Published: Thursday, 4th September, 2008 11:25
West Fifers set for QE2 send off
By Matt Meade
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LARGE crowds will gather along the West Fife coast to witness a spectacular farewell to the world’s most famous cruise liner.
Fireworks, water displays and a flyover by aircraft from RAF Leuchars will mark the final voyage of the QE2, when it drops anchor near the Forth Bridge on 7th October.
And free entertainment and viewing points will be set up along the coast so people can bid the 70,327 tonne ship farewell before she becomes a floating hotel in Dubai.
Fife Council has secured 20 VIP places for youngsters to step aboard the ship for a tour and lunch before she sails into retirement, which they will offer in a forthcoming competition.
A council spokeswoman said that though plans for entertainment were still in the early stages, they were “looking forward” to organising a “fitting farewell to a magnificent ship”.
They are running the event in conjunction with Edinburgh City Council, Forth Ports and Cunard.
The Clydebank-built liner was launched by the Queen in 1967 and was the flagship of the Cunard line for 40 years, before being replaced by the Queen Mary in 2004.
Michael Gallagher, a spokesman for Cunard, said, “It’s fitting that a ship built in Scotland gets to come back to say goodbye on her final tour in both the Clyde and the Forth at North Queensferry.
“She’s definitely one of the most famous ships ever – if you ask people to name a liner, they will normally mention her after the Titanic.”
He added, “There’s no exact plans for what she’ll be doing in Dubai but the good thing is that people who are not even born yet will get to see her in some capacity.
"We’ll be sad to see her go but at least she’ll still be enjoyed for generations to come.”
The vessel has travelled six million nautical miles, crossing the Atlantic more than 800 times and has carried more than 2.5 million passengers.
The QE2, or Queen Elizabeth 2, will berth in the Firth of Forth from 10am before setting sail for Southampton at 6pm.
She will then head to New York, continuing on to Dubai before being decommissioned at the world’s largest man-made island, The Palm Jumeriah, likely to become a luxury floating hotel, retail and entertainment destination.
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