By Dave Crolley
Cunard’s newest Cruise Ship Queen Anne arrived from Belfast at the Liverpool Cruise Terminal on Monday 3rd June 2024 at approx 7am for her naming ceremony.
She was met off New Brighton by two tugs, Svitzer Elizabeth and Svitzer Bidston that gave her a water canon greeting and then escorted her onto the cruise terminal. She stayed there until 3.30pm when she moved to a position in the river just off the Liver Building for her naming which began at 4pm.
At this point it was announced that the Godmother of the ship would be the City of Liverpool represented by five Liverpudlians, Spice Girl Melanie C, local broadcaster Ngunan Adamu, entrepreneur Natalie Haywood, musician Jayne Casey and British Olympian Katarina Johnson-Thomson who performed the naming with the usual smashing of a traditional bottle of champagne from the stage that had been built on the Pier Head.
There was also music proved by the legendary Opera superstar Andrea Bocelli and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra plus other well known artists. At 8.30pm the evening entertainment was hosted by D.J. Craig Charles and at 10.15pm a grand firework display was held from the roof of the Cunard Building and a barge that was moored in mid river.
Queen Anne then sailed away at approx 10.30pm for her next port of call the following day at Cobh, Southern Ireland. Copied here are a few of my images taken on the day from off the Mersey Ferry Snowdrop, Birkenhead Woodside and from the Pier Head.
