Service

Maiden voyage

Photograph of the QE2 at anchor in Geiranger Fjord in June 2008

On 2 May 1969 the QE2 sailed from Southampton to New York on her maiden voyage, carrying 1,400 passengers, arriving in New York on 7 May. On 9 January 1971, whilst in the West Indies, she rescued passengers from the French Line's Antilles which caught fire after hitting a reef. Dramatically, on 17 May 1972, Cunard received a bomb-threat and ransom demand. A bomb disposal team was dropped to the ship 1,000 miles from land. It was discovered to be a hoax and the culprit was subsequently caught by the FBI. Later in 1972 the first set of penthouses were installed aft of the bridge in Southampton by Vosper Thorneycroft; more were added again in 1977 by Bethlehem Steel of Bayonne, New Jersey.

Early years

Following the outbreak of the Falkland's War in April 1982 the QE2 was requisitioned by the Government and served as a troop ship. She returned to commercial service in August 1982. Her external appearance was very different, her hull pebble-grey and her funnel repainted in Cunard red and black with two horizontal black lines. Between October 1986 and April 1987 she was converted to diesel-electric propulsion by Lloyd-Werft of Bremerhaven, Germany. She emerged sporting a "fatter" funnel and a further eight penthouses, installed on the Signal Deck. Two minor refits took place in 1990 and 1992 followed in 1994 by a much-publicised larger, troubled refit by Blohm & Voss in Hamburg.

Later years

Into the 1990s the QE2 continued to serve as the flagship of the Cunard Line. She was again refitted in Southampton between November and December 1996. Following the takeover of Cunard by the Carnival Corporation, the QE2 had a $30 million refit at Bremerhaven between November and December 1999. In 2004 Cunard's new Queen Mary 2 became flagship of the fleet and took over much of the transatlantic voyages, the QE2 reverting primarily to cruising. By September 2005 the QE2 became the longest serving Cunarder in history. On 18 June 2007 Cunard announces to sale of the QE2 to Dubai with a series of final voyages culminating with a final voyage on 11 November 2008.

Pphotographs

Geirangerfjord

Key events

Falklands War

April - June 1982: The Queen Elizabeth 2 goes to war

On Friday 2 April 1982 Argentinian forces invaded the Falkland Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic. It was the culmination of a dispute over the sovereignty of the Islands, a dispute that continues to this day. Despite diplomatic efforts led by the United Nations for a withdrawl by Argentinian forces conflict seemed inevitable. The British Government sent a naval and aerial taskforce to retake the Islands, along with South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands which had also been occupied by Argentinian forces. In addition to the Royal Navy fleet the Merchant Navy contributed fifty-two vessels 'taken up from trade'. The Royal Fleet Auxiliary contributed a further twenty-two ships.
On 3 May 1982 the British Government requisitioned the QE2 along with another Cunard vessel, the Cunard Countess. In just nine days the QE2 was converted to a troop ship by the Woolston yard of Vosper Thornycroft; many of her fixtures and fittings were removed and her remaining interiors protected as much as possible. Externally refuelling equipment was fitted and two helipads were constructed on the forward deck and over the stern as the QE2's aluminium superstructure was not strong enough to bear the weight of military helicopters.
Some 650 crew members, including her captain, Captain Peter Jackson, officers and crew volunteered to sail with the task force to the South Atlantic. She sailed from Southampton on 12 May 1982, calling at Freetown in Sierra Leone and Ascension Island for refuelling before arriving at South Georgia on 27 May. The 3,000 members - including six hundred Welsh Guards and seven-hundred Scots Guards - of the Fifth Infantry Brigade transferred to P&O's Canberra for the final 1,500 miles to the Falklands. The Canberra had also requisitioned and converted at Southampton before sailing for the South Atlantic on 9 April 1982.
Surviviors of the HMS Coventry, HMS Antelope and HMS Ardent were embarked for the 6,976 mile journey back home. The QE2 arrived safely in home waters on 11 June 1982 to be greated by the Royal Yacht Britannia. As she arrived into Southampton the sound of QE2's horn reveberated in the air poignantly marking an emotional moment for the surviviors and their families on the dockside, tears of joy for their safe return tinged with sadness for the forty-four miltary personnel who lost their lives aboard the Coventry, Antelope and Ardent.

