What does the term RMS actually mean?

RMS stands for Royal Mail Ship or Royal Mail Steamer and was first used in 1840. To date around 50 vessels have held the prefix and any so named are allowed to fly the Royal Mail Pennant. The ships are contracted to carry mail and had to be reliable and good time keepers. RMS Titanic, which hit an iceberg in April 1912, gives us the story of the postmaster and his four postmen who tried to save the 400,000 letters on board by heaving sacks up several flights of stairs to the upper deck. All five were sadly lost when the ship sank.

Cunard the great rival of the White Star line used the term first. In 1839 Sir Samual Cunard founded the company with the express intention of carrying transatlantic mail between Britain and North America. The first was RMS Brittania in 1840, which had paddle wheels and a tonnage of only 1154 tons. In the First World War RMS passenger liners were attacked by German U-boats and this sad saga included the RMS Lusitania. In World War II several RMS ships were requisitioned by the Admiralty and these included the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary, which became troop carriers. The latest Cunard flagship liner the Queen Mary 2 has the title but does not carry mail. The last ship carrying mail is RMS St Helena, which serves the island of the same name. (Details from an article in the August 2007 Courier.)