Secrets of the Lost Liners

The SS Normandie entered service in 1935 and remains the most powerful steam turbo-electric-propelled passenger ship ever built. When the United States entered the Second World War, the Normandie was seized by the Americans for use as a troopship.

This floating palace became part of a cunning plan by the British Government to help defeat Hitler. Instrumental in helping to turn the tide of the war, the treasured Queen Elizabeth ended up coming to an undignified end in Hong Kong Harbour.

Launching in the 1950s, this vessel was the envy of other shipping lines and attracted the cream of Hollywood glamour. But on her 51st voyage across the Atlantic to America, she never made it.

The pride of Mussolini's dictatorship, the Rex broke many records in terms of technical abilities and a new level of luxury at sea. Avoiding being turned into a troop ship and hidden throughout WWII, she was still attacked by the Allies.

This German flagship served as the set for the 1942 Nazi propaganda feature film `Titanic'. Her end would be equally tragic, with an even greater loss of life.

One of the longest-serving liners in history, the SS America found life as a much-loved cruise ship. Seemingly minor events saw her gallant life end as a wreck on the shores of The Canary Islands in the 1990s.