 Walters helped to drive the symbolic golden spike at the start of construction and was consulted at every stage of the building of the ship.The ship was launched on 24 July 1963 before a crowd of 50,000.Walters was on board the ship and at the age of 82 took the new ship on its first voyage to the West Indies

Walters died 11 August 1968 at the age of 87.