Queen Elizabeth 2 bids Boston farewell

By Globe Staff

The 963-foot long Queen Elizabeth 2 chugged out of Boston Harbor for the final time today, bidding the city farewell after 50 visits over the last 30 years.

The ship backed out of its berth and turned around in the harbor at about 5:30 p.m. with a Boston fireboat spraying water. The ship blew its horn as it passed Castle Island and the several hundred people gathered there exchanged waves with people on the deck of the ship as an 11-gun howitzer salute resounded through the air.

The ocean liner, powered by two 22-foot propellers, made her maiden trip to Boston on Oct. 1, 1979. Known by the acronym QE2, the ship has five restaurants, two cafés, a casino, a 481-seat cinema, three swimming pools, and a shopping promenade that includes a branch of Harrod's department store.

The QE2 is bound for Bar Harbor before heading up to Canada on its way across the Atlantic.

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