complete the journey relatively quickly due to the Furness Bermuda Lines mail contract between New York and Bermuda and as such had a service speed of 19 knots, with the journey taking around 40 hours. This combination of luxury and relative speed made the ships very popular with wedding couples, though their glory days would be cut short by war. 

Built by the Vickers-Armstrong yard at Barrow, both would see extensive war service and while being converted back from a troopship, the Monarch was extensively damaged by fire. Salvaged, she was operated by Shaw Saville Lines as a troopship for the British government.

Robert Lloyd's Ocean Liner painting shows the ship leaving Manhattan with the distinctive Manhattan tugs in attendance.