The Blue Ribbon - The North Atlantic as a race track
In the mid-19th century, the Industrial Revolution changed the way the Atlantic was crossed. Imaginative inventors are developing new propulsion technologies that have to endure their baptism of fire in the North Atlantic. Courageous entrepreneurs on both sides of the pond compete for business and for the fastest ship. Until the end of the century, the English and Americans fought a bitter battle for dominance - sometimes with heavy losses.
The Blue Ribbon - Visionaries for Progress
In the fight for fame, honor and prestige, ideas and courage are needed to succeed. Skeptics need to be convinced. Technical progress must be tested, because the future can only be built through further development. For all of this you need visionaries who can defy setbacks and face the challenges that competition in the North Atlantic brings with it.
The Blue Ribbon – The Big and the Fast…
Shortly before the beginning of the 20th century, shipping companies from mainland Europe intervened in the fight for the trophy. The desire of millions of people for a better future is causing the need for passengers to explode. With ever larger ships, the shipping companies on the North Atlantic compete for passengers, speed, luxury and prestige with fatal consequences and until world politics turns families into enemies.
The Blue Ribbon – …and the beautiful ones
The First World War left a gaping hole in transatlantic traffic. Recovery progressed only slowly, but in the mid-1920s ships of a new age conquered the ocean. While the ships at the beginning of the century made a name for themselves through their sheer size, the new ships impressed with their breathtaking elegance. But the Great Recession and another cruel war bring shipping to its knees again. After significant tonnage losses, this time recovery has been slow. A ship wins the Blue Riband again after World War II - it will be the last. It is gradually becoming clear: scheduled traffic on the oceans will never again be as important as it was before the war.
The Blue Ribbon - The last generation and their heirs
“What seems big and important to us today…” The airplane pulverizes travel speeds between continents. Two ships - still built for Atlantic service - seem powerless, like relics from times long past. An entire industry is reinventing itself. Like Phoenix rising from the ashes, the cruise boom brings forth a new generation and its superlatives until a pandemic causes another ship death.
Cunard & White Star vs. Hapag & Norddeutscher Lloyd
Before the turn of the century, Cunard and White Star were the benchmark on the North Atlantic. The German shipping companies HAPAG and Norddeutscher Lloyd cannot stand against their English competitors for a long time. The connection was only achieved with the visionaries Ballin and Wiegand. The true essence of their motto “March separately – strike united!” only becomes clear in comparison many years later.