During World War II the C-class light cruiser HMS Curacoa was called upon to escort the Ocean Liner RMS Queen Mary. It was during the escort that tragedy struck. There were approximately 15,000 American troops being carried on the RMS Queen Mary and 440 men aboard the HMS Curacoa. The Curacoa took the Queen Mary on a zigzagging course and the Queen Mary miscalculated somehow and tragically sailed directly into the HMS Curacoa splitting it in two. 338 men from the Curacoa survived the accident but sadly 102 men were killed.
The Queen Mary was originally built to be a luxury liner sailing for the first time on September 26, 1934. She went on to sail weekly trips back and forth between New York City, USA, South Hampton, UK, and Cherbourg, France. It was on September 1, 1939 while the Queen Mary was sailing towards New York City when word reached them that a war had begun. It was at this time that the Queen Mary became a ship to transport troops rather than the luxury cruiser it was.
The Curacoa first served with the Grand Fleet among the last days of World War l and in 1935 was used as a German battle cruiser in a movie being made. In 1939 the Curacoa was chosen as one of the several ships to be converted into anti-aircraft cruisers. In 1940 the Curacoa again joined the Home Fleet during the trouble with Norway. It was during this Norwegian Campaign that the Curacoa received some heavy damage and lost 30 men. The Curacoa sailed back to the dockyard in Chatham to be repaired and didn’t return to the sea until August. The Curacoa began serving with Nore Command convoy defense.
There are many theories as to what caused that fateful accident between the Queen Mary and the Curacoa on that cold day in October 1942. Some believe that the Queen Mary Captain assumed that his escort ship would change their directions accordingly. No matter who or what was to blame the Queen Mary that was at least twenty times the size of the Curacoa and it steamed right through he Curacoa splitting it in half. Many men who survived the collision drifted in the ice cold water awaiting the return of the Queen Mary, sadly the ship never did return. The investigation of the terrible accident between the Queen Mary and the Curacoa was put on hold until 1945. The Judge took little time in sufficing that the Queen Mary had sufficient time in which to change course and it didn’t happen, therefore the blame went to the Queen Mary.
