How long will qe2 last

The QE2, which was launched 50 years ago, was a British "style icon" that became one of the most famous liners in the world - but it also marked the end of generations of large passenger ships being produced on the Clyde. The marketing for the new liner made bold claims about propelling cruise liners two decades into future. Adverts from the time proclaimed: "The only thing QE2 has in common with other ships is that she floats.

After early teething problems, the liner lived up to the hype, serving as shipping company Cunard's flagship for 35 years and becoming a by-word for luxury and elegance. The famous ship also played a crucial role in the Falklands War when it was pressed into action as a troop ship. But despite its success, the shipyards of the upper Clyde never again produced a passenger ship of its scale, as other countries around the world cashed in on the boom in cruise liners.

More than 30, people lined the streets of Clydebank on 20 September as the Queen and Prince Philip made their way to the launch at John Brown's shipyard. The ship was known to the yard as No and to the Cunard as Q4.

It was not until the Queen spoke that people discovered what the new liner was to be called. She named the ship "Queen Elizabeth the Second" but that caused Cunard a headache as she was the first Elizabeth to rule over Scotland.

In order not to upset the nation that built her, they changed the name to QE2, using the Arabic numeral "2" instead of the Roman "II" the Queen uses.

Peter Kemp, who was a year-old apprentice at the time, told BBC Scotland: "The Queen announced the name and then there was a long pause. Mr Kemp says: "The chains were rattling and the dust was flying about and everything.

It was an amazing sight. Shipyard history expert and author Ian Johnston says: "It is such a definitive moment when a ship takes to the sea for the very first time, to see this mass of steel sliding into the river, right here on the Clyde and all the noises and atmospherics that go with it, the clouds of dust that are thrown up, just the sheer bulk of something of the scale of the QE2 going into the river.

Despite the liner's rise to fame, its early days were dogged by teething problems. Soon after being launched, its engines were beset with problems. Further hitches meant its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in January had to be cancelled and it did not make the journey until four months later. Mr Johnston said early headlines such as "ship of shame" were harsh and there was nothing fundamentally wrong with the liner, as it went on to prove over the next four decades.

The historian says: "She became a favourite with cruising people all over the world. Her reputation was well-earned. She was an unusual and stylish ship, very handsome and with the best of British design.

The QE2 will be extensively refurbished over the next few months before docking permanently at a specially constructed berth on the island. The revamped vessel will have a heritage museum displaying artefacts from the ship and from maritime history. Since it was launched by the Queen on the Clyde in , the QE2 has carried more than 2.

The longest-serving ship in the history of the Cunard line, it has broken records both for speed and endurance. After 40 years and 5. This article is more than 13 years old. Luxury cruise liner rescued from sandbank off Southampton ahead of farewell ceremony.

All listings featured in this story are independently selected by our editors. However, when you book something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This article has been updated with new information since its original publish date. You look at the ships nowadays, they're all sky rises on ship bases. The QE2 was sleek, she was slim. She was made to cut through the ocean waves and she did it beautifully—fast and elegantly.

Tim Davey, who worked as a crew purser and hotel officer onboard the QE2 in the early 90s, echoes the importance of the ship's design.

It was well maintained, always immaculate. And it was the pride and joy of Cunard every time it came into port. You knew you were on something special, whether you were a passenger, or a crew member. Public spaces were decorated with plastic laminates, modular furniture, and abstract art.