Cork, Ireland  - The departure of the Queen Elizabeth 2 from Southampton on November 11 marks the end of an era which will see the last of the great ocean liners sail through the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal en route to her final resting place in Dubai.

From November 27, Cunard's longest-serving liner and flagship will become a floating "hotel, retail and entertainment destination" at the Palm Jumeirah, the enormous palm-shaped artificial island currently being developed as a complex of tourist hotels and apartments, also by Dubai World from 2009.

Her nostalgic journey has prompted huge crowds, pipers band and stirred up a festive atmosphere at nearly every port of call. Among the most notable was the reception that awaited the grand lady on her arrival at Manhattan on October 16 when she sailed down the Hudson River past Battery Park accompanied by the Queen Mary 2 and along The Esplanade and Hudson River Park in the blazing sunshine.

Several guests boarded the vessel for lunch including the British Ambassador to the US, the British Consul General to New York, travel agents, maritime historians and dignitaries from the Port of New York and the coastguards. Speeches brought a tear to the eye, as Captain McNaught Commodore Warner and Carol Marlow told of QE2's life and the baton passing on to Queen Mary 2.

She had docked in the port of Cork, southern Ireland, on October 2, and then sailed onto Liverpool from where she travelled to Edinburgh and Newcastle before returning to Southampton on October 10th.

The QE2 was launched in Clydebank from the yard of John Brown on September 20, 1967, and made her official maiden voyage to New York in May 1969 where she has since docked a total of 706 times.

The QE2 is widely considered the world's most renowned ocean liner and has logged more than 5.6 million nautical miles - the equivalent to travelling to the moon and back 13 times.

In her four decades at sea, she has carried nearly 2.5 million passengers.

In 2010, the line will debut a new ship to be named Queen Elizabeth.

During its 40 years the QE2's passengers have included most of European monarchs, politicians and stars, including Nelson Mandela and some of the Beatles. (dpa)