Cunard Celebrates 175th Anniversary With Events In Ports Of Halifax, Boston And New York

SOUTHAMPTON, England - On 4 July 2015, Cunard's Queen Mary 2 will embark on the capstone of Cunard's 175th worldwide anniversary celebrations with a commemorative Transatlantic Crossing departing from Liverpool, England, paying tribute to the original voyage made by the company's first flagship, Britannia, on 4 July 1840. This journey inaugurated the first scheduled mail and passenger service across the Atlantic and Cunard will be celebrating this historic milestone in three cities which hold a special place in the company's storied past: Halifax, Boston and New York.

Queen Mary 2, Cunard's reigning flagship, will depart Southampton on 2 July, then call on Liverpool, the "spiritual home" of the company, amid fanfare and fireworks, and then sail onward to North America with celebratory onboard and commemorative shoreside events scheduled for each port of call.

"Cunard is honoured to be one of the few companies who can claim a 175-year history, and to celebrate this milestone and our enduring relationships with these cornerstone cities means so much to us," said Richard Meadows, president, Cunard, North America. "We look forward to honouring Sir Samuel Cunard in his birthplace of Halifax, to commemorate our heritage in Boston in what was the first American company headquarters, and to salute our U.S. homeport, New York in a festive and fitting fashion," he continued.

Halifax, 10 July

Halifax, Nova Scotia, the home of founder Sir Samuel Cunard, will be the first port to welcome Queen Mary 2 on 10 July.

• Cunard will mark the milestone occasion in a special outdoor ceremony, which will include local dignitaries, port officials and key members of the Halifax community. As a key component of the anniversary celebration ceremony, a public area of the future waterfront development will be named for Cunard. The ceremony will take place on the grounds of an upcoming mixed use development created by Southwest Properties and Streamliner Properties in collaboration with the Waterfront Development Corporation. Rhapsody Quintet, who are also members of Symphony Nova Scotia will perform during the event.

• Cunard has joined together with the Canadian Maritime Heritage Foundation and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic to create the first annual "Samuel Cunard Prize for Vision, Courage and Creativity," which will be awarded to James D. Irving, Canadian industrialist. This inaugural prize event will take place every year aboard Queen Mary 2 and recognize a different recipient who exemplifies the world-changing vision, courage and creativity shown by Samuel Cunard throughout his life.

• Re-opening of the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic's Cunard exhibition, as well as the launch of a new Samuel Cunard retrospective exhibit, showcasing the company founder's impact on global business, transportation and world events.

• Queen Mary 2 will sail away with a festive evening departure, slated to include local navy cadets, with more details to be announced shortly.
Boston, 12 July

Early morning on 12 July, Queen Mary 2 will sail into Boston, Massachusetts, the company's first port of call in the U.S. and the home of its first North American headquarters.

• A special dedication ceremony to launch the newly renovated Cunard Building with the donation of the Servia ship model by Cunard. The model, built in 1881, is being brought over on Queen Mary 2 from the Science Museum in England and will be placed in the front entrance of the former North American Cunard headquarters at 120 State Street. Located in the Customs House District, the building is part of a redevelopment of the area and historically renovated by Highland Development and Morris Architects through the stewardship of the building's owner, Bill Mosakowsi, Public Consulting Group.

• 1:30 pm: Captain Kevin Oprey, Master of Queen Mary 2, will throw the ceremonial first pitch at the Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees game at Fenway Park.

• Evening: Fireworks will mark Queen Mary 2's evening departure as she sets off towards New York City for the final leg of her 175th Anniversary tour.

New York, 14 July

Although not a port of call in the original Crossing made by Britannia, New York has been Cunard's North American homeport for over a century.

• Captain Kevin Oprey, Master of Queen Mary 2 to ring the Closing Bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

• Evening: Public viewing from Battery Park of a theatrical light and music show on Queen Mary 2 while the ship pauses in lower Manhattan harbor in front of the Statue of Liberty.
Further information regarding these special events will be forthcoming soon.

About Queen Mary 2

Christened by Her Majesty The Queen in 2004, Cunard Line's flagship Queen Mary 2 defines luxury travel for the 21st Century and continues an almost 175-year legacy of transatlantic travel. Queen Mary 2 achieved her 200th Transatlantic Crossing in July 2013. Famous names who have experienced this iconic voyage since 2004 include President George H.W. Bush, Desmond Tutu, James Taylor, Wes Anderson, Tilda Swinton, George Takei, Kim Novak, Uma Thurman, Richard Dreyfuss, John Cleese and Angela Bassett.