The RMS Queen Mary is such an extraordinary construction in so many ways. Our cabin/room is set off one of the very long wood-panelled corridors that led to accommodation and is full of wood veneers and art deco furniture. This afternoon we took a tour and learned more about the works of art incorporated into the construction and the way the ship’s interiors, still faithfully preserved, have served so often as film sets. I could easily become a bore on the topic so I shall restrain myself to one anecdote, as recounted by Wiki:  ‘In December 1942, Queen Mary was carrying 16,082 American troops from New York to Great Britain, a standing record for the most passengers ever transported on one vessel. While 700 miles (1,100 km) from Scotland during a gale, she was suddenly hit broadside by a rogue wave that may have reached a height of 28 metres (92 ft). An account of this crossing can be found in Walter Ford Carter’s book, No Greater Sacrifice, No Greater Love. Carter’s father, Dr. Norval Carter, part of the 110th Station Hospital on board at the time, wrote that at one point Queen Mary “damned near capsized… One moment the top deck was at its usual height and then, swoom! Down, over, and forward she would pitch.” It was calculated later that the ship tilted 52 degrees, and would have capsized had she rolled another 3 degrees.’ It is extraordinary to learn that these ocean-going vessels had no stabilisers for most of their working careers. At a more mundane level, in her troop-carrying days, there was a bacon slicer in the ship’s kitchen that never stopped working during a period of six years. They don’t make them like they used to.