It is almost unheard of for a ship leaving service to bring a city to a standstill.
But then, the QE2 is not just any ship.
Tomorrow evening, the most famous ship afloat sails from Southampton for the last time, heading to Dubai where it will become a floating hotel.
It was due to leave its berth at 5.30pm, but Cunard has agreed to delay departure until 7.15pm because of city council concerns about thousands of farewell-wishers descending on Southampton at rush hour.
The council is already worried that Mayflower Park, the main vantage point in the city with room for 10,000 people, is not going to be big enough. They may be right.
Weather permitting, one million poppies will be dropped over the ship to mark the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, and at 1.40pm, there will be a fly-past by a RAF Harrier. The Duke of Edinburgh will have a farewell lunch on board, and in Mayflower Park, a giant video screen will show live and archive footage of the vessel.It is an extraordinary send-off considering that this is a 41-year-old ship giving up its globetrotting days, not a shiny new vessel embarking on its maiden voyage.
But its longevity is the point. This ship has kept going for more than 40 years, longer than most new vessels will last, I suspect. It has crossed the Atlantic 801 times, sailed around the world 25 times, notched up more than 5.6 million nautical miles during its travels.
It has carried royalty, heads of state, pop stars, celebrities and ordinary folk.
For a short time in 1982, while serving as a troop carrier during the Falklands War, its passenger register listed Welsh Guards, Scots Guards and Gurkhas. For the past nine years it has been the floating home of 89-year-old Beatrice Muller.
There’s no doubt that this illustrious past keeps pulling in the crowds —five of its farewell cruises were full within days of going on sale, while the final voyage to Dubai sold out in 36 minutes as people rushed to secure a place on an historic voyage.
Full marks should go to Cunard, which has never missed a chance to exploit the ship’s past, managing the QE2’s publicity in a way that makes Max Clifford look like an amateur.
But there is more to QE2 than good press. It may be old and look a little tired in places but its classic lines, elegance and old-fashioned charm have not dimmed with age. It always reminded me of being at a classy country-house party – friendly, but a little too relentlessly formal for my tastes.
On a more practical level, QE2 was built for speed.Incredibly, 15 times more money has been spent refurbishing and refitting the ship than it cost to build.
The money needed to make the vessel comply with the ‘Safety of Life at Sea’ regulations that become law in 2010 would have been prohibitive. Hence Cunard is letting the ship go.
Its new owners, the Dubai company Nakheel, have less qualms about spending more money on the ship. Cabins are likely to be ripped out and replaced with larger rooms that meet the expectations of today’s travellers and deck space at the stern will probably be used for more rooms. The engine room looks all set to become an entertainment venue.
Nakheel has neither confirmed or denied any of this, but it is the kind of thing they must do if a ship that is more than four decades old is to compete with the best hotels in Dubai. It’s cold comfort for QE2 devotees.
© The Daily Telegraph