ONE of the world's most iconic ship's will be at the heart of a new exhibition at Irvine's Scottish Maritime Museum.
Dubbed ‘Ocean Liners’, a model the Royal Mail Ship (RMS) Queen Elizabeth will be the centrepiece of the exhibition will open at the Museum on Irvine Harbourside later this year.
Ocean Liners will be a permanent exhibition celebrating the golden age of cruising.
The incredible 1948 model of the ship, which was operated by shipping and cruising company Cunard, is 5.4 metres long and took a remarkable 6,900 hours to build.
Cunard themselves have generously loaned the model to the museum for the exhibit.
Famous around the world, the RMS Queen Elizabeth was built at the yard of John Brown & Co., Clydebank and launched on September 27, 1938.
She was destined for Cunard’s transatlantic service until the Second World War broke out less than a year after the ship was launched.
Her maiden voyage was cancelled and the striking 314-metre vessel was stripped of the recognisable black, red and white of the Cunard Line.
She was then painted battleship grey and refitted as a troop transport vessel with anti-aircraft guns.
After its war service the ship made her first commercial voyage in her intended role in October 1946, and alongside her sister, RMS Queen Mary, dominated the trans-Atlantic passenger trade until the increasing popularity and accessibility of air travel took hold.
The Queen Elizabeth was retired from service in 1968, and converted to a tourist attraction in Florida, but the venture was not a success and she was sold for use as a floating university in Hong Kong - only to catch fire and sink while undergoing refurbishment in 1972.
The model of RMS Queen Elizabeth, which weighs almost 1.5 tonnes, was built for the Cunard New York City office by the English toy manufacturing company Basset-Lowke.
It is currently on view in a temporary space whilst a conservation survey is undertaken. Any work required to care for, and sustain the model for the future, will then be carried out.
RMS Queen Elizabeth was the first of three Queen Elizabeth vessels built for the 180 year old Cunard company. Queen Elizabeth 2 launched in 1969 and retired in 2008. The current Queen Elizabeth launched in 2010.
The time at the Scottish Maritime Museum say they are excited to welcome the public to see the fantastic model.
James McLean, the museum's curator, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to Cunard for generously loaning us this precious 1:48 scale model of RMS Queen Elizabeth.
“The first of three Cunard vessels named after Queen Elizabeth, RMS Queen Elizabeth had an extraordinary life, from wartime service to glamorous voyages.
“As a troop carrier during the Second World War, it moved over 750,000 troops a staggering 500,000 miles.
“Post-war, the familiar dark hull, red funnel and luxurious Art Deco interior soon became synonymous with style, elegance and refinement attracting some of Hollywood’s biggest stars amongst them Elizabeth Taylor and Judy Garland.
“We couldn’t have a better centrepiece for our new permanent exhibition, ‘Ocean Liners’.
"We can’t wait to welcome everyone to come along and see this fabulous model of RMS Queen Elizabeth close up.”
The Scottish Maritime Museum on Irvine Harbourside is open daily from 10am until 5pm.
For more information, visit www.scottishmaritimemuseum.org.
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