![The QE2 arriving in Dubai in November 2008. Randi Sokoloff / The National](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/GEVHCGFY6NGTBEVJQHNEJUOAXA.jpg?smart=true&auth=4b8fa23105d7b09186f3c5dad2bef74cb7bcff66fb1155be299c5ffe1fddd125&width=400&height=225)
![Shipbuilders playing football below the hull of the Cunard liner the QE2 at a Clyde shipyard in Glasgow, September 1967. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/5S57C3R3RVBXZEJPSRFY2PUVWQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=1734eb6e0485e20543e7351f272948dd013fe77234ba077e1fc71663a1bb3e65&width=400&height=225)
![The finishing touches are put to the QE2, November 1968. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/LTP63M6JLZHLRJ6EMECVRW66WI.jpg?smart=true&auth=3e6dec3dadb09284e02d244139d834bca35c06b308cce618296594b1d58589a2&width=400&height=225)
![Queen Elizabeth II questions one of the experts as she tours the kitchens during her visit to the QE2 in Southampton, on the eve of the liner's maiden transatlantic voyage to New York, January 1969. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/BHETYGKEJ5EGDA5CBPEICNUPQU.jpg?smart=true&auth=b5287700cdb6fffa8f055dd7cd026e52e4b490a12b26a8905e07373c2938d256&width=400&height=225)
![The queen is shown around the new liner by Cunard chairman Sir Basil Smallpeice, left, May 1969. On the right is Commodore William Warwick, the liner's first master. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/K3LKIAMTQVBRXNYRHOANLXLDPU.jpg?smart=true&auth=45a76a994a3099a816d0c4ded7088591503b3fdf2e6e14f89827965ef164dc46&width=400&height=225)
![The launching ceremony at John Brown's shipyard, Clydebank. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/ODAIRBLTL5AXDFWSBUI35GJTZU.jpg?smart=true&auth=70c8268a47b65895866ea82f4446c816a7b813f69f4fe64578537a927c6e2778&width=400&height=225)
![Passengers in the VIP lounge aboard the QE2 luxury liner, May 1969. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/WWWNVYBI3FH7NDK53BTYZNBPXY.jpg?smart=true&auth=a90c205065f76621342e6a777dfb4d1d40ebce803c45bd0dd740cc24b0cdcda9&width=400&height=225)
![Getting ready for some deck games on the QE2 at Southampton are actor Peter Sellers and Beatles star Ringo Starr, May 1969. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/2KDEENROXBBIXP4MSKNKKZAZHI.jpg?smart=true&auth=d1e24a9e0e70d5d71b33969c4094254baece77a4ef010eb9b8ccee02fc0c9645&width=400&height=225)
![Passengers on the QE2 line the rails as the ship pulls into New York City, May 1969. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/QQQ7K454UJGHPPCAMKT24ZMCAM.jpg?smart=true&auth=1cf5134408525e5763094358fedea4775433cf551dd1648d247e57fd5f026b98&width=400&height=225)
![George Harrison after boarding in New York following three months of recording in the US, September 1971. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/HA7C26WSZVDCXKP2NTYIMAYZVY.jpg?smart=true&auth=817b44e49f601d3ab9116042cb2eb3eb3483964419a8606068c8a2916d37f1e3&width=400&height=225)
![Bidding goodbye to British troops on the QE2 as it departs for Falkland Islands, May 1982. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/4Y2QSHVO35AMBNRYWEZCIRFC6Y.jpg?smart=true&auth=f897796d90a02069d100c2d8d3344c2a5c15a13afe4ee9f274c6ca80aa1dc9fb&width=400&height=225)
![The Double Down Room after the QE2 was requisitioned as a British troop ship during the Falklands War, 1982. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/MBCRBY6DSFGYBPHHW2MLONTANQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=9e8f55c67a9dcd885ae80a4699b8f9076f4812a5bf60d0f208eb70db3d4f0ab8&width=400&height=225)
![The ship leaving Hong Kong for England in March 1997, carrying retiring expatriate civil servants, their dependants and another 400 new passengers on her last sailing from the territory under British rule. AFP](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/RGYGLLGBDNBWZAT37UGT6QQVVA.jpg?smart=true&auth=edc609205720443c8e46933adce789e08286831cb8f4977dd1b62183081164fb&width=400&height=225)
