Beyondships2
  • What's New
  • Beyondships Ship Profiles
  • Cruise Travel News Items
  • Beyondships Cruise FAQs
    • FAQ Pods and Azipods
    • FAQ Best cruise line.
    • FAQ What was the first cruise ship
    • FAQ bulbous bow
    • FAQ What is the largest cruise ship
    • FAQ - Captain's role
    • FAQ cruise itineraries
    • FAQ Checking Baggage
    • FAQ Gross tonnage
    • FAQ Ship size and crowding
    • FAQ Motion And Stateroom Location
    • FAQ - Pilots
    • FAQ Top heavy cruise ships
    • FAQ Ocean Liners and Cruise Ships
    • FAQ Stabilizers
    • FAQ - Who owns the various cruise lines?
    • FAQ Passenger Emergency Procedures
    • FAQ Europe Without Flying
    • FAQ Cruise ship fuel mileage
    • FAQ shore excursions
  • Cruise interviews
  • Mini-profiles Index
  • Cruise Destinations
  • Cruise Ship Profiles
  • Cruise Ship Tours
  • Notices
  • Beyondships Art
  • Carnival Corp Sea Home
  • Caribbean Open For Business
  • Experiencing the noro virus
  • Caribbean report 2017
  • Privacy Policy
  • Caribbean One Year After
  • National Geographic Endurance Unveiled
  • Four New Cruise Ships
  • Cruise line lapel pins
  • NCL auctions NFTs
  • Cruise news notes and commentary
  • FAQ sea trials
  • FAQ what are knots
  • FAQ what is the Jones Act
  • Cruise news notes and commentary June 2022
  • Cruise news notes and commentary July 2022
Queen Elizabeth Profile
Queen Mary 2 Profile
​Queen Victoria Profile

PHOTO ESSAY:



A ROYAL JUBILEE

Cunard's three queens salute
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Part III

by

Richard H. Wagner

Picture
      
Part I - The Onboard Celebrations - click here
Part III - The Morning Celebrations - click here
Part IV - Slideshow - click here
Picture
       The evening celebrations were slated to be even more spectacular. (See evening schedule).  In addition to a procession of the three mighty ships leaving the harbor, Britain’s precision aerial display team, the Red Arrows, were scheduled to perform over Southampton harbor at 6:20  p.m.  This would be followed at 10:20 by a fireworks display.

        The weather, however, refused to cooperate.  Instead of brightening, heavy showers had rolled in from the sea by mid-day.  Towards evening, the showers had become less steady but the clouds still hung low over Southampton.  Because of the low ceiling, the Red Arrows’ performance had to be cancelled.

         After darkness fell, Queen Mary 2 left her berth at the Ocean Terminal and repeated the maneuver that she had made that morning.  She traveled down the harbor past Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria to the turning basin.  After completing a 180 degree turn, she came back up the harbor and stopped next to Queen Victoria.

         From the promenade deck of Queen Victoria, the sight of QM2 emerging from the darkness was a spectacular sight.  In order to enable the bridge team to see, there were no lights on the front of her superstructure.  As a result, she was illuminated only by the lights on her sides and by the reflected light from the other ships.  This made her look even more massive than she does in the daylight.  Furthermore, in the confined waters of the harbor, she was much closer as she moved by than one typically sees a passing ship.

       When QM2 took up position next to Queen Victoria, the three ships were once again close together with their bows in formation.  This again resulted in the sounding of whistles and cheering.
     
Above right: After passing her fleetmates, QM2 heads towards the turning basin,
Immediately below:  QM2 executing a 180 degree turn.

Below right: QM2 returning to the other Cunarders.
Far below: QM2 takes up position next to Queen Victoria,
Picture
Picture
Above: Queen Mary 2 emerges out of the darkness during the evening celebrations.
Below: QM2 passes close by Queen Victoria.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Above: Fireworks colouring the low clouds.  
Below: 
The fireworks display over, QM2 heads toward the Solent and out to sea.
Picture
Below  Queen Elizabeth waits as Queen Victoria passes by. 
        Although there were low clouds covering the harbour, the decision was made to proceed with the fireworks display.  Many of the pyrotechnics exploded in the clouds turning them red, white or yellow for an instant.  However, others exploded below the clouds illuminating QM2, which was the closest of the three to the fireworks.  Classical and patriotic British music played over the three ships’ public address systems.  

        After the fireworks finished, QM2 exited the harbor.  She was closely followed by Queen Victoria, which had cast off from her berth before the evening celebrations began.  The two ships sailed by the brightly lit Queen Elizabeth, which was still pointed in the opposite direction.  Then by the celebrants at Mayflower Park who had defied the rain to see the three Cunarders together.

          Having paid their respects to Her Majesty, the three ships returned to the sea.    
Click here to go to Part I of this article - - The Onboard Celebrations
Click here to go to Part II of this article - - The Morning Celebrations
Click here to go to Part IV of this article - - Slideshow
Tweet

Picture

Photo essay - - Cunard Line - - Royal Jubilee Celebrations  - Queen Mary 2, Queen Victora, Queen Elizabeth - Part 3
Beyondships LLC
Notices
​
Privacy Policy 
Beyondships.com
​(Cruise ship profiles, pictorials, reviews and interviews).
Beyondships Cruise Destinations
(Travel articles about and profiles of destinations). ​​​
Beyondships Cruise Ship Pictorials and Reviews
(Photos, videos and reviews of cruise ships)
Beyondships Cruise Ship Pictorials and Reviews
(Photos, videos and reviews of cruise ships)
BeyondshipsArt.com
(Museum profiles, Art reviews, and Original art)