Queen Elizabeth II formally names Queen Mary 2, world's biggest liner

YahooNews ^

[Happy2BMe]

SOUTHAMPTON, England (AFP) - Queen Elizabeth II (news - web sites) formally named the Queen Mary 2, the world's biggest ocean liner, ahead of its maiden transatlantic voyage to the United States.

AFP Photo

"I name this ship Queen Mary 2. May God bless her and all who sail in her," the British monarch said, before a hefty jeroboam of Veuve Cliquot champagne smashed against the spotlit starboard side of its black bow.

Horns blew in celebration, and the 2,000 invited guests broke into a triple chorus of "hip, hip, hurrah!"

Built in France for Cunard, the venerable British shipping line now owned by Carnival Corporation of the United States, the Queen Mary 2 is the first transatlantic liner to be built in over 30 years.

At 345 metres (1,132 feet), with 15 decks, the liner is longer than the largest US aircraft carrier, and it will be able to carry 2,600 passengers in the lap of luxury -- with 1,250 crew to pamper them.

The mammoth 150,000-tonne vessel is scheduled to begin its 14-day maiden voyage, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Monday. The trip has sold out, as have those for its first Southampton-New York crossing in April.

[Happy2BMe]

We bid thee God's speed, QEII!

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[warchild9]

Just a peculiar bit of history:

In the good old days, the Vikings would sacrifice a virgin (or either gender) before launching a warship. Champaign has taken the place of the virgin, and ships have gotten much larger!

I don't know where this is supposed to go. I'll sit back down now.

[Happy2BMe]

"Champaign has taken the place of the virgin, and ships have gotten much larger!"

No, please, come to the front of the class!

Wonder, if Lady Di were still alive would she have been invited to the festivities?

[narby]

We bid thee God's speed, QEII!

You mean, "QMII"?

And for some reason, all the references I've seen on this news item have said "Queen Mary 2", not "Queen Mary II". Don't know why.

[gridlock]

I think Queen Mary II is reserved for the next Queen of England to be named Mary. Just like the Queen is Queen Elizabeth II and the ship is the Queen Elizabeth 2.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

She looks top-heavy.

[antiRepublicrat]

Watch out for those icebergs on maiden transatlantic voyages of newly christened largest-ever cruise liners.

[Iron Eagle]

"she looks top heavy"

Queen Elizabeth or the Queen Mary? LOL

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The ship. Too many upper decks stacked way above the main deck. They have some big waves out in the Atlantic.
The QE 2 looked like a better balanced vessel. I read somewhere that the QE had taken on a 70 or 80 foot wave and "shook it off like a big wet dog."

[Orangedog]

Watch out for those icebergs on maiden transatlantic voyages of newly christened largest-ever cruise liners.

"Jack, I'm flying!"

[hunter112]

Icebergs we can deal with, watch out for terrorists. This tub just became the new WTC in the eyes of the jihadists. I wonder if British ship security is any better than its airline security? Can't have any of those nasty guns on your security officers, you know!

[TalBlack]

I'd like to know how strong a wind this thing can actually make a turn into?

Given her mass, area and sheer weight, not too fast a wind is my guess!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Your point is well taken. All those decks are like a sail.

[xp38]

Built in France for Cunard, the venerable British shipping line now owned by Carnival Corporation of the United States, the Queen Mary 2 is the first transatlantic liner to be built in over 30 years.

I hope we don't see Kathy Lee Gifford singing in commercials for this.

[Kenny Bunk]

Ya know these new tubs are nowhere near as fast as the old 30+ knot ocean liners of yore. Check out the old United States, which is rotting away in Philadelphia. She could knock off 40 knots!!!

[Don Corleone]

She looks top-heavy.

The QEII or the QM2?

[tjwmason]

Queen Mary II is reserved for the next Queen of England to be named Mary.

Queen Mary I reigned from 1553-1558. Then at the so called glorious revolution of 1688 Parliament declared William Prince of Orange and his wife Mary to be co-rulers, thus creating Queen Mary II (I am a Jacobite, and thus do not recognise this act or the reign of William and Mary). Thus the next Queen Mary will officially be called Queen Mary III; though that will not be for a while yet.

The ship the Queen Mary was not named for Mary Tudor, but rather for Queen Mary wife of one of the King Georges (I forget which one). Queens Consort (queens who are queens by virtue of being married to the king) do not have ordinal numbers applied to them, only Queens Regnant (those who are actual Sovereigns such as H.M. Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Victoria &c.). There have been very few Queens Regnant as the throne passes to the sons of the monarch in preference to daughters, thus the Sovereign has to have only daughters before a Queen Regnant comes along.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

the new ship made in France.

[shaggy eel]

,,, built by ALSTOM. A couple of months back, a gangway collapsed during a visitors day - all the families of workers on the project got to look the ship over and there were some serious injuries when people fell several metres.