QE2 History : The Concept

By December 1958, Cunard was making plans for a replacement for the veteran Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth. The original plan was to, with the help of Government subsidies, build two new liners. 

After the economic viability of this was examined, the project was altered. The new plan was to build a single 75,000 ton vessel with the aid of an £18 million grant from the Government. This became known as the 'Q3' project. 

This plan met great opposition as more and more passengers were travelling by plane across the Atlantic and the costs of operating large liners were increasing in a way that could not be offset by fare increases.

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In 1963 the scheme was altered to build a slightly smaller liner which could traverse the Panama and Suez canals and would primarily be used for cruising. The plan was agreed to and the Government provided the loan. The contract for its building went to John Brown & Co. and the keel laying ceremony took place on 5 July 1965. ^ TOP

QE2 History : Creating a Legend

The original delivery date for "Q4", as it had been code-named, was January 1969. On 20 September 1967 H.R.H. Queen Elizabeth II launched the hull and named it Queen Elizabeth 2. Legend has it that the original name for the vessel was given to the Queen in a sealed envelope, but, without opening the envelope, the Queen named the vessel after both herself, and the original Cunard Queen Elizabeth. Cunard adopted the numeral "2" for their new vessel's name to help distinguish between the ship and the monarch.  

On November 19, 1968 the ship moved to dry-dock in Greenock before beginning trials. Due to continued technical problems the maiden voyage of the QE2, from Southampton to New York, did not take place until May 2, 1969. The first summer of service was highly profitable and Cunard were able to repay £2.5 million of the Government loan almost immediately. ^ TOP

QE2 History : The Early Years

The first dramatic incident of the ship's career occurred in January 1971. Whilst cruising in the Caribbean QE2 received an SOS call from the French liner Antilles. It had run aground near Mustique and caught fire. By the time the QE2 arrived the French ship was unsalvageable. The passengers had already been taken ashore to Mustique in the lifeboats. During the night the Antilles' passengers boarded the QE2, and two other French ships that had come to assist. The Antilles capsized and sank the next day and her passengers were landed in Barbados.

During an ordinary trans-Atlantic crossing in May 1972, the Captain of QE2 received notification that there was a bomb aboard his vessel and that it was timed to go off during the voyage. A search by crew members proved fruitless, so a bomb disposal unit was flown out and parachuted into the sea close to the ship. The incident turned out to be a hoax but the FBI succeeded in arresting the culprit. The bomb disposal teams were awarded the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct. 

On April 1st 1974, whilst on a cruise from New York to San Juan, a technical fault caused the propulsion machinery to shut down. It was not until April 3rd that the Sea Venture, a Flagship Cruises vessel, arrived to assist. The passengers were transferred and tugs were hired to tow the QE2 back to Bermuda. Subsequent repairs meant that the Easter cruise had to be cancelled.

Over the next few years Cunard reduced the number of transatlantic crossings that QE2 took. The focus for the ship became primarily cruising. The outbreak of the Falklands War, on April 2nd 1982, led to a change of plans for the ship, when she was requisitioned by the British Government for service as a troop transport. Conversion work began immediately with the addition of helicopter flight decks and a modern communications system. This involved cutting away the aft of Upper and Quarter decks to provide space for the heli-pads. The 5th infantry brigade, comprising of the Scots and Welsh Guards and the Gurkhas, then boarded the ship and it set off for South Georgia on May 12th 1982. QE2 arrived in the Falklands on May 27th and disembarked her troops. It had become clear that the Argentineans were using air reconnaissance to try and locate the ship, so she left the same day, after taking aboard the survivors of HMS Ardent and headed north towards safety.

The QE2 triumphantly returned to Southampton on June 11th 1982. She was met by the Royal Yacht Britannia with HM The Queen Mother aboard who sent a telegram congratulating the ship's company for sterling service. Shortly after, work began on restoring the ship for commercial service. This refurbishment was undertaken at the expense of the Government. Cunard took this opportunity to make some substantial changes to the ship, including the repainting of the funnel in traditional Cunard Colours, as well as a short lived 'pebble grey' hull colour. ^ TOP

QE2 History : Engine Conversion

Following her annual overhaul in November 1983, the ship developed boiler problems, which resulted in the cancellation of a cruise.  In October 1984 an electrical fire caused a complete loss of power and delayed the QE2 for two days. On her return to Southampton it was decided that diesel engines would have to be fitted to the ship in order to increase efficiency. This, the largest maritime conversion in history, was done by Lloyd Werft at Bremerhaven Germany and was expected to save the company £12 million a year in fuel costs. Nine diesel electric engines, new propellers and equipment to capture heat expelled by the engines were fitted. The passenger accommodation was also extensively improved.

