The original successor to the Cunard Queen Mary (1936) and Queen Elizabeth (1940), the Q3, was planned as a direct replacement, a vessel of 75,000 gross tons. Following declining passenger numbers on the North Atlantic, the operational requirements were revised. The new vessel, designated the Q4, was a different design. She was smaller in length, breadth, draft and tonnage. Her role would also be different, including cruising in addition to the regular North Atlantic express service operated by the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth. The new Cunarder, subsequently christened Queen Elizabeth 2, would provide four decades of commercial service and would become the longest serving Cunard liner in history.
| Parameter | Configuration |
|---|---|
| Construction | Steel hull with aluminium upperworks |
| Engines | Nine MAN B&W 9L 58/64 four-stroke Diesel engines, maximum of 10,625 kW at 400 rpm |
| Boilers | Nine exhaust gas Sunrod boilers in combination with two oil-fired Sunrod boilers |
| Propulsion | Two GEC 44 Holland MW Motors, maximum of 44 MW each at 144 rpm |
| Propellers | Two 19 ft 8 in/6.1m diameter Lips Holland five-bladed variable pitch propellers |
| Speed | Service: 28.5 knots (32.7mph/52.7kph). Maximum: 32 knots (36.8mph/59.2kph) |
| Bow thrusters: | Two Stone KaMeWa bow thrusters producing 1,000hp each |
| Stabilisers | Four (two pairs) of Denny Brown Rom electro-hydraulic stabilisers |
| Parameter | Statistic |
|---|---|
| Passenger capacity | 1,777 passengers |
| Crew capacity | 1,016 crew |
| Passenger decks | 12 (one additional crew-only deck) |
| Whisles | Three Tyfon Whistles, audible for up to two miles |
| Life-saving | 20 lifeboats (2,244 persons), 56 liferafts (1,400) persons, five buoyancy devices (100 persons) |
| Compasses | Two Sperry Mk.37 Gyro Compasses, Compass. Lilley and Gillie Magnetic |
| Accomodation | 950 cabins. Outside: singles 37, doubles 634. Inside: singles: 81, doubles: 198 |
| Range | 7,800 miles at maximum speed (ten days sailing) |
| Parameters | Queen Elizabeth 2 (1969) | Queen Mary (1936) | Titanic (1912) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 963 ft/293.5 metres | 1,018 ft/310.2 metres | 882 ft 9 in/269 metres |
| Breadth | 105 ft 2in/32 metres | 118 ft/35.9 metres | 92 ft 6 in/28.1 metres |
| Height | 204 ft 1in/62.2 metres | 234 ft/71.3 metres | 175 ft/53.3 metres |
| Draft | 32 ft 7in/9.9 metres | 39 ft/11.8 metres | 34 ft 7 in/10.5 metres |
| Speed | 28.5 knots/32 knots (max) | 28 knots/30 knots (max) | 21 knots/23 knots (max) |
| Propellers | Two propellers | Four propellers | Three propellers |
| Passengers | 1,777 passengers | 2,139 passengers | 2,566 passengers |
| Crew | 1,016 crew | 1,101 crew | 945 crew |
- 963 ft
The length of the QE2 is equivalent to 35 London Routemaster buses or 96 British Motor Corporation Minis - 105 ft 2 in
The breadth of the QE2 is just 5 feet narrower than the width of the locks on the Panama Canal - 204 ft 1 in
The height of the QE2 is equivalent to the distance between the two towers of Tower Bridge in London - 32 ft 7 in
The draught of the QE2 is equivalent to the depth of around four Olympic-sized swimming pools
How long is the QE2? See how she compares to famous international landmarks such as the Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai and the Chrysler Building in New York.
