Cruise ships come and go and, in many cases, because of their frequency each year, they do not always attract widespread interest from the general public. But if they are a queen from the Cunard fleet, they always become a major attraction.
Even the atrocious weather conditions last Thursday did not deter those who ventured out during the day, and at arrival and departures, to view Queen Elizabeth for the first time.
Ten years have passed since the port has received a visit by a queen from the Cunard fleet.
That occasion saw Queen Elizabeth 2 berth here for the second time on February 9, 2002, on a fine day. The ship arrived on its first visit on February 4, 1992, in brilliant sunny conditions, but this historic event was marred when rain set in later in the morning and persisted for the remainder of the day.
The name Cunard has been associated with transatlantic passenger services for nearly 172 years. And the three vessels in the present fleet, now part of the Carnival group, when not cruising still undertake voyages on Cunard's most popular and prestigious route between Southampton and New York.
The three ships, the first foreign-built passenger ships ordered by Cunard, are the 3060-berth, French-built Queen Mary 2, delivered in 2003, and at 148,528gt the largest vessel to be built for the line. The generally similar 2400 to 2200-berth Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth were built at the Fincantieri yard at Monfalcone.
The first ship dispatched across the Atlantic by the founder of the company, Samuel Cunard, was Britannia,, built at the Duncan shipyard on the Clyde. It commenced its maiden voyage from Liverpool to Halifax and Boston on July 4, 1840.
In comparison to the three present-day Cunarders, Britannia was a 1135gt, wooden paddle steamer with accommodation for 115 cabin-class passengers. They would have been afforded the comforts and elegant luxury of many notable ships in much later years.
Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth are both enlarged and longer Vista class vessels, a class originally designed for operation by the Holland-America Line. As a matter of interest, the fifth Vista to be ordered was allocated to Cunard and was to be named Queen Victoria. But, prior to launching, it was transferred to P&O and was completed in 2004 as the 82,972gt Arcadia. We saw it here on February 20, 2010.
The enlarged version has an extra deck and extra strengthening in the hull, decks and superstructure.
While Queen Victoria entered service in 2007 as a vessel of 90,049gt, last week's visitor is even larger.
Queen Elizabeth was laid down on December 11, 2008, launched on January 15, 2010, and commissioned on September 30, 2010. The ship arrived at Southampton on October 8, 2010, on its delivery voyage. Two days later, the new liner was officially christened by Queen Elizabeth II.
The Panamax diesel-electric vessel is propelled by two Azipod propulsion units. At 90,901gt, it is now the port's fourth-largest visitor and, with an overall length of 293.84m, is our third-longest visitor. Just slightly shorter, at 293.53m, the Queen Elizabeth 2 held this record from February 4, 1992, to November 7, 2008. And at 70,327gt, the same ship was our largest visitor until December 4, 2003.
Queen Elizabeth has a moulded breadth of 32.25m, and a total breadth of 36.60m.
Maximum draught is 8m.
Deadweight is 7773 tonnes and the ship's displacement 47,263 tonnes.
Like the two earlier Queen Elizabeths in the fleet, the new ship was registered at Southampton. However, it broke with tradition when the port of registry was transferred to Hamilton, Bermuda, last year on October 24. The two consorts are also now registered there.
The reason for this is, under current legislation, the captains of vessels sailing under the British flag and registered in the United Kingdom, cannot perform marriage ceremonies at sea. Hence the change which was implemented by other Carnival group members, P&O and Princess Cruises some time ago.
