Evolution of a liner through news Updates:

QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 arriving at Southampton, passing QUEEN MARY 2 at the dock head, April 12, 2004, photo by Luke Sanderson (southamptonships.com)

April 25, 2004: Queens Leave New York
Last night saw an unusual event in New York Harbour. Cunards' QUEEN MARY 2 and QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 both departed their Hudson piers to moor off the Statue of Liberty and set sail for England under a sky full of fireworks and a shoreline agog with thousands of cheering onlookers. This event marked the official handing over of the "baton" from the 1969-bulit QE2 to the new QM2 as the premier transatlanic ship. The sailing is the first-ever tandem crossing of the Atlantic by two Cunard liners. They are expected to arrive in Southampton May 1.

April 21, 2004: QM2 Approaches Big Apple
QUEEN MARY 2, expected to receive a big welcome in New York, has had the media buzzing with her erratic progress on her fist transatlantic crossing from Southampton to New York. As she sailed out of the Solent, a passenger who had fallen badly had to be taken ashore by tender. Then, during the first two days at sea, the ship battled fierce weather in the form of two force 10 storms bringing 30-foot waves and 60 mph winds, forcing Captain Warwick to slow the liner to avoid damage. It appeared that the new megaliner would miss her spot on morning television, when it was revealed that she had begun to make up for lost time. Fog slowed her once again, and a false report suggested she would be a day late. However, she is now expected to reach New York a mere fifteen minutes late tomorrow, April 22. QM2 should pass under the Verazzano Narrows bridge at about 6:30 a.m. on Thursday. The US Weather Bureau's marine forecast called for light winds, drizzle and patchy fog overnight and early Thursday. QM2 is to replace the QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 in regular transatlantic service between New York and Southampton.

QUEEN MARY 2, 2004 arriving Southampton, April 12 2004, photo by Luke Sanderson (southamptonships.com)

January 26, 2004: QM2 Completes Maiden Voyage
Cunard's QUEEN MARY 2, the world's largest ship, completed her maiden trans-Atlantic voyage Monday, arriving at 7AM at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, two weeks after she left the British port of Southampton. A flotilla of small boats escorted the ocean liner into Port Everglades, led by a tugboat that shot red and blue water into the air. A US Navy destroyer and Coast Guard ships accompanied the liner into port. Hundreds of people lined the shores and nearby high-rises to get a look at the new ship. More than a dozen law enforcement and television helicopters hovered overhead and a small plane pulling a banner reading "Fort Lauderdale welcomes QM2" circled above.

January 8, 2004: Queen Names QM2 at Southampton
In a formal ceremony at Southampton, HM Queen Elizabeth II officially named the QUEEN MARY 2 with the release of a bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne, which smashed against the side of the ship. Accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen toured the new liner. Opera singer Lesley Garrett sang "Amazing Grace" and pop singer Heather Small (M-People) performed her song "Proud." The Bishop of Winchester, the Rt Rev Michael Scott-Joynt read prayers of blessing followed by a fireworks display accompanied by Beethoven's No 9th choral symphony "Ode to Joy." A large screen broadcasted the events in Mayflower Park.

January 1, 2004: QM2 Breaks Voyage
QM2 sailed into South Devon's Torbay on the first of three shakedown cruises, then met the Torbay lifeboat to transfer two women with broken limbs. One broke her hip while dancing during New Years celebrations and the second broke her leg while boarding the vessel in Southampton. The QM2 arrived back in Southampton January 2. Both women were understood to be in a "comfortable" condition in Torbay Hospital, Devon.

Brittannia restaurant, QUEEN MARY 2, 2004 photo by Luke Sanderson (southamptonships.com)

December 26, 2003: QUEEN MARY 2 Arrives Southampton
Cunard's new QM2 sailed into her home port of Southampton today. Despite heavy wind and rain she was welcomed by thousands of onlookers and drew a flotilla of small boats. Fire tugs sprayed jets of water to greet the new ship. In an unusual manoeuvre, the liner headed all the way through the docks to the container port where she turned in the basin and then sailed back through the western docks to berth stern first at the Queen Elizabeth II terminal. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will officially name the vessel in a ceremony on January 8.

