The biggest Union Jack

Crowds turned out at vantage points  on Southampton Water today to welcome the massive new luxury P&O cruise liner bearing a huge Union Jack emblem on her bow.
 
She will be officially named Britannia by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh on Tuesday, ahead of her maiden voyage, a cruise to the Mediterranean. The naming is set to be a milestone in British maritime history.
 
The ship arrived at Southampton directly from the shipyard where she was built at Trieste in Italy at a cost of £500 million and is expected to provide a major boost to Britain’s cruise business.
 
She is reckoned to be the biggest ship designed exclusively for Britain. As such, Britannia is P&O Cruises’ latest “modern classic”, which the company believes heralds a new era of holiday choice. Chief amongst her features are her restaurants, bars and cafes, with menus and culinary experiences created by 'Food Heroes' like James Martin, Marco Pierre White, Atul Kochhar, Eric Lanlard, wine expert Olly Smith and cheese expert Charlie Turnbull.
 
At 1,082 feet long, she has 15 passenger decks and 1,837 cabins. Her maiden voyage begins on Saturday, March 14.
 
There have been two previous Britannias in P&O history. The first entered service in 1835 for P&O’s predecessor company, The General Steam Navigation Co.
 
The second Britannia entered service in 1887 and was built in Greenock.
 
The cruise company says with her Union Jack livery the new ship will fly the flag for Britain across the Globe.