View source for Earth:Transatlantic crossing

The '''Transatlantic crossings''' are passages of passengers and cargo across the [[Earth:Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic Ocean]] between the [[Earth:Americas|Americas]] and [[Earth:Europe|Europe]] or [[Earth:Africa|Africa]]. The majority of passenger traffic is across the North Atlantic between [[Earth:North America|North America]] and [[Place:Western Europe|Western Europe]].  Centuries after the dwindling of sporadic Viking trade with Markland, a regular and lasting transatlantic trade route was established in 1566 with the Spanish West Indies fleets, following the Voyages of Christopher Columbus.

== By sea ==
Prior to the 19th century, transatlantic crossings were undertaken in [[Engineering:Sailing ship|sailing ship]]s, and the journeys were time consuming and often perilous. The first trade route across the Atlantic was inaugurated by Spain a few decades after the European Discovery of the Americas, with the establishment of the West Indies fleets in 1566, a convoy system that regularly linked its territories in the Americas with Spain for over two centuries. Portugal created a similar maritime route between its ports in Brazil and the Portuguese mainland. Other colonial powers followed, such as [[Place:Kingdom of Great Britain|Britain]], {{wipe|France}} and the Netherlands, as they colonized the [[Earth:New World|New World]].

Transatlantic crossings became faster, safer, and more reliable with the advent of [[Engineering:Steamship|steamship]]s in the 19th century.  Grand [[Engineering:Ocean liner|ocean liner]]s began making regularly scheduled crossings, and soon it became a symbol of national and company status to build the largest, fastest, and most luxurious ocean liner for transatlantic crossings. The United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy built the most famous ocean liners.  Examples of some famous transatlantic liners are RMS ''Titanic'' (had only made one voyage that was unsuccessful due to striking an iceberg),  {{RMS|Lusitania}}, {{RMS|Mauretania|1906|6}}, {{RMS|Olympic}}, {{SS|Rex}}, {{SS|America|1939|6}}, {{SS|United States}}, {{RMS|Queen Mary}}, {{SS|Île de France}}, {{SS|Normandie}}, {{RMS|Queen Elizabeth}}, {{SS|France|1961|6}}, ''[[Engineering:Queen Elizabeth 2|Queen Elizabeth 2]]'', and {{RMS|Queen Mary 2}}.

The [[Earth:Blue Riband|Blue Riband]] is awarded for the record fastest crossing by transatlantic liner.  The current eastbound record was set by the American ocean liner ''United States'' in July 1952: the ship made the crossing in  3 days, 10 hours, 40 minutes. ''Guinness Book of World Records'' has awarded world records to various classes such as luxury liners, sail boats, and rowing boats.

During World War II the transatlantic crossing was very important for the United Kingdom as much of Europe had been taken over by Germany and its allies preventing trade and supplies; the struggle is known as the Battle of the Atlantic.

===Crossings in small vessels===

====Zodiac====
In 1952, Alain Bombard crossed the Atlantic from East to West, spending 113 days adrift in a Zodiac, ''L'Hérétique''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bombard|first=Alain|title=The Voyage of the Heretique|date=1953|publisher=Simon and Schuster}}</ref>

====Rafts====
In 1956, Henri Beaudout crossed the Atlantic from West to East, from Halifax to Falmouth, on a raft of wood and rope, ''L’Égaré II'', in 88 days.<ref>{{cite news|last=Wadden|first=Marie|title=Three Canadians, two kittens, one raft: A little-known journey across the Atlantic|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/three-canadians-two-kittens-one-raft-a-little-known-journey-across-the-atlantic/article4462515/|accessdate=19 May 2014|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|date=3 August 2012}}</ref>

In 1988, the [[Engineering:Junk raft|junk raft]], ''Son of Town Hall'', crossed the North Atlantic Ocean.<ref>
{{Cite web
  | last = 
  | first = 
  | coauthors = 
  | title = Son of Town Hall, First Raft made of Scrap to Cross the North Atlantic Ocean
  | publisher = The Floating Neutrinos
  | date = May 30, 2006
  | url =  http://www.floatingneutrinos.com/son%20of%20town%20hall/chronology.htm
  | accessdate = Sep 30, 2010}}
</ref>

In 2011, Anthony Smith and the Antiki crossed the Atlantic.<ref>
{{Cite web
  | last = 
  | first = 
  | coauthors = 
  | title = Across the Atlantic - in a garden shed
  | publisher = 
  | date = 
  | url =  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2971402/Across-Atlantic-garden-shed-84-year-olds-settle-Saga-cruise-ancient-mariner-ideas.html
  | accessdate = Mar 2, 2015}}
</ref>

