RMS Queen Elizabeth was sold to the city of Long Beach, California. "Queen Elizabeth" was sold to a succession of buyers, most of whom had unsuccessful plans for her. Finally "Queen Elizabeth" was sold to Hong Kong businessman Tung Chao Yung, who intended to convert her into a floating university cruise ship called Seawise University. In 1972, while undergoing refurbishment in Hong Kong harbour, fire broke out aboard under unexplained circumstances and the ship was capsized by the water used to fight the fire. In 1973, the wreck was deemed an obstruction to shipping in the area, and so was partially scrapped where
Queen Elizabeth 2 modern accounts continue to publish that the "QE2" was named after the reigning monarch, in 2001 and 2008. Cunard continued the two-suffix naming practice introduced with "QE2" with the launch of the new ocean liner in 2003, named after the previous "Queen Mary"; however, the suffix '2' was required because of the continued existence of the TS "Queen Mary". The TS "Queen Mary" too had for a period been known as the TS "Queen Mary II" in a deal with Cunard that allowed Cunard to use 'Queen Mary' without suffix for their ocean liner. However, when Cunard announced that its