The Blue Riband was awarded to the ship that made the fastest transatlantic crossing. Actually, the award consisted of two prizes – one for eastbound crossings and one for westbound ones. In 1933, a trophy was commisioned and donated by Geoffrey Hales. The first ship to carry the Hales Trophy was the Italian liner Rex, although her record had already been broken by the Normandie when the trophy was finished. However, to honour the Rex and her record, it was decided that she would keep the trophy for three months. When the Queen Mary once and for all bested the Normandie’s record in 1938, Cunard refused to carry the trophy on board the new champion, because they wanted to keep a reputation of safety – not speed. Thus the trophy was kept by the Hales International Committee until the United States set a new record in 1952.
In this section, we have made a complete list of all the ships that have ever possessed the Blue Riband of the Atlantic. We have chosen to start the list with the first ship that crossed the North Atlantic powered by steam; the Sirius.
Westbound Crossings
Year |
Ship |
Company |
Average speed on best record crossing |
| 1838 | Sirius | British and American Steam Navigation Company |
8.03 knots |
| 1838-1841 | Great Western | Great Western Steamship Company |
9.52 knots |
| 1841-1843 | Colombia | Cunard Line | 9.78 knots |
| 1843-1845 | Great Western | Great Western Steamship Company |
10.03 knots |
| 1845-1848 | Cambria | Cunard Line | 10.71 knots |
| 1848 | America | Cunard Line | 11.71 knots |
| 1848-1850 | Europa | Cunard Line | 11.79 knots |
| 1850 | Asia | Cunard Line | 12.25 knots |
| 1850-1851 | Pacific | Collins Line | 12.46 knots |
| 1851-1856 | Baltic | Collins Line | 13.04 knots |
| 1856-1863 | Persia | Cunard Line | 13.11 knots |
| 1863-1872 | Scotia | Cunard Line | 14.46 knots |
| 1872 | Adriatic | White Star Line | 14.53 knots |
| 1872-1875 | Germanic | White Star Line | 14.65 knots |
| 1875-1876 | City of Berlin | Inman Line | 15.21 knots |
| 1876-1877 | Britannic | White Star Line | 15.43 knots |
| 1877-1882 | Germanic | White Star Line | 15.76 knots |
| 1882-1884 | Alaska | Guion Line | 17.05 knots |
| 1884-1885 | Oregon | Guion Line | 18.56 knots |
| 1885-1887 | Etruria | Cunard Line | 18.73 knots |
| 1887-1888 | Umbria | Cunard Line | 19.22 knots |
| 1888-1889 | Etruria | Cunard Line | 19.56 knots |
| 1889-1891 | City of Paris | Inman & International Line |
20.01 knots |
| 1891 | Majestic | White Star Line | 20.10 knots |
| 1891-1892 | Teutonic | White Star Line | 20.35 knots |
| 1892-1893 | City of Paris | Inman & International Line |
20.70 knots |
| 1893-1894 | Campania | Cunard Line | 21.44 knots |
| 1894-1898 | Lucania | Cunard Line | 21.81 knots |
| 1898-1900 | Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse | Norddeutscher Lloyd | 22.29 knots |
| 1900-1902 | Deutschland | Hamburg Amerika Line | 23.06 knots |
| 1902-1903 | Kronprinz Wilhelm | Norddeutscher Lloyd | 23.09 knots |
| 1903-1907 | Deutschland | Hamburg Amerika Line | 23.15 knots |
| 1907-1909 | Lusitania | Cunard Line | 25.65 knots |
| 1909-1929 | Mauretania | Cunard Line | 26.06 knots |
| 1929-1930 | Bremen | Norddeutscher Lloyd | 27.91 knots |
| 1930-1933 | Europa | Norddeutscher Lloyd | 27.92 knots |
| 1933-1935 | Rex | Italia Line | 28.92 knots |
| 1935-1936 | Normandie | Compagnie Générale Transatlantique |
29.98 knots |
| 1936-1937 | Queen Mary | Cunard White Star Line | 30.14 knots |
| 1937-1938 | Normandie | Compagnie Générale Transatlantique |
30.58 knots |
| 1938-1952 | Queen Mary | Cunard White Star Line | 30.99 knots |
| 1952- | United States | United States Lines | 34.51 knots |
Eastbound Crossings
Year |
Ship |
Company |
Average speed on best record crossing |
| 1838 | Sirius | British and American Steam Navigation Company |
7.31 knots |
| 1838-1840 | Great Western | Great Western Steamship Company |
10.17 knots |
| 1840-1842 | Britannia | Cunard Line | 10.98 knots |
| 1842-1843 | Great Western | Great Western Steamship Company |
10.99 knots |
| 1843 | Columbia | Cunard Line | 11.11 knots |
| 1843-1849 | Hibernia | Cunard Line | 11.80 knots |
| 1849-1851 | Canada | Cunard Line | 12.38 knots |
| 1851-1852 | Pacific | Collins Line | 13.03 knots |
| 1852-1856 | Arctic | Collins Line | 13.06 knots |
| 1856-1863 | Persia | Cunard Line | 14.15 knots |
| 1863-1869 | Scotia | Cunard Line | 14.16 knots |
| 1869-1873 | City of Brussels | Inman Line | 14.74 knots |
| 1873-1875 | Baltic | White Star Line | 15.09 knots |
| 1875-1876 | City of Berlin | Inman Line | 15.37 knots |
| 1876 | Germanic | White Star Line | 15.79 knots |
| 1876-1879 | Britannic | White Star Line | 15.94 knots |
| 1879-1882 | Arizona | Guion Line | 15.96 knots |
| 1882-1884 | Alaska | Guion Line | 17.10 knots |
| 1884-1885 | Oregon | Guion Line | 18.39 knots |
| 1885-1889 | Etruria | Cunard Line | 19.36 knots |
| 1889-1892 | City of Paris | Inman & International Line |
20.03 knots |
| 1892-1893 | City of New York | Inman & International Line |
20.11 knots |
| 1893-1894 | Campania | Cunard Line | 21.30 knots |
| 1894-1897 | Lucania | Cunard Line | 22.00 knots |
| 1897-1900 | Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse | Norddeutscher Lloyd | 22.33 knots |
| 1900-1904 | Deutschland | Hamburg-Amerika Line | 23.51 knots |
| 1904-1907 | Kaiser Wilhelm II | Norddeutscher Lloyd | 23.58 knots |
| 1907 | Lusitania | Cunard Line | 23.61 knots |
| 1907-1929 | Mauretania | Cunard Line | 26.25 knots |
| 1929-1935 | Bremen | Norddeutscher Lloyd | 28.51 knots |
| 1935-1936 | Normandie | Compagnie Générale Transatlantique |
30.31 knots |
| 1936-1937 | Queen Mary | Cunard White Star Line | 30.63 knots |
| 1937-1938 | Normandie | Compagnie Générale Transatlantique |
31.20 knots |
| 1938-1952 | Queen Mary | Cunard White Star Line | 31.69 knots |
| 1952- | United States | United States Lines | 35.59 knots |
| Information courtesy of Hans Deketele, webmaster of the now-defunct website ‘Masters of the Blue Riband’, and Needham and Grant Consultants. |
