Before the sinking of the Lusitania and the advent of WWI, steamships crammed with immigrants carried their wealthy passengers in luxury.

Part 1

After WWI and before the sinking of the Normandie, the Leviathan, Mauretania, Queen Mary and other magnificent ships sailed the ocean.

Part 2

Queen Mary, Normandie, Mauretania: These great ocean liners of the Atlantic were the largest and most opulent passenger ships ever built. It was as if the finest hotels and most magnificent estates of the Western World had been put to sea. Tour their elite staterooms and swimming pools, and the below-deck immigrant quarters. Hear the real stories of the people who built and boarded them. Visit their renowned ports of call. Follow the great ships as they are drafted into combat, and witness the haunting tragedies that led the Lusitania, Titanic, and Andrea Doria to their doom.

All Episodes of Floating Palaces

Browse all episodes of Floating Palaces

Season 1

Part 1

Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 4/21/1996

Part 2

Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 4/22/1996