London - Britain's QE2 luxury liner, which is to be turned into a floating hotel in Dubai, temporarily ran aground on its final call at its home port of Southampton, southern England, Tuesday.

Tugs were employed to refloat the vessel which it was believed had been blown off course by strong winds as it negotiated entry into the port in the early hours of Tuesday, initial reports said.

The 40-year-old liner is due to leave Southampton Tuesday evening to sail to Dubai where it is due to arrive on November 26.

The QE2 will be handed over to the Nakheel company, part of Dubai World, to be refurbished before taking up a permanent docking on a berth in Palm Jumeirah, the largest man-made island in the world.

Before the QE2 sets sail on its last journey from Britain, it will be at the centre of commemorations Tuesday to remember the end of World War I 90 years ago.

Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, will be on board the ship to mark the occasion as 1 million paper poppy flowers - Britain's symbol for remembering the war dead - will rain down from a Tiger Moth byplane flying overhead.

The liner, launched by Queen Elizabeth II in 1967, has sailed around the world 25 times, crossed the Atlantic more than 800 times and carried more than 2.5 million passengers.

It served as a troop carrier in the 1982 Falklands conflict. (dpa)