MS Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth in Tallinn, 10 June 2011
History
Name	Queen Elizabeth
Owner	Carnival Corporation & plc
Operator	Cunard Line
Port of registry	Southampton, U.K. (2010–2011) Hamilton, Bermuda (2011–present)
Ordered	October 2007
Builder	Fincantieri Monfalcone Shipyard, Italy
Cost	£350 million (approx.)[1] (US$560 million)
Yard number	6187
Laid down	2 July 2009
Launched	5 January 2010
Christened	11 October 2010
Completed	October 2010
Maiden voyage	12 October 2010
In service	2010–present
Identification	Call sign ZCEF2 IMO number: 9477438 MMSI number: 310625000
Status	In service
General characteristics
Class and type	Vista-class cruise ship
Tonnage	90,901 GT
Length	294 m (964 ft 7 in)
Beam	32.3 m (106 ft 0 in)
Draught	8 m (26 ft 3 in)
Decks	16 total 12 accessible to passengers
Installed power	4 × MaK 12VM43C 2 × MaK 8M43C 64,000 kW (86,000 hp) (combined)
Propulsion	Diesel-electric Two ABB Azipods (2 × 17.6 MW) Three ABB bow thrusters (3 × 2,200 kW)
Speed	23.7 knots (43.9 km/h; 27.3 mph)
Capacity	2,092 passengers lower beds, 2,547 maximum passengers

MS Queen Elizabeth (QE^[2]) is a cruise ship of the Vista class operated by the Cunard Line. The design is modified compared to earlier ships of the same class, and slightly larger than Queen Victoria, at 92,000 GT. This is due to a more vertical stern, and additional cabins for single travelers. The bow of Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria are both reinforced having thicker than the standard for hull plating, to handle North Atlantic weather.^[1] The ship is able to carry up to 2,092 passengers.^[1]

The ship's name was announced by Cunard on 10 October 2007. Since the retirement of Queen Elizabeth 2 in 2008 the company has operated three vessels.^[3] The naming of the ship as Queen Elizabeth brings about a situation similar to that between 1940 and 1948, when Cunard's original Queen Elizabeth was in service at the same time as the Royal Navy battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth.