<p>Thousands of QE2 fans turned out to say goodbye to the famous liner as she sailed up the river of her birth for a final time.<br />The 70,000-tonne ship is on a farewell voyage around the British Isles before sailing into retirement as a floating hotel in Dubai.</p><p>Launched on the Clyde 41 years ago, the QE2 received a warm welcome when she returned to berth at Greenock, Inverclyde. </p><p>Thousands lined the esplanade to watch Cunard's longest-serving ship arrive at the port.</p><p>Inverclyde provost Michael McCormick said: &quot;The QE2 stands for all that was and remains good about Inverclyde. She is what we now call a design classic and has gained iconic status. </p><p>&quot;The quality of her finish is tribute to the skills of all those people who worked on her. She is Clydebuilt which means she's built to last. </p><p>&quot;We are sorry to see her go and we'll never see her likes again but Inverclyde is a major cruise stop and we look forward to welcoming other vessels from around the world.&quot;</p><p>The QE2 was built by the John Brown shipyard in Clydebank and was launched by the Queen in 1967.</p><p>Since then she has travelled almost 5.9 million nautical miles - more than any other ship - and has carried 2.5 million guests. She has completed 25 World Cruises and has crossed the Atlantic 804 times.</p><p>The liner left Liverpool on Friday and will visit Belfast and Edinburgh before arriving in her home port of Southampton next week.</p>