The Maiden Voyage Of The Queen Elizabeth 2

The Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) began her maiden voyage on 2nd May 1969, sailing from Southampton, UK, to New York, USA. The QE2 was built for the Cunard Line and operated as a transatlantic liner and cruise ship from 1969 to 2008. The ship was designed for the transatlantic service from Southampton to New York and served as the flagship of the line until 2004. After nearly four decades in service, the QE2 was retired and sold in 2008, and subsequently converted into a floating hotel in Dubai, where it remains a popular tourist destination to this day.

Queen Elizabeth 2's maiden voyage

The ship's original maiden voyage had been planned for December 1968, but it was cut short by turbine trouble. The ship underwent a shakedown cruise to Las Palmas in April 1969 before successfully completing its maiden voyage the following month.

Queen Elizabeth 2 was designed for the transatlantic service from its home port of Southampton, UK, to New York, US. The ship was operated by Cunard as both a transatlantic liner and a cruise ship from 1969 to 2008.

Queen Elizabeth 2 was designed in Cunard's offices in Liverpool and Southampton and built in Clydebank, Scotland. The ship was launched in September 1967 by Queen Elizabeth II, who proclaimed: "I name this ship Queen Elizabeth the Second. May God bless her and all who sail in her."

The ship's design and construction

The Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) was designed for the transatlantic service from her home port of Southampton, UK, to New York, USA. The ship was designed in Cunard's offices in Liverpool and Southampton and built in Clydebank, Scotland.

The QE2 was built by John Brown & Company, Clydebank, Scotland, for the Cunard Line, Southampton. The keel was laid down on 5 July 1965, as hull number 736 on the same slipway where previous Cunard liners such as Lusitania, Aquitania, Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth had been constructed.

The QE2 was launched and named on 20 September 1967 by Queen Elizabeth II, using the same pair of gold scissors her mother and grandmother used to launch Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary, respectively.

The QE2 was designed to be smaller and cheaper to operate than her predecessors. She was to run at the same service speed as the previous Queens, using half the fuel. Staff was also reduced from the levels on the older vessels. The QE2 would also be able to transit the Panama Canal and her draught was seven feet less than her predecessors, allowing her to enter ports that the old Queens could not, and compete with the new generation of cruise ships.

The QE2 was originally designated Q4 (a previous ship design Q3 had been abandoned due to falling passenger revenues on the North Atlantic). She was to be a three-class liner. However, looking to the France, designs were changed to make Q4 a two-class liner that could be modified into a single-class cruise ship; transatlantic line voyages in the summer would be two-class, while warmer water cruises in the winter would be single-class.

The QE2's interior configuration was laid out in a horizontal fashion, similar to the SS France, where the spaces dedicated to the two classes were spread horizontally on specific decks, in contrast to the vertical class divisions of older liners. Where the QE2 differed from the France was that the first-class deck (Quarter Deck) was below the deck dedicated to tourist class (Upper Deck). Originally, there were to be main lounges serving three classes, layered one atop the other, but when Cunard decided to make the ship a two-class vessel, only two main lounges were needed. Instead of completely reconfiguring the Boat Deck, the ship's architects simply opened a well in the deck between what were to have been the second and third-class lounges, creating a double-height space known as the Double Room (later the Grand Lounge).

The QE2's original engines were steam turbines until a major refit in 1987 updated her accommodation and converted her to diesel-electric power with nine oil-fired engines driving two giant electric motors, each of 59,000 shaft horsepower, giving her a top speed of 34 knots.

QE2's role in the Falklands War

The Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) was requisitioned by the British government on 3 May 1982 to serve as a troop carrier in the Falklands War. The ship was refitted in Southampton on 5 May 1982, with the installation of two helicopter pads, the transformation of public lounges into dormitories, the installation of fuel pipes for refuelling at sea, and the covering of carpets with 2,000 sheets of hardboard. A quarter of the ship's length was reinforced with steel plating, and an anti-magnetic coil was fitted to combat naval mines. Over 650 Cunard crew members volunteered to look after the 3,000 members of the Fifth Infantry Brigade, which the ship transported to South Georgia.

