Almost 10 years later and shes still not home……

Almost 10 years later & shes still not home…… and shes not coming home.

It was Sunday the 5th October 2008, I can remember it like it was yesterday. It was a cold but dry night and the esplanade was jam packed with the people of Inverclyde and beyond waving goodbye to the QE2 as she sailed the River Clyde for the last time. The vessel was launched from the John Brown shipyard in Clydebank on 20 September, 1967 and she first sailed on the River Clyde and that is why the 5th October 2008 was such a special occasion for us, i can remember the fire works and the people cheering. Some people were sad as the liner was heading for Dubai where today she has sat for almost 10 years rotting away. This sparked outrage for some of her fans in UK. Petitions soon started to bring her home to the River Clyde where she was built or Southampton when she sailed from.

The QE2 was handed over to her new owners, Dubai World owned Istithmar, at Port Rashid in Dubai on November 27th, 2008 after her final voyage.  The plan was that she would go into Dubai Dry Dock for a 3 year rebuild and become a hotel, however the global recession had other plans.  Dubai had bigger problems, and bigger projects to fund and finish first, almost 10 years later she still sits in the dock where her last passengers left her, rotting away due to the heat but finally there is light at the end of the tunnel for the QE2 after doing a bit of re-search people have posted on social media and news that throughout 2017 work was clearly ongoing, and there was reason to be cautiously optimistic. There has been no official announcement yet and it is unclear when the ship will open to the public but work appears to be at an advanced stage.

Did you ever sail on the QE2 ? or have you heard anything about this ship opening to the public anytime soon? Hopefully it wont take another 10 years !!