When she sailed on her maiden voyage from Southampton on 27 May 1936, she was commanded by Sir Edgar Britten, who had been the master designate for Cunard White Star whilst the ship was under construction at the John Brown shipyard. "Queen Mary" measured . Her rival , which originally grossed 79,280 tonnes, had been modified the preceding winter to increase her size to (an enclosed tourist lounge was built on the aft boat deck on the area where the game court was), and therefore reclaimed the title of the world's largest ocean liner from "Queen Mary", who held it for a few weeks. "Queen Mary" sailed at high speed for most of her maiden voyage to New York, until heavy fog forced a reduction of speed on the final day of the crossing, arriving in New York Harbor on 1 June 1936.