General -
September 4, 1939 Queen Mary arrives in New York.
1940 -
March 21, 1940 Departs New York for Sydney, Australia, to be fitted as a troopship. Accommodations increased from 2,140 to 5,500.
May 5, 1940 First voyage as a troop transport. Sailed in convoy with AQUITANIA, MAURETANIA (II), EMPRESS OF BRITAIN, EMPRESS OF CANADA, and EMPRESS OF JAPAN, from Sydney, Australia, to Gourock, Scotland, with 5,500 troops.
August 5 -September 16, 1940 Dry docked in Singapore. Paravanes fitted.
December 13, 1940 Degaussing strip installed in Sydney.
1941 -
April 9, 1941 In convoy with QUEEN ELIZABETH and MAURETANIA (II) from Sydney to Suez, and return.
1942 -
January 27 - February 8, 1942 Hull damaged while entering dry dock in Boston Naval Shipyard. Troop capacity increased.
February 18 - March 28, 1942 "40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS" voyage from Boston to Sydney, Australia. First time Queen Mary carried American troops (8,398 troops, 905 crew).
May 11 - 16, 1942 First time more than 10,000 persons had traveled on any ship (9,880 troops, 875 crew).
August 2 - 7, 1942 First time a complete division was carried on any ship. First Armored Infantry Division (15,125 troops, 863 crew).
October 2, 1942 Queen Mary collides with British light cruiser CURACOA. 70 tons of cement are used to temporarily patch the bow in Gourock, Scotland.
October 14 - November 2, 1942 Dry docked in Boston Naval Shipyard to install a new more permanent bow piece.
December 23, 1942- April 22, 1943 "THE LONG VOYAGE" from Gourock, to the Suez, Sydney, Australia, and return to Gourock. Total mileage: 37,943 miles. Ship transferred to Atlantic Ocean.
1943 -
May 5 - 11, 1943 Winston Churchill transported from Gourock to New York, to meet with President Roosevelt. 5,000 German prisoners of war were also on board.
July 25 - 30, 1943 Carried the greatest number of souls on a floating vessel: 15,740 troops, 943 crew. Total: 16,683.
August 5 - 9, 1943 Winston Churchill transported from Gourock to Halifax, Canada, for 2nd Quebec "Quadrant" conference.
August 27 - 31, 1943 Winston Churchill returns to Gourock, Scotland, with 15,116 troops.
1944 -
June 6, 1944 D-DAY Invasion of Europe.
1945 -
April 19, 1945 Armament removed from ship, except the six-inch gun.
August 1945 14,833 troops plus 1,000 crew transported. Total: 15,883.
August 29, 1945 Funnels repainted in Cunard colors.
1946 -
February 3 - May 19, 1946 Six war bride voyages, transporting 12,886 European brides and children to the United States and Canada.
May 23 - September 18, 1946 Seven war bride voyages transporting European brides and children to Canada. Ten stowaways were discovered on the first crossing.
September 1946 Carried a total of 765,429 military personnel. Sailed a total of 569,429 miles (916,407 km). Carried up to 15,000 troops at one time. Carried wounded returning to the United States. Transported Winston Churchill three times to conferences. Carried 12,886 G.I. brides and children.
This information, specifications and resulting ship histories are gathered and compiled from from various sources that many times conflict. If you find an error or discrepancy, please email me at troopships@pier90.org or
fill out our online crossing submission form.
If you are interested in the histories of merchant ships that served during WWII (as well as during other wars) in any capacity or that were lost due to wartime activities, please watch for our sister site
"Liners and Merchant Ships At War" that is currently under construction.
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