BRIEF HISTORY
The
Queen Elizabeth 2, often referred to simply as QE2, is a
retired ocean liner built for the Cunard Line which was
operated by Cunard as both a transatlantic liner and a
cruise ship from 1969 to 2008. She was designed for the
transatlantic service from her home port of Southampton, UK,
to New York, and was named after the earlier Cunard liner
RMS Queen Elizabeth. She served as the flagship of the line
from 1969 until succeeded by RMS Queen Mary 2 in 2004.
Designed in Cunard's then headquarters and regional offices
in Liverpool and Southampton respectively, and built in
Clydebank, Scotland, QE2 was considered the last of the
great transatlantic ocean liners until Queen Mary 2 entered
service.
The QE2 was also the last oil-fired passenger steamship to
cross the Atlantic in scheduled liner service until she was
refitted with a modern diesel powerplant in 1986/1987.
During almost forty years of service, Queen Elizabeth 2
undertook regular world cruises and later operated
predominantly as a cruise ship, sailing out of Southampton,
England. QE2 had no running mate and never ran a year-round
weekly transatlantic express service to New York. QE2 did,
however, continue the Cunard tradition of regular scheduled
transatlantic crossings every year of her service life. QE2
was never given a Royal Mail Ship designation, instead
carrying the SS and later MV or MS prefixes in official
documents.
QE2 was retired from active Cunard service on 27 November
2008. She had been acquired by Istithmar the year before by
the private equity arm of Dubai World, which planned to
begin conversion of the vessel to a 500-room floating hotel
moored at the Palm Jumeirah, Dubai. The 2008 financial
crisis however intervened and the ship remains laid up at
Port Rashid. Subsequent conversion plans were announced by
Istithmar in 2012 and by the Oceanic Group in 2013 but these
both stalled. As of January 2016 the ship remains laid up in
Dubai while the port operator claimed that there were future
plans for the ship and no intent to scrap her. |