Secrets of the Lost Liners

The Normandie was the most expensive and extravagant ocean liner ever built. A symbol of French national pride adored by the super wealthy, her designer was in fact a poor but brilliant Russian immigrant. His radical hull design made the Normandie the fastest liner on the Atlantic. But when the United States entered the Second World War, the Normandie was seized by the Americans for use as a troopship. During the hurried works to convert the luxury liner for war duties, a devastating fire broke out onboard. Was her demise in New York an accident, however, or was it Nazi sabotage?

This floating palace became part of a cunning plan by the British Government to help defeat Hitler. Instrumental in helping turn the tide of the war, why did the treasured Queen Elizabeth end up coming to such 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. How could this vessel with the latest navigation equipment flounder on the high seas?

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 in relative safety throughout WWII, why was she still attacked by the Allies?

This German flagship doubled up in a 1942 version of the Titanic made as a propaganda film by the Nazis. But her end would be equally tragic with an even greater loss of life. Over 5000 souls would perish on board, but which country was to blame?

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