Queen Mary 2

Queen Mary 2 in Hamburg
History
United Kingdom
Name	Queen Mary 2
Namesake	RMS Queen Mary
Owner	Carnival Corporation & plc[1]
Operator	Cunard Line
Port of registry	Southampton, UK (2004–2011) Hamilton, Bermuda (2011–present)
Ordered	6 November 2000
Builder	STX Europe Chantiers de l'Atlantique, Saint-Nazaire, France
Yard number	G32[2]
Laid down	4 July 2002[3]
Launched	21 March 2003[3]
Christened	8 January 2004[3] by Elizabeth II
Completed	22 December 2003[4]
Maiden voyage	12 January 2004[3]
In service	2004–present
Identification	Call sign: ZCEF6 IMO number: 9241061 MMSI number: 310627000
Status	In Service
General characteristics
Type	Ocean liner
Tonnage	149,215 GT[1]
Displacement	79,287 tonnes[5]
Length	1,132 ft 0 in (345.03 m)[1]
Beam	134 ft 6 in (41 m) waterline,[1] 147.5 ft (45.0 m) extreme (bridge wings)[3]
Height	236.2 ft (72.0 m) keel to (top of) funnel
Draught	33 ft 10 in (10.3 m)[1]
Decks	14 passenger, 18 total decks[6][7]
Installed power	4 × Wärtsilä 16V46C-CR (4 × 16,800 kW) 2 × General Electric LM2500+ (2 × 25,060 kW)
Propulsion	Integrated electric propulsion; diesel generators & gas turbines used to generate electricity to drive four Rolls-Royce/Alstom Mermaid propulsion units (4 × 21.5 MW)
Speed	Max speed 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)[8] Service speed 26 knots
Capacity	2,695 passengers (after 2016 refit) 2,620 passengers (original design)
Crew	1,253 officers and crew

RMS Queen Mary 2 (QM2) is a British ocean liner. She has served as the flagship of the Cunard Line since January 2004, and as of 2024, is the only active, purpose-built ocean liner still in service.^[9][10] Queen Mary 2 sails regular transatlantic crossings between Southampton and New York City, in addition to short cruises and an annual world voyage.^[11][12]

She was designed by a team of British naval architects led by Stephen Payne, and was constructed in France by Chantiers de l'Atlantique. At the time of her construction, Queen Mary 2 was the longest, at 1,131.99 ft (345.03 m), and largest, with a gross tonnage of 148,528 GT, passenger ship ever built. She no longer holds these records after the construction of Royal Caribbean International's 154,407 GT Freedom of the Seas (a cruise ship) in April 2006, but remains the largest ocean liner ever built.

Queen Mary 2 was intended for regular crossings of the Atlantic Ocean; the final construction cost was approximately $300,000 per berth. The cost was increased by the high quality of materials; having been designed as an ocean liner, 40% more steel was required than for a standard cruise ship.^[13] Queen Mary 2 has a maximum speed of just over 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) and a cruising speed of 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph), which is faster than a contemporary cruise ship. Instead of the common diesel-electric configuration, Queen Mary 2 uses integrated electric propulsion to achieve her top speed. Diesel engines, augmented by gas turbines, are used to generate electricity for electric motors for propulsion and for on-board use.

Queen Mary 2's facilities include fifteen restaurants and bars, five swimming pools, a casino, a ballroom, a theatre, and the first planetarium at sea.