Cunard Line’s Queen Victoria will be arriving in Liverpool to mark the departure exactly 100 years earlier, on May 30, 1914, of Aquitania, one of the most famous ships in Cunard history. Queen Victoria will remain overnight, thus making the first overnight call in Cunard’s “spiritual” home of Liverpool by a Cunard passenger ship since Franconia in January 1968 – almost 50 years ago.
The historic overnight Liverpool port of call will take place during Queen Victoria’s 13-night Around the British Isles cruise which departs Southampton on May 23. The cruise will also call at Edinburgh (from New Haven – a maiden call), Invergordon, Kirkwall (maiden call), Glasgow (from Greenock), Dublin, Cobh (Ireland) and St. Peter Port (Guernsey) before returning to Southampton on June 5.
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Activities planned to celebrate this call will include local opera singer Danielle Thomas performing both during the afternoon on May 30 and for Queen Victoria’s May 31 departure, and also a Civic Reception and Dinner on board before late-evening fireworks will cap another day of Mersey maritime history.
Aquitania became one of the longest-serving Cunarders in history (36 years), sailed more miles than any other (three million), and was the only major liner to serve in both World Wars. Aquitania’s length of Cunard service and miles sailed were both only surpassed by Queen Elizabeth 2.
Queen Victoria will have called at Greenock on the Clyde the previous day, on Thursday May 29, and this also has a close connection with Aquitania as she was built at the John Brown Shipyard on the Clyde.
For more information, visit www.cunard.com.