
Cunard’s three Queen cruise liners have come together for only the fourth time in Southampton to kick off celebrations for the British-American company’s 175th anniversary.

A special ceremony will see the luxury cruise company’s flagship, the Queen Mary 2, lead Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria out of Southampton Docks before sailing south to Calshot and eventually into open water.

It will be a rare sight for those in attendance, as it will be the first time the three vessels have sailed together in daylight from Cunard’s home port.

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Cunard's three Queens - flagship Queen Mary 2 (centre), Queen Victoria (top) and Queen Elizabeth - sail together (file photo)

Spectators gather at the Southampton Docks ahead of a ceremony involving the Queen Mary 2 (left) and the Queen Elizabeth (right)

The Queen Elizabeth is Cunard's newest luxury liner, with 16 decks and a capacity of more than 2,000 passengers

Commodore Christopher Rynd, Captain Inger Thourage and Captain Christopher Wells are pictured during the Cunard celebration

Today's ceremony marks the first time Cunard's three Queen vessels have sailed together in daylight from its home port

Southampton has been a home for the shipping line for almost 100 years, and today’s ceremony will see Captain Chris Wells, Master of Queen Mary 2, leading the fleet.

Commodore Christopher Rynd is the Master of Queen Victoria, and Captain Inger Klein Thorhauge is Master of Queen Elizabeth and Cunard's first ever female captain.

After setting off from Southampton Docks the fleet will separate before coming together again as the Queen Elizabeth leads the other two ships past the Isle of Wight.

The ships will then break formation and follow their own itineraries.

Hollywood actor Clark Gable boards the Queen Mary in this black and white photo from Cunard's archives

Cunard's ships attracted Hollywood's stars during the golden age of ocean travel, including Ginger Rogers (left) and Rita Hayworth

Queen Elizabeth will continue east towards Hamburg in Germany, Queen Victoria will turn south for St Peter Port in Guernsey, and Queen Mary 2 will head west across the Atlantic Ocean to New York.

On its journey Queen Victoria will pay tribute to the RMS Lusitania, which at one time was the world’s largest passenger ship.

It sank on May 7, 1915 when it was hit by a single torpedo fired from a German U-boat off the southern coast of Ireland.

RMS Lusitania was carrying just under 2,000 passengers and crew to Liverpool from New York, and nearly 1,200 were killed.

Singer and actor Bing Crosby was a regular on the Queen Mary and made friends with the ship's photographers

Actor Cary Grant poses in the Queen Mary’s first class dining room with Binnie Barnes, a popular socialite, and her daughter

Before today’s ceremony Commodore Rynd said: ‘This is the first time that the Cunard ships have been in Southampton since they set off on their world cruises in January, so it's great to have the opportunity to meet with my fellow captains.

‘We rarely get together in this way. It's only the fourth time ever that these three Queens have gathered here in Southampton.

‘Today is a special day for Cunard, as the 175 anniversary celebrations are initiated here in our home port.

‘We are looking forward to sailing the Three Queens out from Southampton this afternoon in special formation and adding a little bit more history to the Cunard story.’

This image from Cunard's archives shows the actor David Niven, who once played James Bond in the 1967 film Casino Royale

The Queen Elizabeth's famous guest list included actress and singer Marlene Dietrich, and singer Vera Lynn

A massive crowd is expected when the ships reunite and sail down the Mersey in Liverpool on May 25.

The anticipation has been building for months as Cunard has been digging into its archives to reveal what it was like on its ships during the golden age of cruise liners – and how much ocean travel has changed.

Black and white photos show some of the era’s biggest Hollywood stars lounging on deck or attending glamorous parties.

One black and white image shows the actor David Niven, who once played James Bond in the 1967 film Casino Royale.

Cunard's ships once hosted boxing matches on the upper decks, and proved to be a popular draw for passengers and crew

Men in suits and women dressed in furs and hats take part in a tug-of-war in this undated photo from Cunard's archives

On board the Queen Elizabeth Ginger Rogers can be seen leaning over the balcony as the wind blows through her hair.

Rogers famously starred in the 1935 musical Top Hat which has since been turned into a stage production that is currently touring the UK.

Another photo shows actor Cary Grant in the Queen Mary’s first class dining room with Binnie Barnes, the wife of the head of Columbia Pictures and a popular socialite, and her daughter.

Grant was one of the most famous actors of his time, appearing in numerous Alfred Hitchcock films.

Other photos from nearly a century ago show the Cunard ship the Berengaira at Southampton’s floating dock in the 1920s, boxing on the upper deck, and men in suits and women dressed in furs and hats taking part in a tug-of-war.

A steward poses for a photo while handing out drinks to passengers on board one of the company's ocean liners

RMS Mauretania (right) is pictured alongside Aquitana (middle) and White Star's Olympic in Southampton in 1920