Build To Spec

The QM2's construction cost an estimated $800 million and represents 8 million working hours. Read on for more amazing facts that keep this amazing ocean liner afloat!

The QM2 has been specifically designed as a liner – a passenger ship that can cross the ocean in any condition, without having to slow down or alter its course. She will operate the QE2’s traditional route between Southampton and New York.

To achieve the required strength, the QM2 has been constructed from steel twice as thick as that of a cruiser - consequently it’s twice as heavy. It’s the longest ship on the water at 345 m (1,132 feet). Standing on its end, it would be taller than any building in New York city, save the Empire State Building.

With a gross tonnage of 150,000 tonnes, the QM2 is built to withstand the harshest weather the Atlantic can throw at it, while providing its passengers with unparalleled comfort and luxury.

80,000 detailed plans were drawn up in the course of the design phase – a process which cost $1.5 m.

The contract to build the ship went to the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard at Saint Nazaire in France – where some of the world’s most successful liners of all time, such as the Normandie (1935) and the France (1962), were built. The 3,000-strong work force came from all over the globe.

The QM2 was constructed from the keel up, using 300,000 steel sections, with a total weight of 52,000 tonnes. These were precision cut by computers and shaped to fit computer designed templates.

The ship's hull comprises 94 individual pre-constructed blocks, and was assembled like a colossal 3D jigsaw. As the blocks were welded together to form the ship’s superstructure, some 1,500 kilometres of welding were used.

The objective was to build a new generation of ocean liner to usher in a new Golden Age of sea travel, but the QM2's design borrows from famous ships that came before: The bow was based on the QE2; and her elegant curved breakwater was based on the SS Normandie.

The QM2 is three times heavier than the Titanic, and nearly three times more powerful. Her engines produce 157,000 hp – the equivalent of 1,744 family cars. A single joystick on the bridge manoeuvres her sideways, using three bow thrusters.