Queen Elizabeth 2

Queen Elizabeth 2 was launched in September 1967 and christened by Queen Elizabeth 2. Her maiden voyage wasn’t until May 1969 and after around 40 years of service; she is due to retire in November 2008 to become a floating hotel in Dubai.

The QE2 predominantly sails out of her home port of Southampton as she did for her maiden voyage which took her from Southampton to New York City and lasted 5 days.

Queen Elizabeth 2 is a ship filled with history, including being part of a war. In 1982 she was a part of the Falklands War where she carried 3,000 troops and 650 crew members to the South Atlantic after undergoing a transformation to keep her hidden and to reduce the risk of being detected.

The QE2’s final voyage will be from Southampton to Dubai on 11th November 2008 before she starts her new life in Palm Jumeirah, Dubai.

Measuring in at 963 feet in length and 105 feet in width she is classed as a large ship with a weight of 70,327 gross tons. She can carry 1,778 passengers alongside 1,016 crew members.

Having undergone many refits and refurbishments in her time to last her 40 years she has become the longest serving Cunard ship in the company’s history, carrying over 2 million passengers throughout the world.

After 40 years of service she has become one of the world’s most famous and most loved cruise ships to date with many guests coming back again and again.

Tonnage: 70,327 gross tonnes
Displacement: 48,923 (loaded)
Length: 293.5 m (963 ft)
Beam: 32.03 m (105 ft)
Draft: 9.87 m (32 ft)
Height: 52.2 m (171 ft 4 in)