Cunard's latest cruise liner Queen Elizabeth floated out

Florence "Dennie" Farmer was at an Italian shipyard when the 92,000-tonne Queen Elizabeth became waterborne for the first time.

Her late husband, Willie, joined Cunard in September 1938 and served as chief engineer on the company's first Queen Elizabeth and also on the QE2.

At the ceremony in the Fincantieri shipyard near Trieste, yesterday three coins were welded beneath the mast for good luck.

They were a half crown dated 1938 – the year the first Queen Elizabeth was launched – a sovereign dated 1967 when the QE2 was launched and a sovereign dated 2010.

Featuring mosaics, marble and chandeliers, the new Queen Elizabeth will be the second-largest Cunard vessel built, only surpassed in size by the 2004-launched Queen Mary 2.

The new ship will be officially named at its home port of Southampton on October 11 and will leave the next day on its 13-night maiden voyage around the Mediterranean. Its first world voyage will start from South-ampton on January 5, 2011 – a 103-night sailing which includes 38 stops in 23 countries.

Cunard president and managing director Peter Shanks said: "Of our 170 years of history there has been an Elizabeth in the fleet for over 70 and this ship will take the name far into the 21st century."

n Former prima ballerina Darcey Bussell will officially name another new British cruise liner. The former Royal Ballet principal dancer has been appointed "godmother" to the P&O Cruises vessel the 115,000-tonne Azura. The naming ceremony for the 3,100 passenger ship will take place at Southampton on April 10.