Until the 1980s, many of the big cruise ships berthed in Southampton sailed down the western Solent, passing through the Hurst Narrows on their way to the Atlantic. Among these was the world-renowned Queen Elizabeth 2.

Known to passengers and crew alike as the QE2, the pride of the Cunard cruise fleet was launched on Clydeside by Queen Elizabeth II on 20 September 1967.  A hint of controversy arose when the Queen, without reference to the card that bore the name of the ship, announced in those wonderfully familiar clear tones, “I name this ship Queen Elizabeth the Second“.

For a ship built in Scotland, which was never ruled by Elizabeth I, this was something of a political stumbling block. The intended name, Queen Elizabeth, presented no such problems, but honour was rapidly salvaged by painting Queen Elizabeth 2 on the ship’s hull, rather than the monarchical Queen Elizabeth II.

Until the 1960s, the original Queen Elizabeth, together with the Queen Mary, had been bywords for maritime luxury and status.  With improvements in air travel, however, the convenience of flying across the Atlantic was growing in appeal, and ship passenger numbers were declining.

In the QE2, Cunard aimed to maintain her predecessors’ standards of luxury and speed while cutting fuel consumption – and therefore costs.  With more than 800 transatlantic crossings under her belt in nearly 40 years at sea, along with 35 cruises in the winter months, it proved to be a winning formula, although not without its challenges.

Right from the start, when the John Brown Shipyard had to be rescued from bankruptcy during the QE2’s construction, there were problems.  The original steam turbines proved so unreliable that a power failure in 1974 required evacuation of all 1,654 passengers by tender.

Challenges came in other guises, too. In May 1972, a US$350,000 ransom demand resulted in the deployment of an SAS bomb-disposal team, who were parachuted into the mid-Atlantic before boarding the ship. Fortunately, the bomb threat proved to be a hoax, whereas the ship’s role as a troop carrier in the Falklands War ten years later was all too real.

During nearly 6,000,000 nautical miles at sea, the liner also hit uncharted rocks off Martha’s Vineyard, encountered a hurricane in the Atlantic, and rescued passengers from a fellow cruise ship that had run aground.

For most travellers, however, a trip on the QE2 was the journey of a lifetime. The ship’s complement of 1,892 passengers had the run of five decks, featuring five restaurants, two cafés, three swimming pools, a cinema, a casino and – a first in cruise-ship terms – a proper spa complete with indoor pool and Turkish baths.

Perhaps it’s not surprising that on her retirement in 2008, she was refitted for a new life in Dubai, where she now welcomes passengers on board as a floating hotel.