December 22, 2003: QUEEN MARY 2 Sails
Cunard Line took delivery of QUEEN MARY 2 from the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard. QUEEN MARY 2 has broken many records as the largest liner ever, including longest liner in the world which she took from the NORWAY (ex FRANCE -- still laid up in Bremerhaven). The QM2 will call at Vigo, Spain and complete several days of maneuvers before she arrives in Southampton on Boxing Day, December 26.

December 21, 2003: QUEEN MARY 2
QUEEN MARY 2 is expected to be delivered to Cunard on December 22 and sail from Saint-Nazaire in western France for Vigo, Spain. She is due at her home port of Southampton on December 26. Celebrations originally planned for the liner's departure from the shipyard have been cancelled following November's accident in which 15 people died when a gangway collapsed. The Queen is expected to formally name the ship on January 8 in Southampton. QM2 will then make her maiden voyage from Southampton to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

November 15, 2003: Fatal Accident On QM2
Fifteen people have died and thirty two were injured, ten seriously, after a gangway leading to the QUEEN MARY 2 collapsed. The victims were family members (including children) of workers given permission to visit the ship. The accident happened at about 2:30pm in Saint Nazaire where the QM2 is being completed. The gang way was approximately 50 feet above the dry-dock currently holding QM2. Emergency services warned that the death toll may rise. An investigation as to the cause of the accident is underway.

November 11, 2003: QUEEN MARY 2 Ends Second Sea Trials
The QUEEN MARY 2 official Atlantic speed trials results: average 29.62 knots (contractual 29.35) on the six measured mile runs despite strong wind; best run at 29.8 knots average when Captain Warwick took the helm; top speed up to 30.2 knots on the evening of November 9th. Over six thousand people lined the river shore to greet the QUEEN upon her return to Saint Nazaire and QM2 replied with three long blasts of her three fog-horns, one of which is an original siren from the QUEEN MARY of 1936.

November 7, 2003: QUEEN MARY 2 To Sea
QUEEN MARY 2 left Saint-Nazaire for a second round of sea trials. It was reported that despite excellent weather, the departure of the ship attracted far fewer onlookers than it did in late September, when a crowd of thousands applauded the ship's departure. Upwards of 400 engineers will be putting QM2 through a series of tests on trial runs between the offshore islands of Belle-Ile and Ile d'Yeu. She is expected back in port November 11th and is scheduled to be delivered to Cunard in December.

QUEEN MARY 2, October 13, 2003 photo by Maurizio Eliseo

QUEEN MARY 2, October 13, 2003 at Saint Nazaire, photo by Maurizio Eliseo

October 15, 2003: QUEEN MARY 2 To Be Named by HRH Queen Elizabeth II
British press reports that HRH Queen Elizabeth II has agreed to take part in the the naming ceremony for QUEEN MARY 2. The QM2 will sail from the shipyard at St Nazaire to Southampton where she is scheduled to arrive on the evening of December 19, (this date could change) proir to the January 8 ceremony (new date - changed to accomodate the Queen's schedule) before the liner embarks on her maiden transatlantic voyage.

October 3, 2003: Southampton Prepares for QM2
The Queen Elizabeth II passenger terminal in Southampton was reopened today with a ceremony presided over by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescotts wife, Pauline Prescott. The terminal has undergone a £2m modernisation programme to allow it to accommodate up to 50% more passengers. QUEEN MARY 2 is expected at the terminal in December with naming ceremony in January before her maiden voyage.

October 3, 2003: QM2 Gets Flying Colours
QM2 returned from her sea trials to Saint Nazaire in France at 7:00 AM Sunday September 28, after what was reported to be very successful sea-trials where the contractual top speed was achieved. One eye witness remarked, "The ship exceeded 29 knots and was amazingly steady and vibration-free. Amazing sea-keeping qualities..."

