The Queen Mary this month will mark the 85th anniversary of its historic launch on Sept. 26, 1934, in Clydebank, Scotland.

Christened at the John Brown Shipyard, King George V and Queen Mary launched the ship as a crowd of more than 250,000 spectators looked on.

The Queen Mary began its 85th Jubilee commemoration with a new Cunard Story exhibit on July 5, which showcases the line’s 179-year history, its relationship with the Queen Mary, the ships it inspired and its influence on immigration, global maritime policies and technological innovation.

Constructed by shipbuilder John Brown & Co., the Queen Mary’s scale was an impressive feat. More than 10 million rivets were used to construct the ship, with 27 boilers in five rooms and seven turbo-generators. With a length of 1,019.5 feet, the ship was longer than the Eiffel Tower.

 The Queen Mary became largest, fastest and most popular ocean liner in the world. Departing on its maiden voyage on May 27, 1936 from Southampton to New York, the ship was later awarded the Blue Riband in August 1936—as the fastest ship to cross the Atlantic—with a top speed of 30 knots.

During World War II, the ship halted passenger service to ferry troops. In all, the Queen Mary completed more than 1,000 transatlantic voyages before retiring to Long Beach on Dec. 9, 1967.

To learn more about the Queen Mary’s history visit, queenmary.com.