As QM2 continues to create excitement in the city, a new book tells the incredible stories of three of our most famous transatlantic ships...

SOUTHAMPTON'S waterfront has been busier than usual over the last few days. The roads around Town Quay have been packed with people and traffic, while a non-stop line of vehicles has been queuing to enter the Eastern Docks.

The reason for all this activity is the arrival of Cunard's massive 150,000- ton passenger liner, Queen Mary 2, in her home port as she prepares for a spectacular dockside naming ceremony to be performed by the Queen this Thursday.

Everyone wants to the see QM2, the biggest, widest, tallest and most expensive passenger liner ever built, as she starts her career following in the tradition of all the earlier legendary Cunarders.

The original Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth and the present day Queen Elizabeth 2 are perhaps the most famous of these magnificent transatlantic liners and all are featured in the new book, Pride of the North Atlantic by local author, David F. Hutchings.

Published to coincide with the entry into service of QM2, the work brings together in one volume his previous individual histories of the three Cunarders.

The author recalls the scenes on May 27, 1936, when the first Queen Mary left Southampton on her maiden voyage to New York.

"At teatime, 4.30pm the Queen left the Ocean Dock at the outset of her maiden voyage,'' writes the author.

"Thousands blackened the local shoreline or else followed the liner in an excited white flurry of accompanying pleasure craft of all kinds; yachts, motor boats and paddle-steamers all jockeying for position in an attempt to keep up with the liner as she headed down Southampton Water, past the Isle of Wight towards Cherbourg and then New York.

"On board were Henry Hall and the Queen Mary Orchestra, the mouth-organ virtuoso Larry Adler and Miss Frances Day, the singer, who had brought her own chickens on board - they were cooped near the ship's dog kennels - along with a Rolls Royce in which to process down Broadway.''

Queen Mary survives to this day and is now in sedate retirement, warming her decks under the Californian sun as a hotel and tourist attraction in Long Beach.

To everyone who knew her in Southampton, Queen Elizabeth was simply known as the Lizzie, and although there are some who consider she always sailed slightly in the shadow of her sister ship, the Mary, the Cunarder had the distinction, at that time, of being the largest passenger liner ever built and she also held, for many years, the record of being the biggest ship in the world.

After valiant war service as a troopship, Queen Elizabeth left Southampton on her maiden commercial voyage in October, 1946, and then, when she was joined by Queen Mary, the two big liners began operating together the North Atlantic service reached a peak of perfection.

In the second half of the 1960s escalating fuel bills and, more seriously, a drift of passengers to jet aircraft Cunard took the decision to withdraw Queen Elizabeth from service.

After an uncertain time, the Lizzie ended up in Hong Kong, being converted into a floating university, but then in January 1972 disaster struck when a series of suspicious fires broke out of board and swept through her decks destroying the once great liner.

To use a cliche, Queen Elizabeth 2 has become a legend in her own lifetime. No other passenger liner has received so much publicity, she is so easily recognised and so well known by the public.

QE2 is a true ocean greyhound who has for years reigned supreme on the North Atlantic.

It was late in the evening of Sunday, September 10, 1995 as Hurricane Luis headed up the east coast of America that the strength of QE2 and the skill of her master, Commodore Ronald Warwick, was tested to the full.

"By late evening, with the eye of Luis still 140 miles away the wind speed had increased from 50 to 100 knots, giving the ship a heel of seven degrees to starboard,'' writes the author.

"The wind then came ahead creating very heavy head seas that continually broke over the ship's bow leaving it awash for minutes at a time.

"Speed was reduced and in the early hours of the morning QE2 hove-to, riding 40-foot waves. At 2.10am a rogue wave was sighted. On the bridge the master had kept a vigilant watch with his navigators and watch-keepers."

He recalled the heart-stopping moment as hundreds of tons of water thundered down onto the foredeck of his ship.

"The wave seemed to take ages to reach us, but it was probably less than a minute before it broke with tremendous force over the bow of QE2.

"An incredible shudder went through the ship followed a few moments later by two smaller shudders.''

The wave had been of awesome dimensions, from 95 to 98 feet in height and about 1,200 feet wide.

Railings around the foredeck had been buckled and the deck plating of the tip of the foredeck had been buckled.

Pride of the North Atlantic by David F Hutchings is published by Waterfront and costs £29.95.