This week we focus on the new Cunard Line ship Queen Elizabeth. At approximately, 91,000 gross tons, she is the second largest Cunarder ever built although she is still much smaller than fleetmate Queen Mary 2. However, size is not what makes this ship special.
The new Queen Elizabeth is the third Cunard ship bear the name. First, there was the giant ocean liner that was built as a running mate for the original Queen Mary. This ship was named after Queen Elizabeth, the consort to King George VI, who after her daughter came to the throne was known as the Queen Mother. The ship was considered the height of luxury and elegance for her time. She remained the largest ocean liner ever built until Queen Mary 2 entered service in 2004.
In the 1960s when Cunard was building a ship to replace the original Queen Elizabeth, the plan was to name the replacement ship Queen Elizabeth. However, at the naming ceremony in 1967, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II proclaimed “I name this ship Queen Elizabeth the Second.” Whether Her Majesty meant to name the ship after herself or merely was memorializing the fact that there had already been a ship called Queen Elizabeth is something only she knows. However, in order to distinguish the ship from the monarch, Cunard put an Arabic 2 rather than a Roman numeral in the name. The Queen Elizabeth 2 or QE2 as she came to be known was the most famous ship in the world during a service life that lasted nearly 40 years.
The new Queen Elizabeth was named by Her Majesty last October. The name honors the two earlier ships. However, as Cunard has pointed out, it also carries the Queen’s name and is “her ship.”
All of this is a long way of saying that the new ship has a special name with a unique heritage. Tradition matters very much at Cunard.
The name is not the only thing that is special about the ship. She is based on the design that was used for Cunard’s Queen Victoria. However, she is not a mere clone of her fleetmate. Whereas the Victoria’s interior was art nouveau inspired, the Elizabeth is art deco. Moreover, it is a sumptuous interior that speaks of elegance, sophistication and luxury.
The Queen Elizabeth profile page is at http://www.beyondships.com/QE.html The multi-page photo tour and commentary, done largely with my new Nikon, begins at http://www.beyondships.com/QE-Tour-1.html
The new Queen Elizabeth is the third Cunard ship bear the name. First, there was the giant ocean liner that was built as a running mate for the original Queen Mary. This ship was named after Queen Elizabeth, the consort to King George VI, who after her daughter came to the throne was known as the Queen Mother. The ship was considered the height of luxury and elegance for her time. She remained the largest ocean liner ever built until Queen Mary 2 entered service in 2004.
In the 1960s when Cunard was building a ship to replace the original Queen Elizabeth, the plan was to name the replacement ship Queen Elizabeth. However, at the naming ceremony in 1967, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II proclaimed “I name this ship Queen Elizabeth the Second.” Whether Her Majesty meant to name the ship after herself or merely was memorializing the fact that there had already been a ship called Queen Elizabeth is something only she knows. However, in order to distinguish the ship from the monarch, Cunard put an Arabic 2 rather than a Roman numeral in the name. The Queen Elizabeth 2 or QE2 as she came to be known was the most famous ship in the world during a service life that lasted nearly 40 years.
The new Queen Elizabeth was named by Her Majesty last October. The name honors the two earlier ships. However, as Cunard has pointed out, it also carries the Queen’s name and is “her ship.”
All of this is a long way of saying that the new ship has a special name with a unique heritage. Tradition matters very much at Cunard.
The name is not the only thing that is special about the ship. She is based on the design that was used for Cunard’s Queen Victoria. However, she is not a mere clone of her fleetmate. Whereas the Victoria’s interior was art nouveau inspired, the Elizabeth is art deco. Moreover, it is a sumptuous interior that speaks of elegance, sophistication and luxury.
The Queen Elizabeth profile page is at http://www.beyondships.com/QE.html The multi-page photo tour and commentary, done largely with my new Nikon, begins at http://www.beyondships.com/QE-Tour-1.html
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