SUSAN SWARBRICK

It was a day when grown men openly shed a tear, even the most hardy confessing to a lump in the throat. In their thousands they lined the esplanade at Greenock, watching with a mixture of pride and reverence as the QE2 left the Clyde for the last time.

On board the ship the mood was equally emotional. Passengers crowded the decks, waving back towards the shore, some craning their necks to catch sight of a familiar face, others standing stock still to savour the moment.

Exactly 41 years and 15 days since the QE2 was launched by the Queen at John Brown's shipyard in Clydebank, the most famous passenger ship in the world departed with no less fanfare.

A fireworks display lit up the Clyde shortly before the liner slipped away from its berth at 10pm to begin its final journey down the river.

Passengers dressed in their finery, swaddled in thick coats, hats and scarves against the autumn chill, sipping champagne.

Among the 1690 passengers on board was John Taylor, 57, a former worker at John Brown's shipyard who helped build the liner.

Then 15 and serving his apprenticeship as an electrician, Mr Taylor saw the ship go from a bare, empty shell to a glamorous, iconic liner.

"One of my most vivid memories is of fetching tea in tin cans for all the other workers and carrying them back balanced on a plank of wood," he said.

"There was a real buzz about building this ship. I actually wired up one of the horns on the old funnel. Working in the shipyards, that was a great claim to fame."

For Mr Taylor, sailing on the QE2 has been a lifelong ambition. "I was on the ship last year as a visitor for the 40th anniversary but this is my first time as a passenger. As she sailed down the Clyde for the last time, I wanted to be part of that.

"Right now I'm feeling very sad and emotional. I'm doing this on behalf of my family, friends and former colleagues who helped build this ship. I feel like they are here with me tonight."

For his wife Maureen, 53, an administration worker, it was also a poignant occasion. "As well as John, my father and grandfather also helped build this ship. They would have been so proud to see me here today.

"My dad in particular would have been chuffed to bits. I signed the visitor book at Greenock and wrote There at the launch, there at the end'."

Earlier in the day, thousands turned out to welcome the QE2 home for the last time.

A church-like hush descended as the ship's famous red and black funnel appeared on the horizon, flanked by a flotilla of more than 40 vessels, including the Navy's HMS Manchester, a CalMac ferry, the Balmoral, and a plethora of yachts, sailboats and dinghies.

Arriving into port, the ship's distinctive baritone horn sounded three times. Many of the crowd waved saltires or held up home-made banners. "QE2: Welcome home again" read one.

Among those on the esplanade was Chris Birt, 41, his mother Joan and seven-year-old son, Jack. Mr Birt, a shopkeeper from Greenock, said his father John, who helped build the ship and was on board the QE2 during the sea trials in 1968, was unable to join them due to illness but would be watching the ship pass by his window at Inverclyde Royal Hospital. "It's exciting for me to see it," he said. "I feel proud knowing my father has been part of all this."

Also among the crowd was Morag White, 54, a housewife from Glasgow. She too has strong links to the ship, as her father and brother are both former John Brown workers. When I saw the QE2 coming up the Clyde I had goosebumps," said Mrs White. "I've still got a tear in my eye."

On the bridge, Captain Ian McNaught was on fine form. Although born and raised in Tyneside, he has proud Scottish roots.

His father is from Possilpark in Glasgow, and worked in the John Brown shipyard before pursuing a career at sea. "It's a very proud day for me," he said. "Sailing up the Clyde my father is always at the back of my mind because of his links to Glasgow and John Brown's shipyard. He then went to sea, which is the reason I'm here now, doing what I do.

"The reception arriving into Greenock was fantastic, seeing the thousands of people cheering us in.

"It was wonderful and a huge honour. I don't see it as a sad occasion. It's a celebration of what this ship is all about and the legacy Clydeside has given to us."

Today the QE2 will sail north, passing the Western Isles and through the Pentland Firth before making its final approach into South Queensferry in the early hours of tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow evening, after a day of celebrations including a RAF Red Arrows flypast, the ship will leave Scotland for the last time.

The final chapter in the liner's colourful history will begin next month when it retires from service to begin a new incarnation as a floating hotel in Dubai.

Milestones

The QE2 has travelled 5.8 million nautical miles to date, including 803 transatlantic crossings and 25 circumnavigations of the globe.

The liner has carried 2.5 million passengers including aristocrats, politicians, diplomats, authors and film stars - including the Queen, Nelson Mandela, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, astronaut Buzz Aldrin and President George W Bush.

The ship isn't named after the Queen. Owners Cunard planned to call it Queen Elizabeth. The Queen, however, had a surprise up her sleeve and at the launch said: "I name this ship Queen Elizabeth the second."

The name posed a headache, the Queen being the first Elizabeth to rule over Scotland. In order not to upset the nation that built her, Cunard changed the name to QE2, using the Arabic numeral "2" instead of the Roman "II" the Queen uses.

The ship has made cameos in numerous films and TV shows such as The Parent Trap, Keeping Up Appearances, Crossroads and Coronation Street.

The QE2 made its maiden voyage to New York on May 2, 1969, completing the transatlantic crossing in four days, 16 hours and 35 minutes.

On May 17, 1972, while travelling from New York to Southampton, the ship was the subject of a bomb threat mid-Atlantic. An SAS-led team parachuted into the water next to the ship but no bomb was found.

In 1982 the QE2 was requisitioned as a troop carrier for the Falklands War. Among the 3000 troops on board was Simon Weston. The ship was welcomed home to the UK on June 11, 1982, by the Queen Mother.

On September 11, 1995, the ship encountered a 96ft wave in the North Atlantic courtesy of Hurricane Luis. It sailed on almost seamlessly. Remarkably, most of the passengers slept through it.

After 37 years, the QE2's reign as flagship of the Cunard fleet drew to a close on May 1, 2004, when the title was handed over to the French-built sister ship, Queen Mary 2.

In June 2007, Cunard announced it had sold the QE2 to the Dubai government investment company, Isthimar, for £50m. The final voyage will be from Southampton to Dubai on November 11, 2008. Afterwards, it will be berthed at the Palm Jumeirah as a luxury hotel.

Herald exclusive

Susan Swarbrick is the only journalist on board the QE2's farewell voyage around the Scottish coast. Follow her daily reports only in The Herald and online.