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Author Topic: QE2  (Read 17351 times)

gary r uk

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QE2
« on: June 18, 2007, 11:02:49 am »

Discussion - Off-Topic: QE2 Retired.   

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
hi guys
i just pulled this from another forum r/c groups
cheers
gary

Story on Reuters

She's been bought by a Dubai group for $100 Million Dollars (£50 Million Pounds). She's to be turned into a hotel, just off the man-made palm tree-shaped island. Not too bad in my opinion, but I didn't expect her to be retired for another 10 years atleast.
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Daryl

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Re: qe2 sold
« Reply #1 on: June 18, 2007, 11:05:54 am »

The story is on BBC news web site, I was surprised it was rtetired early.

Daryl
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DickyD

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Re: QE2 sold
« Reply #2 on: June 18, 2007, 11:14:35 am »

Another opportunity lost  ???
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J.beazley

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Re: qe2 sold
« Reply #3 on: June 18, 2007, 01:15:07 pm »

Waste of a good ship if you ask me :(

Jay
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chingdevil

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Re: qe2 sold
« Reply #4 on: June 18, 2007, 01:21:21 pm »

What a loss of a great ship. Another piece of our heritage lost. >:( >:( >:(

Brian
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Brian_C

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Re: qe2 sold
« Reply #5 on: June 18, 2007, 01:25:44 pm »

I THINK ITS BECAUSE QUEEN VICTORIA IS DUE HER MAIDEN VOYAGE LATER THIS YEAR, BUT ITS STILL A FINE SHIP AND HAS MANY YEARS SERVICE IN HER ...
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Colin Bishop

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Re: qe2 sold
« Reply #6 on: June 18, 2007, 03:08:29 pm »

That is quite surprising as Carnival/Cunard have been implying only recently that she has several years service life left. Maybe they were made an offer they couldn't refuse.

You have to remember that the ship is now 40 years old when a normal service life would be about 30 max. Refits can only achieve so much and I'm told the vessel is showing her age in various areas plus the basic design is early Sixties - everyone wants balcony cabins these days.

The fact that she is being retired while in relatively good nick is probably a good thing. Many preservation projects have failed because the ship had deteriorated too far to be economically restored.

It's probably just as well that they aren't trying to preserve her in this country which would be the kiss of death for sure!
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Bunkerbarge

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Re: qe2 sold
« Reply #7 on: June 18, 2007, 06:34:44 pm »

What a lot of people don't realise is that a ship of this age is actually very expensive to operate.  All her equipment is now so outdated and inefficient that her fuel bill is crippling.  She may be the fastest merchant vessel under the UK flag at the moment but no-one could afford to operate her at such speeds as 32 knots.

It's the end of a very long era and a very honourable career. She has been the flagship of the British Merchant Navy for as long as I have been working in it and I consider myself very fortunate to have worked on her in the past. 

She is an icon of what we once held in high regard and comes from the days when British Engineering led the world with such things as the Concorde and the E-Type Jag.  Sadly we no longer consider engineering as a worthy proffession and consequently cannot even make our own brand of car, cannot build ships, cannot produce our own textiles and cannot even mass produce our own pottery any more.

The QE2 going doesn't just mark the end of this era it marks the end of our pride in our ability to produce the best in the world.
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Bryan Young

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Re: qe2 sold
« Reply #8 on: June 18, 2007, 06:43:51 pm »

I THINK ITS BECAUSE QUEEN VICTORIA IS DUE HER MAIDEN VOYAGE LATER THIS YEAR, BUT ITS STILL A FINE SHIP AND HAS MANY YEARS SERVICE IN HER ...
Quite surprising (not) that she has been sold. I cannot recall a single year that she has not been castigated for hygiene breaches in the U.S.
Lovely to look at....but outdated. Much better retirement than that of "Canberra".
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Colin Bishop

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Re: qe2 sold
« Reply #9 on: June 18, 2007, 06:51:12 pm »

The QE2 is indeed an icon these days but I well remember when she was launched she was an embarrasment to British engineering with severe turbine problems which I believe were never fully eradicated until her engines were replaced with German diesels (and even then the new props half fell off!).

