MV Queen Elizabeth Vist & Lusitania Memorial Service – Sunday 5th August

Call of MV Queen Elizabeth to the Port of Cork marked with Lusitania Memorial Service in Cobh.

The luxurious ocean liner, MV Queen Elizabeth will call to Cobh tomorrow morning arriving (Sunday, 5 August 2012) at 9am, bringing with her over 3,000 passengers and crew.  With a gross tonnage of 90,900 GRT and a guest capacity of 2,068 and 996 crew, MV Queen Elizabeth is the second largest Cunard ship ever built.

To coincide with her visit, the Port of Cork together with Cunard will hold a Lusitania Memorial Service in the centre of Cobh town commencing at 11.15am.  Led by Commodore Rynd, Master of the Queen Elizabeth, the service will be attended by the Chairman of the Port of Cork, the County Mayor, the Lord Mayor and other dignitaries.

When the Lusitania left New York there were 1,962 people on board, 694 crew, 1,265 passengers and 3 stowaways. Only 764 people survived – 474 passengers and 290 crew. Over 800 of the victim’s bodies were never found. The bodies were landed in Cobh are buried in three mass graves in the “Old Church Cemetery”.

Cunard have a great history of calling to the Port of Cork and over the years each of Cunard’s three vessels have made a visit to Cobh. Last year marked the maiden call of Queen Elizabeth, the newest Cunarder to join the fleet and in 2009, the Queen Mary II called while in 2012, the Queen Victoria made her maiden call to Cobh. In 2009, MV Queen Elizabeth II made her final call to Cobh before departing for Dubai where she was to become a floating hotel.

In October 2008, Cunard announced the building of this magnificent vessel at an estimated cost of €500 million euros, and within two years the naming ceremony was carried out in Southampton by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The vessel departed on her maiden voyage on the 12th October 2010 .She has already completed two World voyages, transited the Suez and Panama Canals and crossed the World’s Oceans.

Commenting on the significance of the service, Commodore Rynd, Master of ‘Queen Elizabeth’ said, “This Lusitania memorial service reflects the eternal connection between Cobh, the” Lusitania” and Cunard, and is a stark reminder of the tragedy of war. The sinking of the Lusitania on 7th May 1915 was a human catastrophe on a scale that this town had not experienced before or since. Survivors have noted the generous hospitality of the people of Queenstown for the dead, injured and bereaved and for that, we also pay tribute to the people of Cobh today”.

Commodore Rynd  has already served a long and distinguished career in the Merchant Navy and following many years in command, was in 2011 appointed Commodore of the Cunard fleet and has served in that role on board the company flagship Queen Mary 2 and now on Queen Elizabeth the latest addition to the fleet.