RMS Queen Mary secretly carried Winston Churchill across the Atlantic to the United States in 1943.
During World War II, Queen Mary was converted from a luxury liner into a troopship. Her speed made her valuable for transporting Allied soldiers while avoiding German U-boats. Churchill used the ship for wartime travel, including a 1943 voyage to meet U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The liner’s wartime role was extremely different from her prewar service between Southampton, Cherbourg, and New York. Her crowded troopship voyages carried thousands of people, and strict security surrounded important passengers. Churchill reportedly disliked the ship’s rolling motion but recognized the protection her speed provided.
Queen Mary is sometimes confused with RMS Queen Elizabeth, another famous Cunard liner used during the war. Both transported troops, but the 1943 Churchill voyage is specifically associated with Queen Mary.