However, Philip Dawson's book "British Superliners of the Sixties" goes into her design process in very interesting detail with comparisons against Canberra and Oriana of the same period. There's some interesting stuff with illustrations of her original decor, most of which has long since vanished with successive refits and partial rebuildings.
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Iain

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Re: qe2 sold
« Reply #10 on: June 18, 2007, 07:03:35 pm »

I remember it well the day she was launched ,because I was there, sorry to se her go but all good things must come to a end  [img] :
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Bunkerbarge

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Re: qe2 sold
« Reply #11 on: June 18, 2007, 08:23:18 pm »

To be fair Colin it wasn't half the Prop that fell off it was the "Grim Wheels" that actually fell off. 

Propulsion was not affected in any way simply the idea of recovering wasted thrust from the wash didn't quite go as planned.

I agree her turbines may have not been the most reliable but her hull shape is without equal and she is the only ship remaining that can still be truly classed as a Transatlantic Liner.  We will never see the likes of her ever again.

I think to class her as an embarrassment to British Engineering is a gross misrepresentation which I find very dissappointing.
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Colin Bishop

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Re: qe2 sold
« Reply #12 on: June 18, 2007, 09:32:38 pm »

Quote
To be fair Colin it wasn't half the Prop that fell off it was the "Grim Wheels" that actually fell off. 

Bunkerbarge,

Yes I know, I was exaggerating a bit but it just goes to show how empirical propeller design still is even in this day and age. I'm reading a book by the naval constructor D K Brown on battleships from Warrior to Dreadnought at the moment and it is interesting how successive designs relied upon tweaking an existing ship rather than designing something from the bottom up. Some of the Victorian techniques and empirical data on stability etc. continued in use until after WW2.

The publicity in the popular press that the QE2 turbine problems caused at the time was a huge embarrassment and I certainly found it disappointing as so much had been expected from the new ship. There was a lot of criticism in the maritime press too. Fortunately the ship went on to rise above it all and became the acknowledged flagship of the Merchant Navy.

If I might be an even more awkward SOB, I would not agree that QE2 is the last true transatlantic liner. The Queen Mary 2 has been built with strengthened hull and scantlings to make her suitable for "Winter - North Atlantic" in the old tradition and while I have reservations about her appearance I have no reason to doubt that she is in every way a worthy successor to the old Queens, unlike the more lightly built cruise ships which dominate the seas today.

Cheers,

Colin
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Bunkerbarge

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Re: qe2 sold
« Reply #13 on: June 18, 2007, 10:10:54 pm »

I know what you are saying Colin but to me there is a lot more to creating a Transatlantic Liner than adding a bit of stiffening up front and classifying her as North Atlantic capable.

The French may be quite willing to sell her as such but when you compare the two hulls out of the water you will be able to appreciate the differrence between cutting through the water with the beautiful Atlantic bow of the QE2 and the somewhat blunt instrument of the QM2 which relies on brute force to part the waves and ride over them with her size. 

Call me old fashioned but the QM2 will never be a Transatlantic Liner for me in the same way as her predesesors were and the beauty is just as differrent below the water as it is above it.

I realise there will always be plenty of reference material out there to demonstrate otherwise but, as I said to me and maybe only me, the QM2 just doesn't cut it.
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Colin Bishop

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Re: qe2 sold
« Reply #14 on: June 18, 2007, 10:49:11 pm »

I wouldn't disagree with you there Bunkerbarge. The QE2 looks like the thoroughbred she is but I really dislike the look of the QM2 even if she is North Atlantic capable by virtue of her size and stiffening. My personal view is that the original Queen Elizabeth and the United States were the high point of the transatlantic liners as far as looks are concerned. No doubt others would prefer the Normandie.
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Didge

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Re: qe2 sold
« Reply #15 on: June 19, 2007, 11:15:19 pm »

Hi, I class myself lucky indeed, that my partner Jan and I, have just completed 2 cruises on QE2. 2 weeks in the Med in July 2006, and a 3 week cruise to the USA & Caribbean in April this year.
She is a beautiful ship, and the crew are wonderful, but she is showing her age now in many places.
It is very strange indeed, that on our last trip, one evening having a drink before dinner, i said this to Jan. "I reckon the QE2 will be decommissioned within the next few years, but not scrapped. I reckon she will be used as a floating hotel somewhere, as she is far too classy to end up under the scrappers torch".
Then less than 2 months later, comes the news that you guys are talking about. Am I psychic?  ;D
I recommend that those who can, should travel on her before she goes, as she's so much different to the floating hotels that pass for cruise ships today.
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Colin Bishop

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Re: qe2 sold
« Reply #16 on: June 19, 2007, 11:27:47 pm »

There is an advert in today's Times for QE2's last Southampton based cruise on 27th October 2008. 15 nights: Southampton-Lisbon-Cagliari-Naples-Messina-Dubrovnik-Zakinthos-Athens-Gibraltar-Vigo-Southampton. That's not a bad selection of ports.

