The QE2 is making an eight-day cruise around Britain to mark its 40th anniversary. Here the famous liner sets off from its home port of Southampton.

As part of its trip round the country the QE2 sailed up the Mersey to coincide with the opening of Liverpool's �19m cruise liner terminal.

The QE2 was built at the John Brown shipyard on the Clyde. During construction it was known less glamorously as job number 736. (Pic: National Archives of Scotland)

Crowds were out in force on the banks of the Clyde when the QE2 was launched - two minutes early - by the Queen on 20 September 1967.

The liner's interior ditched traditional wood and brass for plastics, aluminium, modern furniture and abstract art. (Pic: National Archives of Scotland)

In 1982, the QE2 was requisitioned as a troop ship for the Falklands War. The vessel carried 3,000 personnel and 650 volunteer crew to the South Atlantic.

The QE2's anniversary tour has included calls at Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Liverpool. Here the ship is moored next to the landmark Forth railway bridge.

The QE2 celebrated its 40th birthday back on the Clyde. The liner is set to be turned into a floating hotel at the Palm Jumeirah development in Dubai from 2009.