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Queen Mary 2 returns to Saint-Nazaire for centenary of US soldiers' landingQueen Mary 2 returns to Saint-Nazaire for centenary of US soldiers' landing

Queen Mary 2 returned to Saint-Nazaire for the first time since its 2003 delivery from the French shipyard, excorted by an armada of military ships flying the flags of France, the US, Ireland, Germany and Great Britain. The occasion was watched by thousands of onlookers.

Michèle Valandina, French correspondent

June 25, 2017

1 Min Read
Credit: Seatrade Cruise News

The Cunard liner was chartered by partner firms from Western France for The Bridge 2017, an event by the 14-18 French Centenary Mission to celebrate the memory of the 200,000 American soldiers who arrived in Saint-Nazaire and Brest in 1917 and to promote 100 years of fraternity between France and the US.

The 345-meter Cunard liner sailed Saturday to the place where it was built.

Queen Mary 2 leaves Sunday for a race from the Saint-Nazaire Bridge to the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York, where it's due to arrive July1. Four maxi-multihulls, managed by racing champions, are taking part in the event: Sodebo (Thomas Coville), Macif (François Gabart), Actual (Yves Le Blevec) and Idec (Francis Joyon).

On June 25, 100 years to the day when the first American soldiers disembarked on the European continent, three cannon shots will be fired under the Saint-Nazaire Bridge. Queen Mary 2 will leave at 7 p.m. for the race. Up to 200,000 people are expected to be on hand.

The arrival of American jazz and music to France will also be celebrated on board the vessel.

About the Author

Michèle Valandina

French correspondent

A graduate from Lyon University, where she specialised in foreign languages and American literature, Michèle worked as an interpreter/translator (English, German and Italian) for major international events before entering the diplomatic world for a few years. As a Paris-based freelance travel and lifestyle writer, she has been a contributor to a host of publications and has long specialised in two sectors: cruising and wellness. Her features have appeared in, among others, Le Monde, Le Figaro, Le Figaro Magazine, Les Echos Week-end and periodicals dedicated to the MICE sector. She has also featured on radio and TV travel programmes and, since 1992, has been the author of the only French cruise guide, Croisières Passion.

 

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