The great ocean liners of the Atlantic were the largest—and most opulent—passenger ships ever built. In their glorious heyday, it was as if the finest hotels and most magnificent estates of the Western world had been put to sea. Floating Palaces sets sail on the grand tour of the transatlantic liners, from the ultra-luxurious staterooms and private swimming pools of the elite to the below-deck accommodations of less fortunate immigrant travelers.

Part IV

In the all-consuming effort to win the Second World War, even the elegant passenger ships of the ultra-wealthy were drafted into military service. The floating palaces became the floating arsenals as they carried men and munitions to war.

• Luftwaffe
• carcass
• demise
• desolate
• dicey
• eluded
• evasive
• evocative
• frivolous
• knot
• negligence
• prohibition
• shroud
• sophisticated
• venture
• wary

1. World War II was one of the defining events of the 20th century. What were some of the causes of the war?

2. Why was Adolph Hitler able to dominate Europe? Should the Allied Powers have acted sooner to stop him?

3. Why did the Queen Elizabeth II (QEII) sail her maiden voyage shrouded in secrecy?

4. Discuss the roles of the QEII and the Queen Mary in World War II.

5. Why was the French liner Normandie renamed Lafayette?

6. How was the Normandie destroyed?

7. The Royal Air Force (RAF) sank the Italian liner Rex. Why?

8. After the war, the Queen Mary carried special cargo to the United States. What was this cargo? Why was it bound for America?

9. How did the advance of progress sound the death knell for the age of the floating palaces?

1. Imagine that you are a soldier aboard the QEII or the Queen Mary on your way to war. Write a letter to a loved one or a diary entry that tells of your emotions.

2. Imagine that you are a war bride bound for your new home in the United States. Write a letter to a loved one or a diary entry that tells of your emotions.

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