THE countdown has begun to a moment in history when the largest, widest, tallest and most expensive passenger liner the world has ever seen arrives in Southampton for the first time.

Queen Mary 2 will be like no other ship that has set sail before and already its construction has been hailed as one of the major industrial projects of recent times.

On a day in December next year the great Cunarder will make her dramatic entrance in Southampton Water ready to take her place in the long and rich maritime history of the city's docks.

She will also take pride of place in the British merchant fleet, proudly flying the red ensign over her decks and with the name Southampton emblazoned on her side.

At a massive 150,000 tons she will be more than twice the size of the present Queen Elizabeth 2 and boast on-board passenger facilities previously only dreamed of by ship designers.

Already steel, to be used in the complex and highly sophisticated construction programme, is being cut at the French shipyard of Chantiers de l'Atlantique in St Nazaire, and over the next months an army of workers will shape the metal into the first true passenger liner to enter service for more than three decades.

Unlike modern day cruise ships, QM2 has been designed with an especially strengthened hull to allow her to power her way through the sometimes rough and challenging conditions of the North Atlantic.

QM2 is due to leave on her maiden voyage from Southampton in January 2004 before she begins a series of regular crossings on the traditional transatlantic service between the city and New York.

With a life expectancy of more than 40 years QM2 will echo the atmosphere and elegance of the Cunard liners of yesteryear during the golden days of ocean voyages when the style of how you travelled was every bit as important as arriving at your destination.

A glimpse of how QM2 will look has been revealed in new images of the liner which have been released by Cunard.

One is a unique painting, commissioned by Chantiers de l'Atlantique, by French artist, Jocelyn Gille of QM2 passing the American schooner, Regina Maris off the Fastnet Rock.

The original painting was presented to Cunard's president and chief operating officer, Pam Conover by Patrick Bossier, the shipyard's chairman, at a special ceremony in France when work began on QM2.

FACTFILE:

Operator: Cunard

Builders: Chantiers de l 'Atlantique

Enters service: January, 2004

Port of Registry: Southampton

Tonnage: 150,000 tons

Length: 1,131 feet

Beam: 131 feet

Draft: 32 feet ten inches

Height: 236 feet

Passengers: 2,800

Crew: 1,300

Speed: Approximately 30 knots