Cunard Ships Line Up For Jubilee

Cunard shipping line's three "royal" liners will mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee with a special event this summer.

The company's vessels, Queen Mary 2 (QM2), Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth, will all be at their home port of Southampton on the bank holiday of June 5.

Soon after dawn, the three ships will approach the port, sailing in single file up the Solent, with a flotilla of small boats expected to welcome them in.

While the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria tie up at their berths, the QM2 will pass by, with crew lining the decks and all the ships' whistles sounding in salute.

This will be the first time that the three largest Cunard ships ever built will have been seen arriving and departing together in formation at Southampton.

After the whistle-sounding, the QM2 will lead the other two vessels down the Solent as all three ships set out on Diamond Jubilee voyages.
In 1938, the Queen - then Princess Elizabeth - was present when her mother, Queen Elizabeth, launched the first Queen Elizabeth liner in Scotland.

In 1967, the Queen launched the QE2 in Scotland, then named the QM2 at Southampton in 2004 before officially naming the latest Queen Elizabeth at Southampton in 2010. The Duchess of Cornwall named the Queen Victoria at Southampton in 2007.