Thousands descended on the Mersey to welcome the world’s largest ocean liner, as Peter Elson reports

WITH repeated long blasts on her throaty whistle echoing off the Cunard Building, she boomed out notice of her Mersey debut.

The ocean giant, Queen Mary 2, achieved what her 1936 namesake failed ever to do and sailed into Liverpool yesterday.

This was in spite of the QM2, here to celebrate her fifth anniversary, being twice the size of the illustrious original superliner.

QM2’s gross tonnage is 148,528 and her master, Commodore Bernard Warner, said: “You could fit Cunard’s very first ship, RMS Britannia, into our Britannia Restaurant onboard.”

Like all these older ships, QM2 is a purpose-built transatlantic ocean liner.

She is the first one built since Cunard’s former flagship QE2 in 1967, which was withdrawn last year.

QM2 left Southampton, home port for her regular transatlantic run to New York, for her first round- Britain cruise last Thursday, October 15, for seven nights.

Sailing clockwise around the British Isles, she called at South Queensferry, Greenock, Cobh (for Cork), then onto Cherbourg and back in Southampton on Friday.

She is carrying 1,450 British passengers and 830 from North America.

There were 100 passengers who, courtesy of the Liverpool Daily Post & Echo Travel Department, disembarked at Liverpool and a further 100 others who embarked.

Commodore Warner said: “It was an historic moment bringing this great ship into Liverpool and seeing so many crowds of well-wishers.

“Cunard was founded here in 1838 and stayed in the city until 1967. I’m very proud to bring her here and everyone on board is so excited.

“It’s very nostalgic and wonderful to be back in this greatest Cunard liner.

“I am sure having now brought Queen Mary here once, we will be back many times, as this ship will have a life expectation of 40 to 50 years.”

Was he anxious about bringing such a huge ship up the Mersey and into Liverpool?

“I am never nervous about these things. You always have to take time to study what the conditions will be like,” he said.

“The Mersey is tricky as there is a large tidal range and the river was running today at four knots.

“This is the greatest ocean liner, but she manoeuvres better than any other.

“Before we came alongside, we turned in the river above the berth and just let her gently drift to the landing stage.

“Not only is this ship the biggest ocean liner, but she has become incredibly popular. There are fabulous facilities on the ship. Not only have we got all these restaurants and swimming pools and spas, but there’s also a planetarium.

“Although a new ship, QM2 is a traditional liner, not a cruise ship. A liner is a ship on a regular service across the ocean from point A to B.

“This ship is built for transatlantic service and we’ve done 25 return crossings this year. The other difference is this ship is designed to go faster.

“She has a very streamlined hull to slip gracefully and elegantly through the water, like her predecessor QE2 which was a ship in a million.

“Queen Mary 2 has 40% more steel in her hull than an equivalent-sized cruise liner, which means she is strengthened to cut through the Atlantic waves at speed, in all weathers all year.

“When you are crossing the oceans, you want to be on a proper liner. The ride and stability of this ship is amazing, even in a large ocean swell.”