October 3, 2003: QUEEN MARY 2 Puts To Sea
As planned, the unfinished Cunard Liner, QUEEN MARY 2 pulled out of the dock at St. Nazaire, aided by tugs. With about 300 people gathered to watch, she headed out to sea on three days of sea trials. Captain Ronald Warwick, who served as master on QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 for 14 years, is overseeing the huge liner.

October 3, 2003: QUEEN MARY 2 Trials
QUEEN MARY 2, the largest passenger ship ever built, will set sail for the first time from Saint-Nazaire. Her sea trials begin at 5:00 pm local time on Thursday, September 25 as the 150,000-tonne vessel will run between the French off-shore islands of Ile d'Yeu and Belle-Ile until Sunday. Shipbuilder Chantiers de l'Atlantique - a subsidiary of troubled engineering giant Alstom, which was saved from bankruptcy this week by a state-backed EUR 3.2-billion (US$ 3.7-billion) rescue package - is counting on the QUEEN MARY 2 to be a huge success. Over 450 engineers and technicians will be aboard the Cunard liner during this weekend's tests to ensure that she meets the necessary standards for maritime certification.

October 3, 2003: A Royal Bigger than a the Queen?
Today the Kvaerner group announced that it has finalized a contract with Royal Caribbean Cruises to build the world's largest cruise ship, which will be constructed at the Masa Yard in Finland for delivery in May 2006 with an option for a second ship for 2007. Dubbed the Ultra Voyager, plans have her at 1,112-feet long and 18 stories high, accommodating 3,600 passengers with a crew of 1,400. Royal Caribbean estimated that the total cost of the project would be about US$720 million. At the same time, Royal Caribbean decided not to exercise its options for fifth and sixth Radiance-class vessels at Meyer Werft.

QUEEN MARY 2, March 21, 2003 during "float out" operation, (PRNewsFoto)

QUEEN MARY 2, at dawn on March 21, 2003 during "float out" operation, (photo by Maurizio Eliseo)

March 21, 2003: QUEEN MARY 2 Floats!
Cunard's 1132-foot-long QUEEN MARY 2 was floated out of the building dry dock at Alstom's Chantiers de l'Atlantique at St Nazaire in France early today. The manoeuvre began at 5:43 am local time, assisted by 8 tugs the liner was moved to her fitting out berth for completion and by 7:20 am she was moored at her new location. The original "launch" date of March 16th was dropped after it was revealed that more dredging was needed at the fitting out dock to accommodate the ship. QM2 is expected to commence trials in September, with a her naming ceremony at Southampton in January 2004.

March 16, 2003: Floating The QUEEN
The planned "floating out" of the QUEEN MARY 2 was postponed until at least March 21. The completion dock is still being dredged to accommodate the 142,200-GT vessel. A "pre-shifting" ceremony will still take place today with 300 invited guests.

August 5, 2002: Clammering For The Queen
August 5: Cunard Line announced that sales for the new QUEEN MARY 2 have "exceeded all expectations". One day after bookings officially opened on August 1, the early booking discounts were closed for the proposed January 12, 2004, maiden voyage. The voyage is almost sold out. The highly anticipated, $800-million ship is the largest, longest, ocean liner ever constructed. The QM2 maiden voyage is planned as a 14-day cruise from Southampton to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, calling at Madeira, Tenerife and Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, Barbados and St. Thomas. Summer voyages to Europe and New England/Canada and 15 crossings between Southampton and New York are planned.

July 20, 2002: Alstom May Sell Chantiers
In further fall out from the collapse of Renaissance cruises the energy giant Alstom is considering a restructuring move that could see it sell of its shipbuilding business. Alstom owns the French shipbuilding yard of Chantiers de l'Atlantique. Following Renaissance filing for Chapter 11 protection last September, Alstom experienced weak financial performance, its first loss on seven years.

