News: 'Queen Elizabeth Two (QE2) 40 years on' - Virtual exhibition opens to mark anniversary of cruise liner

Forty years ago, on the 20 September 1967, the luxury cruise liner Queen Elizabeth the Second or, as it's more popularly known, the QE2 was launched by the Queen at John Brown & Company's ship yard at Clydebank. To coincide with the anniversary, the National Archives of Scotland (NAS) and the University of Glasgow Archive Services have launched a virtual exhibition together to celebrate the occasion. The exhibition's topicality has been further underlined by the final voyages of the QE2 after her sale to the Dubai World firm by Carnival, the world's largest operator, including visits to both the Rivers Forth and Clyde in the last few days.

By the time the QE2 was completed John Brown & Company had merged into the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders Ltd which collapsed in 1971. Their records, which were in danger of being lost forever, were secured for the nation by a deal made by the Keeper of the Records of Scotland in conjunction with the City of Glasgow, Clydebank Town Council and Dumbarton County Council. The exhibition features reproductions of original negatives which are held by the NAS and gives visitors to the site an exclusive chance to view images that were taken before, during and after the launch of the ship.

From the plater laying the first steel plate of her keel in July 1965 to the many thousands of people who travelled with her, she will always be remembered for being a world class passenger ship. 'Queen Elizabeth Two (QE2) 40 years' on can be viewed at the University of Glasgow Archive Services website.