==== Rowing and paddling====
On June 13, 2003, the French rower Maud Fontenoy started an eastward crossing of the Atlantic from Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon. She reached A Coruña in Spain on October 10, becoming the first woman to accomplish this feat.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maudfontenoyfondation.com/en/ses-traversees-et-son-tour-du-monde.html |website=Fontenroy Foundation|title=Ses-traversees-et-son-tour-du-monde}}</ref>

On October 26, 2010, the Polish sexagenarian Aleksander Doba was the first recorded individual to complete a non-stop transatlantic crossing by kayak. He departed Dakar, Senegal and arrived in Brazil 99 days later.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.wired.com/playbook/2011/02/epic-kayak-guy/ | title=64-Year-Old Kayaker Completes Trans-Atlantic Voyage | work=Wired | date=February 10, 2011 | accessdate=July 2, 2012}}</ref>

=====Transatlantic rowing races=====
{{Main|Earth:Atlantic Rowing Race}}
In 1997, the first East–West Atlantic Rowing Race took place, running from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean. It now runs once every two years or so.{{cn|date=July 2018}}

In 2006, the first West–East North Atlantic Rowing Race took place, running from {{wipe|New York City}} to Falmouth, Cornwall in the UK.{{cn|date=July 2018}}

==Transatlantic flights==
{{Main|Engineering:Transatlantic flight}}
Transatlantic flight surpassed ocean liners as the predominant mode of crossing the Atlantic in the mid 20th century.  In 1919, the American NC-4 became the first [[Engineering:Airplane|airplane]] to cross the Atlantic (but in multiple stages). Later that year, a British [[Engineering:Vickers Vimy|Vickers Vimy]] piloted by Alcock and Brown made the first non-stop transatlantic flight from Newfoundland to Ireland. Also in 1919, the British were the first to cross the Atlantic in an [[Physics:Airship|airship]] when the R34 captained by Major George Herbert Scott of the {{wipe|Royal Air Force}} with his crew and passengers flew from East Fortune, Scotland  to Mineola, Long Island, covering a distance of about {{convert|3000|smi|km}} in about four and a half days; he then made a return trip to England, thus also completing the first double crossing of the Atlantic (east–west–east). In 1927, Charles Lindbergh made the first solo non-stop transatlantic flight in an airplane (between {{wipe|New York City}} and [[Place:Paris|Paris]]). The second solo piloting, and the first to carry a passenger, was Clarence Duncan Chamberlin on June 6, 1927. Edward R. Armstrong proposed a string of anchored "seadromes" to refuel planes in a crossing.

The first serious attempt to take a share of the transatlantic passenger market away from the ocean liners was undertaken by {{wipe|Germany}}. In the 1930s, Germany crossed the Atlantic with Zeppelins that could carry about 60 passengers in a similar luxurious style to the ocean liners. However, the [[Engineering:Hindenburg disaster|''Hindenburg'' disaster]] in 1937 put an end to transatlantic Zeppelin flights.

On June 1, 1944, two K-class blimps from Blimp Squadron ZP-14<ref>[http://www.warwingsart.com/LTA/zp-14.html Blimp Squadron 14]</ref> of the United States Navy (USN) completed the first transatlantic crossing by [[Chemistry:Blimp|non-rigid airships]]. The two K-ships (K-123 and K-130) left South Weymouth, MA on May 28, 1944 and flew approximately 16 hours to Naval Station Argentia, Newfoundland.  From Argentia, the blimps flew approximately 22 hours to Lajes Field on Terceira Island in the Azores.  The final leg of the first transatlantic crossing was about a 20-hour flight from the Azores to Craw Field in Port Lyautey ([[Place:Kenitra|Kenitra]]), French Morocco.<ref>Kline, R. C. and Kubarych, S. J., Blimpron 14 Overseas, 1944, Naval Historical Center, Navy Yard, Washington, D. C.</ref><ref>http://www.naval-airships.org/resources/documents/NAN_vol93_no2_KShips_feature.pdf</ref>

Beginning in the 1950s, the predominance of ocean liners began to wane when larger, [[Engineering:Jet engine|jet]]-powered airplanes began carrying passengers across the ocean in less and less time.  The speed of crossing the ocean therefore became more important than the style of crossing it.  The maturing passenger [[Engineering:Jet Age|Jet Age]] starting with the [[Engineering:Boeing 707|Boeing 707]] reduced the typical crossing time between [[Place:London|London]] and {{wipe|New York City}} to between 6.5 and 8 hours, depending on weather conditions.  By the 1970s, supersonic [[Engineering:Concorde|Concorde]] airplanes could connect the two cities in less than 4 hours, and only one ocean liner, ''[[Engineering:Queen Elizabeth 2|Queen Elizabeth 2]]'' remained on the transatlantic route for those who favored the slower style of travel. 