July 4, 2002: QM2 Keel Laid On Cunard Birthday
162 years ago to the day the first Cunarder, BRITANNIA, sailed from Liverpool for North America inaugurating a transatlantic dynasty, the keel of the new giant QUEEN MARY 2 was laid in a special shipyard ceremony. In what officially signals the start of construction on the 150,000 gt liner, workers and invited guests watched the traditional laying of two coins within the keel. A new British five pound Jubilee coin and a one hundred Franc coin were placed inside a portion of keel number 502 as it was lowered into the drydock at the French yard of Chantiers de L'Atlantique, in St Nazaire.

June 29, 2002: Rolls-Royce Ships QM2 Stabilizers
June 29: Rolls-Royce completed the last of four Brown Brothers 40-foot long stabilizers bound for the new QUEEN MARY 2 this week. The stabilizers, each weighing 100 tons, will be loaded onto a flatbed truck and driven with police escort from Dunfermline in Scotland to Rosyth, where it will then be put aboard a ship and dispatched to Chantiers de l'Atlantique.

June 11, 2002: QM2 Itineraries Announced
Cunard Line today announced the itineraries for QUEEN MARY 2's maiden voyage at a press conference held in New York. The new cruise ship, which is expected to be the largest ocean liner yet constructed at 1,132-feet (345-meters), will include the traditional six-day transatlantic crossing, Caribbean voyages from New York, Rio de Janeiro sailings to coincide with carnival. Bookings for QM2 will begin on August 1, for the vessel's maiden voyage scheduled to occur on January 12, 2004 from its homeport, Southampton, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. QM2 will sail throughout the caribbean from both New York and Florida and due to the vessel's speed of over 30 knots, she has the ability to sail a Caribbean route from New York, which traditionally departs from Miami or Fort Lauderdale. A keel-laying ceremony is expect July 4 for the 150,000-grt vessel, at at Alstom Chantiers de l' Atlantique in St. Nazaire, France.

May 15, 2002: QE2 Reign To End in 2004
Today Cunard announced that after more than 30 years, the QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 will cease her trans-Atlantic crossings after April 2004. QUEEN MARY 2, currently under construction, will take over the Southampton - New York sailings and become the company's new flagship. QE2, will be based in Southampton and sail on shorter cruises. Built on the River Clyde in Scotland and christened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1967, the QE2 has sailed dozens of world cruises and made more than 500 trans-Atlantic crossings.

April 29, 2002: From QM To QM2, QE2 Carries A Tune!
Cunard Line announced that it has obtained the original whistle from QUEEN MARY (now retired in Long Beach, California). Once attached to the liner's middle stack, the seven foot-long, 1400 pound whistle is now on its way to Southampton where representatives of the Swedish manufacturer will inspect and repair it before shipping it on to Chantiers de l'Atlantique in St. Nazaire, France where the new QUEEN MARY 2 is under construction. The steam-driven whistle is one of three built for the 1936 liner that could be heard for a distance of ten miles. The whistle, which will be being carried, most appropriately, across the Atlantic by QUEEN ELIZABETH 2, was lowered into QE2's forward cargo hatch in Ft Lauderdale, Florida, yesterday. After a Caribbean cruise and the transatlantic crossing, it will arrive back to Southampton on Saturday, May 18.

April 27, 2002: QUEEN MARY 2 Exhibit
It was announced that the QUEEN MARY 2 will host an exhibition on the history of the River Clyde's shipbuilding past. Designed to become a permanent floating exhibition when it the liner is launched in 2004, the exhibit will chart 160-years of Clyde history. Cunard has made an appeal for stories, photographs and memorabilia from the John Brown-built original QUEEN MARY, as well as mementoes of the other great Cunard liners that began life on the Clyde, such as QUEEN ELIZABETH. QUEEN MARY 2 will be the first transatlantic liner to be built since the QE2. Anyone wishing to contibute to the exhibition should first send a brief note to: Cunard Researcher, The Open Agency, Mill House, 8 Mill Street, London.

