The Three Queens – a view from the waterfront

Sylvia Lewis describes the arrival of the Three Queens in Liverpool

My husband and I were amongst the crowd of over 1 million people who went to the waterfront to watch the arrival of three majestic liners on the Mersey. All three of Cunard’s world famous liners made an historic visit to celebrate 175 years of pioneering transatlantic travel which began in Liverpool all those years ago. Queen Mary 2 left her Liverpool berth to meet Queen Elizabeth arriving at the mouth of the Mersey from the Orkney Islands and Queen Victoria arriving from Guernsey. The Three Queens then sailed in formation south  towards the Echo arena, our chosen viewpoint.
The atmosphere and anticipation amongst the crowd was intoxicating and built up to a crescendo as the ships appeared in front of us. We had chosen this viewpoint as it was here that all three ships held their positions before turning 180 degrees to face north. We were then treated to a by pass from the red arrows before Queen Mary 2 left the city, Queen Elizabeth berthed at the Cruise Liner Terminal and Queen Victoria anchored in the middle of the Mersey. There was a whole programme of events throughout the weekend to keep the huge crowds entertained including fireworks and lazer shows, but we chose the Monday when all three ships were together. Well done Liverpool an unforgettable moment in Liverpool’s history!
Sylvia Lewis CT 1962

Photos taken by Sylvia and her husband