In the beginning of the 1970s, the quest for the North Atlantic did not stand between ships alone. The passenger airliner had since the end of World War II developed at a rapid pace, and was now swiftly conquering the globe. Cunard decided that the new ship would represent the 'New Britain' and therefore, they wanted lots of changes. This new vessel would not be divided into three classes, but in two – first class and tourist.
The task of building the new Cunarder was given to the John Brown and Co. shipyards of Clydebank, the same company that had built and launched other great liners such as the two Queens and the Lusitania. On June 5th, 1965, the keel was laid on the same slipway that had once housed the Queen Mary during her construction. And like the Queen Mary, this new ship did not get a name until the day of her launch. She was simply known as 'John Brown number 736'. The new ship would be christened the Queen Elizabeth 2, to honour the previous Queen Elizabeth. A little more than two years after her keel had been laid, the Queen Elizabeth 2 was christened and launched by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on September 20th, 1967. By using the same pair of golden scissors as had been used on the launch of the previous Queens, the queen released the bottle of champagne and smashed it against the bow of the Cunard Line’s new flagship. Moments later, the great ship was afloat. Work proceeded swiftly on the new Cunard flagship. It was unmistakeable that her design differed a lot from previous Cunarders, and this was certainly evident when one looked at her lone funnel. While in the process of breaking new grounds, it had been decided that the QE2's funnel would not be painted in the famous Cunard orange and black colours. Instead, it was painted white.
In mid April 1969, the QE2 officially joined the Cunard fleet and departed
from Southampton bound for New York on her maiden voyage on May 2nd. Upon arrival
in New York harbour, the QE2 received what now seems to be the last gala welcoming
of a ship in New York. The interest was enormous, and all those who had the
previous Queens still in memory wanted to catch a glimpse of their successor.
But had Cunard been right to launch a new ship in these uncertain times? Only
time would tell. The last of the great Atlantic liners started to disappear
one by one. By the end of 1969, the Blue Riband-champion United States was taken
out of service and the last ship ever built for transatlantic crossings only
– the France – was laid up in 1974. There were rumours that the QE2 would be
sent to the scrappers before her tenth birthday. In 1975, Cunard sent
their flagship on her first world cruise, and this was a promise of good times
to come.
Falk Lands War
Although connected with the two Queens by name, there were many things that
made the QE2 different from her older sisters. No one ever thought that the
new Queen would ever come to serve her country in times of war. Modern warfare
seemed to manage quite good without requisitioning merchant vessels and instead
using aeroplanes for transportation. But in 1982 something happened that proved
that this was not the case.
In April, Argentinean troops landed on the shores
of the Falkland Islands. These islands, which lie in the South Atlantic off
the coast of South America, are a British colony and Argentina had for many
years claimed ownership of these isles because of their geographic location.
Now, their patience was exhausted and they wanted 'their' islands back. The
British were not prepared to give up one of the Empire’s last colonies and had
to send military force into the area at once. A war was a very real threat and
possibility. However, the British quickly faced a serious problem. There were
no friendly airstrips within a thousand miles of the Falklands. Any transportation
would have to be done by sea. Things would have to be done like in the old days
– by requisitioning ships from the country’s merchant fleet.
The admiralty soon
decided to go with two great liners, both capable of carrying thousands of troops
each. These were the QE2 and the P&O Line’s Canberra. The ships were made ready,
loaded with 3,000 troops and sent off to the area of the conflict on May 12th,
1982. The QE2 had served her country when she was needed, and this had secured
her name in the history of the ocean liners.
Almost as if they wanted
to acknowledge her incredible heritage, The QE2 sporting the grey hull which
she was given after the Falklands conflict, Cunard now decided to repaint the
ship's funnel in the traditional Cunard colours. The years went by, with the
QE2 sailing after her regular schedule – Atlantic crossings in the summer and
cruises during the winter.
In 1987, after an extensive refit, the QE2 was back in service, not only
with a brand new set of engines, but also sporting a new funnel of different
design, the new stack being wider than the previous one. The refit seemed to
have been exactly what the Queen needed. She was now both faster and more efficient
than ever before. Later that year, she won The Queen’s Award for Export Achievement.
In December 1994, Cunard took the opportunity to let her go through another
extensive refit. Much work was made to renovate the relatively old ship, and
bring her up to date on passenger comfort and safety regulations. Two years
later, in 1996, another, yet not so extensive, refit was made and in 1999 some
interiors were refurbished to meet new cruising standards. Nowadays, the QE2
looks a lot different than she did thirty years ago. The aft end offers more
deck space, and many changes have been made on her interior, including The Yacht
Club-room and the Queen’s Grill.
The QE2 is the last of the true liners. It
is amazing that Cunard Line, one of the first transatlantic shipping lines,
has now become the last. The QE2 has even been joined by a fantastic new fleet
mate, namely the Queen Mary 2. Although dazzling and fantastic in her own right,
she is not comparable to that classic liner - Queen Elizabeth 2. The Golden
age of Ocean travel hit its peak in the early part of the 20th century. Now
you can re-live the aura of the golden age of travel of the 1930s, when ocean
travel was in vogue. She brings a combination of 21st century technology with
the style and glamour echoing the floating palaces of the past.
Can be modified for Radio Control. 
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This page was last updated: Nov 16th 2006.