On 12 May 1982, the QE2 set sail from Southampton for the South Atlantic, carrying 3,000 troops and 650 volunteer crew. The ship was blacked out and the radar switched off to avoid detection, steaming on without modern aids.

The QE2 returned to the UK on 11 June 1982, where she was greeted in Southampton Water by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother on board HMY Britannia. The ship underwent conversion back to passenger service, with her funnel being painted in the traditional Cunard orange with black stripes, known as "hands", for the first time. The QE2 returned to service on 7 August 1982.

The vessel's refurbishment and modernisation

The Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) was refitted with a modern diesel powerplant in 1986–87. This was one of the ship's most significant refurbishments, costing over £100 million. The vessel was converted from steam to diesel power, with nine MAN B&W diesel-electric engines, new propellers and a heat recovery system installed. This halved the fuel consumption and extended the ship's life by another 20 years.

In 1994, the QE2 underwent a multimillion-pound refurbishment in Hamburg, code-named Project Lifestyle. The ship was given a new look, with the interior configuration modernised.

In 1999, the QE2 was given a $30 million refurbishment, with various public rooms refreshed and a new colour palette in the passenger cabins. The hull was also stripped to bare metal and repainted in the traditional Cunard colours of matte black and white.

In 2002, the QE2 became the first merchant ship to sail more than 5 million nautical miles at sea.

In 2004, the QE2 stopped plying the traditional transatlantic route and began full-time cruising. By this time, the vessel lacked the amenities to rival newer, larger cruise ships.

In 2007, the QE2 was purchased by the Dubai investment company Istithmar for $100 million. The ship was retired from active Cunard service on 27 November 2008 and was converted into a floating hotel in Dubai, opening to visitors on 18 April 2018.

In 2018, the QE2 underwent a 12-day drydock refurbishment in Brest, France. All staterooms were upgraded, and the ship's wellness complex was extensively refurbished.

In 2023, the QE2 underwent regularly scheduled maintenance works in Singapore.

QE2's retirement and legacy

The Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) was retired from active Cunard service on 27 November 2008. The ship had sailed over six million nautical miles and hosted 2.5 million passengers over a 39-year career.

In June 2007, Carnival, the Cunard Line's owner, announced the QE2's retirement, citing the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea as the reason. The new regulations would have required large and expensive retrofitting to the vessel.

The QE2 was sold for £50 million to Istithmar, the investment arm of Dubai World, which planned to convert the vessel into a luxury floating hotel in the city. The QE2 left Southampton Docks for the final time on 11 November 2008, arriving in Dubai on 26 November.

After almost a decade of being moored at Dubai's Port Rashid, the QE2 finally opened its doors as a luxury floating hotel on 18 April 2018. The renovation brought the ship "back to life", retaining several original features, including porthole windows and paintings. The hotel is operated by PCFC Hotels, a division of the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, which is owned by the Dubai government.

The QE2's legacy is that of a ship that set new standards in speed and luxury as the world entered the era of popular air travel. She was the world's fastest passenger ship during her maiden voyage in 1969 and could sail backwards faster than most cruise ships could sail forwards. Over her nearly four decades of service, the QE2 hosted various members of the British royal family, as well as Nelson Mandela, Elizabeth Taylor, George Harrison, and Bob Hope.

In addition to her role as a passenger liner, the QE2 also played a part in the Falklands War, serving as a hospital ship that transported injured troops in 1982.

The QE2's retirement marked the end of an era, with many lamenting the loss of a piece of 20th-century travel history. Despite her retirement, the QE2 remains an iconic ship, with her legacy celebrated through events such as her 50th-anniversary celebration in 2017.

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