February, 2002:
Britain's Ships Monthly Magazine announce itinerary: Introductory cruise from Southampton, QUEEN MARY 2 will sail for Florida in early January 2004 for Winter cruises from Fort Lauderdale until the Spring of 2004. From April the new liner will begin a full programme of six-night transatlantic sailings between Southampton and New York, replacing the QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 on this route. "On her initial departure from New York, she will sail Eastbound in tandem with the QUEEN ELIZABETH 2, which will be making her last regular crossing before becoming a full-time cruise ship based primarily at Southampton, while maintaining her annual world cruise itinerary."

January 16, 2002: Cunard President Cuts First Steel
Pamela Conover, Cunard Line's president and chief operating officer, made history when she pressed a button to begin cutting the first steel for QUEEN MARY 2, at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint Nazaire, France. The 694-day countdown for her delivery has begun.

January 16, 2002:
News from British press: The construction of the biggest passenger ship of all time has started at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyards in France's western port of Saint-Nazaire.

With a length of 345 metres, the QUEEN MARY 2 will be 45 metres longer than the height of the Eiffel Tower and as tall as a 23-storey building. QUEEN MARY 2 will fly the United Kingdom's Red Ensign, with Southampton as its home port. It is the biggest contract ever signed by the company. Worth $780 million dollars, the ship is not only the biggest of its kind ever built but also the most expensive. The QUEEN MARY 2 is due to be placed on the slipway in July 2002 and Cunard is expected to organize a big celebration in Saint-Nazaire to mark the event.

October 1, 2001:
Carnival Corporation chairman Micky Arison visits the Chantiers de l'Atlantique yard, and reafirms that he would not been seeking a delay in the liner's delivery, "Contrary to certain reports, the delivery of the US$790 Million, 2,800 passenger capacity ship will take place in late 2003."

September, 2001:
Following terrorist attacks in the U.S. on the September 11 and the announcement of the bankruptcy of Renaissance Cruises rumours of QM2 project cancellation abound. Renaissance Cruises operated eight cruise-ships built by Alstom, which also has a liability for a part of the long-term loans of the financial institutions which financed the purchase of these cruise-ships. Alstrom is the parent to Chantiers de l'Atlantique.

August 21, 2001:
QUEEN MARY 2 engines chosen: GE Marine Engines said that LM2500+ aero-derivative gas turbine has been selected for use aboard the liner. The turbines will be manufactured at GE Marine Engines' Evendale, Ohio facility. The LM2500+ gas turbine-generator sets were sold and will be packaged by GE Aero Energy Products, Houston, Texas. GE Aero Energy Products is a GE Power Systems business and a GE Marine Engines Marine Systems Supplier. "We faced strong competition for the Cunard order, but the LM2500+ prevailed with its unmatched experience in various marine applications," said Karl Matson, general manager of GE Marine Engines. "We are very excited to be an integral part of this important program," Matson added.

August 15, 2001:
A QUEEN MARY 2 model is announced, the Classic Ship Collection of TravemŸnde, Germany produce a 1:1250 scale model of the new liner available when she enters service.

May 31, 2001:
Cunard announce that the Enterprise & Art consultancy of Amsterdam has been commissioned to provide more than five thousand works of art for the new liner. Cunard expects to award commissions for well over 300 original works, which will be created especially for QUEEN MARY 2 by renowned international artists. Works will range from free-standing bronze and glass sculptures to expansive murals, oil paintings, watercolors, mosaics, reliefs, models and many other works. Major elements of the liner's art collection will include a sculptural relief of some 450 square feet, a 300 square-foot tapestry, a number of oil paintings in the range of 250-300 square feet each, several groupings of oversized bronze sculptures and a trompe l'oeuil painted ceiling of 1,200 square feet. In addition, the company will supply some 4,000 limited edition prints for use in cabins and companionways on board.