The economics of commercial transatlantic flying have evolved markedly since the 1950s; the introduction of [[Engineering:Wide-body aircraft|widebody]] airliners (such as the [[Engineering:Boeing 747|Boeing 747]] and Douglas DC-10) in the early 1970s made affordable transatlantic travel to the masses a reality.  Since the 1990s, the high [[Reliability engineering|reliability]] of modern jet engines has meant that twin engine jet aircraft such as the [[Engineering:Boeing 767|Boeing 767]], [[Engineering:Boeing 777|Boeing 777]] and [[Engineering:Airbus A330|Airbus A330]] have largely taken over on transatlantic routes from quad-engine jets, whilst the supersonic Concorde was ultimately doomed by its high running costs, leading to its retirement in 2003.

== Transatlantic cables ==

'''Transatlantic cables''' are cables that have been laid along the ocean floor to connect North America and Europe. Before the advent of [[Social:Radio|radio]], the only means of communication across the Atlantic Ocean was to physically connect the continents with a [[History:Transatlantic telegraph cable|transatlantic telegraph cable]], the first of which was installed from Valentia, Ireland to Heart's Content, Newfoundland in 1858. The first transatlantic telephone cable, TAT-1, was installed in 1955.  The first transatlantic fiber optic cable, TAT-8, was installed in 1988. The [[Finance:Exchange rate|exchange rate]] between the {{wipe|United States dollar}} and British pound is still colloquially known as "cable" by financial marketeers, from the early use of the transatlantic cable for this purpose.

==Transatlantic radio==
'''Transatlantic radio''' communication was first accomplished on December 12, 1901 by [[Biography:Guglielmo Marconi|Guglielmo Marconi]] who, using a temporary receiving station at Signal Hill, Newfoundland, received a [[Engineering:Morse code|Morse code]] signal representing the letter "S" sent from Poldhu, in [[History:Cornwall|Cornwall]], United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/Milestones:Transmission_of_Transatlantic_Radio_Signals,_1901 |title=Milestones:Transmission of Transatlantic Radio Signals, 1901 |author= |date= |work=IEEE Global History Network |publisher=IEEE |accessdate=29 July 2011}}</ref>  Guglielmo Marconi initiated commercial transatlantic radio communications between his high power long wave wireless telegraphy stations in Clifden Ireland and Glace Bay, Nova Scotia on 17 October 1907.

Amateur radio operators are usually credited with the discovery of transatlantic radio communication in the shortwave bands. The first successful transatlantic tests were conducted by radio amateurs in December 1921 operating in the 200 meter medium-wave band, the shortest wavelength then available to amateurs. In 1922 hundreds of North American amateurs were heard in Europe at 200 meters and at least 20 North American amateurs heard amateur signals from Europe. The first two way transatlantic shortwave radio contacts were completed by radio amateurs in November 1923, on 110 meters.

Marconi initiated the first commercial shortwave transatlantic radio communication between the UK to Canada using his ''[[Engineering:Imperial Wireless Chain|Beam Wireless Service]]'' which went into commercial operation on 25 October 1926.  Shortwave radio vastly increased the speed and capacity of transatlantic communications at dramatically reduced cost compared to telegraph cable and long wave radio.

[[Engineering:Telstar|Telstar]] was the first [[Astronomy:Communications satellite|communications satellite]] to provide commercial transatlantic communications. It was launched by on July 10, 1962, the first privately sponsored space launch.  Communications satellites vastly increased the speed and quality of transatlantic communication, but transatlantic fiber optic cables have carried the vast majority of transatlantic communications traffic since the early 1990s.

== Transatlantic tunnel ==
{{Main|Earth:Transatlantic tunnel}}
The '''Transatlantic Tunnel''' is a theoretical structure proposed several times since the late 19th century.  It would be a [[Engineering:Tunnel|tunnel]] that spans the [[Earth:Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic Ocean]] between {{wipe|New York City}} and the {{wipe|United Kingdom}} or {{wipe|France}}.

==See also==
*[[Earth:Transatlantic relations|Transatlantic relations]]

==Citations==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* Fowler Jr., William M. ''Steam Titans: Cunard, Collins, and the Epic Battle for Commerce on the North Atlantic'' (London: Bloomsbury), 2017. 358 pp
==External links==
{{commons|North Atlantic Treaty Organisation}}
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=n-MDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA746&dq=Popular+Mechanics+1931+curtiss&hl=en&ei=nOz1TKGlGoT48AbhovSDBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CDYQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q&f=true "Evolution of trans-Atlantic Ships", May 1931, ''Popular Mechanics'']

[[Category:Atlantic Ocean]]

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