Queen Mary 2

This article is about the Cunard ocean liner. For the monarch, see Mary II of England. For other uses, see Mary II (disambiguation), Queen Mary (disambiguation), and Queen Mary (ship).

Queen Mary 2 in Hamburg
History
United Kingdom
NameQueen Mary 2
NamesakeRMS Queen Mary
Owner Carnival Corporation & plc[1]
Operator Cunard Line
Port of registry
Ordered6 November 2000
BuilderSTX Europe Chantiers de l'Atlantique, Saint-Nazaire, France
Yard numberG32[2]
Laid down4 July 2002[3]
Launched21 March 2003[3]
Christened8 January 2004[3] by Elizabeth II
Completed22 December 2003[4]
Maiden voyage12 January 2004[3]
In service2004–present
Identification
StatusIn Service
General characteristics
TypeOcean liner
Tonnage149,215 GT[1]
Displacement79,287 tonnes[5]
Length1,132 ft 0 in (345.03 m)[1]
Beam
  • 134 ft 6 in (41 m) waterline,[1]
  • 147.5 ft (45.0 m) extreme (bridge wings)[3]
Height236.2 ft (72.0 m) keel to (top of) funnel
Draught33 ft 10 in (10.3 m)[1]
Decks14 passenger, 18 total decks[6][7]
Installed power
PropulsionIntegrated electric propulsion; diesel generators & gas turbines used to generate electricity to drive four Rolls-Royce/Alstom Mermaid propulsion units (4 × 21.5 MW)
SpeedMax speed 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)[8] Service speed 26 knots
Capacity
  • 2,695 passengers (after 2016 refit)
  • 2,620 passengers (original design)
Crew1,253 officers and crew

RMS Queen Mary 2 (QM2) is a British ocean liner. She has served as the flagship of the Cunard Line since January 2004, and as of 2024, is the only active, purpose-built ocean liner still in service.[9][10] Queen Mary 2 sails regular transatlantic crossings between Southampton and New York City, in addition to short cruises and an annual world voyage.[11][12]

She was designed by a team of British naval architects led by Stephen Payne, and was constructed in France by Chantiers de l'Atlantique. At the time of her construction, Queen Mary 2 was the longest, at 1,131.99 ft (345.03 m), and largest, with a gross tonnage of 148,528 GT, passenger ship ever built. She no longer holds these records after the construction of Royal Caribbean International's 154,407 GT Freedom of the Seas (a cruise ship) in April 2006, but remains the largest ocean liner ever built.

Queen Mary 2 was intended for regular crossings of the Atlantic Ocean; the final construction cost was approximately $300,000 per berth. The cost was increased by the high quality of materials; having been designed as an ocean liner, 40% more steel was required than for a standard cruise ship.[13] Queen Mary 2 has a maximum speed of just over 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) and a cruising speed of 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph), which is faster than a contemporary cruise ship. Instead of the common diesel-electric configuration, Queen Mary 2 uses integrated electric propulsion to achieve her top speed. Diesel engines, augmented by gas turbines, are used to generate electricity for electric motors for propulsion and for on-board use.

Queen Mary 2's facilities include fifteen restaurants and bars, five swimming pools, a casino, a ballroom, a theatre, and the first planetarium at sea.

  1. ^ a b c d e "Queen Mary 2 (9241061)". LR ships in class. Lloyd's Register. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  2. ^ Cunard Production Services (2009). "Queen Mary 2: G32 nightclub". Archived from the original on 14 May 2010. Retrieved 23 November 2009.
  3. ^ a b c d e "QUEEN MARY 2 TECHNICAL INFORMATION" (PDF). Cunard.com. Cunard. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 October 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  4. ^ "Queen Mary 2 (9241061)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  5. ^ United States Coast Guard Maritime Information Exchange, Search for "Queen Mary 2", Retrieved 18 July 2016
  6. ^ "Queen Mary 2 – Ship Facts". Cunard Line. 23 February 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  7. ^ "Queen Mary 2: A ship of superlatives". Cunard Line.
  8. ^ "Queen Mary 2". Maritime Matters. Archived from the original on 5 August 2003.
  9. ^ Jivanda, Tomas (7 March 2014). "Queen Mary 2, the largest and most expensive ocean liner ever built celebrates tenth birthday". The Independent. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  10. ^ McDaniel, Colleen. "New Cruise Ships in 2014". www.cruisecritic.com. Cruise Critic. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  11. ^ Queen Mary 2 Cruises Cunard Retrieved 21 January 2012
  12. ^ Sloan, Gene (6 March 2017). "Peek inside the last of the great ocean liners". USA TODAY. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  13. ^ "The History, Construction and Design of Queen Mary 2". Sealetter Travel Inc. Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2006.