Aussie crowds flock to see QM2
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Article Date: 2007-02-22
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Queen Mary 2 (QM2) and smaller sister ship Queen Elizabeth 2 sailed into Sydney Harbour on Tuesday night (February 20th) as hoards of onlookers ground the city to a halt.
Thousands of people, even some from outside of Sydney, came to watch the two cruise liners stop off at the Australian leg of their round-the-world trip.
Eric Roozendaal, New South Wales' assistant transport minister, said the local authorities had failed to predict how many people would line the streets to see the two behemoths.
He told reporters: "Last night was a spectacular event with the QE2 and the QM2 coming to Sydney and the fireworks," reports AAP.
"Unfortunately, I know families were delayed on their way home and I am sorry for that delay.
"Clearly we did underestimate the massive response from Sydney."
At 1,132 ft long, the QM2 is 147 ft longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall and holds 2,620 passengers, who are served by 1,253 crew members. Its top speed is 30 knots and can generate up to 157,000 horsepower making it one of the most powerful consumer vessels in the world.
With 14 decks of sports facilities, shops, bars, lounges, five swimming pools and ten restaurants the ship was one of the most anticipated ever and cost nearly half a billion pounds.
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