QM2 Under Construction

A pictorial comparison of the two giant Queens under construction

The Queen Mary (1936) was constructed at the John Brown & Co. shipyard on the Clyde River in Scotland. Her keel was laid on December 1st 1930. Construction ceased in December of 1931 because of an economic depression. The Great hull #534 sat on the builder's block at the Clydebank Shipyard for three years and accumulated tons of rust. Then on a jubilant day on April 1st 1934, work on the ship commenced again. Queen Mary crossed the Atlantic for the first time in May of 1936.

The first Keel Block for the new Queen Mary 2 was laid on July 4th 2002 at the French shipyard Alstom Chantiers de l’Atlantique...the same shipyard the built the famous Normandie and the SS France which is now the ss Norway. This is also known to be the most technologically advanced shipyard in the the World. Shipbuilding methods have changed since the days of the Queen Mary (1936), today...ships are built like a giant puzzle with prefabricated pieces, lowered into place and then welded together. Queen Mary 2's maiden voyage across the Atlantic is scheduled for January 12th, 2004. Return to the QM2 Main Page