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The Queen has officially named the QM2, the biggest passenger liner ever built, with the traditional words: "May God bless her and all who sail in her."
The ceremony was performed in the £550m Cunard flagship's home port of Southampton.
The Queen, who was accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, was carrying a stick after her recent knee operation.
Before the naming ceremony she was shown over the 150,000-tonne vessel by its Master, Commodore Ronald Warwick.
He accompanied her to the planetarium and the library, where she signed the visitors' book, before moving on to the bridge.
The Queen was then taken to one of the many pool areas on the ship, where she met ship staff and Cunard employees.
The naming ceremony was performed before 2,000 guests, with music supplied by the Band Of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, Portsmouth.
Opera star Lesley Garrett sang Amazing Grace while pop singer Heather Small performed her hit song, Proud.
Prayers of blessing were said by the Bishop of Winchester, the Rt Rev Michael Scott-Joynt.
After the ceremony there was a fireworks display and a performance of Ode to Joy from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
Built in Saint Nazaire on the French Atlantic coast, the Queen Mary 2 will set sail on its 14-day maiden voyage to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Monday.
At 1,132ft, the liner is longer than the largest US aircraft carrier. It can carry 2,600 passengers, with 1,250 crew.
Passengers will pay from £927 to more than £21,400 for top of the range cabins, most with private balconies.
Tickets for the maiden journey have sold out, as well as those for the Southampton-New York crossing in April.
QM2 boasts expansive promenades and sweeping staircases running between its 15 decks, which rise to a height of 244ft.
As well as numerous bars, it has a ballroom, a two-story theatre for 1,000, a casino, luxury kennels and a nursery staffed by British nannies.
There have been claims the QM2 is jinxed after a series of mishaps and tragic deaths.
Last November 15 people fell to their deaths after a gangway collapsed when the vessel was in dock.
[此贴子已经被作者于2004-1-9 5:18:49编辑过]
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