Construction Begins
A ceremony to mark the keel laying of Cunard’s new Queen Elizabeth has been held at the Monfalcone shipyard of Fincantieri near Trieste, Italy. The second largest Cunarder ever built, Queen Elizabeth’s keel is the third Cunard has lain in the space of seven years. When she enters service in October 2010, she will join Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria as not only the most famous ocean liners in the world but also the youngest fleet in passenger travel. The keel laying involves the placement in the dry dock of the first section of the ship’s hull. This section is made up of six premanufactured blocks, weighs 364 tons and is fitted with 104 tons of pipes, cables, insulation and other equipment. The ceremony followed an intensive period of design and development. Fiftythree sections will be used in the construction of Queen Elizabeth and she will take to the water for the first time at her float out in December. “We are delighted to be back here among our friends at Fincantieri so soon after we took delivery of Queen Victoria in 2007—the first Cunarder to be built in Italy—and I am sure that Queen Elizabeth will be just as popular and successful as her two sister ships,” said Carol Marlow, president of Cunard Line.