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【传记】英文Queen Elizabeth 2传 Queen Elizabeth 2 1969 - Present Day In the beginning of the 1970s, the quest for the North Atlantic did not stand between ships alone. The passenger airliner had since the end of World War II developed at a rapid pace, and was now swiftly conquering the globe. In spite of this, many ship owners were not worried. 'Flying is but a fad. There will always be passengers for ships like the Queens.' A director of the Cunard Line uttered these words in October 1958. Although time would prove him wrong, Cunard still saw business on the North Atlantic as profitable, and was planning to build a new vessel to replace the old Queen Mary at the Queen Elizabeth’s side. The original The QE2 being launched into the River Clyde in the yards of John Brown & Co. plans were for a ship with classic lines and divided in three classes, intended for the transatlantic trade alone. This project, known as Q3 – The third Queen, was however soon abandoned. By 1965, 95 percent of those who crossed the Atlantic chose to do so by air. To launch a new ship for this route would be financial suicide. Naturally, Cunard realised this, and revised their plans for the new ship completely. The project, codenamed Q4, was underway. Cunard decided that the new ship would represent the 'New Britain' and therefore, they wanted lots of changes. This new vessel would not be divided into three classes, but in two – first and tourist – and the differences between these would be minor. The ship would be constructed so the two classes easily could be transformed into one for cruising arrangements; the ship would serve on the North Atlantic during summer and spend the winter months cruising in warmer waters. The task of building the new Cunarder was given to the John Brown and Co. shipyards of Clydebank, the same company that had built and launched other great liners such as the two Queens and the Lusitania. On June 5th, 1965, the keel was laid on the same slipway that had once housed the Queen Mary during her construction. And like the Queen Mary, this new ship did not get a name until the day of her launch. She was simply known as 'John Brown number 736'. While in the progress of breaking new grounds, Cunard was discussing to give the latest addition to their fleet a less traditional name. While names as 'Great Britain', 'William Shakespeare', 'Winston Churchill' and 'London' were mentioned, others opted for a more traditional name such as 'Britannia', 'Mauretania' or 'Queen Mary II'. In the end, a decision was finally made. The new ship would be christened the Queen Elizabeth 2, to honour the previous Queen Elizabeth. A little more than two years after her keel had been laid, the Queen Elizabeth 2 was christened and launched by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on September 20th, 1967. By using the same pair of golden scissors as had been used on the launch of the previous Queens, the queen released the bottle of champagne and smashed it against the bow of the Cunard Line’s new flagship. Moments later, the great ship was afloat in
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