The biggest and most expensive cruise ship ever -- Queen Mary II -- set out to sea on Thursday, just days after a deal between France and the European Union saved its makers from immediate bankruptcy.

The world's largest, longest, and tallest transatlantic liner Queen Mary II leaves its dock at the Alstom shipyards in St Nazaire, western France, Sept.25, 2003 for a three-day engine test in the Atlantic ocean. The ship is scheduled to embark on her maiden voyage in Jan. 2004 for a 15-day cruise from Southampton, England to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. [Reuters]

Thousands watched as the giant $800 million cruise liner, which stretches the length of four football fields, left Saint Nazaire in western France for a three-day test run.

Six tugboats pulled the Queen Mary II to sea, with the ship standing as high as a 23-story building.

The ship, commissioned by Carnival Corp's Cunard Line, has an onboard planetarium and art gallery and will carry about 3,000 passengers on its 15-day maiden voyage from Southampton in England to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in January.

"We will push it to its maximum power to check that it can achieve 30 knots," said a spokesman for Alstom-Marine. "After that, we'll stop it brutally, and we will go in zigzags to check its stability."

Unlike the steel giant, the ship's maker Alstom has been sailing through stormy waters in recent weeks.

France and the EU's executive Commission agreed this week on a $3.7 billion bail-out for Alstom, averting its collapse.

The troubled engineer, which also makes ultra-fast trains and gas turbines, has said its future would be focused on its energy and transport units.

Management has said it hopes to take part in the consolidation of the European shipping industry, meaning it is looking for strategic tie-ups that would take off its hands the marine unit -- whose order book is thin amid a slump in tourism.

About 470 shipyard employees will test the comfort of the ship's cabins during the test run. Future visitors will also be able to attend cooking courses and language classes aboard, take to a golf putting green or basketball court or relax at a health spa.

Started in January 2002, work on the Queen Mary II is set to be finished in early December for the ship to be delivered to Cunard before Christmas, Alstom-Marine said.

The ship is already booked for its maiden voyage, with passengers paying between $3,500 and $55,000 for the trip.

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