Cunard's new 90,000 ton cruise liner Queen Victoria has been "floated out" of her building dock at Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard near Venice.

Taking command of the 964 feet long Queen Victoria when she makes her maiden voyage in 300 days time will be Captain Paul Wright, who lives on the waterside near Truro.

Having sailed to all seven continents, when asked what his most memorable moments at sea have been, Captain Wright cites two: meeting Astronaut Neil Armstrong who was lecturing onboard in the early 1990s, and sailing Queen Mary 2 into Hamburg on her maiden call when half a million people lined the shore to greet her.

When appointed to command the super-liner Queen Victoria he said: "I fully expect that sailing Queen Victoria into Southampton for the first time will give me a third most memorable event - and I have no doubt it will be equally memorable for those who turn out to greet us; nothing stirs the imagination quite as much as a new Cunarder arriving in port for the first time. She will be a magnificent vessel built in true Cunard style."

Captain Wright first went to sea in 1965 as a cadet with Shell Tankers, and quickly progressed to passenger ships in 1969 when he joined Canadian Pacific. His first appointment with Cunard was to Cunard Countess in 1980, and since then he has served on Cunard Princess, Sagafjord and Cunard Dynasty. In 1999, Captain Wright was promoted to Captain of Cunard's flagship Queen Elizabeth 2 where he served until construction began on Queen Mary 2, the largest ocean liner ever built. He oversaw construction of QM2 in St Nazaire prior to commission, and in 2004 was appointed Master of Queen Mary 2, rotating with the recently retired Commodore Ronald Warwick.

Queen Victoria's floating out ceremony in Italy was attended by Cunard's managing director, Carol Marlow, and Maureen Ryan, guest of honour, who joined Cunard in 1963 and is the only known person to have served on all Cunard Queens: Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, QE2 and Queen Mary 2. In recognition of this, Cunard bestowed on Maureen the honour of acting as the yard's Madrina (Italian for Godmother) to Queen Victoria.

The first ceremony involved the welding of two coins beneath the mast of Queen Victoria for good luck. The two coins chosen were a Euro (symbolising the fact that the ship is being built in Italy) and a gold Queen Victoria sovereign with St George slaying the dragon on the reverse side.

Carol Marlow said: "Cunard came into being at the very beginning of the Victorian era. Queen Victoria had been on the throne for only three years when Samuel Cunard's first ship set sail. And there followed, throughout her reign, a huge expansion in the Cunard fleet until by the end of it the company was the pre-eminent force in British shipping. Today the company is probably the most famous name in shipping and the birth of this great liner confirms for all to see the continuing renaissance of the great name of Cunard. The Cunard lion roars again!"

A further ceremony took place on the dockside when Queen Victoria was blessed and a bottle of Italian prosecco smashed against the hull. The valves of the dry dock were then opened allowing the leviathan her first taste of salt water.

As well as being the second largest Cunarder ever built, Queen Victoria's arrival is particularly noteworthy as it will mark the first time that three Cunard Queens (she joins the world's largest liner, Queen Mary 2, and the world's most famous and best-loved liner, QE2) have been in service together in the company's 167-year history.

Queen Victoria will depart on her Maiden Voyage on Tuesday, December 11, 2007. After spending her first Christmas in the Canaries, Queen Victoria will then embark on her 106-night world cruise which will call at 37 cities in 23 countries.