How important were Queen Mary and other ocean liners during the world wars?
Short answerThey were critical high-speed troop transports, moving very large numbers over long distances without being tied to the pace of ordinary convoys.
NotesQueen Mary and comparable liners combined enormous passenger capacity with enough speed to make ordinary convoy operations unnecessary. They crossed by zigzagging at high speed, moving personnel by the thousand while reducing the time each voyage consumed. Queen Mary's extraordinary total wartime distance provides one measure of this logistical contribution. These ships supplied a large and rapid personnel-transport capacity without being tied to the speed of ordinary convoys.