Cunard brought together its three ships to host the largest Diamond Jubilee celebration outside of London. The Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth met in Southampton for the first time on Tuesday (05 Jun) in a tribute to Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. It was the first time that the Cunard fleet has been seen arriving and departing together in a three-ship formation at their homeport in England.

The ships approached the port soon after dawn, sailing in single file up Southampton Water where they were welcomed by a flotilla of small boats. QM2 then revealed a massive “Congratulations Ma’am” banner near the funnel (pictured above) while all three ships’ whistles sounded in salute.

The celebrations, believed to be the largest Diamond Jubilee event outside of London, culminated in an evening spectacular of fireworks and special effects.