In 1839, the British government and Cunard developed a contract to deliver mail to and from America. Reliable, fast ships were necessary for that vital service. Plans to build the Queen Mary began in 1926, but the Great Depression of 1927 placed a spanner firmly in the works. The British government decided to give a loan to Cunard to allow them to complete building the ship, but only if they agreed to merge with their competitors, the White Star Line (who had built Titanic).