Re-engineering

October 1986 - April 1987: The most ambitious marine re-engineering project to date

The QE2's original powertrain configuration saw her equipped with two steam turbines, designed by Pametrada, and built by John Brown, each capable of producing 110,000hp. This configuration saw steam fed to each of the turbine engines by three Foster Wheeler ESD 11 design boilers, also built by John Brown. Each boiler was capable of producing 310,000 lbs of steam per hour. The Pametrada turbines provided the QE2 with a service speed of 28.5 knots. However, the QE2 would suffer on-going problems with her steam turbines, notably during her sea trials and following her return to service after the Falklands War. Problems reoccured despite efforts to solve them by her builders.
Her steam turbines had powered the QE2 2,622,858 nautical miles but they were nearing the end of their economic life and were proving uneconomical to run and increasingly difficuly to maintain. Cunard embarked on the most ambitious marine re-engineering project to date, converting the QE2 to diesel-electric propulsion. The re-engineering would see the removal and replacement of her orignal steam-powered plant. She sailed to the Lloyd-Werft Shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany, arriving on 27 October 1986, the last in the line of steam-powered Atlantic liner.
At Bremerhaven, dramatically, the QE2's original slender funnel - in Cunard's traditional red and black colours following her post-Falklands refit - was removed to allow some 4,500 tons of machnery to be ripped out. In their place nine MAN B&W 9L 58/64 four-stroke Diesel engines were installed along with nine exhaust gas and two oil-fired boilers. Two GEC 44 Holland MW Motors were installed, connected to each of the QE2's propellers by a 230ft long shaft. To accomodate the exhaust pipes from her new engines her funnel was enlarged. At the same time key passenger areas of the ship were upgraded, her fixed-pitch propellers were replaced with variable-pitch propellers and the exterior of the ship repainted.
The QE2 emerged on 25 April 1987 rejuvenated after a refit lasting 179 days. Her new engines - making her the fastest and most powerful passenger ship in service - were capable of 32 knots at full speed and 19 knots full astern, faster than the 18 knot crusing speed of Cunard's Queen Victoria. The Queen Mary 2 only achieves a cruising speed of 26 knots, and can manage a maximum 29.6 knots through a CODAG system which uses gas turbines to 'top-up' her maximum speed. With the retirement of the QE2 the world took a backwards step, there is nothing to match her; she remains unsurpassed.

Project 'Lifestyle'

November 1994 - December 1994: A badly-managed refit lands Cunard with a £8 million compensation bill

In the first twenty-five years of service the QE2 was refitted on a number of occasions. Significant refits occurred in 1972 and 1977 when a number of penthouse suites were installed; in 1982 with her post-Falklands refit; in 1986/87 with her re-engineering; and in 1992. Each time, changes were made to the QE2 to improve and upgrade passenger accommodation and facilities. However by the mid-1990s, the successive changes meant the overall style of the ship was mixed. By 1994 Cunard's owners, Trafalgar House, embarked on an ambitious £45 million refit to be undertaken by Blohm & Voss, at their Hamburg yard.
Cunard took the opportunity to refresh many of the QE2's staterooms and nearly all bathrooms were upgraded with new fixtures. Public areas were upgraded and refreshed, including the Midship Lobby and stairwells. Changes to public rooms included the Golden Lion Pub (replacing the Theatre Bar), the Chart Room (replacing the Midships Bar) and the creation of the Crystal Bar forward on the Upper Deck. The main restaurants were also upgraded and a new Lido area created aft, on the Quarter Deck. Throughout the ship, historic Cunard Line items were added, creating a Heritage Trail.
Externally the QE2 was given a fresh livery with a 'Royal Blue' hull and 'speed stripe' on her superstructure, a new radar system, and an overhaul of the stabilizers. More significant changes occurred aft. In 1983 two 45-foot tenders, Alpha and Beta (with associated davits) were installed on the Boat Deck and the Quarter Deck enclosed beneath a retractable, glass 'Magradome' roof. In the 1994 refit these were all removed, opening up the QE2's stern decks and reducing clutter.
The QE2 arrived in Hamburg from New York on 20 November for a refit lasting 27 days. However as the QE2 marked her return to service in Southampton on 17 December the refit had gone drastically wrong. Despite employing some 2,300 tradesmen the schedule of works overran, so much so that the QE2 sailed with workmen still onboard. Cabins were incomplete, plumbing in bathrooms failed and public spaces remained unfinished. Around 500 passengers were left behind, Cunard unable to provide them with completed accommodation. Following the disastrous refit Cunard eventually paid out nearly £8 million in compensation to affected passengers and within six months the Cunard Chairman, John Olsen, left the company by "mutual agreement" as Cunard recorded a £6.9m loss for the six months to March 1995.

