Happy Birthday to Queen Mary!

It was 77 years ago today that RMS Queen Mary was launched by HM Queen Mary (consort of HM King George V) at the John Brown Shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland. It was a true triumph for the British in the darkening days of the 1930s. She really was a symbol of Britain's maritime power.

The Queen Mary began life as Job #534 in December 1930, although construction halted a year later due to the Great Depression hitting Europe. Securing a loan from the British government, work resumed in 1934 which culminated in one of the most anticipated launches in maritime history.

Today the ship lays at anchor in Long Beach, California - a stunning, solitary reminder of the bygone age of transatlantic ocean travel and majestically big ships.

The Queen Mary Tartan

RMS Queen Mary was built in Clydebank between 1930 and 1936, where she became a symbol of British determination and Scottish engineering. The ship is still considered by many to be one of the finest ocean liners to have ever set out across the tough North Atlantic. It's been since the Queen Mary was retired to Long Beach that a special tartan was created specifically for her. The colors are highly symbolic and represent certain aspects of the ship and her heritage.

Black, white and red symbolize the Cunard Line - the company that operated the ship for 31 years.

Purple stands for the connection to the British Royal Family.

Blue is for the ocean.

Grey symbolizes the Queen Mary's service as a troop transport during the course of World War II.

Gold is for the ship's new home: the Golden State of California.