QUEEN MARY 2, rendering issued May 2001

March 7, 2001:
Rolls-Royce announce that they have been selected to provide their Brown Brothers stabilisers for the QUEEN MARY 2. The liner will be fitted with four folding fin stabilisers, each with a fin area of 15.63 sq m. Cunard chose the same range of equipment for new flagship's prestigious sister ships, the QUEEN ELIZABETH, the QUEEN MARY and the QUEEN ELIZABETH 2. Since 1935 Brown Brothers have supplied stabilisers to passenger shipping worlwide.

February 22, 2001:
The Maritime Research Institute of the Netherlands conduct scale model tank tests on a 15-foot, self-propelled model of QUEEN MARY 2 to simulated hurricane conditions. The design was reported to react well with her raked prow splitting the waves perfectly and her wake straight astern. Designers, engineers and executives are all extremely pleased with the results of the testing.

February 12, 2001:
Following the resignation of Larry Pimentel, Pamela Conover of Key Biscayne, Florida, becomes president of Cunard line. Conover has served as the company's Chief Operations Officer since July 1998. Bangkok-born and British-bred, Pamela Conover former head of Citicorp's North American ship finance unit became the first female president of a major cruise line in 1994 to run Carnival's brief venture with the Epirotiki Line. Conover was vice president of strategic planning for Carnival Corporation and played a major role in the acquisition of Cunard by Carnival Corporation.

QUEEN MARY 2, passing QE2 (painting by Gordon Bauwens, Cunard commission) issued November 2000

Dimensions issued in 2000:

Length: 345 meters / 1131 feet
Beam: 40 meters / 131 feet
Beam at Bridge Wings: 45 meters / 147.5 feet
Draft: 10 meters / 32 feet ten inches
Height (Keel to Funnel): 72 meters / 236.2 feet
Gross Registered Tonnage: Approximately 150,000 tons
Passengers: 2620
Crew: 1254
Top Speed: Approximately 30 knots (34.5 mph)
Power: 157,000 horsepower Environmentally friendly, gas turbine/diesel electric plant
Propulsion: Four pods of 20 MW each. 2 fixed and 2 azimuthing
Strength: extra thick steel hull for strength and stability for Atlantic trade
Stabilizers: Two sets
Cost: Estimated 700 million dollars

Interior renderings, QUEEN MARY 2

Design Highlights:
At 1,131 feet, QUEEN MARY 2 will stretch nearly four football fields in length. She will feature 17 decks and tower 200 feet above the waterline, equal to the height of a 23-story building. Several dining venues, all featuring ocean views, include Cunard's traditional "Grill Rooms" for the higher stateroom categories and a restaurant for the deluxe and standard categories. Recalling the classic dining salons of grand liners of the past, the magnificent three-deck-high main dining room will span the full width of the ship with a sweeping central staircase creating a dramatic showcase for those wishing to make the ultimate grand entrance.

Another classic feature will be a 360-degree Promenade Deck, recreating an environment which historically served as an important social venue aboard transatlantic liners. The spacious deck, whose total circumference exceeds one-third of a mile, will be lined with traditional steamer chairs while leaving expansive room for guests to stroll. Interior promenades circling several decks will provide attractive walking venues, as well. A large indoor swimming pool in the spa as well as four outside pools, one of which will have a retractable glass roof. A planetarium on board will offer a variety of constellation shows, as well as other presentations. A unique educational center will feature seven flexible classroom venues for housing Cunard's College At Sea enrichment programs. Classes in everything from computer training, seamanship and navigation to cooking, art and wine appreciation, languages and photography will be taught by expert instructors within the various rooms which are capable of being separated or joined to adjust for varying class sizes. The ship's whistle will be an exact replica of the one on the QUEEN MARY so that her famous predecessor's voice will once more be heard on the ocean. A luxurious space ratio of 57.25 allowing for a variety of public areas of grand scale and some truly magnificent living spaces.