Discounted prices start at £1,289 for a cabin in the bilges and go up to £9,149 for a Grand Suite.

I've heard that QE2 is a bit of a class conscious ship Didge - is that true?

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Didge

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Re: qe2 sold
« Reply #17 on: June 19, 2007, 11:54:31 pm »

There is an advert in today's Times for QE2's last Southampton based cruise on 27th October 2008. 15 nights: Southampton-Lisbon-Cagliari-Naples-Messina-Dubrovnik-Zakinthos-Athens-Gibraltar-Vigo-Southampton. That's not a bad selection of ports.

Discounted prices start at £1,289 for a cabin in the bilges and go up to £9,149 for a Grand Suite.

I've heard that QE2 is a bit of a class conscious ship Didge - is that true?



In a way, I suppose that is true. Most evenings are 'formal' dress code. Tux, dickie bow etc, and I did find that a little tireing after a while. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind dressing up sometimes, but when it's most nights, and one just wants to relax, it can get on your nerves a bit.
Still, she IS a classy ship, and I suppose Cunard like to keep up the 'airs and graces' of the old time cruise ships as much as possible, and I could not fault the service or the food. It was superb.
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Colin Bishop

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Re: qe2 sold
« Reply #18 on: June 20, 2007, 08:54:48 am »

We had a week on Thomson Celebration last year. She used to be the Holland America Noordam of mid 70's construction, not long after the QE2. The ship's interiors were still quite traditional and attractive although I didn't much like her angular external appearance nor the truly awful paint job on the funnel. The atmosphere was much more relaxed - on the couple of "formal" nights a jacket and tie was quite acceptable, otherwise it was smart casual - jacket and no tie! Food and service were also pretty good and it was a lot cheaper than Cunard!
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Bunkerbarge

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Re: qe2 sold
« Reply #19 on: June 20, 2007, 12:20:24 pm »

The QE2 does have a degree of a class system in so far as the cabin you book dictates the restaurant you eat in.  However you can pay a surcharge and eat in a higher class restaurant whilst occupying a lower class cabin.

Apart from that there are no public space restrictions so I don't think you can consider her as having a real class system as per the old First, Second, Third and Steerage!!

As for the formal nights most people who are attracted to sailing on her do not want the informal 'party' atmosphere of more modern vessels and they prefer the formal evenings.  It's very much horses for courses and whenever I am asked about cruise ships I always emphasise that you need to pick the vessel that suits your own taste.
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Colin Bishop

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Re: qe2 sold
« Reply #20 on: June 20, 2007, 12:27:21 pm »

Quote
and whenever I am asked about cruise ships I always emphasise that you need to pick the vessel that suits your own taste.

I think that is very sound advice Bunkerbarge.
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Ash

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Re: qe2 sold
« Reply #21 on: June 20, 2007, 12:48:35 pm »

Colin,
Almost the same picture, different ship!
I've had many many good times on that ship in recent years, but it was bound to happen. I'm still unsure about whether it's 'right' to keep her or scrap her, but thats something none of us have control over.
Happy sailing

Ash
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Capt Jack

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Re: qe2 sold
« Reply #22 on: June 21, 2007, 10:45:13 am »

To me she was a ship ahead of her time,stunning looking now, let alone when she was built.

The QM 2 is impressive but only because of her size, and what were they thinking with the stern ?.Although i have been told it had to be like that, something to do with water low around her pods.

It'll be sad to see QE 2 go, let hope she has a good life.
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tigertiger

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QE2 - end of an era?
« Reply #23 on: June 22, 2007, 10:04:01 am »

I have just read this in paper

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/main.jhtml;jsessionid=BVDQ0AEK3FW1VQFIQMGCFFWAVCBQUIV0?xml=/travel/2007/06/21/etqe2120.xml

The article looks at how the industry has changed and the effect this has had on ships like QE2
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Cargo

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Re: QE2 - end of an era?
« Reply #24 on: June 22, 2007, 10:34:15 pm »

Sad, but better then be scraped.

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