Three of the world's most famous ocean liners will anchor for the first time in the River Mersey next year to mark the 175th anniversary of the first sailing between Britain and North America.

The showpiece event is expected to attract between two and three million visitors, lining Liverpool's World Heritage waterfront for a glimpse of the three liners, namely the Queen Mary, the Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Victoria, which all belongs to Cunard Line.

The maiden trans-Atlantic voyage left Liverpool on July 4, 1840 for the crossing to North America. And on July 4, 2015 the three liners will replicate the same journey -- setting sails from Liverpool on a 10-day voyage ending in New York.

Thousands of people have already paid between 2,000 and 7,000 pounds (3,400 to 12,000 US dollars) for tickets for the historic sailing.

The Cunard Line was established in Liverpool in the early 1800s when Liverpool was Europe's greatest seaport.

"Liverpool is the spiritual home of Cunard and I am delighted the city will play a key role in our anniversary celebrations in 2015. This event will live long in the memory of all people there to witness it, whether on board one of our ships or along the banks of the great River Mersey," said Angus Struthers, Cunard director, on Wednesday.

Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson, who as a teenager worked for Cunard as a deckhand, said: "Undoubtedly the majestic sights of the three Queens will attract many thousands of people to our waterfront. It is set to be the biggest maritime highlight of 2015."

The Queen Mary can carry 2,620 passengers and has a crew of 1,253. The ship is 345 metres in length. Queen Victoria can carry 1,990 passengers and 981 crew. Queen Elizabeth carries 2,068 passengers and a crew of 1,005. In contrast the original Cunard Britannia was only 63 metres in length, carrying just 115 passengers.