QE2 in New York for first time since Sept 11

The QE2 today returned to New York for the first time since the September 11 terror attacks.

The liner is the first cruise ship to dock in New York since the collapse of the World Trade Centre, when the city’s harbour was closed to cruise passengers.

Today as she sailed past the south of Manhattan where the twin towers once stood, passengers lined the rails and bowed their heads in prayer in memory of the 2,895 victims of the attacks.

And crew members dropped wreaths on the water as the ship sailed up the Hudson River to the city’s docks.

The dock buildings were turned into the command centre co-ordinating police, fire and emergency services in the wake of the attacks, while part of the buildings were used as a family centre for the relatives of the lost.

The QE2 was on its way to New York when the terror attacks happened.

Passengers faced delays when they were diverted to Boston to dock and then were unable to fly to New York from the city, as airports were closed.

Moving the family centre from the dock buildings in New York allowed city officials to let cruise liners back into the docks, with the QE2 the first to make its way past ground zero.