Queen Elizabeth Part 4: End...In 1968, Queen Elizabeth was sold to a US based company intending to operate the ship as a hotel and tourist attraction in Port Everglades, Florida, but the climate was unsuitable for her and was sold to Hong Kong tycoon C.Y. Tung. Renamed Seawise University the ship was sent to Hong Kong for refitting, the ship caught fire on January 9 1972. It is widely believed the ship was sabotaged for insurance money although never proven, a sad end to one of the greatest ships to sail the Atlantic.