For the first time in the maritime history, three ocean
liners met on Sunday in the New
York Harbor.
The Queen Elizabeth 2, Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria past
the Statue of Liberty last night just as the fireworks lit the sky.
It marked in the 168-year history of the Cunard Line, the
owner, for three liners that bear names of British queens to be in the same
port at the same time.
Carol Marlow, president of Cunard Line, said: "This is
the first time they've all met. It's not only special because it's the first
time we've had these three ships together, it's special because it will never
happen again. This is a truly momentous occasion," Daily Mail reports.
Cunrad had to prepare this moment for two years. Each
itinerary was planned in such manner so that the three vessels would enter New York on the same
day.
The Queen Elizabeth 2 is at her 26th and last
journey around the world as from November will become a floating hotel in Dubai.
The Queen Mary 2 is the largest trans-Atlantic liner and
came from the Caribbean, while the Queen Victoria is at its first world cruise
as it was launched last month, the New York Times said. It has a library on
board with over 60,000 books.
The first destination for the Queen Elizabeth 2 in its final
cruise around the world was South America. In
its 40 years since it was launched it ferried 1,778 passengers between England and the United States and made over 800
transatlantic crossings.
The Queen Mary 2 can carry up to 2,600 passengers and was
launched on the same route in 2004.
For this plan to work it had to be approved by the New York
Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Coast
Guard and the city’s Economic Development Corporation. Other 4,000 workers had
to be available in order to help the passengers disembark and to help aboard
new ones.
They’ve passed the Statue of Liberty around 8 p.m. with the
Queen Mary 2 in the lead.
Hundreds of people watched the ships go by and the 14-minute
fireworks from the Battery Park.
A new queen Elizabeth is being built by the Cunard Line at
Fincantieri shipyard, Italy,
for 2010 and will be the second largest liner after the Queen Mary 2.
