For the first time, Cunard’s fleet gathered together in spectacular fashion in Liverpool, its spiritual home, as the company marked its 175th anniversary. The event culminated with the three ships – flagship Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria – the largest passenger ships ever to muster together on the River Mersey, lined up across the river just 426 feet apart as the Red Arrows performed a fly-past overhead to the delight of the hundreds of thousands of spectators. Prior to this, the three ships performed a graceful 180-degree synchronized turn to starboard. At the mid-point of the turn, all three ships lay across the river, creating the spectacle of the fleet’s three bows dramatically set against the backdrop of Liverpool’s famous Three Graces. Queen Mary 2 then sounded ‘175’ on her ship’s whistle (foghorn) – first one, then seven short blasts, then five more.