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They might have left by now, but you can still enjoy these pictures of Cunard’s Three Queens Ships, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary 2 & Queen Victoria, sailed on the River Mersey.
The ships moved gracefully in formation to perform a series of River Dance routines off the Pier Head, included in these routines were a marvelous arrowhead formation, followed by a pose for cameras, before aligning themselves abreast for the first time ever in any body of water.
Many arrived much earlier in the day to witness the brilliant celebrations, and although the great occasion officially began on Saturday 23th May, the main spectacle was Monday’s event.
This was the first time in history that the Three Queens have been in the beautiful city of Liverpool all together, thousands turned up to watch this historic spectacle.
Cunard’s Headquarters was based in the city of Liverpool up until the 1960s and the Three Queens Ships Salute in Liverpool was a tribute to Cunard’s humble beginnings.
Queen Mary 2 lead the way along the River Mersey at Midday, the programme finished with an amazing flight of the Red Arrows at around 1:50pm, the Red Arrows concluded the event to celebrate the significant occasion of the Three Queens’ first time together, with a series of manoeuvres that filled the day sky with red, white & blue smoke.
The world famous acrobatic team followed the Mersey, flying in formation over the three ships in what was described by many as one of the most extraordinary spectacles that the city has ever seen.
Cunard Director, Angus Struthers, said: “The arrival of the Queen May 2 this morning, the largest passenger ship ever to sail up the Mersey, signalled the beginning of Cunard’s Salute to Liverpool celebrations in the place where the Cunard story began 175 years ago.”
The Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, was equally as excited: ‘Liverpool is a city well-versed in staging huge events with an international focus and this bank holiday weekend is no exception.
‘”he arrival of the Three Cunard Queens has been nearly a year in the planning, and for months there has been a real buzz around the city about this making of maritime history.
‘I have no doubt Liverpool will shine under the international spotlight and this will be an unforgettable moment in the city’s history for all the right reasons.”
The event is abuzz all over social media, with people following all the news and footage along with their own thoughts on the event, using the hashtag #Cunard175.