The work meant that the ship was out of service from November 1986 to April 1987. The QE2 then underwent trials in the North Sea, where a top speed of 34 knots was recorded. The ship returned to commercial service in April 1987. With new machinery, new interiors and a new funnel - QE2 looked better then ever and certainly was more fuel efficient. ^ TOP

QE2 History : The "NEW" QE2

In late 1994, the mismatch of interior designs (due to numerous refits) resulted in QE2 looking dated. It was decided that the ship was due for a new look. QE2 was put in dry-dock for one month for a $45 million internal and external refurbishment. The scope of works was enormous and included the re-design of nearly every room aboard, the replacement of every bathroom, exterior modifications including a Royal Blue hull and "speed stripe" decals, as well as the addition of two new 45 foot catamaran lifeboats. The work took longer then expected and the ship sailed with some workers still aboard, making headlines around the world.

In mid 1995 QE2 made a historic voyage - her 1000th. She was greeted by tens of thousands of people when she arrived home in Southampton. Later that year, QE2 undertook a circumnavigation of the British Isles, arriving in the port of her birth, Clydebank. She was greeted by thousands of people who lined the shores. This cruise also included a historic call at Liverpool, where every vantage point was occupied by keen onlookers.

In late 1996, QE2 was treated to a further $18 million refit which was undertaken in Southampton. This was somewhat of a coup for the British port as they had not been involved with QE2's refurbishments for over ten years. This overhaul included the re-location of the Caronia and Mauretania restaurants. The only exterior change was the removal of the Trafalgar house logo from the aft of Upper Deck. Cunard had been sold by Trafalgar to Kvaerner, a Norwegian engineering firm. 

For the next two years, due largely to the lack of direction at the helm of Cunard, persistent rumours relating to the life-expectancy of QE2 plagued the maritime world. Fortunately the line changed hands again in 1998, when Carnival Corporation finalised its purchase of the company. This was met with mixed reactions. Traditionalists couldn't comprehend the once mighty Cunard Line becoming a 'brand' of Carnival. Others welcomed the purchase, identifying Carnival's ability to maintain QE2 and her sisters in a manner befitting the Queen.  ^ TOP

QE2 History : The Golden Years

After careful analysis of the current Cunard brand, Carnival Corporation announced the merge of Cunard with Seabourn and the re-allocation of the tonnage amongst those two brands. QE2 would remain the flagship of the Cunard Line with a further $30 million being spent on her, while the Vistafjord was to be re-named Caronia after having her own major refurbishment. The remainder of the fleet, including the "Goddess" sisters, as well as Royal Viking Sun were to be placed under Seabourn management. Each of these vessels were given their own refurbishments and emerged having been renamed Seabourn Goddess 1, Seabourn Goddess 2 and Seabourn Sun. 

QE2's own $30 million refit was undertaken at Lloyd Werft at Bremerhaven Germany. The refit involved internal modifications including new carpets, wall coverings, additional suites, and the re-design of the Caronia Restaurant. It also included the mammoth task of a complete hull strip and re-paint. Queen Elizabeth 2 was once again painted in traditional Cunard colours, Matte black hull and white superstructure.

It was at this time that Carnival Corporation announced "Project Queen Mary" - an impressive feat of maritime engineering which eventually resulted in the Queen Mary 2, QE2's first true sister and long awaited partner on the North Atlantic.

The history of Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2 History) - read the History of the ocean liner QE2 the most famous cruise ship in the world.

The 2001 edition of Berlitz Guide rated the ship 5+ stars off the back of a small interior refresh undertaken at the now familiar Lloyd Werft yard. QE2 continued her North Atlantic schedule until 2004 when, after undertaking a tandem Atlantic crossing with the new QM2, the Boston Cup was symbolically transferred from QE2 by Captain Ian McNaught to QM2 and presented to Commodore Ronald Warwick. Thus ended the QE2's reign as flagship. Although she would return to the Atlantic each year as part of her World Cruise, the primary role of express liner would be assumed by QM2.  After an internal refurbishment in Germany, QE2 returned to service, concentrating on the British cruise market. She was well received on Southampton-Southampton cruises which took her to the North Sea, the Mediterranean and North Africa.

In 2007 QE2 and QM2 made a historic rendezvous in Sydney, Australia. This occasion took event coordinators by surprise with hundreds of thousands of Sydneysiders turning out to witness the two ships pass. The city came to a complete stand-still with some workers taking hours to get home. 

2007 also marked the 40th anniversary of QE2's launch. A round-Britain celebratory cruise was organised to commemorate the ship's historic life. Surprisingly, at a time when QE2 was attracting record breaking profits, Cunard announced the sale of QE2 for $100 million. She will retire from active service in November 2008. Her final destination is to be The Palm Jumeriah in Dubai. Here she will form the centrepiece of an international hotel and retail destination. 

This sad news not withstanding, QE2 has sailed on into a celebratory final season. Her 2008 world cruise begun in January when she was joined by Queen Victoria on a tandem Atlantic crossing. The two liners met again in Fort Lauderdale and Sydney before all three Cunard Queens met for the final time in Southampton in April. 

QE2's final months under the Cunard flag will see her bid farewell to the USA, Britain and then Europe before arriving in Dubai. Here, the crew will have just 7 days to close the ship down. They will then hand her over to her new owners where she will undertake an estimated $300 million refurbishment. ^ TOP