Captain Ronald Warwick, master of Cunard Line's new Queen Mary 2, has been awarded the rank of commodore, the highest position a cruise line can bestow on one of its captains. The announcement was made December 26, 2003, as Queen Mary 2 was welcomed to Southampton - her British home port - for the very first time. "I am pleased to make this appointment, which recognises Ron Warwick's long and distinguished career with this great company," said Pamela Conover, Cunard's president and chief operating officer. Queen Mary 2 is the first ocean liner to be built in over three decades. The 2,620-passenger vessel is the largest (151,400 tons), longest (1,132 feet/345 metres), tallest (236 feet/72 metres), widest (135 feet/41 metres) and most expensive ($800 million) passenger ship ever built.