A fond farewell to the most famous liner of them all
When the Queen launched job number 736 at John Brown’s Clyde shipyard, on impulse she attached the number 2 to the name of the Queen Elizabeth, much to the surprise of Cunard.
In the 41 years that followed, the QE2 became the most famous ship afloat, and in a mark of great affection, the Queen made a farewell visit on June 2, 2008.
The ship, flagship of the Cunard fleet for 35 years, was launched on September 20, 1967, and left the fleet in November 2008 at the end of an illustrious career to become a hotel in Dubai.
She reached a notable milestone on Sunday September 4, 2005, when she became the longest serving Cunard ship, passing the 36 years 4 months and 2 days service of Scythia, which sailed from 1921 to 1957.
Yet when the QE2 sailed for the first time in 1969, city analysts predicted she would be mothballed within six months and that the age of ocean liners was dead.
Facts and figures
The QE2 was built for Cunard at the yard of John Brown and Co, in Clydebank, Scotland, at a cost of £30 million.
She was launched by The Queen in September 1967, and entered service in 1969. She instantly became the most famous ship in the world.
The QE2 has sailed more than 5.3 million nautical miles – thats more than any ship in history and is equivalent to travelling to the moon and back 12 times.
She has carried nearly three million passengers – many of them returning again and again to their second home.
She has called at her homeport of Southampton 651 times and has completed 1,383 voyages. She has made 796 Atlantic crossings and completed 23 full World Voyages. She has sailed at an average speed of 24.75 knots over the last 36 years and she can sail backwards faster than most cruise ships can sail forwards!
One gallon of fuel moves her just 49.5 feet!
She has been commanded by 24 Captains.
