Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the longest reigning monarch of Britain and the godmother of many vessels, passed away on Wednesday at Balmoral in Scotland. She was 96 years of age and had been on the throne for 70 years.

She was present with her younger sister, Princess Margaret, in September 1938 when her mother named RMS Queen Elizabeth of what was then Cunard White Star Line, on the Clyde in Scotland.

Eight years later, all three participated trials of the ship on the Clyde as it prepared to commence civilian service after six years of naval duty during and after World War 2.

In 1947, she named Caronia of Cunard White Star Line at the same John Brown shipyard on the Clyde that had built Queen Elizabeth. That same year she married Philip Mountbatten, later titled His Royal Highness Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

The next ocean liner that she would name was the Southern Cross of Shaw, Savill & Albion that was built at Harland & Wolff in Belfast and launched in 1954, two years after her accession to the throne.

A year later she named Empress of Britain of Canadian Pacific Steamships that was built by Fairfield on the Clyde. The ship became Greek Line’s Queen Anna Maria in 1964, but it is probably best remembered as Carnivale of Carnival Cruise Lines that acquired it in 1976.

Twelve years would pass before she would name the next large passenger ship – Queen Elizabeth 2 that was constructed at John Brown on the Clyde and launched in 1967.

The Queen was also godmother of Oriana of P&O Cruises, the first modern cruise liner intended for the British market, which was built in Germany and named at Southampton in 1995.

Two Cunard ships followed – Queen Mary 2 in 2003 and Queen Elizabeth in 2010 –before the naming of P&O Cruises’ Britannia in 2015. This was to become the final ship that she would name.

However, she performed the duty of godmother to several naval vessels as well, including the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth in 2014.

Camilla, wife of the present king that was known as Duchess of Cornwall and who is now titled Queen Consort, named Cunard’s Queen Victoria in 2007 and the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales 10 years later.

King Charles III, who has succeeded Queen Elizabeth II on the throne, served in the Royal Navy in the 1970s and commanded the minesweeper HMS Bronington in 1976.

Photo: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at the naming ceremony of P&O Cruises' Britannia in Southampton in March 2015.