All the great ship's, similarly to Kings and Queens, have, by secular tradition, a cognomen. Sometimes, these nicknames are so strong, so descriptive, that they survive the erosion of times better than the actual baptism name. To my mind came the Portuguese galleon São João Baptista (Saint John the Baptist). Built in the XVI century, around 1534, she was, at the time, the most powerful warship in the world. With a displacement of 1000 tons and 366 bronze cannons, she was a floating fortress. Due to all that artillery power, she was nicknamed Botafogo (Spitfire). And the name lasted 'till today. And almost five hundred years later, the tradition goes on.
Presently, with a more peaceful significance, the Queen Mary 2, the latest, greatest, among a long lineage of ocean liners, is the Regina Oceanis.
Regina Oceanis. The Queen of the Oceans. I must say that it fits her like a glove.
The Queen Mary 2, from Cunard, approaching the Funchal bay, closely followed by the Aida Bella (second in berthing order), during her last call in Madeira, a few days ago.
Being the biggest ocean liner ever built, she always creates quite a stir on her arrivals.
Picture taken with Nikon Coolpix P7100 and post-processed in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Ver. 4.1.
