Forty years of elegant cruising

RMS Queen Elizabeth 2, often referred to simply as the "QE2", is a former Cunard ocean liner, now owned by Nakheel, a division of Dubai World.

She was designed to primarily run a transatlantic service from Southampton, England, to New York, USA, and was named after the earlier Cunard liner RMS Queen Elizabeth, serving as the flagship of the line from 1969 until succeeded by RMS Queen Mary 2 in 2004.

Built in Clydebank, she was considered the last of the great transatlantic ocean liners.

Before she was refitted with a diesel power plant in 1986/87, QE2 was also the last oil fired passenger steamship to cross the Atlantic in scheduled liner service. During almost 40 years of service, the QE2 undertook regular world cruises and latterly operated predominantly as a cruise ship, sailing out of Southampton.

QE2 retired from active Cunard service on 27 November 2008.