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The world of cruise ships has undergone a fascinating evolution.
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The original meaning of the cruise refers to the sea on the fixed line, regularly sailing large passenger ships. The word "mail" itself has the meaning of transportation, and in the past transoceanic mail was always carried by such large fast passenger ships, hence the name. With the emergence and development of the aviation industry, the original transoceanic cruise ship basically withdrew from the stage of history. Now the cruise ship, in fact, refers to the cruise ship sailing in the ocean.
Originally, the term "cruise ship" referred to large passenger ships that operated on fixed, regular routes across the ocean. The term "cruise" itself implies a sense of transportation, and historically, these large and fast passenger ships were used to transport transatlantic mail, hence the name "cruise." With the emergence and development of the aviation industry, the original transatlantic cruise ships largely faded from the historical stage. Nowadays, when we talk about cruise ships, we are actually referring to passenger ships that sail in the ocean for tourism purposes.
In ancient times, cruise ships were specialized transportation vehicles used by postal departments to transport mail and passengers. However, these cruise ships typically had a recreational nature. In the early days of postal services, intercontinental mail delivery relied on postal steamships to transport letters and packages from one shore to another. These British steamships often needed to fly the signal flag of the Royal Mail for identification. After 1850, the British Royal Mail allowed private shipping companies to contract for the transportation of mail and packages. This transition led some passenger ocean liners, originally operated by passenger ship companies, to transform into ocean mail service ships flying the signal flag. The term "ocean liner" was thus born.
Cruise ships have a history of over 100 years abroad. In the early 19th century, people started boarding cruise ships for transoceanic voyages, and cruise tourism began to develop. However, the primary function of cruise ships was still the transportation of mail and immigrants. Since 1958, with the advent of airplanes capable of crossing the Atlantic, aviation became a commercial means of transportation, and passengers seeking time efficiency gradually shifted to air travel. The business of transoceanic passenger ships declined. Over time, passenger ships transformed into what we now know as cruise ships, providing comfortable sea travel services for affluent individuals with ample leisure time.
In the early 19th century, despite the existence of steam engines, the lack of efficiency in transmission methods using paddlewheels resulted in slower speeds compared to sailing ships. In 1818, the Black Ball Line shipping company in the United States, utilizing its fleet of sailing ships, pioneered regular passenger ship routes from England to the United States. In 1837, the Great Western steamship, designed by the renowned British engineer Brunel, made its maiden voyage, setting a record by crossing the Atlantic in 15 days, much shorter than the two-month journey of sailing ships. Early steamships still had multiple sails installed to reduce fuel consumption.
Starting from the 1830s, transoceanic cruise ships on the Atlantic routes engaged in informal competitions regarding speed. This competition later evolved into the symbolic Blue Riband award. Germany, from 1897 onwards, dominated the Blue Riband with a series of newly built ocean liners, including the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse steamship.
In 1840, the Cunard Line shipping company introduced the Britannia, a steam-driven ship, to operate the Liverpool-to-Boston route. Despite the steamship's advantages over sailing ships, the latter remained popular. Seven years later, the first steamship with a propeller drive, the Great Britain, successfully sailed across the Atlantic.
Cruise, steam, ship, ocean, company, airplane, start, sailboat, atlantic
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Taishan City Xinhe Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. is located in the southwestern part of the Pearl River Delta in the Greater Bay Area of Guangdong Province. The company is situated on the banks of the Tanjiang River in Jiangmen City, adjacent to Kaiping and Xinhui, with a distance of about 40 kilometers from the Yamen estuary and approximately 120 kilometers from Guangzhou.
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