John Brown & Company in Clydebank in Scotland, begin the major task of constructing 'Queen Mary' Ocean Liner then know as 'Hull Number 534', which began in December 1930 on the River Clyde, but due the Great Depression of the 1930s, exactly a year after the ship was started it was necessary to suspend the construction of the vessel pending some changes in prospects funds. The Cunard Company tried to secure financial backing from banks and business with unsuccess. Finally after two and half years of the Ocean Liner 'Queen Mary' being idle, work resumed, obtaining a loan from the British Government, in 1934, one condition was that Cunard would merge with the White Star Line, 'Hull Number 552' which became Queen Elizabeth, Cunard's chief British rival at the time and also had been forced by the depression to cancel construction on its Oceanic.