Anticipation builds as QE2 undergoes a major facelift
This landmark of maritime history sitting in Port Rashid is being prepared for the next chapter of its illustrious life. John Dennehy tells the remarkable story of how she got here
The Queen Elizabeth 2, or QE2, celebrates the 50th anniversary of her launch this week.
The vessel that some call the greatest ship the world has ever seen has been sitting in Dubai since 2008, with plans to turn her into a giant hotel seemingly shelved.
But at Port Rashid, the ocean liner has been quietly undergoing a major facelift ahead of what is believed to be her relaunch as a floating hotel.
There has been no official announcement yet but work appears to be at an advanced stage: cranes are working on the ship; construction crews have carried out external repairs; and an army of workers has cleaned the vessel.
Signs stating “Queen Elizabeth 2, hotel main entrance” under a crown symbol are on display, the old cruise terminal where the ship is berthed has been rebranded with Queen Elizabeth 2 signs fixed to the building, while the vessel’s lifeboats have been removed and placed strategically at a roundabout approaching the ship.
It is still unclear when it will open, how many of the former cabins will used or how much a room will cost.
Some of the work on the ship has been undertaken by the
After about a decade of uncertainty, there is now a clearer picture of what lies ahead for the Queen Elizabeth 2.
The initial plan for the 70,000-tonne vessel saved it from the scrapyard and would have led to the
QE2 being restored as a 500-room floating hotel on Palm Jumeirah.
It was expected that the ship would undergo a significant refit, restoring the QE2’s original interior decor and fittings. And once complete, it would include shops, restaurants, cafes and a museum explaining the history of the ship.
Dubai World’s Istithmar handled the purchase of the historic ship. “The QE2 is without a doubt one of the wonders of the maritime world and is easily the most famous serving liner in the world today,” said Sultan bin Sulayem, who was chairman of Dubai World at the time.
When the 2008 financial crisis scuppered these plans, years of rumour, conjecture and indecision followed.
In 2009, the QE2 was supposed to have travelled to South Africa in time for the World Cup the following year. It never happened.
Another plan reported in 2013 was for the QE2 to become a hotel in Hong Kong or Singapore. This, however, also turned out to be an empty announcement.
Other plans to take the ship home to Scotland never came to fruition, while reports that she was to be scrapped refused to go away.
The QE2 was built in the famed shipyards of John Brown in Clydebank, Scotland. The liner was launched on September 20, 1967 by Queen Elizabeth and made her maiden voyage in 1969.
It would go on to become the Cunard Line’s flagship for more than 30 years, succeeded by the Queen Mary 2 in 2004.
When the QE2 was bought by Dubai World in 1997, it had completed more than 800 Atlantic crossings and carried 2.5 million passengers.
The 293.5 metre vessel was used as a troop carrier by the UK during the Falklands War.
The ship could hold 1,892 passengers and 1,040 crew, and could reach a top speed of 34 knots (about 63kph) after its conversion from steam to diesel in the 1980s – faster than many modern ships.
Onboard, the plush features included five restaurants, three swimming pools and a 481-seat cinema.
During its long career, it also attracted celebrities such as Nelson Mandela, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, and Buzz Aldrin.
In 2011, QE2 enthusiast Rob Lightbody visited the ship in Dubai. Mr Lightbody’s father had worked onboard.
“As a 14-year-old, it was the most incredible thing I’d ever seen,” he says.
A video of this trip can be seen on YouTube and it is clear that the QE2 was in immaculate condition and was well maintained, at huge cost to the owners.
The lifts worked, the carpets and furniture had been maintained, while workers were varnishing parts of the wood by the pool. But the QE2 was moved to the Dubai Drydocks in 2013 where the engines were switched off and the condition of the vessel deteriorated.
But the clearest indication of what lay ahead came in 2015.
Mr bin Sulayem dismissed rumours that the liner would be scrapped. The sale contract from Cunard stipulated that the QE2 could not be scrapped or put back into service for 10 years. But Mr bin Sulayem said that a new plan was in place.
“A few months after [Mr bin Sulayem] mentioned the new plan, the ship was featured in renderings of the new Port Rashid development,” said Shaun Ebelthite, editor of the trade magazine Cruise Arabia and
Africa. “QE2 was depicted at a berth in those renderings, suggesting she would be used as a floating hotel.
“So although DP World and its related entities have not publicly commented on the plans for QE2, it seems clear that she is included in the redevelopment.”
This has now been borne out by the latest developments at Port Rashid and the transformation of the old cruise Terminal 1 into a new centre for the QE2.
Refitting a ship as a hotel is not without precedent. The SS Rotterdam, a former ocean liner and cruise ship, has been operating as a hotel at the Dutch port since 2010.
Known as The Grande Dame, the ship also functions as a museum and centre for vocational training. The
QE2 is arguably eclipsed in fame only by the Titanic. Among the events this week commemorating the 50-year anniversary is a special cruise from Cunard to honour its former flagship and a conference organised by Mr Lightbody.
The name alone conjures up images of a golden era of luxurious travel on the high seas and its legacy lives on today at Port Rashid.
“She’s the last of her kind. Designed to cross the Atlantic in five days in all weather,” Mr Lightbody said.
“She’s also the first of her kind – a large, luxury cruise ship. She’s the last of a very long line of successful British liners that together changed the world and for the people of Clydebank, she’s a symbol of what they created, 50 years ago.
“On top of all that, simply, she’s still the most famous ship in the world that didn’t sink.”
During its long career, it attracted celebrities such as Nelson Mandela, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, and Buzz Aldrin