Cunard fleet to sail into Liverpool in 2015

Following the recent news that Liverpool Council is to buy the former Cunard headquarters and turn it into a brand-new cruise terminal, the city has received another boost thanks to the line’s announcement that it will sail its entire fleet into the port for the very first time in 2015.

The year marks the 175^th anniversary of Cunard and the line’s three vessels, the flagship Queen Mary II, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria, which will all sail into the port on May 25, 2015. The vessels will pass the historic Cunard Building on Liverpool’s Pier Head during their visit to the port, which was the line’s headquarters from 1917 to 1967.

Commenting on the occasion, Cunard Marketing Director Angus Struthers said: “Liverpool is the spiritual home of Cunard. Until 1967 the company was based in Liverpool, and it was from Liverpool that Cunard’s firsttransatlantic crossing was made. We are therefore delighted to celebrate our 175th anniversary in 2015 with two historic events in Liverpool: a meeting of our fleet of Queens on the Mersey in May 2015 and a repeat of the original transatlantic crossing to Halifax and Boston on July 4 2015. We look forward to announcing more details over the coming months.”

Struthers was referring to the Queen Mary II’s planned July 4, 10-night voyage from the city to Boston and Halifax, Nova Scotia, which will recreate the original sailing that Cunard’s original vessel Britannia made on the same date, all the way back in 1840.

A million spectators were in Liverpool in 1990 to see the Queen Elizabeth II arrive in port, and the city’s mayor, Joe Anderson was understandably excited by the news, saying:  “This will be an unmissable spectacle which will attract worldwide attention and draw massive crowds. It is particularly fitting given our plans to bring the Cunard Building back into use as a cruise liner terminal and I am absolutely delighted by this news. Liverpool is once again making its mark as a great maritime destination.”

By Simon Brotherton
Google

photo credit: hartlandmartin via photopin cc