![The QE2 passes her sister ship the Queen Mary II as she arrives in Sydney Harbour, February 2007. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/5XGZYTNT7RD7PL3JWVL5P44KYY.jpg?smart=true&auth=a20b42db571e493f0ac44148645a7c0906b281c8920b81f9fb8734b8cdbe4622&width=400&height=225)
![The Red Arrows fly past the QE2 as it sits berthed at Ocean Terminal in Greenock, Scotland, in September 2007. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/NSVG3QG2QNGB3PGU6MUSIF5HHU.jpg?smart=true&auth=95ed65b0fab010f6b5e22cc20b9cc0ffe3214dea01714c0164c595e47804a9f7&width=400&height=225)
![The soon-to-be-decommissioned QE2 liner docks in front of the Liver building on the Mersey during her farewell voyage in October 2008 in Liverpool, England. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/QEI6NU3FAZFEJHT6TUNUYGNG4U.jpg?smart=true&auth=3fa2ae26ab90fad633723ffcb556f189a1eda8d980d9c065fafd38034ce44cde&width=400&height=225)
![Fireworks explode over the QE2 to mark her final departure from her home port of Southampton in November 2008, after nearly 40 years of service and 806 transatlantic crossings, carrying more than 2.5 million guests. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/2H6ISDR5XBGGNHLSDONFPXRLXA.jpg?smart=true&auth=575cbe28ff057f3da73caa755e8a390f5ebb6d610a9b2efde1cea95e0e36ce35&width=400&height=225)
![People await the arrival of the QE2 at Mina Rashid Port in Dubai, November 2008. Randi Sokoloff / The National](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/G4DM4YYDQO3WKMQJPRB4ZWVZDM.jpg?smart=true&auth=8126034c08e72a59a6a74a89b83fed4ba475e1691c11be3a60839eafca58ab97&width=400&height=225)
![The QE2 arriving in Dubai in November 2008. Randi Sokoloff / The National](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/GEVHCGFY6NGTBEVJQHNEJUOAXA.jpg?smart=true&auth=4b8fa23105d7b09186f3c5dad2bef74cb7bcff66fb1155be299c5ffe1fddd125&width=400&height=225)
![Shipbuilders playing football below the hull of the Cunard liner the QE2 at a Clyde shipyard in Glasgow, September 1967. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/5S57C3R3RVBXZEJPSRFY2PUVWQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=1734eb6e0485e20543e7351f272948dd013fe77234ba077e1fc71663a1bb3e65&width=400&height=225)
![The finishing touches are put to the QE2, November 1968. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/LTP63M6JLZHLRJ6EMECVRW66WI.jpg?smart=true&auth=3e6dec3dadb09284e02d244139d834bca35c06b308cce618296594b1d58589a2&width=400&height=225)
![Queen Elizabeth II questions one of the experts as she tours the kitchens during her visit to the QE2 in Southampton, on the eve of the liner's maiden transatlantic voyage to New York, January 1969. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/BHETYGKEJ5EGDA5CBPEICNUPQU.jpg?smart=true&auth=b5287700cdb6fffa8f055dd7cd026e52e4b490a12b26a8905e07373c2938d256&width=400&height=225)
![The queen is shown around the new liner by Cunard chairman Sir Basil Smallpeice, left, May 1969. On the right is Commodore William Warwick, the liner's first master. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/K3LKIAMTQVBRXNYRHOANLXLDPU.jpg?smart=true&auth=45a76a994a3099a816d0c4ded7088591503b3fdf2e6e14f89827965ef164dc46&width=400&height=225)
![The launching ceremony at John Brown's shipyard, Clydebank. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/ODAIRBLTL5AXDFWSBUI35GJTZU.jpg?smart=true&auth=70c8268a47b65895866ea82f4446c816a7b813f69f4fe64578537a927c6e2778&width=400&height=225)
![Passengers in the VIP lounge aboard the QE2 luxury liner, May 1969. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/WWWNVYBI3FH7NDK53BTYZNBPXY.jpg?smart=true&auth=a90c205065f76621342e6a777dfb4d1d40ebce803c45bd0dd740cc24b0cdcda9&width=400&height=225)
![Getting ready for some deck games on the QE2 at Southampton are actor Peter Sellers and Beatles star Ringo Starr, May 1969. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/2KDEENROXBBIXP4MSKNKKZAZHI.jpg?smart=true&auth=d1e24a9e0e70d5d71b33969c4094254baece77a4ef010eb9b8ccee02fc0c9645&width=400&height=225)
