Hard to believe but it is now 50 years since the Queen Elizabeth 2 (usually known as QE2) was launched in Clydebank from the John Brown Shipbuilders yard. Built to a bargain price of £29 million, the Cunard liner served quality seagoing trips for close on 40 years before being sold on for around $100 million. During the Falklands War, the QE2 was used as a troop ship, needing to be refitted first to be suitable for the soldiers. This meant carpets were covered with hardboard to reinforced steel plating to ant magnetic devices being fitted to combat mines. Helicopter pads were installed and the ship sailed south without using modern aids to help prevent detection.
After conversion back for more normal sailing, engine replacement for diesel ones and a major refit the QE2 retired in 2008 and the only permanent person on board had to finally leave. Frau Muller had lived on board the ship for 14 years by that point!
Clydebank is hosting a special one day conference in September to mark this anniversary of the launch. The event is being held at the Golden Jubilee Centre and tickets have just gone on sale (or should that be sail!). Organisers said that ½ of all tickets went in two days.
There is much speculation about the future of the QE2, with a lot of it not being good news either. Apparently the ship has been stripped of some of its assets, such as lifeboats.
Although Cunard still builds great liners, none are built in Clydebank anymore. This conference will be a chance for locals to hear about an amazing part of their history. Organisers of conferences like this can hugely benefit from using local printers to produce conference materials such as tickets, Booklets and leaflets.Get a Free Quote for Booklets
