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Smithsonian Channel special to chronicle Queen Mary's history

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The documentary is timed to the 80th anniversary of Queen Mary's maiden voyage
The Smithsonian Channel plans to chronicle the 'spectacular life and times' of the RMS Queen Mary, as both a luxury passenger liner and a wartime troopship.

'Mighty Ship At War: The Queen Mary,' is a new one-hour special timed to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the ocean liner’s maiden voyage. It will premiere Aug. 21 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Bigger and more powerful than the Titanic, and faster than any other ship in her class, Queen Mary is the last survivor of the golden age of ocean liners. Built by master craftsmen in Scotland shipyards, she helped drag a nation from the depths of the Great Depression and set sail as a symbol of new hope and a better future. She played a critical role during World War II, ferrying troops and Winston Churchill across the Atlantic.

Then, after nearly 4m miles sailed in 31 years, Queen Mary retired to Long Beach, California, where she’s drawn more than 50m visitors since 1970.

The Smithsonian Channel said 'Mighty Ship At War: The Queen Mary' will take viewers through some of the most dynamic periods of the 20th century. The liner set a new benchmark in trans-Atlantic travel, transporting movie stars, politicians and royalty luxuriously across the North Atlantic between 1936 and 1967.

In 1939, Queen Mary was transformed into the largest and fastest troopship, ferrying Allied soldiers during World War II through enemy infested seas. The Queen Mary helped make D-Day possible and by the end of the war had transported almost a million men across the Atlantic. Adolf Hitler offered a $250,000 reward for any U-boat captain that could sink her.

The documentary also explores the ship's darkest day when, in October 1942, she accidentally collided with her escort vessel, HMS Curacoa, slicing it in two. Ordered not to stop under any circumstances, the captain of the Queen Mary had no choice but to continue, leaving 338 men to drown.

The program features interviews with historians and experts, including a tour by Queen Mary’s honorary captain, Everette Horde. It also includes firsthand accounts by passengers who walked her decks, such as Heather Beagley, who sailed on the maiden passage, and singer Johnny Mathis, who performed on the rough seas of the Atlantic.

And viewers will hear from US Army troops who crossed the Atlantic durng wartime, and two 'G.I. brides' who boarded Queen Mary post-war to join their American husbands in the States.

TAGS: ships