November, 2000:
Gordon Bauwens, one of Britain's leading maritime artists, recently completes the official artist's impression of the new liner. The image was released to the media when the official signing of the contract was announced.

November 6, 2000:
Carnival Corporation confirms the order for QUEEN MARY 2 to be built at Chantiers de l'Atlantique, for US$780 million dollars for Cunard Line. The order will lead to the construction of the largest passenger vessel ever built. At approximately 150,000 tonnes, the vessel will measure 345 metres (1,132 feet) in length, 41 metres in breadth (135 feet), and 72 metres (237 feet) in height, with a total of fifteen decks. The height of the ship above water will be 62 metres, equivalent to a 23 floor building. The ship will accommodate over 2620 passengers and 1250 crew with delivery scheduled for the end of 2003.Ê

QUEEN MARY 2, photo: newscom.com

October 8, 2000:
The Nation Autumn meeting of the Steam Ship Historical Society took place aboard the historic RMS QUEEN MARY in Long Beach, CA. Stephen Payne, Project Manager and Senior Naval Architect for the Carnival Corporation and head of the Queen Mary project gave a detailed update on the project. Mr. Payne issued the following statistics: The new ship is expected to have an overall length of 1,170 feet. She will have a breakwater on her lengthy bow along with other traditional ocean liner features such as a wrap around promenade deck. Balconies will also be featured. She is to be moved through the water by four propellers of the azipod type. The hull design is expected to reduce rolling to less than half that of Queen Elizabeth 2 and her plating will be thicker than that found in contemporary cruise ship construction. Powered by both diesel and gas turbines she will have twice the power of a 101,000 tonne Carnival Destiny class ship. During the talk in the QUEEN MARY'sGrand Salon, he raised an unreleased profile drawing over his head for about six seconds, first insisting that no photographs be taken.

March 9, 2000:
Cunard Line announce that they has signed a letter of intent to build the super-liner at Chantiers de L'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. The liner is expected to be launched in the last quarter of 2003. The new ship will fly the British flag, with her home port as Southampton, England.

March 2000:
the Ship yards, Chantiers de l'Atlantique in France, and Harland and Wolff in Northern Ireland, become the final candidates in the race for the Queen Mary Project contract. The winner is expected to be announced by Cunard at a major conference in Miami, FL this week.

"Queen mary Project", artist rendering issued Fall 1999.

Late 1999:
Carnival's satisfaction with its own 100,000+ ton Destiny class cruise ships and the popularity of Royal Caribbean's $500 million dollar, 137,200 ton VOYAGER OF THE SEAS, proved sufficient incentive to scale up the Queen Mary Project and push back the delivery dates.

October 20, 1999:
Carnival Corporation exercises an option to purchase the remaining 32% minority interest in Cunard Line Limited for $205 million dollars.

May 2, 1999:
Preliminary details of new ship are announced - Cunard aims for a return to "glory days of atlantic travel" with a liner bigger than QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 and SS NORWAY (ex FRANCE). The new ship, known as the "Queen Mary Project", will be the first transatlantic liner built since the 1960's. Cunard line hopes the new liner will be in service by late 2002. The new ship will make transatlantic voyages between New York and Southampton, and to other European ports.

June 8, 1998:
Cunard announces the "Queen Mary Project" to create what they claim will be the largest and most luxurious "true ocean liner" ever built. The original design called for an 84,000 ton, 2000-passenger liner.

May 18, 1998
Larry Pimentel, Seabourn President since 1992 named as head of Cunard Line Ltd.

April 1998:
Carnival Corporation buys Cunard Line and merges Seabourn Cruise Line with Cunard. Seabourn is owned 50% by Carnival and 50% by Norwegian entrepreneour Atle Brynestad, who founded Seabourn in 1987.

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Additional information can be obtained via Cunard Line's Web site at Cunard.com

Thanks to Maurizio Eliseo, Luke Sanderson Southampton Ships.com

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