On 23 February 2006, after completing the circumnavigation of South America, Queen Mary 2 met her namesake, the original RMS Queen Mary, which is permanently docked at Long Beach. Escorted by a flotilla of smaller ships, the two Queens exchanged a “whistle salute” which was heard throughout the city of Long Beach.
On this occasions, my friends Scott Becker and Everette Hoard had a chance to meet Commodore Ronald Warwick on board, just 5 months before his official retirement in July 2006. During their meeting, the Commodore discussed his own vision for QE2’s retirement. Remarkably this interview took place before Cunard announced their plans to retire the QE2 . Who would have thought at the time how much QE2´s future would occupy the minds of the ocean liner community? In this respect, the Commodore’s vision is nothing short of actuality, on the contrary it is most significant at a time when the QE2’s future is in peril.
The introduction is made by Everette Hoard, Maritime Historian on board the Queen Mary while the interview itself took place on 11 Deck at the concierge. It was filmed by Scott Becker. To listen to the Commodore, go to our Cunard Queens Website . Follow the link on the Home Page or click on Flagship Video.
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