The new Cunard cruise ship Queen Elizabeth takes a step nearer completion as the letters of her famous name are welded onto the bow by a shipyard worker in Italy.
The 90,400-ton ship, currently under construction at the Fincantieri yard near Trieste, will be floated out of dry dock early in 2010 and will make her maiden voyage in October after a lavish naming ceremony in Southampton.
Cunard president and managing director Peter Shanks said: “It is an honour for any ship to bear the name Queen Elizabeth, and as I saw the famous name being welded to the bow, I was overcome by the historical significance. A milestone such as this only continues to build on the already wide anticipation of the introduction of our new Cunarder.”
About the Author: John Honeywell
John Honeywell is a travel writer specialising in cruise ships and cruise travel. Winner of CLIA UK's Contribution to Cruise award 2017.
With predecessors such as the legendary Queen Elizabeth (1940) and Queen Elizabeth 2 (1969) this third Elizabeth has a proud heritage to maintain. Let us hope that her future is as historic as her fore bearers and that the does the Cunard name proud.