Some the potential names tossed about by guests at the keel laying ceremony were Great Britain, William Shakespeare, Winston Churchill, London, Britannia, Mauretania, Queen Victoria and even Queen Mary II.
The keel laying was initially scheduled to take place a day earlier, on 4 July, the traditional Cunard keel-laying day (marking the start of the maiden voyage of Britannia (1840), the first Cunard liner). But Cunard had a separate celebration planned for that day (the voyage’s 125th anniversary), so the new liner’s ceremony was moved to the following day.
Still, old traditions die hard. Several sources claim that the future QE2’s keel was actually moved about a tiny bit on 4 July—just for old time’s sake.
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