Queen Mary 2 anchored in New York Harbour on July 4 as the centrepiece of Sail4th 250, the United States’ 250th Independence Day celebrations.
The liner gave guests front-row views to one of the most significant Fourth of July events ever staged.
Katie McAlister, Cunard President, said it felt fitting to see Queen Mary 2 at the heart of the historic occasion.
“Queen Mary 2 is an iconic ship and she represents the transatlantic story itself. To have her at the heart of Sail4th 250 on such a significant day felt incredibly special, with New York as the backdrop and our guests enjoying a front-row view of the celebrations,” Ms McAlister said.
The day featured the International Parade of Sail with more than 100 vessels including 47 tall ships from 20 nations sailing from the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge past the Statue of Liberty and up the Hudson River.
An International Naval Review acknowledged a fleet of 37 U.S. and allied naval ships, followed by a military flypast featuring more than 150 aircraft including the Red Arrows and the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels, and a fireworks display over the Manhattan skyline.
NBC’s TODAY broadcast live from Queen Mary 2, with Jenna Bush Hager reporting from the ship.
The occasion held particular significance for Cunard, as July 4 marks the 186th anniversary of the line’s very first crossing, when RMS Britannia departed Liverpool for Boston in 1840, launching the world’s first regularly scheduled transatlantic steamship service.
Cunard first sailed into New York Harbour in December 1847 and has called at the port every year since, making it the longest-running port of call in the line’s history.
