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3 Queens Make New York Shipping History

   Peter Fedynsky | New York City  14 January 2011
   The Queen Mary 2 cruise ship

Photo: Chris Hondros/Getty Images/AFP

   The  Queen Mary 2 cruise ship is seen near a fireworks display January
   13, 2011 in New York City.

   Since its founding in 1840, Britainâs Cunard Line has brought millions
   of  passengers to the United States.  Thursday evening, it took 6,000
   of  them  away. The occasion was a rare rendezvous of the lineâs three
   premier ocean liners.
   Britainâs  Cunard  Line, ocean liners, New York City harbor, Statue of
   Liberty, Queen Mary Two, The Queen Victoria and The Queen Elizabeth
   With  the  lights  of New York City sparkling in the background, three
   queens  -  cities  in  their own right - The Queen Mary Two, The Queen
   Victoria and The Queen Elizabeth rendezvoused on the Hudson River.

   It  was  only the second time in more than 170 years of Cunard history
   that the entire fleet was in New York at the same time. Â
   The  ships  left port under police escort, and a ceremonial spray by a
   New York City fire boat.
   Some New Yorkers watched the spectacle from chartered boats. Â
   They  include  Alan Moore, a shipping history buff. The Queen Mary, he
   notes,  is  the largest of the three vessels. "The design of the ship,
   the  bow,  made  for speed, made for doing the trans-Atlantic with the
   waves  and  everything  else.   Sheâs  quite different from the other
   two.   Especially the Victoria, made for quieter waters, if you will,
   the Mediterranean and the Caribbean," he said.
   Matthew  Baker,  a  shipping  aficionado and New York tour guide, says
   Cunard and the city have a historic relationship. "When Cunard started
   out,  they  were a postal ship; a mail ship, between Liverpool and New
   York.   Thatâs  one  of the reasons New York is such a special harbor
   for  them,  because New York City and the Cunard Line grew together in
   the early 19th century," he said.
   The  Queensâ rendezvous was marked by  20-minutes of  fireworks from
   two locations, with the Statue of Liberty serving as a backdrop to one
   of them.
   The  ships then sailed to open sea under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge,
   taking an average of 2,000 passengers each to separate destinations.

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