Today in 1967, the QE2, flagship of the Cunard line, was launched at a ceremony on the Clydebank. Tens of thousands of people crowded the river's banks as the Queen appeared on a platform high against the bow of the 963 ft long liner, with Prince Philip and Princess Margaret by her side. Her launch comes just a few days after Cunard's other great liner, the Queen Mary, made her last transatlantic crossing to New York. The new QE2 was fitted out with ig deck spaces and four swimming pools, 1,000 cabins, restaurants on the upper decks with sea views, cocktail bars, night clubs and a theatre. The QE2 set new standards in speed and luxury as the world entered the era of popular air travel: she was able to carry 2000 passengers. The original engines were steam turbines until a major refit in 1987 updated her accommodation and converted her to diesel electric power, with nine oil-fired engines driving two giant electric motors each of 59,000 shaft horse power giving her a top speed of 34 knots.
In April 1982, the QE2 was briefly used as a troopship to take servicemen and women to the Falkland Islands during the war with Argentina. The QE2 cost £30 million to build and was sold in 2008. She began her last season of sailings to New York in 2003 and was replaced in 2004 by Cunard's biggest passenger liner, the Queen Mary 2. The QM2 also replaced the QE2 as flagship of the British merchant fleet. Following millions of dollars of investment, the QE2 was restored to her former glory and today serves as a world-class entertainment, tourism, hotel and dining destination in Dubai.