Carnival takeover

April 1998: America's Carnival Corporation makes a takeover of the Cunard Line

Within 18 months of Cunard's ill-timed refit of the QE2 its parent company Trafalgar House had been purchased by the Norwegian conglomerate Kværner for £904 million. Trafalgar House had been making significant losses for a number of years. Even at the time of the announcement, in March 1996, there was uncertainty around the future of the Cunard Line as Kværner Chief Executive Erik Tonseth stated that the Cunard Line was not considered a core asset. Despite the intention to sell the line, Kværner completed a 19-day £12 million refit at the A&P Group's yard in Southampton; the refit completed some elements of work originally intended for the Project Lifestyle refit.
In May 1998 the American Carnival Corporation acquired a 68 per cent share in Cunard for $500 million. By October 1999 Carnival acquired the remaining stake for $205 million. The Carnival Corporation was founded in 1972 and embarked on an agressive expansion plan, acquiring the Holland America Line in 1989, the Seabourn Cruise Line in 1992, Cunard in 1998, Italian Costa Cruises in 2000 before merging with P&O Princess Cruises in 2003. The Cunard Line was positioned as Carnival's luxury brand, leveraging Cunard's history and British heritage.
Carnvial transferred Cunard Line vessels Royal Viking Sun, Sea Goddess I and Sea Goddess II to the Seabourn Cruise Line and re-branded the Vistafjord as the Caronia. In December 1998 plans for a new flagship were announced, with the 1,132 ft, 151,000 tonne Queen Mary 2 entering service in January 2004. On 1 May 2004 the Queen Mary 2 replaced the QE2 as Cunard's flagship. Carnival shifted the QE2 to a primarily cruising role, with the Queen Mary 2 taking on most of the transalantic crossings; in the last five years of service the QE2 only completed 17 transatlantic crossings, the same number completed in 2003. Between 1 and 22 May the QE2 was refitted at the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven.
Returning to service, the QE2 was joined by the Queen Victoria in December 2007. Following the annoucement of the sale of the QE2 on 18 June 2007, Cunard announced plans for a replacement, the Queen Elizabeth, which entered service in October 2010. The QE2's Carnival 'years' marked the twilight of her career as her owners gave the limelight to her newer running mates. Yet the QE2 maintained a loyal following and, in her farewell season, passengers new and old travelled aboard her, making a cherished last voyage aboard the world's most famous ocean liner.

Timeline

Ports of call

During her four decades of service the QE2 has visited over one hundred and fifty ports around the world. View our interactive map and discover the ports of call visited by the QE2.

View QE2 Ports of Call Map

Service

Maiden voyage

Early years

Later years

Pphotographs

Geirangerfjord

Key events

Falklands War

Re-engineering

Project 'Lifestyle'

Carnival takeover

Timeline

Timeline

Directory

Directory

Ports of call

Ports of call