![Passengers on the QE2 line the rails as the ship pulls into New York City, May 1969. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/QQQ7K454UJGHPPCAMKT24ZMCAM.jpg?smart=true&auth=1cf5134408525e5763094358fedea4775433cf551dd1648d247e57fd5f026b98&width=400&height=225)
![George Harrison after boarding in New York following three months of recording in the US, September 1971. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/HA7C26WSZVDCXKP2NTYIMAYZVY.jpg?smart=true&auth=817b44e49f601d3ab9116042cb2eb3eb3483964419a8606068c8a2916d37f1e3&width=400&height=225)
![Bidding goodbye to British troops on the QE2 as it departs for Falkland Islands, May 1982. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/4Y2QSHVO35AMBNRYWEZCIRFC6Y.jpg?smart=true&auth=f897796d90a02069d100c2d8d3344c2a5c15a13afe4ee9f274c6ca80aa1dc9fb&width=400&height=225)
![The Double Down Room after the QE2 was requisitioned as a British troop ship during the Falklands War, 1982. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/MBCRBY6DSFGYBPHHW2MLONTANQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=9e8f55c67a9dcd885ae80a4699b8f9076f4812a5bf60d0f208eb70db3d4f0ab8&width=400&height=225)
![The ship leaving Hong Kong for England in March 1997, carrying retiring expatriate civil servants, their dependants and another 400 new passengers on her last sailing from the territory under British rule. AFP](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/RGYGLLGBDNBWZAT37UGT6QQVVA.jpg?smart=true&auth=edc609205720443c8e46933adce789e08286831cb8f4977dd1b62183081164fb&width=400&height=225)
![The QE2 passes her sister ship the Queen Mary II as she arrives in Sydney Harbour, February 2007. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/5XGZYTNT7RD7PL3JWVL5P44KYY.jpg?smart=true&auth=a20b42db571e493f0ac44148645a7c0906b281c8920b81f9fb8734b8cdbe4622&width=400&height=225)
![The Red Arrows fly past the QE2 as it sits berthed at Ocean Terminal in Greenock, Scotland, in September 2007. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/NSVG3QG2QNGB3PGU6MUSIF5HHU.jpg?smart=true&auth=95ed65b0fab010f6b5e22cc20b9cc0ffe3214dea01714c0164c595e47804a9f7&width=400&height=225)
![The soon-to-be-decommissioned QE2 liner docks in front of the Liver building on the Mersey during her farewell voyage in October 2008 in Liverpool, England. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/QEI6NU3FAZFEJHT6TUNUYGNG4U.jpg?smart=true&auth=3fa2ae26ab90fad633723ffcb556f189a1eda8d980d9c065fafd38034ce44cde&width=400&height=225)
![Fireworks explode over the QE2 to mark her final departure from her home port of Southampton in November 2008, after nearly 40 years of service and 806 transatlantic crossings, carrying more than 2.5 million guests. Getty Images](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/2H6ISDR5XBGGNHLSDONFPXRLXA.jpg?smart=true&auth=575cbe28ff057f3da73caa755e8a390f5ebb6d610a9b2efde1cea95e0e36ce35&width=400&height=225)
![People await the arrival of the QE2 at Mina Rashid Port in Dubai, November 2008. Randi Sokoloff / The National](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/G4DM4YYDQO3WKMQJPRB4ZWVZDM.jpg?smart=true&auth=8126034c08e72a59a6a74a89b83fed4ba475e1691c11be3a60839eafca58ab97&width=400&height=225)
![The QE2 arriving in Dubai in November 2008. Randi Sokoloff / The National](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/GEVHCGFY6NGTBEVJQHNEJUOAXA.jpg?smart=true&auth=4b8fa23105d7b09186f3c5dad2bef74cb7bcff66fb1155be299c5ffe1fddd125&width=400&height=225)
QE2's chief petty officer revisits historic ship in Dubai for his 60th birthday
Nearly four decades since marking his 21st on board, Briton returns to floating hotel in the emirate
![Nick Webster](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Farc-authors%2Fthenational%2F9cfba7f3-8cc8-4789-bcec-97bd0007d9ef.png?smart=true&auth=96a9a5766af20e4704e52306e74ecd02669a7e0ffd084d4151d31e0039a945d3&width=70&height=70)
Nick Webster
March 06, 2024
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March 06, 2024