Cunard’s Queen Anne has sailed into her homeport of Southampton ahead of her maiden voyage to Lisbon on Friday.

The Queen Anne, the 249th ship to sail under the Cunard flag, arrived in the city at approximately 8 p.m. local time.

And as she navigated Southampton for the very first time, she was accompanied by a number of small crafts from the local boating community as a celebration of her historic arrival.

The luxury cruise line’s newest ship had arrived from Italy following an official handover ceremony at the Fincantieri Maghera shipyard in Venice on 19 April, with thousands of spectators taking up vantage points along Southampton Water to catch a glimpse of the 113,000-ton, 3,000-guest Queen.

An official blessing and plaque exchange ceremony will take place whilst the ship is alongside at Mayflower Terminal on Friday May 3. She will then depart for a 14-night voyage to the Canary Islands.