QE2 IS CUNARD'S LONGEST SERVING EXPRESS LINER

Not sure how I missed this news! I found it in the news archive of cruiseline.co.uk when looking at news about celebrity lines (who we are thinking of going on for Christmas/ New Year 2005. The item is dated 17 November 2004 and say:

"Milestone For QE2 ~ Queen Elizabeth 2 Is Now Cunard's Longest Serving Express Liner

Having recently completed 35 years, six months and three days in service Cunard's Queen Elizabeth 2 has reached a notable milestone in her life; she is now the longest serving Cunard express liner in the company's history. QE2 took the record from the company's Aquitania which served Cunard Line, in peace and war, from May 1914 to December 1949.

QE2 entered service in May 1969 and has been the world's most famous ship ever since - as well as its fastest merchant vessel in operation. Milestones are not new to QE2 - in August 2002 she completed more than five million nautical miles - a world record for any ship ever and the equivalent of sailing to the moon and back nine times, sailing around the world 230 times or sailing 1570 consecutive transatlantic crossings.

During her service she has carried almost three million passengers, completed 797 Atlantic crossings and completed 20 full World Cruises.

Critics and legions of loyal passengers claim that today QE2 is in great shape and the ship's consistently high ratings reflect this. QE2 cost just over £29 million to build in the 1960s but since then Cunard has spent more than 15 times that amount on refurbishing, re-engining and refitting QE2 to ensure that what she offers is ahead of the rest."